#Manitas Kitchen

[cajuinadepixel]

Manitas Kitchen: conheça o jogo

Imagem: Little Arrow Games Para quem curte jogos de simulação e gerenciamento, existe Manitas Kitchen, um título que pode ser encontrado na plataforma Steam. O jogo foi criado pela Little Arrow Games e a Entalto Publishing o lançou. Em 23 de outubro de 2023, o jogo será lançado. Qual é o enredo do jogo? Bem, você jogará como Manitas, um cozinheiro entusiasmado que sonha em abrir seu próprio…

[indiegamelover]

Manitas Kitchen

✰ More New release indie games you may have missed:

IndieGameLover @ Youtube

indiegamelover.com

[where-the-wind-travels]

wip wednesday ✦

thank you @cadybear420 for the tag! ♡

i haven't updated any of my choices writing in... literal months, and while i am currently getting back into it, it's not for this fandom. nevertheless i found this wip which was supposed to be my june challenge entry, but then things happened™️ (june was a very sick month for me) and i ended up leaving it with only the very beginning scene written... still, i might finish and post it sometime lmao

this is pretty much my self indulgent mcflint first date/love confession fic, featuring euphemia's nosy ass third wheeling for them from the power dimension. takes place one year post-ilw, shadow ending + gate opened.

(i don't know who to tag since pretty much everyone prior to me was already tagged OOPS 😭 still, "tagging" everyone who wants to join in!)

below the cut because of length + not my best use of mood whiplash, but for those interested dw all the rest of this is going to be pure fluff

“I'm home!” A cheerful voice rang across the living room, followed by a sigh as Mercedes leaned against the doorframe, letting go of the shopping bags she had been carrying. “Oof, these things are heavy. Think any of you could help me?” Abel, who'd previously been sitting on the couch waiting for his sister to come home from her shopping trip, all but sprinted to the door and picked up a bag. “Manita, why? Just how many things did you buy? And what did I tell you about overspending?” Mercedes rolled her eyes fondly. “It's for you, Abel, not for me. And besides, it's not overspending if I actually planned what I'm spending on,” she added. “Since you couldn't decide on what to make for today's plans, I just bought the ingredients for everything you listed.” “Today's plans? Why are you saying that as if you're a part of it?” He put down the bag, placing it on the living room table near the vase full of white jasmine flowers he'd bought a few months ago. They're fake — after all, Abel has never been the best at taking care of plants, what with all his responsibilities and tendency to get distracted — but he doesn't think about that, nor does he like to. It doesn't matter if they're fake, they're still beautiful. And he got them because of him, the one person that's been occupying most of his mind, but whom he's never been brave enough to confess his real feelings for. He likes keeping things that remind him of Lincoln. He always did, and even now — especially now — he still does. “Because I am! I agreed to help you prepare the food and calm your nerves and do all that…” She paused to take a deep breath. “Sorry. You know all this time I've been really excited that things are back to normal with Lincoln, and—” “Wait, what? Nerves? I thought they were just hanging out, what's so important about this occasion?” Lola interrupted from inside the kitchen, not looking up from the bowl of cereal she poured herself. “You tell her or I tell her? If you don't, then I will,” Mercedes spoke, grinning and failing to hide the giggle coming out of her. Abel sighed. “Fine, I'll tell her. Because right now, you're starting to sound a lot like…” “Like…” A pang of grief and sadness, like a storm crashing into a beach that had been bright and sunny just a few moments ago, struck him as he thought of her. His best friend's younger half sister, the girl that had the same love for pirates, history and language as he had, the girl that never once left his side – anyone's side – even as he was going through his worst moments yet. Despite only being part of their lives for about a month – and despite sharing blood with the same man who ruined them, manipulated them, used them for his own selfish wants while claiming there's good behind his intentions – she knew her friends as if she'd spent a lifetime with them. And she might as well have. When comparing this girl's brightness and warmth to that of the Sun, the Sun itself fell short. She was a fighter, yes, but also a devoted and compassionate soul whose utmost priority was protecting and caring for others – not just her friends, but others in general, no matter if she didn't know them personally. And oh, how she loved peering into Abel's relationship with Lincoln. Even before Abel himself knew that what he wanted was something different from being friends again, she knew. She'd always wanted for them to reconcile and be happy together, she saw the spark inside both of them that no one else did. She'd gush to Amalia about how cute she thought they'd look together and smiled so bright when she saw them getting along, no matter how much they insisted they weren't. And now her wish came true, but she's gone. Why did it have to be her?

[iwaoiness]

When Tooru likes Rosalía

Iwaizumi never thought it possible that anything could oust empanadas from the number 1 spot in Oikawa's TOP10 things I like most about Argentina.

Until Rosalia and her album El Mal Querer arrived during Tooru's second year in the Latin country.

Ever since he became obsessed whit her, there was no video call where Oikawa did not hum or sing a song. With the endearing accent that persisted in his Spanish, he sang voy a salir pa la calle, con la manita los aro’ brillando, en mi piel los corale’, me protejan, me salven, me iluminen, me guarden while he prepared to go out after Hajime helped him choose an outfit.

And also me da miedo cuando sales, sonriendo pa’ la calle, porque todos pueden ver, los hoyuelitos que te salen, like that day when he missed Iwa-chan so much that he couldn't disguise it and Jacob (Hajime's roommate and friend) uploaded a story to Instagram where Iwaizumi was laughing (so handsome, so ethereal) with naturalness and happiness and sweetness and with those tender dimples on his cheeks.

And de las luces sale un ángel que cayó, tiene una marca en el alma, pero ella no se la vio while preparing dinner following Iwaizumi's instructions via the video call

And when Oikawa was feeling playful, lying face down on the bed, with the laptop in front of him, he sang di mi nombre, pon tu cuerpo contra el mío, y que lo malo sea bueno e impuro lo bendecí’o, ya me abrazas sobre tu cuerpo, en la esquina de tu cama, and he enjoyed watching Hajime covered his face with his hands, his ears reddened and muttered curses in English because after so long, he understood Spanish too well.

Then, four years later, when Oikawa was giving up all hope of Rosalía releasing a new album, Motomami appeared, and Iwaizumi still remembers with a shudder Tooru's intense scream when it was released.

Now, with no trace of his accent, in fluent, melodious Spanish, Oikawa sang yo soy muy mía, yo me transformo, una mariposa, yo me transformo, makeup de drag queen, yo me transformo, lluvia de estrellas, yo me transformo as he swayed his hips and made his favourite smoothies in the kitchen of the new flat where he finally lived with Iwaizumi.

And there was one day when, while Hajime was talking to Kageyama on the phone about his hesitation to do a deodorant commercial, Oikawa sang out loud es mala amante la fama y no va a quererte de verdad, es demasia’o traicionera, y como ella viene, se te va to tease him a bit (just for old times' sake, not because he wanted to really annoy Tobio for interrupting them in their daily cuddling session).

And then he sang pa’ ti naki, chicken teriyaki, tu gata quiere maki, mi gata en Kawasaki as he and Iwa-chan walked to their favourite restaurant in Tokyo and Hajime, against his will, ended up humming the catchy fucking tune.

He also sang yo no soy y ni voy a ser tu bizcochito, pero tengo to’ lo que tiene delito, que me pongan en el sol, que me derrito as he went through his nightly skincare routine, with the song playing on his phone and Hajime by his side, brushing his teeth while looking at him in amusement through the reflection of the mirror.

And there was a time when Tooru not only sang baby, no me llame’ que yo estoy ocupá’ olvidando tus male’, ya decidí que esta noche se sale, con toda’ mis motomami’, con toda’ mis gyale’, but also joined the trend on TikTok (dragging Hajime of course). Both learned the choreography, recorded the video one Sunday morning and, in less than three hours, got more than 1M likes, 90k comments (20 of them from an excited Hinata), several calls from family and friends, a duo of Mattsun and Makki with their TikTok where both laughed trying to imitate them and Suna re-uploading the video on his social networks with the thumbs-up emoji.

And then came the RR album with Beso which Tooru had on loop for weeks, although Hajime didn't really mind, because the melody was soft (nothing to do with Chiken Teriyaki) and he loved it when Oikawa sang ya yo necesito otro beso, uno de esos que tú me da’, estar lejos de ti es el infierno, estar cerca de ti es mi paz as he wrapped his arms around Iwa-chan, smiled tenderly and looked at him lovingly before kissing him.

Although, when it was discovered that Rauw hurt Rosalía and they broke up, Oikawa (after venting his anger towards the male singer on his social networks) banned the album because in this house we don't tolerate infidels, Iwa-chan and replaced the RR album with the single LLYLM, with that fragment that Oikawa liked a lot and, during an April night, curled up on the small sofa on the balcony under the dark blanket of the sky, Hajime sang to him, low and soft, with an accent in his Spanish ay dame esa pulsera de flores, me la pondré en la muñeca, cuando despierte, así yo lo sabré, así yo lo sabré, yo sabré que fue real, será mi totem, lo sabes tú y nadie más.

But, instead of a flower bracelet, Iwaizumi carefully slipped a gold wedding ring onto Oikawa's ring finger and he, when noticed it, lifted his head from Hajime's chest, blinking in perplexity when he saw the jewel wrapped perfectly around his finger.

Is this...?

He shot his gaze towards Iwaizumi with a whirlwind of dizzying emotions swirling in his chest, where his heart was pounding so hard it could shatter ribs and pierce skin.

Hajime looked back at him, his olive green eyes shining with happiness in its purest state, and he widened his smile, that smile that expresses so much and brings out his dimples.

"Will you marry me, Tooru?" he asked him softly in Spanish, his voice trembling lightly, charged with the same emotions that stirred the setter.

Oikawa opened and closed his mouth, but the words caught in his throat, his lower lip began to tremble, his eyes to mist over before tears began to overflow and his cheks and nose began to blush. Tooru only managed to sob before he threw himself on top of him completely, hiding his face in Hajime’s shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around his neck and sliding his legs on either side of his hips. Iwaizumi’s strong arms immediately wrapped around Oikawa, aligning their hearts in that hug, bringing him the warmth, comfort, and security that Tooru grew up with.

Hajime was Tooru’s home that always kept its doors open for him.

"If I'd known you were going to propose I would have taught you Taylor Swift's discography." He whispered when finally found his voice and Hajime let out a wet laugh, his hand never having stopped stroking Oikawa’s back while the other still clutched at his waist.

"So that's a yes?" he asked and Oikawa sniffled, lifting his head to look him in the eye.

He smiled, with that cute curve to his lips that forced his eyes to narrow like half-moons and his reddened nose to wrinkle tenderly.

"As Rosalia sang at an awards ceremony" Tooru cleared his throat and Hajime laughed again before his boyfriend (now fiancé and forever his soulmate) cradled his face in his soft hands, his thumbs caressing his cheeks as their eyes met again "Si me das a elegir, entre tú y la gloria, pa’ que hable la historia de mí, por los siglos, ay amor" He inclined his head, nuzzling his nose with Iwaizumi's, who narrowed his eyes, lowering his gaze to those glossy lips that curved upwards "I'm staying with you" He finished in Japanese and Hajime mirrored his smile before their mouths melted into a kiss charged with all the love they had sown since they were two years old.

The same love that today, at the age of 29, blossoms like every spring in an explosion of colours and shapes.

[lovebatty]

At first, only Romi cooked for the two of them. But, after a few months of dating, Romi offered to teach Ayato how to cook ( at least the basics ) because that ‘little voice’ of his started telling him things like: “No se lo hagas, deja que aprenda, al fin y al cabo tiene manitas”. ᕙ⁠(⁠⇀⁠‸⁠↼⁠‶⁠)⁠ᕗ

And at first Ayato refused, then did it reluctantly; but in the end he will always take any excuse to be with Romi because of how clingy he is, plus❕He has learned a little about it ( at least he burns the rice, but he doesn't burn the kitchen ), so it's a win.

Romi never leaves Ayato to his fate, he helps him if he asks or allows him to intervene, and if he knows and can teach him, he will help him in whatever way he can so that he learns it. 🩷

[lowhighng]

The Magic of Christmas

Christmas, for me, is a time of love, joy, and togetherness. It's a season where we share love, give love, and spread love. I can almost feel the happiness in the air, the excitement of gift-giving, and the joy of receiving. Whether it's a small token or an expensive gift, it's the thought that counts. Christmas is the time when I feel most loved, receiving gifts from those dearest to me. I cherish the way my family comes together during the Christmas season. We've been celebrating the same traditions since I was a child, like the manita exchange and the countless games we play. The laughter and joy shared with my cousins are unforgettable. I love the anticipation of Noche Buena, waiting until midnight to celebrate Christmas and indulge in a delicious feast. We stay up late, helping each other stay awake and singing karaoke until the early hours of the morning. I also love the secret surprises, like the hidden money that comes with the instruction, "Don't tell your mom, she'll take it from you." Christmas transcends age, strengthening our bonds with loved ones, even as we grow older. I remember when we were kids, the excitement of December 24th was intense. We couldn't wait to see the gifts under our Lola's Christmas tree, each one with our name on it. We'd get dressed up early, eagerly asking if our wishlists would come true. Even now, the feeling of anticipation remains, though perhaps a bit tempered. I'm grateful for my parents' efforts to make Christmas special. My dad's commitment to fulfilling his promises, like buying me the shoes I've always wanted, and my mom's dedication to preparing the feast are truly heartwarming. And of course, I love helping out in the kitchen, even if it means I might try to finish all the food before midnight. I hope to continue these cherished traditions and create new ones with my loved ones. I hope to carry the spirit of Christmas with me throughout the year, spreading kindness and joy to others. It’s a feeling that warms my heart, knowing that I’m part of something special. As Christmas approaches, I find myself reflecting on the true meaning of the season. It's not just about the gifts or the decorations, but about the love and joy that we share with others. It's about taking the time to appreciate the little things in life and being grateful for what we have.

[44gamez]

PS5 and PS4 Releases: Every Game Release Date for Week Beginning February 5, 2024

Gamers will possible be foaming on the mouth with anticipation for the new PS5 and PS4 video games as a consequence of be launched throughout the week starting February 5, 2024. The highlights for this week are Foamstars, which is coming to each consoles and Helldivers 2 for PS5. There are additionally a couple of PSVR 2 video games.

All PS5 and PS4 February 5 to 11, 2024 recreation launch dates

Listed below are all the PS5 and PS4 video games currently set to be released all through the week of February 5 to 11, 2024. PS5 Video games - Beneath the earth – Backrooms (February 5) - Alisa: Developer’s Minimize (February 6) - Foamstars (February 6) - Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan (February 6) - Dungeonoid 2 Awakening (February 7) - Border Bots VR (February 8) - Cannibal Abduction (February 8) - Useless Hook (February 8) - Helldivers 2 (February 8) - The Inquisitor (February 8) - Legendary Tales (February 8) - Mustache In Hell (February 8) - Shanghai Summer time (February 8) - One other World Mahjong Woman (February 9) - Selection of Life: Center Ages 2 (February 9) - Jubilee (February 9) - Manitas Kitchen (February 9) - Treasures of The Roman Empire (February 9) PS4 Video games - Alisa: Developer’s Minimize (February 6) - Foamstars (February 6) - Race Boat Simulator Racing (February 6) - Sydney Hunter and the Curse of the Mayan (February 6) - Dungeonoid 2 Awakening (February 7) - Cannibal Abduction (February 8) - KONOSUBA – God’s Blessing On This Fantastic World! Love For These Garments Of Want! (February 8) - Mustache In Hell (February 8) - Shanghai Summer time (February 8) - One other World Mahjong Woman (February 9) - Selection of Life: Center Ages 2 (February 9) - Jubilee (February 9) - Treasures of The Roman Empire (February 9) A complete of 18 video games are coming to PS5 this week, whereas PS4 gamers get a barely shorter listing of 13 titles. The spotlight for each consoles is Foamstars, Sq. Enix’s new 4v4 on-line social gathering shooter that can also be coming to PS Plus Important on day one. In the meantime, PS5 gamers get Helldivers 2, the third-person squad shooter from Arrowhead Sport Studios that pits gamers in opposition to the enormous horrors of Tremendous Earth as soon as once more. There's a number of PSVR 2 video games this week too: puzzle simulation Border Bots VR, rogue-like and shooter Useless Hook, and fantasy motion RPG Legendary Tales. Lastly, the story-driven, darkish fantasy journey recreation The Inquisitor tells the story of what would occur if Christianity took a unique flip. Source link Read the full article

[small-world-au]

Sora and Stone looked at Finn sympathetically…damn, they really missed their family…

Sora gently took Finn’s hand again and said, “your quite lucky your family’s looking for you…however, if we’re ever to face them, I’d like to give them a piece of my mind about making fun of your dreams instead of sitting you down and talk it out with you as the adults their supposed to be…”

Stone patted Sora’s head to calm him down, which he did.

“Uh…ahem! Um…please don’t fret, it’s normal to feel like the need to prove that you can do something impossible by yourself…you were angry, understandable…but just remember your limits…but…it’s truly AMAZING how far you’ve come! You’ve outsmarted the witch, became the rat prince, scammed MILLIONS of lootbags, faced ditch by yourself, made other’s day brighter with your charming presence, and made friends who are honored to be called your family.”

He then pats Finn’s head for comfort.

“Believe me, manita…you already proved them wrong…however, don’t feel guilty about wanting to see them again…with the lengths they would go to find you…that’s really saying something…”

Sora then gently hugs his sibling as Stone nodded in reassurance.

“It’s true, you’ve come this far, kid. You’ve already won.” He smiled before turning around in embarrassment, averting Finn’s eyes.

Sora giggled before gasping,“Oh! Here! I have a surprise for you!”

He released Finn from the hug and went into the kitchen.

Stone shrugged as Finn looked at him in confusion.

Sora then returned to the duo with his basket in hand. He plopped the basket on his lap, taking out 3 items and handing them over to the confused fortune scammer.

It was a flower bracelet (specific flowers for Finn’s character), a golden cake pop with white and blue stars, and last but not least…a…a medium-sized box?

“Go on! Open it!” Sora encourage as Stone hugged him from behind.

Inside the box…was a beautiful black and blue dress with shimmering gold flakes that resembled stars in the night sky, along with tuxedo with the same color schemes. Ohhh! And a top hat!

“I asked Luna to make these specifically for you…because we wanted to ask you to be our maid of honor or one of our best men for our wedding…since your one of the first kind souls whom I came across when I started out on the streets…it’s up to you tho! On what you want to wear, ofc! But…this my way of saying…thank you…for being my friend and my dearest family…”

Sora smiled before wiping a tear that stream from his face.

“So…is it alright with you???…”

He needed to find someone

Anyone

Anyone, God, ANYONE please save him

Finn weaved through the crowded market, breathing labored and eyes wide with panic. He could hear his heartbeat in his ears, the sound blaring over the loud murmur of the crowd. He needed to get out of here, they can't find him. They can't find him

In his panic, he doesn't notice that he's bumping into people left and right, shoving people out of the way as he tried his damndest to run somewhere safe. One of these people he shoved aside is actually Sora, but it took Sora a moment to recognize the younger scrap

He looked frantic, his hair was a mess like he was in a struggle, his cheeks were smudged with dirt and had some small cuts on them from the hard, sharp gravel. His clothes were mused and dusty, and he generally looked like he was in a struggle. That, or he hid somewhere dirty and dangerous to get away from someone. Sora couldn't tell

- @ask-finn-hollis

Sora eyes widened at sight of his sibling in fear and decided to go after him. Stone notice as well he was not far behind to follow them.

Once out of the crowd, the duo stopped and looked around for Finn.

“Finn! Finn? Finn! You here, manita?!” Sora asked in a hushed tone, making sure no one else but Finn heard.

Stone scanned the area until he saw a familiar figure hiding behind old crates and such.

Stone tapped his fiancé‘s shoulder. Sora turned and saw her as well. It hurt him to see how terrified she was…he understood that feeling…he took a few box breaths before the duo carefully approached the fake fortune teller.

“Finn? Are you ok, cariño???”

Sora kneeled down a safe distance from Finn, offering his hand for his sibling to hold as Stone kneeled beside him as well.

“You alright? You looked…like someone’s been hunting you or something. What happened?” Stone asked in a serious tone.

[radiowallet]

cat!!! coming to you with a thought that was just born from my half conscious brain:

techie and missy red tv listening party

does marcus participate ?? is he even invited ?? does he just lovingly support from afar ??

Oh my god, Britt! You are absolutely right! Those two would definitely celebrate in style! I mean- we all know Techie loves Taylor Swift and she would definitely share that love with Missy!

Marcus notices the flyer on the fridge right away. A red piece of construction paper with instructions written in sharpie. RED (TAYLOR’S VERSION) LISTENING PARTY 8pm TONIGHT! PLEASE BRING HER SCARF BACK!

“Hey manitas?”

“Yeah, sweetie?” You ask from you spot at the kitchen island, sipping at a glass of wine, a giddy smile on your face.

“What is this?”

You go down a bit of a rabbit hole, explaining music rights and law suits and musicians dating actors and the return of one single scarf in record breaking time. Marcus, for his part, does his best to keep up, smiling patiently the whole time.

“You’re coming right? I have an extra pair of cat ears for the dance break during 22 if you need some.”

Marcus mostly watches from the couch as you and Missy dance and sing, scarves and cat ears firmly in place. He does notice how your eyes get a little misty during track number five and after looking up the lyrics on his phone he vows to make you know that whoever dared to make you feel this way is your past and he is your future.

When a song about staying comes on, Missy pulls him up from the couch and the three of you dance together in an awkward triangle and Marcus’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much.

Missy eventually passes out on the couch. 30 songs is a lot. Leaving you and Marcus snuggled together to listen to the last few.

A song called Run comes on and your eyes get misty again and Marcus isn’t embarrassed in the slightest that his cheeks are just as damp. He pushes the back button and pulls you off the couch, the two of you swaying together slowly until the very last bars of the song fade out.

Neither of you notice Missy watching, a sleepy smile stretched across her face.

[nighttimepixels]

What’s Swap/Fell/Swapfell Coda’s nicknames?

I honestly haven’t officially given them nicknames because 1) they’re not in the main Lilytale story so far and 2) ... they absolutely would declare anarchy and not take nicknames for as long as possible

For example, it’d probably go down like:

Serif (not even looking up from her head laying on the kitchen bartop): okay sis, you gotta get the other you’s to pick a nickname, none of the rest of us are getting through to them.

Scarlet (pointing an accusatory sauce-laden wooden spoon from her spot at the stove): YOU ALL KEEP RESPONDING TO ONLY YOUR NAME! NO ONE’S DIFFERENTIATING! SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET WHIPLASH, IF I DO NOT FIRST THROW YOU OUT A WINDOW-

Fell!Coda (drinking spiked coffee): Que te den. Why should I care if some male punk’s universe cannot handle my name spoken more often?

Crimson (definitely drinking whiskey): primero- i’m so proud, coda. segundo- suck it up, ‘manita. else we’ll pick one for you.

Swapfell!Coda (at the kitchen table with a suspicious amount of blueprints she’s scrawling on): Ah yes. We shall definitely all answer to arbitrarily assigned nicknames.

Pepper (leaning against the barred door, on the other side of which is a significant amount of pounding and yelling that sounds a lot like Vex): I WILL KEEP THE NEXT BATCH OF MEAD TO MYSELF, SISTER.

Swapfell!Coda (looking up for the first time, genuinely scandalized): You wouldn’t??

Cinnamon (sitting on a countertop with her legs crossed): she’ll do it. remember the last time she caught me smoking in the librarby-

Swap!Coda (currently dissecting the toaster, which is now unrecognizable as a toaster, and looks significantly more like a miniature mecha dog): Dunno why everyone’s so obsessed with nicknames, anyways! The humans all have repeating names all the time anyways, so...

Tale!Coda (currently scrawling on the other side of Swapfell!Coda’s blueprints, adding what seems to be theories about space-hopping capabilities): Besides, it’s driving the guy versions of us all bonkers. I vote we reject nicknames in favor of continuing this. It’s hilarious.

Swap!, Fell!, and Swapfell!Coda, in unison: What she said.

Blade (who appeared to be napping in the corner, with Horror!Coda passed out with Twist tangled up alongside her, the younger two sisters sprawled alongside Blade’s protective loom with her back to the corner): ... knew i always liked the way coda thinks.

Serif (head still on the counter, voice muffled against the bartop): is this universe plagued with migraines? i think this universe gives you migraines.

[i-write-shakespeare-not-disney]

Love For You- Beloved AU Ch.1: Little Do We Know We’re Bumper Cars

A/N: This is going to be multichaptered, but anyway, here’s the first chapter to that broken home fic I wanted to do. There is some religious stuff, but trust me, as a Hispanic... this shit happens. Anyway, I’d love feedback so please do!!!

Click Here for the Playlist

AO3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15489951

Click the OP if the Read More link doesn’t show. 

Coming home had been a challenge in and of itself. After years of war and personal trials and strained friendships, being back felt surreal. The Garrison was kind enough to offer them housing and monthly checks that were enough for them each to live comfortably in their own situation after everything they’d done. The paladins were all classified as veterans, and after a few strings getting pulled to get Violet into school the coming school year, everything was peaceful.

Keith and Lance had taken a few weeks to adjust together at home, getting the twins used to the new surrounding as they crawled around the house and letting Violet fascinate herself with the outdoors.

Everything had been fine, if a little rocky because of leftover nightmares of Galrans coming to ruin everything. Then Lance wanted to go see his family. They had come to the bridge they’d talked about before, and now they had to figure out how to cross it.

Lance originally wanted them all to go, to introduce everyone and have a big reunion. But seeing Keith’s nervous reluctance, he thought it back over. In the end it was decided that Lance would go see his family, give himself the time needed to cry and rejoice, and then slowly ease the concept of Keith and the kids onto them.

That had been a bit of a rough patch. Lance told Keith that he’d started off with explaining he was in love with Keith. Then married to Keith. That caused a bit of a riot, with his father mostly who didn’t understand why he had to love another man instead of a woman, especially now that he was back on Earth. Then Lance explained Keith was part alien. That caused another argument about purity or godliness, or something that Keith did his best to tune out and Lance was kind enough to skim over.

Lastly, Lance told them about the kids. Showed them pictures of Violet and Ollie and Charlie. This information had been received with uncertainty, but Lance said that as soon as his Mama had seen pictures of them, she melted and wanted to meet her grandkids. His father still remained distant, hating the fact that Lance was married to a man, that said man had been able to bear children.

And then came the day that Keith and the kids were supposed to meet them.

Keith was nervous. Very nervous, and his hands couldn’t stop shaking. Lance had told Violet she was finally going to meet her abuelita, abuelito, tios, and tia. Violet was ecstatic, talking non-stop in the backseat. Charlie and Ollie were strapped into their car seats, and Keith was driving to keep himself calm.

When they arrived, there were faces peeking out the window. Last Lance had seen them, his siblings Veronica, Marco, and Luis had been twelve, ten, and six respectively. Now, Veronica was 22, Marco was 20, and Luis was 16. Veronica was engaged to a boyfriend she’d had since her junior year of high school, she had a degree in psychology, and her boyfriend was a few years older, working as a nurse practitioner. Marco was in his junior year of college for a degree in engineering, and he had a girlfriend of six months, Lance said. Luis was in high school, and he was still hesitant about Lance, like he wasn’t sure he was real after so long.

As they went inside, Lance was immediately engulfed in hugs. His mother peeled away to look at Violet and started shaking with excitement, tears welling in her eyes. She seemed hesitant to get nearer, but anxious too. Violet stepped closer, eyes wide with excitement and wonder.

Violet wrapped her arms around her grandmother, and just like that, her grandmother didn’t care about furry purple ears or the strange biology that allowed her to be. She just knew she had a beautiful granddaughter.

“She looks just like you, m’ijo,” she cried, holding Violet tightly. Violet was blushing, but she received the affection happily, holding tears at bay herself. “And like you,” Lance’s mother added, looking at Keith. Her gaze was kind, yet wary. She gasped at the sight of the curious babies in the car seats, still not a year old quite yet, but almost. They had both been asleep on the ride and had since woken up, and while Ollie was cooing happily, Charlie was quiet and grumpy. “Hola, tesoritos bellos! Soy tu abuelita,” she said, tickling their stomachs. Keith smiled and offered to get them out for her to hold.

As he unstrapped them, Lance sat down with Violet who was looking on quietly, shyly, and nervously tugging at her ears. His siblings came in, looking at the children and at Keith curiously.

Veronica came and quickly scooped Oliver up into her arms, blowing raspberries into his stomach. His mother-in-law, Lorena, took Charlie and started making little faces at him, practically beaming from ear to ear.

Then she touched his furry, lilac ears and chuckled as Charlie cooed at that. “So… this is from you?” she asked, looking up at Keith.

He gulped and nodded. “The genes that allowed me to get pregnant with them made the alien traits more dominant in them. So… they all have the purple ears… and purple eyes for Violet, white hair for Charlie, and a purple birthmark for Ollie.”

“No way, purple?” Veronica asked, looking Oliver over.

“On his shoulder, manita,” Lance said, gesturing.

Veronica tugged his onesie and laughed. “That’s so cool! I’ve got the most badass nephews ever! Who’s a precious baby?” Ollie squirmed with laughter and clenched his tiny hands. “Oh my God, I love him. Gimme the other one, I want to hold him.” Veronica switched with Lorena and they continued to fawn over them.

Marco and Luis came back with drinks for everyone. Luis kept staring at Lance and Marco kept staring at Keith. They each looked like younger versions of Lance, but Marco had thicker eyebrows and darker hair, while Luis had a rounder face and brown eyes.

“So, how are you part alien?” Marco asked.

“Um, well my mom was part alien. I’m not sure if her parents were two different aliens or like me, alien and human, but… yeah. I’m part alien on her side.”

“And you can have kids? Like a girl?”

“Marco,” Lance hissed.

“What? You said we could ask questions. It’s been ten years; I’ve got lots of them.”

Violet frowned and tugged on Lance’s jacket. “How come they think Daddy isn’t supposed to be able to have kids?”

Lance hesitated, sharing a look with Keith. Then Veronica swooped in.

“Who’s this gorgeous little girl? I haven’t heard a peep from you. Come here.” She gave Charlie to Marco and pulled Violet onto her lap. Violet giggled as Veronica started playing with her hair.

“Yes, I can,” Keith said, answering Marco. “But that’s all the kids I’ll be having.”

“The twins were like a C-section, so it was pretty difficult for us.” Lance took Keith’s hand, smiling at him sweetly.

“Ay Dios,” Lorena said. “Luis was a C-section too.”

Keith leaned forward and touched his stomach. “Does the weird tingling feeling ever go away?” She sighed and shook her head, smiling at him sympathetically.

“Sometimes it even still hurts,” she said.

“What time does Papá come home?” Lance asked.

“In about another hour. You want lunch?”

Lance nodded and Lorena got up, handing Ollie over to Luis. Charlie started to fuss and Marco stood up, swaying him side to side.  “Papá is still kind of weird about everything,” Marco warned. “I can’t say it’ll be as easy as it was with Mami.”

“Mami’s weak for babies, of course it’d be easy with her. Keeps asking me when I’ll give her grandchildren,” Veronica said with a snort.

Things seemed okay. Luis gave the baby over to Keith and Lance followed him out, apparently some unspoken thing between them that needed talking over. Keith had joined Lorena in the kitchen with Veronica and Marco close behind with his other kids. They were fascinated with the children; it didn’t matter that they had fuzzy, purple Galran ears. It only mattered that they were Lance’s blood, and therefore theirs.

That wasn’t so simple once Mr. McClain came home. The minute he walked in, he’d stood frozen at the doorway and stared at the scene of babies crawling along the living room floor and a little girl doing Veronica’s nails and Keith sitting next to Lance as they looked at an album of Veronica’s quinceañera photos.

Lance took Violet’s hand and led her over to the tall, dark man with graying hair and a handlebar moustache, a few hard lines on his face from hard work and hard years. “Ven mi amor. This is your abuelito Andres. Papá, this is Violet. Your granddaughter.”

Violet stepped forward and hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. Keith saw Lance’s father flinch before he put his hands on her shoulders and Violet looked up at him with her wide purple eyes. His face remained uncertain, a slightly confused, even nervous smile on his face as he hugged her back and tucked her hair behind her ear. Then he froze and jerked his hand back, staring at Violet.

“Mira, Chito, ven conoce a los gemelos,” Lorena said, stepping forward with Veronica to show him the twins. Ollie giggled and reached for him, already used to being passed around and expecting to be grabbed by the new person in the room. Andres grabbed him, holding him with two hands under his armpits and staring at him with the same confused… disdain he’d looked at Violet with. Then he looked at Charlie who was staring back, but not reaching. Ollie had started playing with the moustache on his face, speaking gibberish with such conviction, the others started to laugh.

“Papá, this is Oliver and Charlie. And this is Keith.” Lance put a hand on Keith’s back and brought him forward. “This is my family.”

Andres settled his gaze on Keith, hard and angry. “So you’re the ma-”

“He’s your son-in-law,” Lorena intervened as Veronica hissed a frustrated, “Papá!” Lorena looked at Keith apologetically. “Of course, they have to marry by the church, but-” Andres intervened with quick, frustrated Spanish that Keith managed to catch a few words from. Mostly curses and a slur. Lance scowled and held Keith closer, his hand inching forward to pull Violet back. “Andres, callate mejor,” Lorena snapped. “We can plan that later. For now, let’s all sit to eat so I can hear more about these angelitos, preciosos, pedacitos de mi cielo!” She turned Violet away with an arm around her and had Charlie in one arm. Veronica took Ollie and smiled apologetically at Keith.

As they walked away, Keith grabbed Lance by the wrist. “What are they talking about getting married by the church?”

Lance sighed and shook his head. “My mom is really religious. She says it doesn’t count for us to have been married up there now that we’re here where a priest could do it.”

“So the last eight years just-”

“Mi amor,” Lance said, placatingly. “They count.” He kissed him gently. “We’re still married. My mom just wants us to do it by the church.” Keith grimaced and started to protest, to explain that he didn’t know anything about church or God aside from what Lance taught Violet, but Lance shook his head again. “Hey, don’t worry about it right now. I’ll talk to her. Whatever happens, we’ll talk about it. Let’s get done crossing today’s bridge before we get to the next.”

Keith sighed. He was starting to hate the bridge analogy. It was just a way to postpone problems, and it frustrated Keith because ignoring them until they were in your face meant being unprepared and he hated being unprepared. Lance hadn’t mentioned anything about a religious wedding, but he also knew he couldn’t comment on that now that he was barely trying to get accepted into the family.

He followed Lance to the dining room and looked where Violet was being served by her grandmother with a wide smile on both their faces. Andres looked stoic. Luis had started talking more, telling Lance all about his soccer games when he was eight, and a talent show when he was ten, then about a competition for the rifle team in middle school and how he was currently number eight in his junior class of more than nine hundred students.

Marco took to talking to Keith, asking about what the war was like and about the lions and how they worked. Veronica asked about how Keith and Lance got together and Lorena asked about the children.

“So how old were you boys when… Violet came?” she asked.

“Nineteen. Almost twenty,” Keith answered. “I was scared I wouldn’t be a good dad, but Lance always sure. He helped so much.”

“And the twins?” Veronica asked. “Were they pl-”

“Yeah,” Keith answered quickly. “Yeah, Violet really wanted a sibling. We didn’t expect twins, but yes, we felt more prepared.”

“Prepared?” Lance’s father repeated. “Para acabarla de joder. Entonces la niña fue un pinche accidente? Ni sabias lo que querías de la vida! Eras un huerco y por pendejo terminaste con-”

“Andres!” Lorena shouted.

Violet stared at her fathers with wide eyes. “An accident? You didn’t want me?” she asked softly.

Lance and Keith looked at each other and then at Violet. “Of course we did, Vi,” Lance was quick to respond, but Keith could feel a panic rise in his throat.

“Then why’s Buelito saying I was an accident!” she shouted. “Why’s he saying you didn’t know what you wanted!”

“She… knows Spanish,” Andres asked, looking nervous.

Lance narrowed his eyes. “Of course she knows Spanish,” he spat.

“Excuse me,” Keith said, barely keeping a hold of his anger. “Violet, come with me.” Violet stayed seated, but Keith grabbed her arm and tugged gently.

“I-I didn’t know-”

“Oh for God’s sake!” Lance shouted. “You don’t even look at the kids, you haven’t even looked at Keith or even said a single fucking word to him, Papa, don’t you fucking-”

Veronica shouted over him, along with Marco as Lorena tried to calm them down. “Andres! Apologize!” she snapped, finally shutting her kids up.

Even then, Andres seemed uneasy with directing his words to Keith. “I…. I….”

Keith cut his father-in-law off with a glare. “I need to talk to my daughter.” He pulled Violet into his arms and walked out of the dining room, out of the house. Violet was crying profusely, and Keith held her close. “Violet, sweetheart-”

“Tell me the truth! Did you even want me?” she sniffed.

“Of course I wanted you!”

Violet yanked away from him. “Not now! I mean when you found out. Accidents are bad, right? So did you want me when you found out about me?” Keith started to answer, but she shouted, “Don’t lie to me!”

Keith felt his heart breaking into smaller and smaller pieces. He sighed and opened his arms. Violet didn’t move. “Come here, love.” Violet’s shoulders sagged and she stepped closer. Keith wrapped her in his arms and sat on the porch step with her cradled in his arms despite her long legs no longer fitting the way she used to. “I didn’t know I could have babies,” he said. “On Earth, it doesn’t work like that. Not with my body.” He tucked her hair behind her ears. “I was a kid when your papi and I found out about you. I was scared.” Violet’s eyes welled up with tears.

“If you want the truth, I’ll tell you. I didn’t want to have a baby because I didn’t think I could. I was very angry and scared when I found out. But that changed. It changed when I woke up to Papi talking to my stomach to try talking to you. When he said we’d be a family. When I felt you kick for the first time.” Keith tucked her hair back and smiled at the memories, wiping her face with the pads of his thumb. “And when I held you in my arms for the first time, I knew I’d love you for the rest of my life.” Violet started shaking with her cries and Keith held her tighter. “Yes, it was an accident, but Vi… you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me and your Papá. Don’t you ever think we love you less than we would if it hadn’t been an accident. You hear me?”

She nodded and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Then she asked in a broken whisper, “Why is abuelito so mean, Daddy?”

Keith sighed and rocked her back and forth. “It’s different on Earth, love. People think boys aren’t supposed to fall in love with boys. Or girls with girls. And like I said, on Earth I’m not supposed to be able to have kids. So he’s still getting used to a lot of changes. It’s been ten years since he saw your papi, and a lot is different and new.” She nodded and sniffed, wiping her tears as Keith held her.

He heard footsteps and turned to see Lance sitting beside him. “What’d you tell her?”

“The truth. That we love her. That she’s the best thing that ever happened for us.” Lance smiled and pulled Violet’s legs onto his lap. “What happened in there?”

“Marco and Mom are arguing with Papá still. Veronica and Luis have the boys.” He squeezed Violet’s leg for her attention. “You wanna leave, princesa? We can get ice cream.” Violet nodded and leaned her head on Keith’s chest. “Let me get the boys in the car seats.” He stood up and placed a kiss on Violet’s hand, then on Keith’s cheek before he went inside.

Keith pulled Violet into a sitting position and smiled at her. “Let’s go say goodbye to abuelita and your tios, okay? Kisses and hugs.”

“Are we gonna come back ever?”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “Do you not want to?” She shrugged. “Well, your Papá will want to see his family. But if you want, we can tell Abuelita to come to the house.” She nodded and took his hand before going back inside.

Lance was saying goodbye to his siblings, one car seat in hand, the other on the floor beside him. Keith went over to pick up the car seat and said goodbye as well. Lorena came back, looking irritated and flustered, but her expression melted away when she saw them leaving. She sighed and gave Violet a sad smile as she hugged her. “Abuelita te quiere mucho, cariño. Maybe we can visit your home soon, si?” Violet nodded and smiled up at her.

Once the goodbyes were over, Keith and Lance put the boys in the car and Violet strapped herself in. Lance got in on the passenger’s side, while Keith went to the driver’s side. Like Lance had promised, they stopped by a Baskin Robins and Lance went to order ice cream for Violet and another to share with Keith.

The first time Violet had tried ice cream, she’d fallen in love. It was her goal to try every flavor, and her mood always brightened when they got ice cream. Keith gave the twins a few star shaped puffs that they munched on while cooing as they looked at the bright colors of the establishment.

“You okay?” Lance whispered. Keith nodded, waving a dismissive hand. Lance sighed and squeezed his shoulder.

“I have a question,” Violet announced. Keith and Lance hummed and looked at her expectantly. “What do you have to do to have a baby? I thought you chose to, but if I was an accident-”

“Violet, love, eat your ice cream,” Keith said, feeling his face heat up.

“That’s a conversation for another day, mi amor,” Lance added, scratching his head awkwardly. Violet didn’t look satisfied with that answer, but she didn’t pry.

Once Violet finished her ice cream, Lance wiped her mouth and herded everyone back to the car. Keith had his hand on the gear shift in the center while he drove, and Lance pried it away to lock their hands together. Keith knew he was trying to comfort him, but the day had been overwhelming. He simply acknowledged the gesture with a squeeze.

When they got home, Violet was fast asleep. Keith carried her in while Lance got the twins, and he tucked her into her bed so she could nap. On her bedside table was a picture of her with Noriu the night before they returned. Her purple lion plushie. A group picture of the paladins; Hunk with his arms over Pidge’s shoulders, Allura with the mice on her shoulders, next to Shiro, Coran with Violet on his back, and Lance and Keith each carrying one of the twins. Beside that, a sphere from her training, and a picture of her and Lance back to back with their weapons, both laughing.

Keith sighed and left her room quietly. Lance was inside, setting up the fence so the babies didn’t pass into the kitchen. They had free reign of the living room and were happily crawling around, following each other back and forth and pulling themselves up to try to stand.

Keith sat down on the couch, and Lance sat next to him, leaning over to rest his head in Keith’s lap. “Was it a bad idea? Going to see them?”

Keith looked down and ran his hand through Lance’s short hair. “No. She wanted to meet them. They loved the kids. It’s just… your dad crossed a line.”

“God, I know,” Lance groaned. “I can’t believe he said that.” Keith kept running his hands through his hair. “What did you understand from it?”

“A few slurs. A lot of anger. Seems like his problem is more with me than the kids.”

Lance sighed and shuffled up to lean into Keith. “I love you, you know that? No matter what anyone else says or thinks.”

Keith smiled and leaned in to kiss him. “I love you too,” he murmured.

After that, Lorena visited their home on the weekends, usually with Luis. Marco and Veronica visited on their own time. The day that she visited with Andres, Keith had gotten tense, worried that another episode would happen. But Andres seemed remorseful, and he’d taken both Keith and Lance aside.

“This whole… alien business…. It’s weird for me,” he said gruffly. “I lose my boy for ten years. Then he comes back with another boy, talking about aliens and war, with kids that look like him, but also like the other boy, I-” He cut himself off and pulled himself together, rubbing his eyes to stop them from reddening with tears. “I don’t know how to handle it all, I don’t know how to just be okay with everything. But I love you, Lance. You’re my son. And if this is your family, then they are mine too. I can… I will learn to get used to it. And I know I hurt your daughter the other day, I know… what I said was horrible, and I’m sorry. I really am. Do you… both think you could forgive me?”

Keith held some reserves. Violet had cried so much, and Keith himself had felt unwanted that day. He didn’t know if he had it in him to forgive Andres. He didn’t think he wanted him near his children. But he was Lance’s father, and Lance was already hugging him and crying into his shoulder.

And because Keith loved Lance, Keith bit his tongue and promised himself to try and forgive his father-in-law.

Violet, taking more after Lance than Keith, smiled and wrapped her arms around him, forgiving him as easy as that when Andres knelt down to apologize to her. Andres seemed to have finally broken, finally realized these were his grandkids, and he hugged her back tightly. From then on, he always had one of his grandkids in his arms, and while he obviously still didn’t approve of Keith, he was polite and tolerant.

That’s when the talk of marriage began.

About two weeks before school started for Violet, Lorena and Andres came to the house with Luis who enjoyed playing with the babies. While they drank their lemonade out in the backyard, Lorena offhandedly said, “We should plan this wedding soon. I went to the church, and they have the group talks on Fridays at seven. Andres and I can watch the kids for you.”

“You found a church willing to marry me and Keith?” Lance asked in surprise.

“Yes,” she said. “After the Pope gave his opinion, a lot of priests- here at least- have agreed to marry same-sex couples.” Keith remained quiet, uncomfortable. “I explained the situation, and as long as you both go confess, you’ll be fine!”

“Confess?” Keith questioned. “Confess what?”

“Well, your sins, m’ijo,” she answered. Keith furrowed his eyebrows and she laughed. “How did you do your first communion without a confession?” Keith stared at her, then at Lance. “You… did do you first communion, right?”

“Mami, Keith wasn’t raised in the church. He didn’t get a chance to do those things.”

“Has he been baptized?” Andres asked.

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “I’m… I don’t think so…. My mom didn’t know about that stuff. I doubt my dad did it. The closest I’ve come to a church was for his funeral,” he answered.

“Ay Dios mio, pero como puede ser!” Lorena shrieked. “We have so much to do, Lance porque no me dijiste?” Lorena stepped away, pulling out her phone to make some calls while Andres just tilted his head back and shut his eyes.

Keith looked over at Lance who was smiling at the kids as they laughed at Luis who was playing monster. That was the day that the relationship with his in-laws really changed.

By the time Violet was starting school, Lorena was insisting Keith go to classes for his communion and confirmation, and she had already started planning his baptism along with a baptism for Violet, Charlie, and Ollie. She began sending him websites and videos about God and the gospel and each time she visited, she sat him down and pulled out a Bible to teach him something new.

To Keith, none of it made any sense. He knew a few things from what Lance would teach Violet. The Creation, the expulsion of Adam and Eve, Moses and the Plagues, Noah’s Ark, Jesus being born and dying on a cross, though he had no idea why that had to happen. To Keith they were stories. Made up to understand the world. God, yeah, Keith had seen enough and had been through enough to believe there was something or someone up there watching over them. A reason he’d survived as long as he had. But the God he was being taught about sounded ruthless, almost evil sometimes. And he had no idea what to do with that. Especially since Violet seemed to understand better than him, and she had no problem praying with Lance every night, her voice full of adoration and certainty.

They had something Keith didn’t. A level of faith Keith wished he could have. They accepted the information, understood it for themselves. But Keith didn’t. It didn’t make sense to him, and he hated that it was being stuffed down his throat, that he was expected to just accept all of this as a truth.

And for what? To get married again? He was already married, as much as his mother-in-law said it didn’t count anymore. He knew it would be easy to just go through with it to appease Lorena, which was what Lance seemed to be doing. But he just didn’t understand it, and he couldn’t pretend to care for something when he was being force-fed all of the information and held to these expectations.

On top of that, Keith was dealing with Violet coming home every other day crying because someone had made fun of her ears. She started wearing her hair down to hide them, but even then, she said kids would pull her hair and tug her ears and call her names. It didn’t help that she was younger than most people in her grade. She’d learned at a quick pace up in the Castle, so when they’d tested her, instead of going to third grade at eight years old, she was in fifth and turning nine in October. She felt out of place, confused, especially with everything the kids talked about that she didn’t grow up with.

Finally, one day, Keith burst. Lorena had gone home and Violet had just finished her homework and went to the back yard to shoot a nerf gun Lance had bought her. She missed training, and on bad school days, she would go out there and train until dinner even if she didn’t need to anymore. Ollie and Charlie were napping, so Keith was free to drop his mask.

He sat at the table with his head in his hands, fighting every urge to fling the Bible and rosary and stupid pamphlets Lance’s mother had brought. A hand on his shoulder made him tense. “Baby, what is it?”

“You need to talk to your mom,” he spat through gritted teeth. “She needs to stop with all of this.” He gestured at the things on the table and pulled at his hair.

“It’s for us, Keith. I know it’s overwhelming-”

Keith stood up and glared at Lance. “For us? What about us? What about this has anything to fucking do with us? To get married? We’re already married! And we have been for eight years! I don’t want to fucking do this, this is stupid!”

Lance pulled back and stared at Keith with an expression he couldn’t decipher. “Please don’t call my religion stupid.” Keith furrowed his eyebrows and took a breath. “You don’t want to get married again, fine. But don’t come complaining to me that my parents are mad at you or something. And don’t let Violet hear you talking about this like that. This stuff means something to her. To me.”

“I’m not the one who started this!” he protested. “I know it means something to you and to Violet, I can respect that, but, for fuck’s sake! Your mom just pranced in preaching to me, what the fuck was I supposed to say to that? You never said anything about this to me! This makes me uncomfortable, I don’t get this-”

“Okay! I get it! I heard you, alright!” Lance shouted back. “Just leave it alone then!” He grabbed the Bible, the rosary, and pamphlet. Keith scoffed and went back to their room. “Dinner’s ready,” Lance called after him.

“I’m not hungry,” he answered back, before going to take a shower and cool down.

By the time he was out, Lance and Violet were finishing dinner while Charlie and Oliver were throwing Cheerios at each other. Keith went to change and laid on the bed, looking at the wall tiredly. It wasn’t fair that Lance was angry with him for not wanting to go through with a series of pointless rituals to make him religious. Lance had fallen for Keith knowing he wasn’t religious, so why would it be a problem now? It was stupid.

A while later, Lance came in the room and sat on the bed. Keith watched his shadow on the wall. “I’ll talk to my mom tomorrow.”

He laid down and Keith stayed quiet, their backs to each other as they drifted to sleep. Keith didn’t sleep well, somewhere between wanting to fall asleep but feeling too heavy to actually do it, too unsettled by the last argument.

That was how he heard the sniffs that came from Lance. He woke up fully and wondered if maybe Lance was getting sick. But he heard the shaky exhale and turned to see his body shaking in time with the soft cries.

Keith put a hand on Lance’s shoulder, confused. “Lance? What’s wrong?”

Lance gasped and sat up, wiping his face. “Nothing.”

“Love.”

Lance sighed and looked at the ceiling. “Jesus, Keith, what do you think?”

Keith frowned and felt even more confused. “Is this seriously about me not wanting to go through with all the stuff your mom wants me to do?” Lance stared at him. “Why? Why is this so important to you if you already did it for yourself?”

“Because, Keith. If you did them we could get married by the church, and-”

“We don’t have to do that just because your mom wants us to.” Lance stared at him, more tears running down his face. “Wait. Do you want to get remarried?” Lance sniffed, hesitating before he nodded. “What for?”

“Ugh, forget it, if you’re going to laugh or-”

“No! I’m not…. I’m not trying to make fun, I’m just… actually confused. I need you to explain this to me. I didn’t know this was something that you wanted.”

Lance wiped his face again and grabbed Keith’s hands. “I didn’t at first. It sounded silly to me too. But then Mama found someone willing to marry us and… I loved it. The idea of knowing we’re united by God, not just in space, but everywhere.”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “You have a lot more faith than me, my love. I can’t say these things with the conviction you do. I don’t understand the things your mom teaches me, and….” He sighed and tilted Lance’s face to him. “This… is important to you?”

Lance nodded slowly. “When I was growing up, I only knew that I was supposed to marry a girl. That it was the only thing that was okay for God. Now… with what my mom said about the Pope, and finding a church, I just…. It feels like I’m not waging a battle of how Catholic to be while still being able to love you as much as I do. When I started dating you, when Violet came into the picture, I’d just… made peace with never being able to do that. It’s different now.”

“Okay. Then I’ll do it.”

“But you’re uncomfortable, Keith, you don’t want to do these things, and I get that, we grew up differently, that’s okay-”

Keith leaned forward and kissed him. “I didn’t have a reason before. If this really means that much to you, I don’t mind trying. I just can’t promise I’ll have the faith you do. But if this is something you really want for us… then I’ll try. We’ll get married in a church and I’ll know it’s not meaningless because it matters to you. That’s enough for me. Just… tell your mom to ease up a bit.” Lance chuckled and wiped his face, but he still seemed unsure. “Lance?” Blue eyes drifted to Keith. “Will you marry me? Again?”

Lance laughed and nodded, taking Keith’s face in his hands and kissing him again. God, Keith would marry him a thousand times if he had to.

Eventually, Lance intervened and managed to turn Keith elsewhere to be taught. With someone much slower paced, who allowed his questions and didn’t condemn his confusion. After a talk with a priest they managed to find a way to do all three sacraments at once with the same teachings.

Keith understood the significance behind each of them, and he managed to understand what about being married by the church meant for Lance, even if he didn’t necessarily feel this level of need himself. He understood it, respected it, but he still struggled understanding everything they taught him. By December, he’d gone through his three sacraments, and while he didn’t feel any sort of white-light revelation and feeling of total adoration Lorena swore he would, he did feel lighter when he saw Lance’s face.

That same December, the kids were baptized, even though Keith was terrified because he’d seen videos online of babies being dunked in water over and over again. Here, it was just a few scoop of water with a shell on their foreheads. Violet was beyond ecstatic. It was the only reason Keith let his kids get roped into this.

The twins turned one. Violet was nine. The school year ended. They remarried that summer, and Keith could see the comfort it brought Lance. Keith met more of Lance’s family, many of which didn’t bother hiding their shock at the kids or Keith. Keith got a job, uncomfortable with staying at home all day and living off Garrison checks. Lance watched the twins. They traveled that summer, letting Violet experience more of the earth she’d heard so much about.

Everywhere they went, people stared at the purple ears the kids had. They stared at Charlie’s silver hair. They stared at Keith and Lance. But they pushed through it as a family.

Another year went by. Violet was about to turn 11. The boys were walking, a few months away from turning two.

Keith and Lance were arguing.

The arguing wasn’t new. They’d been married for nine years, together for eleven. Arguments were normal. But the arguments had increased lately. It was a rare night that went without some form of shouting or disagreement.

“We don’t have the money to throw a party in a waterpark,” Keith said, crossing his arms.

“What about your job?” Lance asked.

“That money goes to bills.”

“And the Garrison checks?”

Keith rolled his eyes. “We had to use the last one for Charlie’s hospital visit last week.”

“You spent that whole check for a hospital to tell you Charlie had a fever?”

Keith pinched the bridge of his nose. “He has a stomach virus, and I also used it for medicine. The treatment was expensive. Believe it or not, Lance, we can’t live off those checks with three kids!” His voice began to raise toward the end of the sentence, which made Lance scowl.

“You keep complaining about me not working, but if I do, where do we leave the boys? In a daycare? That’s more money being spent, what’s the fucking point?”

Keith ran his hands through his hair and clenched his hands in frustration. “I don’t give a shit if you work or not, Lance, but you also can’t want things we can’t afford! A waterpark party, a pet dog for the kids, a new car for both of us. This is too much! The kids are growing more every day, they need new clothes! We have enough money to live well, you just love to spend it on pointless things!”

“Money is meant to spend! Is it so bad if I want to take my kids to a movie or out to eat sometime if I have the fucking money for it? I wish I could’ve done that when I was a kid.”

“Look, I know you want to give them a better life, better experiences, but I’m just asking you to pay attention where you spend!”

Lance took a deep breath and rubbed his head tiredly. “Alright, fine, no waterpark. So what, a cookout here? We’ll invite my family and Hunk and Pidge and see if Coran and Allura can come too. What? Why are you making that face- oh my God.”

“You know how Violet feels around your family,” he muttered. “You know how they look at her. Do you even think about how it might make her feel? They look at the kids like they’re freaks, they look at me like I’m a freak!”

“Is this about you or the kids?” Lance snapped. “They’re my family, Keith. I can’t just turn my back on them.”

“They already did it to you!” he shouted.

Lance clenched his jaw and turned away, shoving the table aside. He started for the door, but before Keith could ask, he said, “I’m going for a drive.”

Keith scowled and listened to the door slam before he fixed the table back in place and started dinner. Lance came back half an hour later. As he walked in, they heard one of the twins cry out, waking up from their nap. Lance just looked at Keith then went to the babies’ room. Keith finished dinner and called Violet to set up plates. Lance came back with one twin in each arm and set them each in their high chairs.

“Is… everything okay?” Violet asked.

“Yeah, why? Keith answered.

She shrugged. “You guys aren’t talking.” Keith and Lance shared a look and huffed. “See?” she muttered.

“It’s fine, Violet. We were just wondering what you wanted to do for your birthday,” Lance said, serving a little food for the twins. Keith served Violet’s plate and then his own.

Violet shrugged. “I dunno. What can we afford?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Lance said.

Keith shot him a look. “Tell us what you want, and we’ll tell you if we can or not.”

Violet drummed her fingers on the table. “A pony?”

“Ah, funny girl,” Lance said with a snort. “We’re being serious.” Violet shrugged again. “Well, I was thinking we could do a carne asada here and invite your abuelitos.” Violet smiled and nodded. “Anyone else? From school? We can invite tia Chely, tio Juan, your cousin Kary and their families. We’ll get a bouncy house for you all to play in.” Violet’s smile faded and she took a forkful of food.

“I told you, she’s not comfortable with those brats,” Keith muttered.

“They’re her cousins,” Lance answered.

“It’s her birthday, not yours.”

“You’re teaching her to block out family, Keith, you can’t do that-”

“No, but you know she doesn’t like making you upset, she won’t tell you she doesn’t want to see them-”

“Jesus, Keith wh-”

“I don’t want to do anything!” Violet shouted over them. “If you guys are just gonna fight about it, I don’t wanna do anything for my birthday.” Keith and Lance looked at her and then at each other. Keith felt his cheeks heat up and he turned to wipe Ollie’s mouth. “Yaz and Miguel do make fun of me, Papá. And Chely and Roberto just say mean stuff about you and Dad. I don’t like them. Kary’s baby likes to poke Ollie until he cries, and Juan’s kid tried to cut Charlie’s ear last time.”

Lance sighed and looked at Keith who didn’t bother with an I told you so. “I know it’s hard, princesa. But they’re family. They’re not used to us yet like your grandparents.”

“Okay. I just don’t want them here on my birthday.”

“That’s fine, Vi. We can do something else. You want to go out to eat somewhere?” Keith asked. “I get off work early that day.”

“You’re working on her birthday?” Lance asked. Keith nodded. “I thought you were going to ask for the day off.”

“I was, but they were short staffed, and I figured we could use the money.”

“Yeah, big difference that four hours of work are gonna do,” Lance scoffed.

“It very well could make a difference, Lance, what with all the bills we’re falling behind on.”

“It’s her birthday,” Lance said.

“And I’ll be back in time to take her out.”

“Then you’re going to call saying they’re asking you to stay over time, and we’re going to be sitting here waiting on you.”

“Lance, that happened one time and it was an emergency,” Keith said through grit teeth. “Now stop arguing over dinner.”

Suddenly Charlie started coughing and spat up, throwing up the little bit of food he’d eaten and still kept gagging between desperate cries. Lance wiped his mouth and pulled him out, rocking him and taking him to the sink to rinse his mouth and breathe. “Great deal of help the hospital did,” he spat as he rubbed Charlie’s back to ease the coughing and the panic throwing up had given his baby.  

Keith scowled and stood up. “Give him to me, I’ll take him.”

“No, I got him.”

“You’re pissed off, I don’t want you taking him like that.”

“Yeah because you’re the picture boy for happiness right now. Let me take care of my son.”

“Give him medicine!” Keith called after him as he walked away. Ollie started crying, frightened because of his brother’s crying and the fact that he wasn’t in sight. Keith sighed and picked him up, shushing him with his old Balmeran plushie doll. He looked over at the table and saw Violet staring at her plate blankly, her ears flattened down. “Violet-”

With that, she stood up and left the table.

[nikowlodeonx]

Eto pa yung isang bagay na gustong gusto ko i blog, yung executive chef namin from manila na walang alam kundi manita ng manita, pumuna ng mali ng wala sa ayos, pero wala naman siyang naiaambag sa store. Ahhhh naiinis ako pag nakikita ko ung kalbong yon, kahit dito lang sana maka ganti ako dun. tangina mo po lagi mo ako sinisiraan sa storehead namin. Nako, alam ng head ko kung ano at paano ako magtrabaho ng ayos kaya wag mong siya sasabihan na pangit ang service pag natatapat sa shift ko o ng ibang OIC na galing Legazpi. Tanga ka ba, edi ikaw mag floor haha pano mo nasabe na panget ang service eh di ka nga nag sstay sa store?! Sabihin mo kamote ang kitchen niyo!! Madami kasi sainyo mga malalaki ang mga ulo wala naman ibubuga! Mas madami ho nagiging complaints ng kitchen compare sa dining. Hintayin niyong ako ang mag audit sainyo standard tayo mga tangina ninyo. Kahit naman pwede pa i push yung product ayaw niyo ng tanggapin eh na double punch lang naman ng server. Hihintayin niyo pa ma lapse sa dispatch area pwedeng pwede naman for push yon. Di niyotinanggap kasi ano? Para matuto? Tangina po ulit! Kaya nga may briefing tayo at sini-sit in naming supervisor yung mga nagkakamali para matuto. Hindi yung ipapa lapse niyo para ma charge sila mga gago kayo provincial rate na nga mga tao dito ipapa charge niyo pa!

Kahit na mga chef kayo wala akong pakialam! Wala na nga kayo ginagawang maayos sa store, manyakis pa iba sainyo. Ang hilig niyo manlandi ng iba, nakikita ng mga guests namin nakakahiya kayo. Sana mag january na para di na namin kayo makita! Actually wala naman talaga gustong makakita sainyo dito sa Legazpi. Hehe. F U. (And im pertaining sa mga chef na galing Manila, bow)

[hausofmamadas]

As I said, wildly fucking behind on reblogs because literally every one of my friends fucking kills it when they come out with a new thing and lowkey also have 20,000 tribute vids that I’m working on sksksksks

BUT I’m going to pretend like I timed this one in honor of this special day, mi majita, mi nena quien me encanta por toda mi pinshe vida, @cositapreciosa, today - the sweet, beautiful day when we were graced with her presence aqui en la tierra sjsjsjsjs see what I did there. Here is my gift to you, yes ofc me screaming in your face about how magnificent and talented you are. Happy Birthday, manita🥹🤗

Obv, I’ll be quoting because we Stan properly in this here House of Mamadas, juh feel.

߷

He caresses your face every chance he gets, promising you the brightest stars and the shiniest earrings.

BRO, BRO. OKAY, the way I can fucking picture him saying this in my minds eye, all “amor de mi vida, te mereces todo el mundo, todo el universo, las estrellas, la luna, y voy a darte todo que necesitas y que quieres, la joyería que más bonito, más brillante. Ya verás.” Just- Chapito the sweetest little blorbo of all time🥹

… you could see how he tried to stop the biggest smile from pulling at his lips.

Once again, I can fucking see him doing this, like actively suppressing a smile. He’s 100% done this more than once on the show.

You feel him slowly making his way to you, groaning a little when he sits on your side of the bed. The mattress slumps a bit, gravity pulling you towards him.

OKAY BUT I REMEMBER WHEN YOU SHARED THIS IN THE DISCORD AND IT STILL SLAPS JUST AS MF HARD AS EVER. It’s so evocative like I can fully picture everything in this moment, particularly the detail about the mattress slumping as he sits down and it causes you to roll that direction ….. because….. MF GRAVITY, LIKE YOU KNOW MY NERDY ASF PHYSICIST BRAINCELL BECOMES ACTIVATED WHEN YOU TALKIN BOUT GRAVITY IN THE CONTEXT OF A SWEET, INTIMATE MOMENT LIKE THIS. YOU ARE TRYIN TO KILL ME.

The idea was smart, the logical solution for their customs problem, and to put it simply, innovative in this field of work.

The way that I fully fuckin snort-cackled reading this skskskksks like, idk if it’s the matter-of-fact phrasing here that makes it so hilarious, but the way it makes it seem as though working for a drug cartel is like working in any other “legit business,” like playing the stock market or working in Silicon Valley sksksks but let’s be real, there are crooks left and fucking right in all three of industries, so it’s not that much of a stretch now that I’m thinking bout it.

You remember sitting with him in his mom’s kitchen, telling you about the Arellano’s taxes and Hector’s harsh words as he put all his bitterness in pressing the tortillas. Güero will wish this idea was his … You watched him press and press again the small balls of dough you gave him.

OH-KAY SWEET CHRIST. The straight mf canon-consistency of this …. Like this whole-ass paragraph positively f u c k s. The bitterness in the tortillas, the lowkey rivalry/ever-present chip on his shoulder with Guero, I truly can’t think of a more fitting way to contextualize our sweet little leon Chapito.

It all makes sense now, the dirt on his tank top, the scratches on his face.

In no way did this make me think of a certain someone’s sweaty, hot asf gleaming, sexual sexy muscles in that panty dropping ribbed tank top, no sireee, no way, not this thot over here. But ofc I did skskskskskss like what do you take me for, an adult who refuses to sexualize every possible thingpfffft what.

The moment would have been intimate, romantic almost, if it had happened any other day, a morning where his forehead wasn’t bruised and bloodied.

Sosksksks not another situation wherein I am deeply questioning reader’s lack of sex-ing bc I’m not picturing sweaty, glistening muscles in that goddamn fucking ribbed tank. But in all seriousness, I actually love the way that this moment is one of genuine intimacy and safety bc like having been in a long-term relationship, when shit hits the fan and you just need someone to listen to you and take care of you and these little physical, affectionate gestures have absolutely no expectation of sexual gratification, like that’s an authentic relationship and I love how that’s the vibe with Chapito x Reader here.

… and as he slowly rubs your back, taking in the hot water, fingers softly digging in your flesh, trying to give back as much love as you just gave him, he knows. He’s sure of it now.

ⁱᵐ sorry.

“TRYING TO GIVE BACK AS MUCH LOVE AS YOU JUST GAVE HIM”

BEG YOUR PARDON

WHAT THE EVER LOVING SWEET FUCKING MOTHER OF FUCK, DUDE. THE PURE POETRY OF THIS, NOT TO MENTION THE FULL-FUCKING RELATIONSHIP GOALS. SHOOKETH, SHOOKETH STRAIGHT TO HELL. ARE YOU JOKING *lets out primal scream, flips table over, runs away on knuckles like an ape*

It’s only the beginning.

Pack of lies. I need more but there is no more. And I have absolutely not a clue how to continue this because it’s kind of a perfect one-shot. But am fully tempted to berate you into making more because I NEED IT.

hello ! finally here with a request 🤩 what about "why wont you let people see the good in you?" OR "i didn't know where else to go/i didnt have anywhere else to go" with our chapito? i think either or both could be juicy but its all up to you!!! (narcolini)

Juro Que

Joaquin 'Chapo' x gn!reader, 1169 words

With '' I didn't know where else to go " As always it's the fictional, not the real deal

a/n : I too extraño el bigote. A lil something for our chapito lindo

The sun is already bright and warm on your skin, seeping through the bay window, but it’s not the daylight that wakes you up this morning. It took you all of your might to fall asleep last night, overtired and anxiously waiting for Joaquin to call you back. You know about his work, and you know how busy he can get, but you also know how dangerous all of it is. He always tries to downplay it, everything is under control, mi amor, he says, no te preoccupes, hm? He caresses your face every chance he gets, promising you the brightest stars and the shiniest earrings. You won’t have to move in with me, because I’m building us a home, mi vida, he tells you again and again, but you know it’s because he doesn’t want you to see the guns and the drugs that are scattered in his house.

That day before he left you gave him your spare key, holding his hand tightly in yours, it’s so you can come here whenever you want, yes? I miss you when you don’t come by. He squeezed your hand back in answer and you could see how he tried to stop the biggest smile from pulling at his lips. You love him, and he loves you. You know I won’t call before coming over now, right? he had said. You know he’s mostly joking and he will call like he always does.

You know it’s him the second the bedroom door opens. It’s the way his weight shift and how his boots scrape on the floor, the heavy sigh that leaves his lips. You feel him slowly making his way to you, groaning a little when he sits on your side of the bed. The mattress slumps a bit, gravity pulling you towards him. You can’t escape the feeling of relief that washes over you. He’s safe, he’s here,

‘’ Buenos días, mi rey. ‘’ You whisper, eyes still half shut as you raise your hand to wrap around his forearm, welcoming him back. Your thumb rubs gently on his exposed skin,

‘’ I called you all night yesterday and you never answered. You had me worried, baby. ‘’

He’s covered in dirt, you notice, probably worked in his tunnel all night again. You have to admit that when Joaquin first told you about building a tunnel to the states, you were surprised. The idea was smart, the logical solution for their customs problem, and to put it simply, innovative in this field of work. You remember sitting with him in his mom’s kitchen, telling you about the Arellano’s taxes and Hector’s harsh words as he put all his bitterness in pressing the tortillas. How disrespectful and blatantly dismissive he had been. You’ll see, ma, he had said, pressing harder on the small handle, Güero will wish this idea was his. You watched him press and press again the small balls of dough you gave him.

Porque tú no eres igual a los demás, his mom had said, and you had understood it then, how different he was from everybody else. You could see the gears turning behind your man’s eyes, nothing was gonna stop him now.

His fingers reach up, brushing a few strands of hair away from your face,

‘’ I didn’t want to wake you, amor. I- I just didn’t know where else to go. ‘’

You don’t miss how his voice cracks, how exhausted he sounds. It startles you like a cold shower. You are fully awake now, as panic settles in. You gently pull him towards you by the arm when you sit up on the bed and his hand reaches for your waist, bringing you even closer. He smells like old wood and sand,

‘’ What happened, cariño? Are you hurt? ‘’

‘’ I don’t think so. ‘’ He breaths out, ‘’ Tijuana found out about the tunnel. They blew it up. ‘’

It all makes sense now, the dirt on his tank top, the scratches on his face. Your eyes are wide, meeting his tired ones. You try to speak, to ask more about what happened, but your mouth stays open, lips moving, trying to get something out. You can do nothing more than to try and comfort him, a familiar presence with only words and soft touches to help your cause. His fingers go under your chin, absently caressing the skin. He forces an exhausted smile on his lips,

‘’ I’m just glad I’m home, mi vida. I just want to take a shower and - ‘’ He swallows hard, his voice cracks again, and you think he might start to cry, but he doesn’t, he never does.

‘’ We can do that, baby. ‘’

The words are quick to come out, eager to finally be able to help. You hustle out of bed, sheets and covers flying, almost tripping over in the process. Your hold is still on his arm, a small clean spot on his bicep where you have been rubbing the sand with your thumb for too long.

He’s safe, he’s here.

He stands up when you pull on his arm. He’s much closer to you now, chests almost touching. The moment would have been intimate, romantic almost, if it had happened any other day, a morning where his forehead wasn’t bruised and bloodied. You can feel how warm his breath is, how cold his arm is under your fingers,

‘’ I’ll go start the water for you, so it’s warm, okay? ‘’

.

The water runs dark for a while as you wash his hair under the water stream. The temperature is exactly how he likes it, he realizes, and the floral notes of your shampoo fill the steam. He would usually complain about it, adding something about how the boys would be able to smell it off him, but those moments always come with your nails in his hair, on his neck, so he lets you do it every time. You work harder on his scalp, gently pulling the knots and the clumps of dirt out. He can barely remember the ride back home, grip tight on the wheel, sand crushing under his fingernails.

His head falls on your shoulder, his hands holding your waist, gently bringing you flush against him. Would they think it could stop him, he wonder, would they think it could go back to how it was, without payback? It’s the feeling of your skin against his, how your hands keep washing away the doubts, the guilt, he knows. It’s a dangerous game he is playing, and as he slowly rubs your back, taking in the hot water, fingers softly digging in your flesh, trying to give back as much love as you just gave him, he knows. He’s sure of it now.

It’s only the beginning.