#and then two years and four months between bbs and my precious

[dribs-and-drabbles]

The Thai Communal Wardrobe item #14

Still 2Gether ep 3:

Bad Buddy ep 2:

My Precious ep 2:

[sugamamacustard]

One more time

Pairing:  Alpha! Toru Oikawa x Omega! Reader

Genre: Fluff! (Sorry, no NSFW this time! I just couldn’t fit it!)

Request: Hi 👋 May I request an Alpha Oikawa x Omega reader scenario where they already have a pup and Oikawa wants another. How he would he be with his pregnant omega and his pups ?I'm sorry if this is confusing, ABO Au is one of my favourites but I have never made a request before so I'm not sure how to explain? Fluff, NSFW you can write it however u like THANK YOU 💕

Summary: You loved your small little family, but your alpha felt there was something missing. 

Author’s Note: I loved this request so much??? Like, it’s so wholesome and domestic and my A’/B/O heart melts every time at Dad! Alpha! boys.  I’m super sorry as I didn’t put any NSFW into this. 

Requests: Open!

Toru Oikawa

➵  Your daughter Akemi was a blessing in every sense of the word. She was a sweetheart, happy and giggly and the absolute cutest little thing.

➵   Even if she did look like an absolute carbon copy of your husband.

➵  Her bright brown eyes and chocolate locks all copy and pasted from him.  

➵ She was precious in every way nonetheless, even if Toru rubbed it in your face every chance he got.

➵ You never got made at him though, as he was the ideal father in every sense of the word. 

➵   He made time for Akemi every day, even if he was sore and sweaty from practice—he’d shower before saying hi to her--, he’d let you have at least thirty minutes a day to yourself, more if he feels he has it down, which is almost always the case.  

➵   Toru fed her, changed her, helped you to clean up the house. You both worked like a well-oiled machine and parenthood was a breeze.

➵    It was tough at times but you both stuck to your guns, communicating efficiently about what you wanted for Akemi and her childhood.

➵    How you wanted to deal with future tantrums, what schools you were looking at for her (Neither of you were touching high schools just yet), but there was one thing that you always seemed to slip out of discussing.

➵     Siblings for Akemi.

➵    Either you never really had the time before Akemi was crying, or you and Toru were fast asleep by the time you had the chance or- there were just a multitude of things that stopped the conversation from happening. 

➵   Until Akemi’s first birthday though.  You were rocking your daughter to sleep, brushing your hand along her head and past the brown locks on her head, just reveling in the feeling of holding your pup, a sign of your and your alpha’s love for each other, even if your omega felt the smallest bit…Empty? 

➵   You knew that you and Toru wanted more children, just never got a chance to really talk about it

➵   . “Hey,” Your husbands voice purred into your ear, making you purr in response.

➵    His hands rested on your hips, holding you close as he held his daughter’s hand, running his thumb over her knuckles with such a soft and proud smile, making you just melt.

➵  “I know we haven’t talked about it in a while, but I want another.” 

➵  You laughed. “Another pup, huh?”

➵  He nodded, rounding around to take Akemi. He laid her in her crib, slowly moving to hold you close once more—his hands on your hips with yours wrapped around your neck.

➵ He kissed your forehead, resting his forehead against yours. 

➵  “Mhmm. This time they’ll look just like you with your cute little nose and beautiful eyes. Maybe even your adorable little cheeks.” You laughed, squirming when his hands came up to pinch your cheeks, enlarging your smiling face. 

➵ He let go suddenly, turning and walking out of the nursery with a smirk. “Of course, maybe the Oikawa genes just run to deep.” He chuckled, making his way to your bedroom. You merely laughed once more before following. 

___

➵ “And then when mommy’s tummy is all big and round- Pop! Out comes your new sibling. Maybe a boy or girl. I hope for a girl. Two little princesses to spoil and love.” 

➵ Akemi giggled at her father’s words, not really understanding what was going on but enjoying the attention, nonetheless. 

➵  Toru couldn’t blame her though, as he too was laughing and giggling all through the house.

➵  It had been four months since you began trying, a heat passing where Oikawa proved yet again, he was the perfect husband by tending to you and allowing his sister to watch Akemi for four days your heat was there. 

➵ She was ecstatic to hear the news of you guys trying and jumped at every opportunity to babysit for you guys.  

➵ “It’s not really a pop, but whatever you say, Daddy.” You laughed, stepping out of the bathroom, thin stick in your hands. Toru watched you expectantly, turning Akemi to look at you too.  

➵ “Ma!” Akemi preened, holding your cheeks with her small chubby hands when your nose rubbed against hers.  

➵ You crouched in front of her, holding Toru’s knees with your hands before smiling up at him.

➵  “Hope your ready to go through those nine months again.” You chuckled, Toru nearly squealing with delight as he brought you into a hug, Akemi squished carefully between you two. 

➵ “Ma!” 

➵ “Ma- Oh my god- I’m gonna be a dad again ‘Kemi! Focus on me!”

➵  “Ma!”

___

➵ You knew you married Toru Oikawa for a good reason. 

➵ Yes, he could be an asshole. 

➵ Yes, he could be the most annoying person you would ever meet.

➵  Yes, he sometimes cared too much for volleyball and-

➵ You had a point. What was it?

➵ Oh- Toru was an amazing husband through and through, despite all his flaws. He cared deeply for you, for your daughter, for your new baby (You decided to keep the gender a surprise to piss of Mattsun and Hanamaki who had a current running bet on what it would be).

➵  Every inch of his being, both alpha and not, was dedicated to your family. He was just as doting during this pregnancy as he was the last, making you purr in delight. He never wasted an opportunity to run out and grab whatever you were craving. He was even teaching Akemi to help. 

➵ She’d waddle around after you—making you watch where you are going 24/7—picking up anything you dropped and giving it the extra foot and a half that would make your life so much easier. 

➵ She picked out blankets and onesies and pacifiers, everything you would need she had a say in. And maybe it was another Blood Oikawa thing, but she had great taste. 

➵ There was a small running duckling theme in the new nursery, which was painted a pale grey, most of which was coordinated by…You guessed it.

➵  Oikawa and Akemi. 

➵For being twenty- almost twenty-one - months (A year and eight months), she was incredibly clever and smart for her age. That was all you though.

➵  No way was Toru ‘hit it till it breaks’ Oikawa the smart one in your relationship. (I live to bully this man I’m so sorry).

➵ When the first signs of labour (I’ve waited for this moment. To write about labour, as I see it done wrong all the time and as a Bio 30 student it hurts) showed up, you two began making plans to slowly prep yourself for the delivery of your new baby. 

➵ Oikawa called up his sister, who screeched—loudly into his ear when he told her about your first contractions—before agreeing to come over in case they drastically increased. You re-packed and double checked your hospital bag, making sure you had everything you didn’t during your first trip.  

➵ And you even packed Akemi her own bag for when her aunt would drop her off to meet her new sibling.  She was just as excited to meet them as you were and was constantly handing you things she would later ‘gift’ to her sibling (These included a multitude of…art that was labeled 2 bb in the cutest, but messiest scribbles you’ve ever seen). 

➵ You had to explain that when her sibling got back from the hospital, she could give them all the art she wanted as it would not all fit into the bag. She understood, watching you pack a change of clothes and pull ups for her. 

➵ She would waddle after you as you and Toru would slowly walk up and down the hallways to try and ease the pain, which was more uncomfortable than painful really.  

➵ Coos left both of you when she tied to hold onto your leg like Toru was, looking up to you with wide eyes brimmed with tears. 

➵ When active labour kicked in, she cried, hugging you both before you left. Akemi made sure to pat your belly at least one more time before waving you off, watching you both leave. 

➵ Toru was amazing the whole time, purring to you and letting you crush his hand (Yes. It was his spiking hand as he was going on paternity leave and had the time to heal. Plus, nothing would ever top his family).  

➵ When it came time to push, he was encouraging in every sense of the word, coaching you through the entire thing.

➵  He brushed off every snap you sent his way, every angry word and vile insult spat his way. He didn’t know what you were going through, just that it was painful and taxing on every part of your being. 

➵ Mentally, physically, and he was not about to start a fight with you. 

___

➵ When your son was finally handed to Toru, he cried. He’s cried a lot in his life, most in front of you, but he would always cry when it came to his family.  

➵ His son was just as small as Akemi was when she was born, but just as precious. 

➵  His face was squishy and chubby—and cone shaped—but he was adorable and you both absolutely loved him. 

➵ When Akemi got to meet him, she also cried. She loved her brother the moment they met, which you and Toru were forever grateful for, and would refuse to go more then ten feet away from him.  

➵ You ended up naming him Hiroshi, which Akemi had been trying to pronounce for as long as she’d known it.  

➵ Your little family was beautiful, and Toru was thankful for you, giving him his two bundles of absolute joy, and your love.

➵  He was entranced with you from the moment he met you and never knew his life would lead to this. He wouldn’t change it even if he had the chance. 

➵ In case you were wondering, your son ended up looking exactly like his sister and your husband. Seems the Oikawa genes run long and true.  

[mrslittletall]

Title: Hunters of the Abyss (Chapter 1) Fandom: Made in Abyss/Bloodborne Characters: Laurenc, Gehrman, Micolash, Rom, Maria, Master Willem Word Count: 4.561 AO3-Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/32531749/chapters/80689318

Summary: On the island Belouska, in the middle of the town Orth, lies a gigantic chasm filled with precious relics and dangerous beasts as well as a mysterious curse, only known as the Abyss.

Many have ventured into the Abyss, but not everybody came back. This is one of the tales about the Abyss, in which a group of delvers takes the challenge to brave the Abyss... and maybe turn from the hunted to the hunters.

(Author's note: This is a crossover, so I wrote up a neat little FAQ which can be found at the end of the chapter. If you have questions, please look there first. I may update it when more questions arise.

Now onto this one: I watched Made in Abyss in 2020 and fell in complete and utter love with the world. Just one year prior I played through Bloodborne and well, these two fandoms had to meet! I planned for this fic for quite some time, but being busy with various writing challenges and the pandemic happening, stuff got postponed and postponed until I finally found the time to sit down and write chapter one.

The characters in this chapter are still children, but they will grow up into adults over the timespan of the fic. There will be quite a few time skips actually. The first few chapters will mainly be world building and exposure.

Last but not least, this is both Made in Abyss and Bloodborne, so be prepared for some soul crushing angst and dark stuff happening. Just... nothing will happen to children. Other than Tsukushi, I prefer to torture adults and older teenagers.

So our protagonists are safe... for now...

If you enjoyed this, please don't hesitate leaving me a comment. Both BB and MiA are tiny fandoms, so I don't expect that this will get much attention, so knowing that someone enjoyed it will be all the much sweeter.)

„Laurence, breathe!“

The boy called Laurence took a deep breath, not even having realized that he had held his breath in the first place.

“Sorry, Gehrman.”, he gasped out. “I am... nervous.”

“Of course, it's your first time.”, Gehrman said, glancing over to the group of Red Whistles which had gathered around their appointed Moon Whistle, which they all called Master Willem. Laurence' gaze followed Gehrman's. The children in front of Master Willem were all orphans from the Balchero Orphanage, like Laurence himself. The only difference was, that all of them already had gone delving at least once, while it was the first time for Laurence. He had only recently turned ten.

“Every Red Whistle gets nervous when they delve for the first time. You don't have to worry too much about going down, though, it's going up that should concern you. Speaking of going, it appears we are moving.”

“Right, the curse.”, Laurence wrinkled his nose at the thought as he started to walk alongside Gehrman. He of course knew all the effects of the curse of every single layer, but he hadn't experienced them personally. Yet. “Dizziness and nausea for the first layer.”

“Correct. And I bet with you that you have to puke on your way up, I haven't seen a single first timer who hasn't.”, Gehrman grinned at him. Laurence just gave him a look.

“I even manage to get sick without any curse affecting me, so that bet doesn't exactly feel fair.”, he said, crossing his arms. “And I certainly won't get into any competitions. You are two years older than me and used to the curse of the first layer already.”

“True.”, Gehrman said. “But before you know it, you will be twelve as well and be allowed to go deeper into the Abyss. Before we both know it, we will be fifteen and be able to turn into Blue Whistles. Time started to move much faster once I was allowed to delve.”

“Or we could die a horrible death down there.”, Laurence said, looking down at his feet. He was wearing the standard delver boots. Every Red Whistle was wearing the standard delving gear, consisting of leather pants, a vest, gloves, said boots and a helmet. Laurence didn't wear the helmet on his head though, but instead it was clasped behind it. He disliked how it flattened his locks of auburn hair. He had tried so hard to preserve his hairdo once he tried on the delver gear, but to no avail.

“Are you thinking about your parents?”, Gehrman asked, making Laurence stop in his tracks, but not for long, as Gehrman pushed him along so that they wouldn't lose sight of the group in front of them.

“...Is it that obvious?”, Laurence looked at the ground next to him, not feeling like he wanted to look into Gehrman's eyes. “I always wished they could come with me to my first delving...”

“I know, we all wished our parents could have come with us.”, Gehrman said, laying a hand on Laurence' shoulder. “We all know how you feel...”

The both of them fell silent after this exchange. Laurence' parents had both been delvers, Black Whistle's even and he always had been eager for the day he was old enough to earn his red whistle and go on his first delve. However, that day never came, because around three months before his tenth birthday, Laurence got the message that they had died on their latest delve.

He had gotten a warm welcome in the Balchero Orphanage where almost every child of delvers landed sooner or later, but the pain of their recent passing was still strong. He really really had wanted for them to be around on his first delve.

Laurence had the feeling that was why Gehrman had decided to come with him even though he was allowed to go deeper already. The older boy had a certain fondness for Laurence and the two of them soon had become friends. He also had befriended a few of the other children, a boy named Micolash, who had a face like a gremlin and deep black hair which were messy curls, a girl named Maria which wore a beautiful white ponytail and a girl named Rom, with tan skin and straight black hair. Laurence always had the feeling that Micolash seemed to like her. Gehrman, as the oldest of their group, held them together and was kind of an older brother to the four children. All of them were heading down on that delve today.

“That's why I am nervous.”, Laurence suddenly said.

“Huh?”, Gehrman put his attention back on Laurence, clearly not having expected for him to speak again so soon.

“Nervous about going down here. I have dreamed my whole life about this day. The image of the Abyss is pretty much my first memory. I always wanted to come down here and see it with my own eyes, but now that it happened, I can't help but be nervous. Of course I knew that delvers died in here, but... that never was something that should happen to someone close to me...”

Gehrman came closer to Laurence and patted his shoulder. “Laurence, once we stop, I have to show you something. I am sure it will put your mind at ease. But for now, how about you stop looking at the ground and look at what is right in front of you?”

Laurence finally released his gaze from his boots and once he saw what was in front of him, he almost lost his breath again.

The Abyss... it was nothing short but beautiful. He saw green grass and lush vegetation, in the distance he could see a river flowing through the netherworld. There were little animals scurrying around between flowers of fortitude, butterflies landing on them, collecting their nectar. Even though Orth was covered in these same flowers, their sight never stopped being beautiful. Laurence wondered if the flower came from the Abyss or if it had taken hold in the Abyss. It was common for them to throw their petals into the Abyss alongside the ashes of the deceased.

“Beautiful.”, he said, not knowing where to look first. He had been so caught up in his own head that he had completely forgotten to enjoy the experience.

“As soon as I saw it for the first time, I knew it was worth coming down here.”, Gehrman smiled at him. Then, the group in front of them stopped.

“Ah, it seems we have arrived.”, Gehrman said and then pushed Laurence' helmet onto his auburn hair. “You are supposed to wear the helmet on your head, not behind it.”

“I don't like the helmet.”, Laurence grumbled, adjusting it so that it would fit better.

“Well, better having some messed up hair than being dead from a stray rock.”, Gehrman shrugged. “You get used to it. Also, there is a glowstone embedded into it, it will help you when it gets dark.”

“Alright.”, Laurence said, stopping as well once he and Gehrman had reached the group. His gaze fell on Master Willem. He looked already very old, but apparently was still fit enough to come with them into the Abyss. When Laurence asked Gehrman about him, Gehrman told him that Master Willem always had looked old. Seeing that a delver with such an advanced age still existed, made Laurence feel a little bit better.

Master Willem looked them over, silently taking stock if every child under his care was still there and then spoke to the group: “Everyone's here? Good. Most of you have already been down here once, so you can continue like the last time. Laurence, it's your first time, so you stay with Gehrman today. I am here if any of you have any questions. Remember, we search for relics. Keep out of the danger zones and don't go out of sight. Don't eat outside of the assigned breaks, come tell me if you need a bathroom break and don't go up on your own.”

A combined “Understood, Master Willem.” sounded from the children's throats and then everyone was off. Laurence kept standing where he was, unsurely looking at Gehrman.

“So... what do we do now?”, he asked.

“First, I will show you what I talked about earlier.”, Gehrman said and took Laurence' hand, guiding him a few steps away until they stood next to the wall of the Abyss. There, Gehrman laid Laurence' hand on the wall.

“Your parents died here, in the great chasm. This means, they have become a part of it now. While their physical bodies aren't there anymore, their souls will be with you each time you go down into the Abyss. Go on, ask them for their blessing.”

Laurence felt the cool stone wall under his hand. That was the Abyss, a part of it... his parents had died in here. Their souls went back into the Abyss. He knew that. It was how Orth functioned, what Orth believed. He heard that other countries believed in something like a god, some figure in the heavens that they never saw and he never got it. Why did they believe in something that they couldn't see?

The Abyss was there, it was tangible, he could touch it. In fact, he touched it right at this moment. At this moment, Laurence felt a connection. It felt like everyone who had entered this place was in unison with him. That also had to include his parents. He wondered if they could hear him, but he would never find out if he wouldn't try.

“Mom... Dad... please watch over me.”, he whispered, opening his eyes, seeing how Gehrman smiled at him.

“And now we can start our delve.”, he said. “Follow me, I will show you how it works.”

Laurence followed Gehrman, always having questions on his mind. He probably should just spill them, no reason to stay silent. “Master Willem told us that we should tell him if we need a bathroom break.”, he started. “Why?” Wouldn't it be fine to just find a corner to duck down into?

“Ah, we are not supposed to leave his sight.”, Gehrman answered. “And he has to know where we are when we are under his care. We are also supposed to take a partner with us, so that the other can keep watch. It's how it works down here, you get used to it.”

“Hm, makes sense...”, Laurence said. “And we are forbidden from eating anything, other than when a break is called? What about drinking?”

“You are allowed to drink just fine, but we shouldn't eat outside of the designated breaks, because it can make us a bit sluggish. We are supposed to all take a little break after eating and it is easier when we all eat at the same time. Besides, sometimes new Red Whistles find food in the Abyss and eat it without thinking... and well, not everything is safe to eat.”

Laurence shuddered a bit at the thought of actually eating something poisonous. Yeah, he should stay away from anything that was unknown to him.

“Do you have any more questions or can we start delving?”, Gehrman asked, standing in front of what looked like a loose stone wall.

“Well, besides from what we are supposed to do, no, I guess.”, Laurence said, fidgeting with his fingers.

“It's easy enough.”, Gehrman smiled, getting a pickaxe out of his rucksack. “We search for loose stone structures like this and break it down.” Gehrman demonstrated his words with a wide swing of the pickaxe and soon it crumbled, revealing a small cave beneath it. “Then we get into it and search for anything that looks like a relic.”

Laurence just stood there when the wall crumbled, now very much knowing why they were supposed to wear the helmet. That would hurt a lot when stray debris would hit him. After a minute or so, he silently followed Gehrman into the little cave, his glowstone providing him with a small light source.

“And that is why the helmets are so useful.”, Gehrman said, turning to Laurence and putting something that looked like a vase or something into his hands. “Look for anything that doesn't look natural or simply unusual. The more relics we find, the better. They give us more allowance the more we can unearth.”

“I am sometimes amazed that we still can find relics...”, Laurence said, getting on his knees and searching through the rubble. “Wasn't the Abyss discovered 1.900 years ago?”

“Yes, but that doesn't mean that Orth existed that long.”, Gehrman said, his trained eyes scanning the bottom of the cave with ease and soon he had a second relic located which went into his rucksack. “Besides, all the good stuff has already been found. All we unearth is trash. Valuable trash though.”

“Hm, I guess...”, Laurence shrugged, getting a bit frustrated with searching the rubble. If anything had been in there, it probably had been smashed to bits.

“Laurence, don't search the entrance, come deeper into the cave.”, Gehrman said. “You rarely find relics at the entrance.”

“Oh alright.”, Laurence was more than glad to get away from the rubble and he wandered to Gehrman's place, searching in the opposite direction of him. When he saw something glistening in the wall, he approached it with a vague hope, but instead a yelp escaped him when he saw that it was a human skeleton!

“Laurence, is everything alright?”, Gehrman came over to him and once he saw the skeleton, he was quick to calm him down. “Oh don't worry about those, this is a praying skeleton, they are apparently 2.000 years old. Isn't that fascinating?”

“But... the Abyss was only discovered 1.900 years ago...?”, Laurence repeated his earlier statement, still a bit shaking.

“That doesn't mean that it hasn't existed for longer, don't you think?”, Gehrman said, his smile in the vague light of the glowstone looking more creepy than reassuring. Laurence shook his head and then got up. “I think I want to get out of this cave...”

“Come on, Laurence, you are getting used to the sight. There are still relics to find in here. How about you come over and help me with searching?”

Laurence looked back at the skeleton, then to the cave exit, which wasn't even far away, the cave actually was more of a little alcove in the wall, and then nodded, walking over to Gehrman. “I just didn't think my first find in here would be human bones...”, he murmured.

“Nobody expects to find them at first. I should have warned you, sorry.”, Gehrman patted Laurence' shoulder and then pointed at the floor. “Now, help me find anything unusual that you can see.”

“Alright.”, Laurence kneeled down, glad that the thick leather of his pants protected his knees and observed the floor. A few minutes later, he had several round and flat things in his hands, that clearly weren't rocks.

“I found something.”, he said. “I think...”, he then added, suddenly feeling a bit self conscious about his find. As Gehrman put his attention on him, he showed it to him. “What could that be?”

“Currency maybe?”, Gehrman suggested, looking at the relics. “There once must have been a civilisation in here, they probably used it to pay for wares and stuff.”

“Hm, makes sense.”, Laurence said, putting the “coins” in his own rucksack. “It doesn't seem to be very valuable though.”

“Like I said, most stuff in here is trash anyway. You will rarely find something good. And if, then don't even think about keeping it.” Gehrman let something fall in his own rucksack. It looked like a statue of some kind. Maybe for rituals or anything?

“What happens if we keep relics?”, Laurence asked, curious. He knew they weren't supposed to keep relics, but he never had asked what the punishment for it would be.

“Then the punishment will be worse than being hanged naked.”, Gehrman said, rather casually, as Laurence' face fell. He still had nightmares sometimes about the time a prank on Master Willem had gone too far and this had been his punishment, it had been the peak of uncomfortableness and humiliation... and they had a punishment that was even worse than that?! He didn't want to find out about it.

“Yes, so make sure to deliver all of your relics. We are taking stock of them anyway.”, Gehrman said as he saw the drained colour from Laurence' face.

“Understood.”, Laurence said and quietly kept searching, filling his rucksack with a bit more odds and ends that looked like someone's dinnerware. Maybe it was. If there were skeletons that were 2.000 years old in the Abyss, then why not their homes as well?

After he and Gehrman had cleared out the cave, which had taken far longer than expected, it was already time for their lunch break, as Master Willem was rallying them up to take a break and eat what they had brought along. The problem was that Micolash wasn't making any advances to come and sit down with them.

“That oddball again.”, Laurence sighed, getting up when Micolash still didn't move even though Master Willem had called his name three times already. “I better drag him over here.”

“Do what you must.”, Gehrman said, knowing that Laurence kind of could connect with Micolash, he always had been the odd one of the group and only when Laurence had arrived at the orphanage had he managed to get out of his shell.

“Micolash, what are you doing?”, Laurence said, stopping next to his friend, feeling a bit dizzy when he noticed that Micolash stood at the edge of a rather steep cliff and was staring down into it.

Micolash raised his head, slowly, almost looking creepy and stared at Laurence. Then, he opened his mouth and said: “If you stare in the Abyss, does the Abyss stare back?”

What? Laurence felt a bit at a loss at what to reply to this question, when Rom spoke and shouted over to them: “If you want to get swallowed up, then stare in the Abyss, otherwise head over finally, so that we can finally eat!”

Laurence heard both Gehrman and Maria giggle at Rom's statement and couldn't help but grin himself at it, while Micolash actually looked... a bit embarrassed. Maybe. It was hard to tell.

“You will understand one day.”, he murmured as he finally got into motion. “All of you will understand one day.”

“What, that staring into the maw of the netherworld is making you speak in riddles?”, Rom was at it again and the children around her started to giggle again, as Micolash glared at her a bit.

While Laurence had a hard time to suppress his own giggling, he said: “She's just teasing you, Micolash, that's all.” Though he had to agree with Rom mostly, the Abyss couldn't stare back if you stared into it. It didn't have any eyes, right? ...Right? Suddenly, Laurence wasn't too sure about it anymore. He should stop thinking about it and finally eat.

Laurence joined the group and sat down on a rock, eagerly unpacking his lunch. This morning had been a special day, not only because it was his first delve, but also because that meant that he could eat rice for the first time in his life. Orth, as a city on an island, had to import rice and therefore it had turned into a delicacy and was a food that only delvers were allowed to eat, at the day they went to delve into the Abyss, because it could be their least meal and they deserved to have something special then.

Gehrman had prepared the rice into rice balls, a simple dish with salt and alga and it had been one of the most awesome things Laurence had ever tasted, even though Gehrman told him that was one of the simplest forms in which rice could be prepared. He actually had to be stopped from overeat himself, so he had taken the leftovers with him and was now happily munching on it, enjoying the taste of the food he did had to admire from afar for so many years.

As Laurence was enjoying his food, he could hear Gehrman talk. As he put his attention on him, he saw Gehrman sitting next to Maria. Apparently he was asking the girl questions and she was answering them. Laurence slid a little bit closer to overhear their conversation.

“And what are these insects called?”, Gehrman asked, pointing at something in the grass, sitting on top of a flower of fortitude. Laurence' eyes sparkled when he saw the butterfly, far bigger than the ones in Orth and with sparkly wings.

“It's a crystal wing.”, Maria answered. “Their wings sparkle like this because of the sun that gets reflected from the forcefield. They try to dazzle predators with them.”

“Correct.”, Gehrman said. Laurence still had his eyes on the crystal wing, what a beautiful creature, when suddenly a lizard-like animal appeared out of nowhere and had the butterfly in its mouth. Nothing short but shocked, Laurence lowered the half eaten rice ball, feeling as if his food got stuck in his throat.

“And this?”, Gehrman asked, both his and Maria's eyes on the lizard.

“A stalking lizard.”, Maria replied. “Always attacks from the shadows, seemingly from nowhere, the prey won't even know what killed it. Insects are its favoured food.”

“The Abyss sure is cruel...”, Laurence mentioned from his spot, still not feeling able to keep eating on.

“It's something you will get used to.”, Gehrman said. “At least we are not part of their diet. Actually the stalking lizards can be quite tasty, if you manage to catch them. Dastardly fast though.”

“One time I thought I had one and only had the tail in my hand.”, Maria said. “And they can even get rid of their legs if they please. They can grow all their limbs back without trouble.”

“Sadly, only the meat that isn't extremities is palatable.”, Gehrman added.

“I see...”, Laurence said. He knew that they sometimes got meat from the Abyss in the orphanage to eat, but nobody actually had ever told him what exactly it was they were eating. He wondered if he had maybe eaten these lizards already.

“Do you want to know more about the creatures of the first layer, Laurence?”, Gehrman asked. “I was just testing if Maria remembered everything I told her. Feel free to join us and listen in.”

“Gladly.”, Laurence said and got up to sit closer to them. As he ate the rest of his rice ball and washed it down with some water, he listened to Gehrman and Maria going over various creatures of the first layer, the different insect species, the well known hammer beaks, a little rodent that was pretty much harmless, but could mess with trying to steal the smaller relics, the trouts that could be caught in the underground river and many more. He knew that a lot of the creatures in the Abyss actually were still unnamed, but he was sure that the first layer probably had a pretty complete encyclopedia of the wild life.

After they all had eaten, Gehrman pointed out that it was the perfect time for taking a bathroom break before they continued with their work, so they did exactly that, with Micolash, Gehrman and Laurence being one group and Maria and Rom the other. Laurence found it made sense that the boys and girls would try to stay apart from each other during it.

Then, they continued what they were doing before lunch break, with Master Willem having a vigilant eye on all of them. Laurence stayed near Gehrman and absorbed everything that his friend could tell him about the Abyss and about delving in general. At the end of the day, both of their rucksacks were filled with various relics that looked like they were just common household objects. While Gehrman kept insisting that it only was trash, Laurence knew that even the trash could be sold for a high price into foreign countries. It was how Orth managed to stay so wealthy.

“You did well today, children.”, Master Willem said as they all presented their finds. “We will rate all of your finds back at the orphanage. The better you managed, the deeper you will be allowed into the Abyss. We were only 50 metres deep today.”

“Understood.”, the children replied in unison. Laurence was pretty excited. After he had seen what was pretty much the beginning of the Abyss, he already was eager to see more. But first... first they had to get back up.

Which meant that he would experience the curse for the first time.

You will puke., Gehrman had said and as much as Laurence wanted to believe that it wouldn't happen, how bad could a little dizziness be...

The moment they had started to go upwards though, he had been hit by the worst dizziness in his life. That wasn't any usual dizziness... his head hurt, his vision seemed to swim, he actually had trouble seeing clearly and that alone was bad enough so that his stomach was revolting from the mixed signals his body gave. Laurence had to clasp a hand in front of his mouth, trying so hard to swallow down the bile that tried to force its way out, but had to give up after only a minute or two and retched on the ground, being on both his hands and knees while it happened, heavily breathing at the unpleasant sensation.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked up, tears in his eyes from the burning in his throat, he saw Gehrman smiling at him. “You will get used to it.”, he said and offered Laurence a hand which he took. “But for now get used to throwing up once you ascend. At least you are not the only one.”

Gehrman gestured at the other kids and Laurence felt a tiny bit better when he saw that Micolash pretty much experienced the same fate as him.

Still, he would be more than glad once he wouldn't have to throw up anymore after going up, but he had the feeling that would take quite a while.

After they had fully ascended and the awful feeling of the curse slowly vanished, Master Willem led them back to the orphanage where they were supposed to rest and then tally up their finds. Laurence could only think about one thing though.

It had been his first delve and he had returned alive. And still, he couldn't wait to go down into the Abyss a second time.

It truly had a fascinating aura around it, it was as if he was drawn to it.

The second delve couldn't come fast enough. (FAQ:

1) I have never played Bloodborne? Will I still understand this fic?

This fic takes place in the world of Made in Abyss. I simply put some Bloodborne characters into the world of Made in Abyss and act like if they had grown up here. There will be a ton of Bloodborne references though, but you don't have to have played the game to understand the plot I am going for. And the characters... we know very little about them, so they are basically 80 to 90 % OCs, so you can just see them as OCs if you please.

2) I have never watched Made in Abyss? Will I still understand this fic?

I strongly advise to be familiar with Made in Abyss for this fic, for it takes place in the world of Made in Abyss. You don't have to be familiar with the plot though, for I am going for a completely different plot detached from the canon of the anime/manga.

I will do my best to explain the world building though, which is 50 % canon and 50 % my own. Anyone familiar with the canon feel free to point out where my headcanons took place.

3) Will characters from MiA show up?

Any MiA characters will likely only be cameos, for I want to focus on the life of the Bloodborne characters here. Don't expect that anyone of the MiA characters has a very huge role. They will more be mentioned in passing and appear for short whiles, but never play a big role.

4) When does this fic take place? Is it during the canon timeline of MiA?

NOPE. This fic takes place before the canon of the manga/anime. During the first chapter, Riko hasn't even been born yet. This first chapter takes place around 20 to 25 years before canon and even after the characters grew up, there won't be much overlap, if any.

5) Why are you using the Old Hunter characters?

Because they are my favs, haha ^^ I have a lot of headcanons about them and they work best for the story I have in mind.

6) Laurence as POV character? Really?

Yep, because he's my ultra FAV. Truth to be told, I actually made up this AU so that I could roleplay Laurence in an MiA verse, but I liked the idea so much that I wanted to make a whole fic out of it.

7) Why did you decide to write a crossover of these two things?

When I watched Made in Abyss, I saw Bloodborne at every corner. Then I thought up Laurence' MiA verse and then... well, I read an interview from Tsukushi himself and he actually said that Bloodborne was one of his big inspirations for Made in Abyss! Speak about coincidences!) Chapter 2

[stigma-dream]

1 | Try me [ College! AU ]

Pairing : BTS X Reader

Word Count : 6,802

Summary : Remember how in your teen years you use to fantasize how good it must feel being surrounded by the local bad boys, all trying to impress you one way or another trying to gain your attention? Well, this isn’t what you had in mind, nor would you had imagined that it would’ve started with a stupid alcohol-influenced bet.  

Wednesday 11:41 p.m

“Must I really go…?

Not even a week in into the second semester and they were already planning to throw a party by the weekend. “Yes, of course you have to be there! It wouldn’t be the same without you. If I didn’t have my best girl, it’ll be like Batman without Robin!” You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, already being able to see the large toothy grinned he has always flashed.

“Hobi, that was a fail attempt at trying to butter me up you know? Plus we both know that’s not why you want me to go. You just want me to bring your drunk ass home while I won’t be able to take a single sip of alcohol. Why would I voluntarily torture myself like that?” A soft groan left pass your lips as you leaned back into the softness of your living room couch. Kicking both legs up at the already collapsing mess of a coffee table you and your roommate shared.

“C’mon (Y/N), trust me when I say It’ll be fun. Hell - I’ll even try to convince the boys at making the party a bit more… small, so there won’t be much of a mess, alright?” Raising a brow questioningly as if he were there, you reached over for the remote controller and flipped through the channels until you could find something you could settle down to watch for the mean time. “How would my existence being present at such a place  benefit me, hm?“ You heard a loud smack soon followed by a groan as Hobi began to speak again. “It’ll make all seven of us happy, you know you love us too~.” You could practically see the smirk spread against his lips. “Oh dear god no - forget about it. Not leaving my cocoon to interact with other humans.”

You tilted your head to the side, eying the blanket folded neatly on the opposite arm rest. Leaning yourself across the couch only for your fingertips to slightly caress the fabric. “I did not just slap myself once for nothing (Y/N), you’re coming to the party and that’s that.” Before you could deny the offer again, you heard a mumble on the other end of the line before it cut off.

“More like a get together now..”

Frowning at the words he had slipped out, you groaned loudly and threw the phone onto the coffee table, flipping face up at the laying spot you had found yourself in. Complete forgetting about the blanket now. Staring up at the ceiling as the TV made background noise, not letting the death silence of the apartment overcome you with solitude. “Why is he insisting so much…” You mumbled, reaching up to your hair and moving some loose strands away from your field of vision. It didn’t take much that you got lost in your thoughts and sleep had taken it’s toll on you - your eyelids getting heavier by the second as you laid there on the couch and not too long after you found yourself slowly easing into a nice slumber.

Friday 2:38 p.m

Horse babe : hey hey (y/n)

Horse babe : do you already have your outfit ready?

Horse babe : well don’t wear whatever you were gonna bring

Horse babe : we decided to move the party next month as it seemed more appropriate

Horse babe : actually scratch that

Horse babe : everyone spread the rumor so fast that they prohibited us from throwing a party until next month lmao

Horse babe : but you still have to come over tomorrow, just bring something more laid back as it’ll just be the boys and I

“Who the fuck is spamming me” you muttered under your breath, reaching into your backpack that laid in the chair beside you and pulling out your cellphone. The vibration only continued in your hand as you got another harsh shush from the librarian at the front desk. Smiling at her apologetically and bowing your head slightly, you immediately unlocked your phone and put it in silent mode. Seeing the various notifications from Hoseok. Scanning the messages, a giggle past your lips at the thought of the news spreading like wildfire among the student body of the upcoming party. Only to get immediately shut down.

(Y/N) : omg hobi rlly?

(Y/N) : that must’ve suck

(Y/N) : but why must I still go? It’s not like we haven’t seen each other in years

Locking the screen and placing your phone beside you, you looked back up at your surroundings. Luckily, the library was the closest you’ve ever seen it to being empty. There was always half of the room filled with various students trying to cram a full semester worth of information into their heads all at once. In other cases, couples spread around the library goofing around and being all lovey dovey with each other. Groups of friends just storming in and messing around knowing the librarians just didn’t have the energy to even scoul them anymore. This time it was only you and a small group of students at the corner across the room - seeming to be trying to hide away from the eye of anyone. A red flickering light caught your attention and made you glance back down only to see Hoseok has replied.  

Horse babe : lmao ikr like y

Horse babe : and because (y/n) ~

Horse babe : we miss you!  

Eying the text suspiciously, you brought your bottom lip between your teeth unconsciously, beginning to slowly chew at it as you typed away a reply.

(Y/N) : oh wow yea sure

(Y/N) : what’s up with this sudden burst of love y'all have for me?

(Y/N) I swear if it is some sort of prank or joke y'all want to play on me I’ll rip all of your heads off and feed them to Ms. Scott’s snake.

Horse babe : omg stop no

Horse babe : we honestly have nothing better to do this weekend and we managed to find 8 nerf guns in the janitor room

Horse babe : don’t ask why we were there

Horse babe : but even more conveniently, four are one color and the other four another color

(Y/N) : so basically two teams?

Horse babe : bingo

Humming softly you brought your elbow up at the table and rested your head against your palm, debating if you should go or not. If you were absolutely free, you would have immediately agreed to meeting up with them already. But you have already planned on catching up on a series you took a small break from and cleaning around the apartment. Since your roommate is almost never home (due to her spending most of her time with her boyfriend) - you have had the whole place to yourself. Leaving clothes scattered everywhere, having unwashed dishes at the sink from probably weeks old now, and being able to roam around the apartment in nothing but your underwear freely. Though at first it felt like a small heaven having all this freedom to yourself - the dirtiness of the place was finally starting to gross you out.

(Y/N) : under one condition

Horse babe : which is?

(Y/N) : you all have to help me clean up my apartment and binge watch AHS with me

(Y/N) :  beginning from end.

(Y/N) :  all of you - and no dozing off during the middle or chickening out that it’s too creepy for you.

Horse babe : …

Horse babe : How am I friends with you again?

(Y/N) : Your lost ass was roaming around the halls whining for someone to help you get to class the first day

(Y/N) : and as if a cruel punishment you chose me as your victim and we somehow had first period together

(Y/N) : and from then on you clinged onto me for everything

Horse babe : YAH! (Y/N)! That’s no way to talk to your hyung!

Horse babe : plus you make it sound so uncool…

Horse babe : doesn’t matter, now you know how cool I truly am ;)

(Y/N) : lmao you? cool? you’re funny buddy

Horse babe : mk gb

(Y/N) : no bb wait im joking

(Y/N) : you’re so cool you broke the coolness-o-meter

Horse babe : …hell yeh I did

Horse babe : i’m so cool i probably threw yoongi down from his swag throne

(Y/N) : okay that’s enough of that

(Y/N) : so do you agree to coming or nah?

Horse babe : yea sure

(Y/N) : okay goodie well ttyl gotta blast

Horse babe : lmao ight

Gathering your stuff you had spread around the table, you quickly rushed out of the library - you were done for the day anyways so you’re absolutely free to go to your apartment. Walking down to the parking lot to find your car - you were a bit too late to claim a dorm at campus, so you had no other choice but to rent an apartment nearby.

To your surprise you found Taehyung and Jimin leaning against your car seeming deep in conversation within themselves. A small smirk creep onto your lips as you decided to scare the two - having have been leaning against your precious baby you had just clean yesterday. Taking much lighter steps and focusing on your breathing, you strode over to the backside of the automobile, peeking your head only to see that they haven’t noticed your presence

“Why do you think she doesn’t wanna join us tomorrow?” Jimins voice was the first to reach your ears, perking up more, now curious about their conversation. At this angle you could perfectly see how the sunlight hit his vermilion hair, giving an appearance of a soft gold gentle aura around him. His sharp jawline facing you as he tilted his head towards Taehyung, his back leaning against your precious baby as you noticed he raised a leg to press against it - eyes darting to the ground as he began to scratch the back of his neck, seeming to go deep in thought. Seconds later to think his own question further, you noticed how his eyebrows furrow up ever so slightly, a small pout forming on his devilishly full plump lips. “You don’t think…she has started to avoid us, do you?”

Being to caught up in your own thoughts about how he even dared to raise his dirty shoe against the car door, you almost missed what he had said. Your own eyebrows scrunching up, why would he even asked that? There’s nothing that they’ve done to make you dislike them…much less avoid. “ I don’t see a reason to.” Taehyung shrugged, pulling at the sleeves of his rather large jumper and crossing his arms in front of him, mindlessly playing with a loose strand of his black ripped jeans. “Knowing her, she’s probably already stressing about studying or something…” the brunette mumbled, turning to face the shorter male. Jimin cocked an eyebrow at Taehyung but shrugged, nodding as a sigh escaped his lips. “You’re probably right. She always overworks herself too much…it’s not healthy. She should just, i don’t know… lay back and enjoy the moment you know?” Taehyung nodded, chuckling softly as a small grin formed on his features “Like us?”. Jimin looked questioningly at him, taking him a second to understand what he meant. Shaking his head with a mocking laugh he punched Tae’s shoulder teasingly. “Of course not! Could you imagine though? She’ll probably have an heart attack seeing her grades drop and attendance start to stagger it’s perfect record.”

Short laughs were exchanged between the two, not before you pulled out your car keys and sounded the alarm. Watching as both men jumped away startled from the vehicle, both their eyes blown wide like deers caught in the headlight. Noticing how Jimin was clutching at his denim jacket tightly, chest heaving trying to catch his breath seeming to have been knocked out of his lungs. Flashing a mischievous grin at the boys as you arose from your hiding spot. “ I beg to differ, you seem to be the one who’s going to get a heart attack, pretty boy.”

Heads snapped toward your direction as Jimin’s chocolate brown orbs seem to have widen even more, sighing deeply and throwing his head back as he raised a hand to comb his bangs in a nervous manner. “ I swear to god (Y/N) I will get you back for this.”

Smiling even wider now, you turn to look at Taehyung only to see him kneeled down holding his stomach, his hand trying to muffle his laughs. Not helping yourself now you began to laugh yourself, raising hand in the same manner as Tae to cover your fit of giggles. Hearing your laugh was the final straw for Taehyung to let his rich laugh bang against your eardrums, his balance failing him as he fell back clutching his sides. “ o-oh my god! You should have seen your expression! It was absolutely priceless! I couldn’t imagine his eyes going wider, they almost popped out!”

Jimin clicked his tongue as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket, snapping his head towards the younger one. “Yah! Quiet!” Jimin roared, his cheeks flushing as he kicked Taehyung, only kicking the air threateningly. Taehyung rolled over his side and arose from the floor, throwing his arm over Jimins shoulder as he chuckled softly.

“Aish, don’t get all pissy now~ we’re just joking around, right (Y/N)?” Tae turned to you, flashing you a cocky wink as a smirk played along his rose lips. You only shook your head, giggling softly as you walked over to the boys. Filling up Jimins other shoulder with your arm now - but due to your shorter height you only managed to bring down both boys. “Yeh, just horsing around buddy old pal.” Making eye contact with Tae, you both grinned widely, turning back to Jimin who was only frowning, his eyebrows scrunching up as his brown orbs pierced at the both of you disapprovingly.”You will be hearing from my lawyer soon, this is harassment I have the right to sue you.”

Rolling your eyes at the vermilion haired boy, you stepped back, Taehyung taking your spot and wrapping his arms around Jimin, resting his head on his shoulder as he began to hum softly. Jimin shook his head he pushed away and fixed his shirt - tucking the striped fabric back into his jeans as he scoffed. “Whatever. Hobi sent us to warn you if you don’t come tomorrow he’ll expose your double chin pictures”. You raised a brow at him, sighing softly as you pulled out your phone - showing him the text you had exchanged with Hoseok earlier. Watching him as he read the text, Taehyung peering over his shoulder and doing the same. Jimin’s lips then formed a small ‘o’, looking back up to meet your gaze. “Why do we have to help you clean? I didn’t sign up for this” Taehyung nodded agreeing with the male. Only seconds later he pulled Jimin back to whisper something in his ear - a mischievous smile forming on both of their faces. “I take it back, we’ll help you clean.”

Friday 8:30 p.m

The second you had arrived to your apartment, you had collapsed onto the sofa and passed out. Ignoring any plans you had later that day. A annoying vibration and light flashing had startled you awake from your peaceful slumber. Groaning as you opened your heavy eyelids, flinching at the bright light hitting your dazed vision. Reaching out to your phone laying in front of you, sliding the button across the screen not even bothering to see who it was. Throwing your head back into the warmth of the sofa - refusing to look at the screen.

“Ah! I won! She was asleep!”

“Jungkook stop shouting!”

A smack could be heard soon followed by a whine, peering your eyelids open again you noticed that Jungkook had called you over FaceTime, seeing him sit at the familiar sofa of their dorm - Jin sitting on the armrest laying across the top of the sofa trying to show up on screen.

“But hyung you told me if I won this bet you’ll do the dishes tonight!” Jungkook turned to Seokjin, his doe eyes seeming to play with Seokjins emotions as you heard the elders breath hitch - sighing and shaking his head.

“Aish you and your puppy eyes…”

Jungkook smiled mischievously, wiggling his eyebrows teasingly.

Puffing out your cheeks at the scene playing out, you hummed softly and that seem to have caught the boy’s attention. “May I know why you woke me up?” you mumbled out, rolling off the sofa. Reaching out to position your phone to lay against a pillow, hoping you’ll look somewhat decent at this angle. Your eyes flicking over at the right corner of the screen, seeing your bird nest of hair. Sitting on the floor across your cellphone you began to run your fingers through your hair, smoothing out some knots.

“He didn’t want to wash the dishes so he made this dumb bet that if you were asleep i’ll have to wash them. Now, if you both will excuse me, since I am not a whiny baby about having responsibilities I shall go do my part of the bet.” Seokjin arose from his spot in the couch, walking off to what you assumed the kitchen. Now being alone with Jungkook, you raised a brow questioningly at him. “Really?” Jungkook chuckled nervously, shrugging as his hand went to rub his arm. “I usually don’t mind washing them, it’s just…Yoongi hyung didn’t like something Taehyung and I hid in his food…causing him to, y’know.” He let a sheepish smile spread across his lips, glancing at you before he turned to look at something else suddenly more interesting. Clicking your tongue you shook your head, sitting up more now as you began to stretch, a long yawn soon following. “Well that’s none of my business. Anyways since you’re already here help me choose an outfit for tomorrow.”

“What, why?” he questioned, seeing the screen going all blurry as you walked across the apartment going to your bedroom. “Just because, no real reason” you replied, setting your phone against your mirror. “…considering we’re just gonna horse around tomorrow I recommend something you’ll be able to move around freely. Oh! And possibly something you can sleep in? Yoongi-hyung is bringing beer, saying you should relax tomorrow.” He flashed you another smile, the creases around his eyes deepening adorably. “Like for example what i’m wearing right now.” Jungkook pulled at his white shirt, bringing his leg up and holding against his chest smoothly to reveal his sweatpants. Frowning at him you rolled your eyes, pointing at the camera “Stop that, I know you’re showing off how flexible you are…blah”  Frowning further hearing him go into a fit of laughs, shaking his head. “Sorry - can’t help that i’ve been blessed”.

Saturday 10:00 a.m

After having have chosen your outfit for today with the help of Jungkook last night, you both didn’t notice how late it had gotten. Immediately entering the realm of fantasies soon after hanging up the call. Now you sat at the corner of your bed, turning off your alarm. Sighing tiredly you began to get ready, going to go take a quick shower soon after having breakfast and before you knew it, you were already out the door heading towards campus to the boys dorm.

Walking up to the large wooden door, you removed your earbuds and twisted the knob - knowing the boys didn’t bother to lock the door knowing you’ll come. Stepping inside you were greeted by the sight of seeing a shirtless Yoongi with nothing else but his boxers and socks, laying on the couch fast asleep. Sighing you walked over to him, kneeling to his side. There really was a huge difference to awake Yoongi and fast asleep Yoongi. His usually scornful expression added unnecessary wrinkles to his youthful face. His rose tinted lips parted slightly seeming so natural unlike their usual straight line. A soft aura surrounding him - contrary to the cold and intimidating one he usually gave to strangers. You knew Yoongi long enough to know he was neither this or that. Yes, he seemed cold at first glance and his sarcasm can cause holes in your self-esteem but he isn’t always like that. It’s almost like a trial - if you overcome and endure Yoongi’s ruthless personality he’ll take off his cunning mask and show you his genuine self. If you really think about it, it’s like a defense mechanism. You haven’t yet shattered that metaphorical mask but you have noticed he seem more laid back then from the first few times meeting him. That alone seeing him slowly become more open towards you gave you the determination to fully get rid of his mask. Smiling to yourself, you didn’t take note to when you subconsciously moved his raven hair out of his face. Immediately retracted your hand, feeling your cheeks burn up in embarrassment. Glancing the living room you spotted a large blanket and brought it over to let it drape over Yoongi’s semi-nude state. Walking over to the kitchen to grab a cup of water, you heard yawning and groaning coming from the end of the corridor. Raising an eyebrow honestly not expecting anyone to be awake after seeing Yoongi on the couch, you made your over to the tall white door. Knocking gently you soon heard a raspy “come in“, swinging the door open.

Namjoon sat on the edge of his bed, massaging his throat while his free hand holded a couple of pills. Since the room was divided in half, he had his bed up against the wall. A nightstand along with a desk and a large shared bookshelf only for the same set up to be replicated on the other side of the room - connecting all furniture with the large bookshelf. A green rug spread across the middle of the room, bean bag chairs spread out across the rug. Though only the furniture and rug was the thing both had in common - for as decoration they were quiet opposites. Namjoon’s side consisted of a repeated plushie in different colors and poses, neatly aligned on shelf’s he must have put up himself. All of his textbooks and supplies nicely put in their own little containers. While the other side had many figurines, mostly consisted of Mario and Luigi. Posters of said characters adorning the pale white walls. The side of their bookcase, unlike Namjoon, consisted of Wii and 3DS games - along with a few smaller figurines. A few cookbooks and random personal choice novels on the next shelf. While finally the last shelf holded the precious campus textbooks.

Jin’s rather loud snore snapped you out of your own thoughts, blinking and bringing your attention back at the blonde haired man. “What’s wrong?” you questioned, walking over and sitting beside him. “The boys managed to bring a karaoke machine not to long ago and they decided last night-” Hearing him struggle to speak along with the heavy raspiness, you brought a finger to press against his lips you shook your head and glanced into his almond orbs, “don’t talk too much, it’ll hurt your throat even more”. Taken aback a bit, he slowly nodded and cleared his throat, wincing a bit. “I joined them in a screamo song and I seem to be loosing l my voice or something.”

“….why did you join in- actually, never mind.” You sighed, shaking your head. “Just rest today, though I already imagined you were planning on skipping, hm?” Smiling sheepishly he nodded slowly and laid back down, pulling the covers over himself. Turning off the lamp on the night stand, he reached out and gently grabbed your wrist.

“Hey, Jungkook, Taehyung, Jimin and Hoseok are all at their classes right now. None of us are planning to wake up until noon or even later, so why not rest along with me? I swear I won’t try anything funny.”

“are you sure..? I mean, your throat and all I imagine you’ll be tossing and turning in your bed so..” Blinking in realization knowing of his messy way of sleeping with any type of uncomfortableness, he nodded slowly and motioned his head over to Jin. “Touche, how about Jin-hyung then?” Turning your head to the oldest one in the room, you nodded and gave Namjoon a smile. Reaching out and pinching his nose as you made your way over to Jin’s side of the room.

“Alright, get some rest now.”

4:42 p.m

All the boys seemed to have gotten home before you had waken up, finding yourself neatly tucked in Jin’s bed. The roaring of laughter and stomping across the dorm was the thing that had managed to wake you up. Sitting up slowly, you rubbed at your eyes and glanced around your surroundings. Namjoon seem to have already gotten up and Jin was gone too. “How rude, they didn’t even bother to wake me up…” mumbling to yourself, you quickly got out of bed and down to the cold floor. Hissing softly, you spotted Jin’s bunny slippers one of the members had gotten him as a gag gift and immediately rush to slip them on. Wiggling your toes in the warm fabric, you headed towards the door and down the corridor where the noise was coming from. Peaking your head only to see all seven men sitting at the couch and floor, seeming to be playing some sort of video game.

Hoseok was the first to notice you, jumping out of his seat and skipping his way towards you. “(Y/N)! Everyone, sleeping beauty has awoken!”

He wrapped his arms around your shoulders and brought you in for a short hug, kissing the top of you head as well. Giggling at his boldness, you wrapped your arms around his waist, tilting your head up to meet his gaze. “Yeah, yeah whatever. Happy to see me here? I couldn’t risk the chance of you showing everyone my true nature.” Chuckling he only shrugged and glances up behind you, retracting his arms and stepping back.

“He’s not the only one happy to see you, y'know?” A smooth velvety voice reached your ears and you didn’t even need to look twice to know who it was. Feeling him snake his arms around your waist and lift you up, you squeaked softly and gripped onto his firm arms. “Taehyung!” You laughed, throwing your head back onto his shoulder as he began to swing the both of you around. A fit of giggles and laughed erupted from you two only to be stopped.

“Ah c’mon, you always want her to yourself Taehyung-hyung.” Being set down, you glance up only to be meet with a white shirt, tilting your head further up you saw how Jungkook pressed his tongue into the inside of his cheek, crossing his arms across his chest in a spoiled manner.

“Aish, sorry sorry, we haven’t talk in a while. I only saw her briefly yesterday ~” Taehyung cooed, resting his chin on top of your head and tightening his grip on your waist. Jungkook scoffed “and? I haven’t seen her in over a week.” Frowning, you pushed Taehyung’s arms off of you only to feel another set of strong arms slide under your legs and another to support your back, being lift up by the younger one. A proud smirk appearing on his fine lips as he held you against his chest. “Guys. You’re acting as if I’m some priced possession or something.” you groaned out, knowing your physical strength was nothing compared to theirs. Letting yourself loose and to lay limbless in Jungkook’s arms.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“Pretty much, yeah”

Scrunching your eyebrows up, you sighed loudly again and only shook your head.

“Stop.”

Yoongi’s voice made the three of you snap your heads towards his direction. Seeing him sitting at the end of the couch, arm propped up against the armrest as he rested his head on the palm of his hand - his eyes staring back blankly. “Set the poor girl down, you both are all up in her personal bubble.” he mumbled, turning his attention back to the large screen. Jungkook immediately sets you down mumbling an apology - only to hear Jimin cry out in defeat as his character seemed to have lost. Jungkook striding over to take up the losers spot and go up against his hyung, Hoseok.

“(Y/N)” Jin called out, motioning you over to the spot between him and Namjoon. Squeezing yourselfs between them, you smiled sweetly at both. Jin sighed and shook his head, chuckling softly as he gently rubbed your back. “I must say, you really managed to stir those three over there up pretty good. I don’t know if it’s because of their ego not letting them cry defeat at losing a damsel to another or because of pure spoiledness, but damn.” Raising a brow at him questioningly, you tilted your head. “Three of them?” you questioned, only to receive another nod from the man. “Yeah, Jungkook, Taehyung and Jimin. I’m surprised Jungkook is even managing talking to you way more comfortably than Jimin, probably because he’s older than you?”

“Wait, I’m sorry, Jimin?” you asked, Jin chuckling once again and nodding towards Jimin’s direction, your gaze following and sure enough Jimin sat across, squeezed between Yoongi and Taehyung but his gaze seem to be focused on you. Making brief eye contact he sheepishly looked down, raising his hand to comb out his bangs as he lets them drape across his features, seeming to be trying to hide away from your gaze. Though at his failed attempt of hiding his face - you could see pink beginning to tint at the tips of his ears. Biting your lip trying to stop yourself from smiling at his adorable ways, you turned back to Jin only to see him gone and being replaced by Hoseok.

“They’re not the only ones” Namjoon’s hot breath reached your neck, making you shiver feeling goosebumps starting to form. Jumping slightly in surprise, you didn’t even dare to turn your head to look at him - keeping your gaze locked on the screen. “Oh? How so?”

Feeling his chest vibrate against your back as he chuckled, leaning in closer - his hair starting to tickle at your skin. “Well, you already know about the three younger ones, but what about the three eldest? Jin-hyung, Yoongi-hyung and Hoseok. Though they are much better at hiding it, I’ve known them long enough too to know when there’s something going on.” he stated. “Someone’s got their voice back,” you joked, pulling back a bit to turn to look at him questioningly. “but - what do you mean? I’m sure they’re not attracted to me in any other way than platonically so-”

“There you are right, I believe the same. But knowing them, it didn’t just come out of nowhere. There’s something going on between them all.” Namjoon pulled back now, resting against the couch. You looked at Namjoon still, various thoughts running through your head as a certain male called out your name.

“(Y/N)!” Jungkook called out, motioning you over to the empty seat beside me. “Try and beat me in this round!”

Much later that afternoon everyone has gathered around in the living room - all eight sitting in a circle facing each other. Panting and heaving filled up the room, the smell of sweat and alcohol being the only aroma present. Having have already played with the nerf guns as promised, Yoongi bringing out the beer and Taehyung soon after pulling the karaoke machine out you swear your body couldn’t take any other physical activity to do. Having had screamed your lungs out while singing a duet with Jungkook and running around the whole dorm trying to escape Hoseok’s and Jimin’s nerf hits - all while having alcohol running through your system.  

“Guys, Guys, Guys” Taehyung spoke into the mic, licking his lips as he took a deep breath, his eyes fluttering trying to stay awake as the alcohol threatened to play effect - pausing before speaking again. “Let’s play some more. Spin the bottle anyone?” Hoseok was the first to react, nodding ecstatically. “Yeah! Here,” he gripped the bottle beside him and took a swing at it, gulping down the remainder of the liquid. Sighing contently as he lays the bottle in the middle of the circle. Everyone wiggled in closer, Jimin the first to reach out for the bottle. Spinning it only for it to go flying over to Jungkook, making both males laugh.

“Nice one Jimin-hyung,” Jungkook cooed, glancing down at the bottle and pointing over at Jin “but it looks like Jin-hyung is our first victim.” Jin perked up, hearing his name bringing him out of his train of thoughts. Jimin grinned widely, deep creases appearing under his eyes. “ Truth or Dare?” Jin hummed in thought, rotating the bottle in his hand, observing as the liquid splash around. “Truth”

Audible sighs and groans could be heard, shaking your head at the groups immature behavior. “Guys, come on now”

“Alright, let’s see hmm…did you use cheats to win earlier?” Jimin questioned, raising a brow at the elder one.

“Yeah! That was totally unfair how you won!” Hoseok cried out, Namjoon nodding agreeing with him.

Jungkook snorts and shrugged, looking over at Hoseok. ���But I was able to beat his ‘impossible ways’ “. adding air quotes to his statement. “But you’re also Mr. Good at Everything I do.” Yoongi spoke up, taking a swing from his beer. Before Jungkook could respond, Jin spoke up. “No, I didn’t cheat - just many years of training.” Everyone seem to just drop the topic and nod, Jin reaching out for the bottle and spinning it. Yoongi chuckled softly as the bottle landed on him, looking at Jin. “Dare.” he said, Taehyung’s cackling could be heard. A few other guys chuckling softly to themselves. “Chug down two beers in a minute or less, take even a second longer and we all would take a turn at slapping you across the face.”

It went out like this for a while - asking dumb questions and making idiotic dares. For example when Taehyung dared Jungkook to jump from the top floor only to land in a bucket. Of course the rest of the guys had to stop Jungkook from actually doing it claiming that if he didn’t it’ll hurt his pride - all while Taehyung was busy filling a bucket up with water. Or when Namjoon had to rip apart one of his plushies being dared from Yoongi. Being left close to tears and clutching at his ‘son’. Hoseok had to come clean that he was absolutely terrified of any bondage play. Jimin giving Jungkook a lap dance that only ended up in a playful fight.

“Ah! It landed on you Yoongi!” Hoseok exclaimed, clapping as he saw how hard Yoongi was trying to remain conscious, his head keep bouncing as he went into short naps. Snapping up hearing  Hoseok and nodding, waving his hand as he ruffled his hair in a form of distraction. “Yeah, yeah. Dare.”

Namjoon pulled Jin over, whispering something into his ear as Jin nodded, crawling over to Hoseok and whispering it into his ear. A large smile spread across his features, nodding quickly and clapping once again to gain everyone’s attention. “Yoongi! I dare you to kiss (Y/N)!”

Choking on a sip you were taking from your beverage you turned to Hoseok wide-eyed. “I’m sorry what?” Hoseok only winked at you, nodding over to Yoongi’s direction only to see him already crawling over to you. “Don’t I have any say in this?” you questioned and before you know it Yoongi tugged at your wrist - making you turn your head in his direction. “No.” Acting fast he cupped your face in his hands - though his touch was cold you could feel how gently he was trying to be, his skin smooth and soft. His eyes narrowed as he observed your features, unconsciously licking his lips as he slowly began to lean in. “I’m sorry” he mumbled softly, the kiss fast and chaste. It only lasted a few second to the others, but to you, it lasted minutes. Not because of how amazing the kiss was or because how you felt sparks, but because you could feel how hard Yoongi tried to shove his tongue down your throat. Plus, he reeked of alcohol - being the one who had drank the most.

Pulling apart from each other you could help but scrunch up your nose in disgust, rubbing your mouth with the sleeve of your hoodie. Taehyung took notice and raised a brow, pointing a finger up at Yoongi who hasn’t moved from his spot. “His kisses suck don’t they.” he claimed, gaining everyone’s attention. You shook your head immediately as a blush started to tint your cheeks “no it’s not that”

Jungkook pulled at your wrist forcefully causing you to tumble over into his lap, his free hand moving to tilt your chin up “I’ll show you what a real kiss is~” he cooed, his lips dangerously close to yours. Before you had time to even react, you were being pulled again only to fall into another lap. Strong arms wrapping themselves around you protectively. “No!” Jimin whined, the alcohol playing with him. Jimin nuzzles down into your shoulder and breathed in your scent, giggling happily to himself as he held you close. “Mine.” He said, kissing at your neck lovingly.

“Woah, woah! Calm down there!” Jin shouted, pulling you out of Jimins grip and setting you beside him. “We do not treat a lady like that! As if she’s an object you could easily claim, hah. Right Hoseok?” Jin turned to Hoseok, receiving his approving nod only to nod himself as well. “That’s what I thought, now -”

“But what if she wants to be claimed?” Taehyung chirped up, tilting his head innocently.

Jin narrowed his eyes at the brunette and raised an eyebrow “what do you mean?”

“I meant what I said - what if she wants to be claimed by one of us? The one who can win her heart the first. Whoever she falls for has the right to completly claim (Y/N) as their own.” He stated, the attention of the rest of the boys turning to Taehyung.

“Wait then, like a bet?” Questioned Jimin

“What if no one can swoon her?” Added Hoseok, perking up curiously.

“Yeah like a bet. We all have a month to see who can win her over and if we can’t.” He paused to think for a moment. “Then, she has the choice to completely forget about us and leave or stay. But, if you’re asking me, knowing how dirty some of you play she’ll want to leave.”

“I’m in.” Jungkook spoke, scooting over to Taehyung’s side.

“Me too.” Hoseok spoke, joining the other two across from him.

Yoongi only silently crawled over, sitting beside Hoseok and nodding at Taehyung.

Jimin only leaned against Jungkook already having being sat beside Taehyung and raised his hand up in the air proudly. “I shall join as well.”

Jin looked at all five men and shook his head, wrapping his arm around your shoulder and hugging you to his side. “This is ridiculous, I can’t even believe you-”

“Hyung. If you play, you could save (Y/N) from all of our little tricks at winning her over you know? Playing as well and all.” Taehyung added, a visible smirk spreading to his lips as he raised his eyebrows at the elder.

Jin looked at you worriedly and squeezed your shoulder, sighing as he brought his head down to debate with himself to accept the offer or not. Finally he nodded and slowly let’s go of your shoulder, mumbling a small apology as he went over to join the rest.

“Don’t I have any say in this?”you groaned, honestly not surprised by their behavior. Taehyung shook his head and turned to Namjoon who had sat himself on the couch. “What about you hyung?”

Namjoon shook his head and smiled “I can’t, I view (Y/N) as a little sister so if I joined - it’ll be kinda weird. Plus, she’ll need the help of someone who’s actually capable of having some information of you all.”

Taehyung nodded and shrugged, turning back to face you with a large boxy smile. “Alright well! Do you wanna play along with this bet, (Y/N)?” Taehyung questioned, his arm reaching out. Rolling your eyed you immediately took his hand into yours and shook it, a mischievous smirk plastered against your face. “Try me.”

[spaceorphan18]

SO’S GLEE EPISODE RANKING: NO. 32

I started a Full Glee Episode Ranking between seasons 5 and 6 over two years ago now (!!!). My opinions have changed somewhat since then (retrospect is an interesting thing), and I need to include the thirteen season six episodes I neglected in my original list.  With the two year anniversary of the show being over a few months away, I thought I’d count down to by posting an episode every day.  I’ll tag using: glee episode rankings

Here we go…

32. The Break Up (4x04)

Written by: Ryan Murphy Directed by: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon

So - I flipped the order of this one with No. 30 because god, this episode fucking sucks, and I have to do three of them, and I’m going from hardest to least hardest. Wait - SO - why is it so high then?!?! Here’s my thing about this episode - I think it’s an incredibly well crafted, emotionally turbulent, and incredibly effective for what it is.  I think Ryan Murphy set out to break all of our hearts - at once - and he succeeded on an unprecedented level.  Interestingly - this is more of an objective ranking than a personal one.  I’m not a huge fan of this one - and I’ve only been back to it a handful of times. 

So - we all know what happens in this episode, but breaking it down a little...

First off, there’s the newbie stuff - which I don’t think should even been in the episode.  It wastes precious time from the heavy things that matter.  Also - Will and Emma conflict.  Seriously - if you’re going to throw them in here - give them some real conflict. 

Brittana - Man, these girls had by far the most mature break up, and I’ll admit, it’s kind of sad to watch, even if I don’t ship it.  

Finchel - This is the good stuff here, tbh.  This story is fantastically told - and maybe I can tolerate it because I’m kinda happy they are breaking up, but there’s something very real here about a couple who has meant so much to each other at one point in time, and now they are different people on different paths.  Idk - I feel like this was heartbreaking and good tv. 

Klaine - I still hate the Klaine break up.  It’s not because they’re breaking up, or because of the cheating.  I hate it because out of the three couples, they got the short end of the stick.  They got a couple of songs, one not very good scene and a metaphor for a break up.  And it pisses me off.  If you’re going to break them up, give them a goddamn real scene to do it in - don’t just drift off and leave it hanging and then next episode be like, oh yeah, not dating.  **grumbles - but saves bigger rant**  FWIW - I actually like the Loser Like Me break up stuff better (yes, I know I’m weird)

The thing though about the episode, the reason why I do have it so high, is the production.  The music in this is fantastic and so, so heartbreaking within the narrative.  It’s some of the best music, and best use of a theme in any episode ever.  It sets the tone - and the tone doesn’t let up at all - and /that/ is what makes it a heartwrenching drama - outdone only by The Quarterback.  

High Points:

Brittany and Blaine at the beginning.  My heart is already breaking for them. 

The little bits of Finn and Kurt dynamic in this episode - it’s the last time that they’re on screen together in the series, and I’m sad that it’s this episode, but I’m glad we have it. 

I can’t believe I’m going to say this - but the Finchel narrative in this episode is spot on. 

I can’t say that it’s really a high point - but Blaine and his psyche around this time - it’s so effectively heart-wrenching.  Poor bb <3 

Callbacks... 

Everything in this episode is so well acted though... 

The Brittana Break Up scene

The Finchel Break Up Scene

The Klaine Bre---OH WAIT THERE WASN’T ONE

Low Points: 

The Klaine stuff is stupid.  (Okay, most of it’s not - and as an aside - there’s some really interesting stuff going on here - and the transition from fairy tale romance to real romance is really good and interesting and is an arc for the rest of the series, and years later - I’m not against a break up story, but still the execution....) 

The Jarley stuff is incredibly out of place and jarring.  It wasn’t needed for this episode. 

Why couldn’t Will and Emma break up?

The other problem I have - which isn’t really about this episode specifically, is that the follow up is unsatisfying, too... Finchel is the only one who get a hefty narrative.  Brittana is going to be ignored completely until, idk, season five, and Klaine gets to be Finchel’s kid sister - paralleling Finchel’s story, and not getting as meaty things to do - which would have made the impact of this episode more meaningful. 

Music:

Barely Breathing: Blaine and Finn are absolutely heart breaking.  Not a huge fan of this song, but I think it highlights their headspace really well.  I still wish we would have gotten more Blaine headspace, but ah well.  

Give Your Heart a Break: Okay, so Brody was kind of unnecessary here, too, but I kind of love it, tbh. 

Teenage Dream Acoustic: Fuck this song.  (Actually, this is one of my favorite songs of the show, and I love every time Darren sings the slowed down version, and his version here is perfect, so perfect and awful and amazing, and heartbreaking but still...)

Don’t Speak: You know - I hated this song when it was first on the radio.  It’s so, so damn depressing.  So yeah, let’s add Klaine breaking up to it.  (FWIW - it’s very well done between the four of them.) 

Mine: Santana is gorgeous and this song is beautiful. 

The Scientist: Fuck this song, too.  This song makes me want to cry. 

Final Verdict: This episode sucks but it sets out what it needs to do in a very effective and heartbreaking way. 

[forthelalaland]

No wasted seconds

I have two agendas for today… First,

Manila hits today with my love! 💖

Actually… Just Intramuros. Manila is really big, like really really big, I just realized it after 22 years of existence. Haha! Expect that there will be part two or three or four for this adventure. Yiee, I am so excited for it already!

I do not want to detail all that happened this Lala and Dada day because I am saving this Manila trip for my future post/s. So! All I want to say is… I love you! And thank you! *yiee very clingy so annoying af*

To tell you the truth, I am just so happy with what happened this day. First, he is not late. It was I. Hahaha! And he patiently waited. Yup, did not get mad. U havin start of something new too bb? Hahaha! My heart feels happy because Dada has a plan for this day. Like, when is the last time you did this, love? Been a while! I miss. And even if at times I get irritated so easily because I am under the weather + red days combined, he controlled his temper. Woah, truly improving! Lurveet! The day was just so amazing. All those talks and trivias, the walks and photowalks (hehe), the food and trip itself, plus everything in between of course, I think I can say… I love you better now. *luh lol but srsly* I love you Daddeh! Hope we are always like this. I love you, I love you, I love youuuuu 💖

On the other hand, the second agenda…

Girls night out 🙌 + one 😂 !!!

Pagbigyan na hoy. Saturday is the only day Dada and I can bond. Huehue. TBH, these ladies are the reason why our Mnl itinerary got messed up. Kidd! Haha! So sweet my bebe, he fetched my friend Keng who got lost in Pedro Gil. I was just in the terminal eh. Saving our seats. Hahahahaha! We were waiting for her since she came from their apartment nearby. And that, we went together as we met our other friends. Hi to my soul sister Rov who is also sick. Haha! And the twins, Ediza and Lei. Yas for our mini-reunion because of Joshua Garcia and Julia Barretto (and Tokyo Tokyo)! Love you to the stars and back, Joshlia! Oops, it’s now revealed that we are fans. Hahahahaha! Walang kupas. From Vince and Kath to Mika and Caloy? SML! Yahoo for this get together. Good night it is. *yay*

Indeed and I must say…

This second of September with my second year buddies can be considered as golden seconds of my life. ✨

It was just a quick get together but at least right, at least we gave each other our time, because “time, it is also precious.” Adira grivinda amana tharum! Hahahahaha! But reallyyy, it is just Day 2 of the month yet my heart is full already! How much more on 29? OMG! Hihihihihi. Had a wonderful day with the people I cherish since 2010! Thank you for making this day possible g-uys xx

[lakecharleslady]

I have the most amazing human in my life. God created him just for me. He turns twenty-two today. His whole life has been a blessing for me. If you don’t know my Kyler, you don’t know what you are missing.

Kyler was born during a trying time in my life. His dad and I were separated. I had three other children and I was going to college full-time. God sent me this angel for so many reasons. He pulled our family back together. He changed my faith in God. Kyler was a gift.

When he was born, Kyler had serious medical issues. Frankly, there were times when I thought we wouldn’t have him very long. For the first time, I reached out to God in a different way. My desperation was so enormous. My prayer warrior at that time was my Aunt Lyla. She called me every day at the hospital and prayed with me. I would be so down. My hormones were crazy, my husband and I were separated and my baby wasn’t going to live. I had my mind made up. I just knew he was going to be taken from me. Aunt Lyla wasn’t having any of that. She talked me through it all and prayed for all of us. Kyler’s issues stopped as suddenly as they had begun. He began to get better and thrive and in no time, we were going home. I learned the power of prayer during that time. I learned that prayer warriors are essential and I learned that forgiveness crucial.

After we brought Kyler home, we spoiled him rotten. We were all afraid he would get sick again and we treated him like he was the most fragile of souls. He didn’t make a sound before three other children and I were on top of him seeing what this sweet baby needed. Kendall was the most enamoured of him. He loved Kyler from the moment he laid eyes on him. He would sit and hold Kyler and watch every blip on the monitor that Kyler wore. He played with him and fed him and was selfish with his time with him. I often had to tell Kendall that I was his MOM and I would be just fine handling him alone. Unfortunately, all this attention went straight to Kyler’s head. He was spoiled rotten in no time.

As the kids got older, Kyler became the boss. We didn’t like it. We tried to dissuade it. However, none of us could stand to see him cry. Well, none of us except Kade. Although Kade was the older brother, Kyler bossed him around incessantly. Our children always slept with us. We had a king size bed and we just all piled in. There were many times that Kyler would throw a fit because Kade and Kennedy would be in bed with us. He wanted to be top dog. This did not include sharing me, my bed, the television. He would announce that it was time for the kids to go to bed, point his finger in the direction of their rooms and tell them to ‘git’. Then he would prop himself up on our big pillows, tell me to put Spongebob on and demand a bowl of Lays potato chips. Oh my, he was awful. And we all let him! We totally created this monster.

  The three middle kids were my ‘stair-step kids’. Kendall and Belle are my bookends. Kendall was much older, Belle was much younger. The three in the middle were born in four years. There is exactly eighteen months and one day between Kyler and Kennedy. The three in the middle have always been a trio of chaos. They fought the most, loved the most, got in trouble the most. Kennedy was the innocent bystander that got lead into precarious situations out of her control. She trusted her brothers and was guileless in her participation in most of the calamities that befell her. They would cook something up and persuade her to join in. A lot of times, they tried to blame her for things she didn’t even really know were happening. Luckily, I was an ornery kid too, so I knew she was just being dragged into the predicaments they created. More often than not, she just stood there wide-eyed until the storm had passed. It’s funny to hear her talk about it now. She will tell how Kyler would dare her to say a curse word, he would keep after her until she would finally relent, then he would come and tell on her. The two of them kept Kade busy too. They would do anything to irritate Kade. Kade has always been particular about his belongings. He did not want them in his room. Not only would they sneak in there, they would get on his top bunk and get in his stuff and drive him crazy.

Kyler was also mean. He hated clothes. He was always in his underwear. People would actually come over when he was dressed and feign surprise at the fact that he even had clothing. He had a temper. He would get mad at Kade for something and would vow his revenge. He actually peed on one of Kade’s game systems one time because of some slight he perceived as war-like. Bill had the painting company and his crew came to the house every morning to start the work day. The boys did terrible things to these poor men. When it was hot, the guys would turn the hose on and get a cool drink while they were cleaning tools. These awful boys peed in the hose. They shot windows out of the truck on one employee. BB guns were not allowed after that. Kyler would go to work with Bill and when they stopped to pick up one of the employees, Kyler would tell them they had to sit in the back seat. He has always been the boss.

When all of the other kids started school, it was just Kyler and me. The kids went to a private school so we took them every morning. After we dropped them off, Kyler and I had breakfast. He always wanted Hardees or Cracker Barrel. Cracker Barrel has always been our spot. He wanted no guests to eat with us. This was our time. I miss that most of all I think.

For six years, Kyler was the baby. Several years, it was just the two of us. We spent all of our time together. He didn’t want to stay all night with Nana or friends. He just wanted to be at home with momma. Then the unthinkable happened. I got pregnant. We were going to have a new baby. Oh my goodness. The hysterics. When we told him we were having a new baby, without missing a beat and with a seriousness that was terrifying, he stated “I’m going to kill it.” Good grief. Fortunately, he got over all of that when he saw her. And when I assured him that he would always be the baby, even though he wasn’t the littlest any more. I put him in charge of diaper patrol and bottle gathering. He was full of pride at his resourcefulness and he loved her like she was his toy. He still does.

  Kendall and Kyler were always close, but because of the closeness in age and the ability to get under each other’s skin, Kade and Kyler took a little longer to become good friends. When they did, they got into more orneriness!! They were fearless and their goal in life was to live up to the Soden name. Their grandfather and dad had left a legacy of being the ‘badass’ and they weren’t going to let that stop with them. As I look back now, I don’t know how any of us made it. On the plus side, I got to know a lot of nice policemen. Luckily, they grew out of all of that and they are good boys. They are also best friends. Their loyalty to each other and the other kids is so amazing to me. I don’t have a really close relationship to my brothers (I’m working on that). These kids love each other. They care about what is going on in each others lives. They love spending time together. The best times are Sundays when everyone comes. Every one of us cherish that.

Kyler picked out his girl early in life. He was fifteen, I think, when Kennedy told me that Kyler had a girlfriend. I met her and fell in love with her. I can remember thinking I hoped he kept her, but at their age, that probably wouldn’t last. It did. He’s never had another. There have been other girls when they have broken up. They lasted all of about ten minutes. None of them were Kate. I am forever thankful that this is who he chose for us. And in our family, you chose for us. We spend too much time together to choose someone who can’t adapt to our brand of crazy. She did. They have been together through everything. They have grown up together. They are a family now. They gave me my most precious gift, Karter. He is so loved. He’s the only grandbaby for us and the only nephew. We all dote on him. He has brought a ray of sunshine to all of us. I am grateful beyond measure that Kyler chose Kate and blessed me with Karter. They are a wonderful little family. I am so proud of my sweet son. And Kate? She is kind and loving and the best mommy. She is also such a hard worker. Her whole life revolves around making a home for her family. She started nursing school this week. I have no doubt she will be an incredible nurse.  My boys are so lucky. She is an angel.

Today is my baby boy’s birthday. It makes me so sad. Birthdays do that to me now. Just a few minutes ago he was sitting in my bed with me watching Spongebob and having me scratch his back. He has the biggest blue eyes and they hold the key to my heart. Kyler is my sweet son, he is also my friend. I am so lucky. If you see him today, wish him well. His new turn around the sun starts today. This last year has been extraordinary, I cannot wait to see what he accomplishes next. Happy Birthday Kyler. You’ll always be my little guy. Momma loves you.

My little guy… I have the most amazing human in my life. God created him just for me. He turns twenty-two today.