#getting misty eyed here i’m gonna go give her cuddles | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

fandom-necromancer · 4 years ago

Text

A thing of beauty

I stumbled about this post of @isibakeoven and I just had to write it! I hope you enjoy!

Fandom: Cyberpunk 2077 | Characters: nomad!V, Johnny and more

‘How could this even happen?’ ‘I don’t think I have to tell you of all people how something like this can happen’, V spoke loud for once. They were alone in their apartment, so why bother? V smiled, petting Nibbles laying next to her on the ground while the small kittens tried to clumsily climb on her outstretched legs. ‘No shit, V. I meant that this is now happening on top of everything else! We are supposed to get rid of the chip, save your life. And now we have to look after… kittens?’ ‘They are cute though.’ ‘Damnit, V.’ The construct likely had wanted to sound frustrated, but there was a certain softness in his voice too. ‘They look all wrinkly…’ ‘Don’t listen to him’, V chuckled and lifted up one of the tiny cats that had repeatedly tried and failed to get a good grip on her pants. ‘You are perfect.’ ‘Well, we can’t keep them. They will grow up and need more space. And I doubt some mercenary that could die any given day could take care of them.’ V sat the little one down on her lab and watched amused as it tried to get underneath her jacket. ‘Didn’t know you would care this much.’ ‘Hell, V, what do you think of me? Who doesn’t like cats?’

V couldn’t help but grin as Johnny sat down next to her, watching the kittens mill about with a tiny smile on his lips. He was right, of course. Even Nibbles herself had been a heat of the moment decision and it was better than leaving her out on the streets. They couldn’t keep them all. But what should they do with them? ‘You could sell them to some rich corpos’, Johnny shrugged. ‘I mean, we would make a fortune with real cats and they would have a nice home with everything they could ever need.’ And that was coming from someone who hated these people. It made V think about it, but ultimately their guts told them no. ‘Fine, any other idea then?’ V watched the kittens play and sighed deeply. Who in this rotten world could they trust still? And who could take good care of a cat? Instinctively a few names popped up in their head. ‘Really? Your mercenary friends?’ Johnny asked. ‘Come on, they are as bad as you are. And don’t you dare give one to- You’ve already made up your mind, right?’ V chuckled. ‘Yes. Once they are old enough, it’s time for a roadtrip!’

The meows of the kittens in the box on the passenger seat were almost heart wrenching, but they had grown quite a lot already and begun to rearrange what little furniture V had in their apartment. Besides, V knew they would find a loving new home. ‘But that’s not your only reason, is it?’, Johnny asked from the backseat. ‘It isn’t and you know that, you are in my brain’, V sighed and stopped at the red light. ‘So what? You really want me saying it out loud?’ ‘Maybe so you know it’s bullshit. I won’t let you die, V, and that’s final.’ ‘Even if we find a solution for the chip that works – and I highly doubt that – as you said, I could die any other day. Might as well give my friends something to remember me. Something good in a world that doesn’t give a fuck about you.’ ‘Hell, you’re getting my level’s of cynic here…’ ‘So far I haven’t had the urge to blow up a building yet, so I would say I’m good for a few more days.’ ‘Har, har’, the construct laughed sarcastically, but continued to look out of the window the rest of the ride.

‘Hey, V!’, Judy greeted them at the door and frowned as she saw the giant bow in their arms. ‘Woah, what’s that?’ ‘Complications? It’s a gift. Will you let me in?’ ‘Err. Yeah… Gifted complications?’ V just entered her flat and put down the box on the kitchen counter. ‘You know, the cat I told you about? Nibbles? Well, turned out she was pregnant and left me a bunch of kittens I can’t keep. You want one?’ ‘Do I… V, the only animal I ever cared for are fish and- Oh my god, they are so cute!’ She had already leaned on the counter, looking through the bars and watching the little cats stumble about. ‘Aren’t you just the cutest?’ She put a finger through the gaps and promptly pulled it back. ‘Ouch!’ She pressed on the small cut but smiled. ‘Oh, I definitely want one!’ ‘Then pick one’, V laughed and pointed at the box. ‘Who of you was the one to scratch me, hm?’ She pulled out one of the cats and held her up. ‘Gonna call you Limónita!’ V shook her head, but watched, as Judy was already cuddling with the little thing seeming completely enamoured. ‘Do you have someone for the rest of them?’, she asked. ‘I have an idea, yes’, V answered. ‘Gonna drive by a few friends, see if they would like one.’ ‘Alright! Tell me if you can’t find homes for all of them, I could ask a few Mox.’ ‘Thanks. I will come back to that!’

‘One gone, six more to go’, Johnny commented, as V sat back down in the car and drove off. ‘Yep. Next stop: My favourite Ripperdoc.’ ‘Really? You want to give that butcher one?’ ‘That butcher saved my life countless times. And he is one of the few actually decent people out there. He will take good care of a cat. From all of them maybe the best as he actually settled down and has a more or less safe job.’ ‘Whatever you say…’

V stopped as close to the clinic as they could and stepped out with the box, hurrying down the stairs. Misty was the first to greet them, surprised to see them there. ‘V. What brings you here?’ ‘Is Vic free at the moment? I have something. For both of you actually, if you are interested.’ ‘He should be, I can call him. A surprise?’ ‘Yes.’ V put the box down on a near table and nodded towards the ripperdoc that came out of his room. ‘My cat got kittens. I’m searching for people to give them a home. With the way I live, it’s… difficult to take care of even one, don’t mind all of them.’ They didn’t mention the biochip, but both of them knew what they were implying with that. Viktor took one of the kittens out of the box and scratched it behind the ear with his mechanical extensions. Misty took one, too, surprisingly catching the one that liked to ride on shoulders. She laughed as the kitten clawed the way up her arm and watched the other one that was calmly accepting the pets. ‘Any idea for names?’, Viktor asked, eyes not even taken off the cat for a second. ‘Ying and Yang would be fitting. See? Yours even has a little black spot at the ear.’ ‘Isn’t that a little cliché?’, the doc asked and earned an in-depth explanation from Misty why they were the perfect names. V watched them a little, but in the end just took the box and stole themselves away.

‘Who’s next?’, Johnny asked, arms crossed behind his head. ‘Goro.’ Wait, what? I thought you were against selling them to some rich fucks!’ ‘I am. Takemura is a friend.’ ‘He’s Arasaka.’ ‘He’s Ex-Arasaka at best. And he will take good care of them.’ ‘Maybe, but… God, you’ve doomed that cat.’ ‘To the nice life of a spoiled kitty?’ ‘To sit through hours of meetings…’ ‘He’s a… You know what, I won’t even try. He’s nice and will love a kitty.’

V was proved correct in the end. She met Goro in a flat in a shady neighbourhood, but he had managed to tidy his temporary home up as if it was the corpo mansions he must be used to. He had been sceptical at first but as soon as he had taken a look into the box, he was almost instantly smitten with them and had sat down on the sofa with the kitten on his lap. He obviously tried to keep up a professional, stiff appearance, but as V left, they could hear the delighted ‘I hereby swear to protect you and care for you, Kitty-sama-‘ before the door fell into the lock.

She was still laughing when she came back to the car and drove off to her next target. ‘A cop. You are giving your cat to a cop?’ ‘I’m giving my cat to a loving family that always will have someone around to play with. I grew up knowing a family and I will always treasure those memories. Whatever kitten they pick, it will have a great life.’

‘V!’ They hadn’t even parked the car yet as the kids had spotted them. ‘V is here!’ ‘Are you staying to play?’ They laughed picking up the box. ‘I don’t think so. I have to speak with your dad, is he home?’ The children ran off to fetch him and V followed them, hoping the kittens would stay silent for a little while longer with the kids around. ‘V! What brings you here?’, River greeted them with a wide grin. ‘I’m looking for a home for my kittens. I can’t keep them. You look more of a dog person to me, but I’m not sure, so I thought I’d try.’ The man looked at them wide-eyed, then looking into the box. ‘You think I should… You would give me one?’ ‘I trust you to take good care of them’, V just nodded. He reached into the box and carefully lifted out a cat as if worried to break something. ‘So small’, he laughed, looking at the kitten fondly. He got to his knees, so the children could get a good look and a few pets, too. When he stood back up, he looked at V. ‘I will. This little kitty will have the best life I can give her.’ ‘Thank you.’

‘Okay, that was nice and all, but I have to stop you right there’, Johnny commented once again, as V was back in the car. ‘Kerry… Hell, he can’t even watch after himself. You… You’ve been to his house, okay? This should be obvious!’ ‘We both know that’s you being jealous he actually got over it and is successful now.’ ‘Yeah, well, because we turned up! Who knows what happens when we are gone.’ ‘I thought you said not to think about that because you won’t let me die?’ ‘I… Listen, you said you wouldn’t let me die either. So, I already know this will go to shit.’ ‘Kerry changed, Johnny. I trust him with a cat.’ Johnny sighed and vanished. ‘Why do I even try?’

At least the house was in less disarray than when V had last visited. The security was less hostile, too, allowing them to pass by and park right in front. ‘Hey, V? What’s up? Come in!’ He didn’t even acknowledge the box, leading them inside and pouring them a drink already. ‘My new song may be the best one I ever made; I’m telling you. I’ve made great progress!’ ‘I’m happy to hear that. Maybe once it’s ready, you could celebrate with a feline friend?’ The Rockstar turned around and only then saw the box, curiously looking into it. ‘Where did you get those cats?’ He had already taken one out to get a closer look. ‘They are worth a fortune, somehow I can’t believe you paid for it. Job gone wrong?’ ‘No, I took in a cat I found and she was pregnant. Now I’m looking for a home for them. Interested?’ ‘Interested?’ Kerry pulled the cat to his chest protectively now that he realised, he might get one. ‘I would love to have a cat! I just always saw the costs and… Well I guess my life style isn’t the most stable one. You would just… give one to me?’ ‘Sure’, V shrugged. ‘I mean you have the money to care for one, a place to live and I know you are a softie underneath that craziness.’ ‘Oh, I will take so good care of you’, Kerry chuckled. ‘I don’t need half the space I have; I will transform this home to your wishes.’ He smirked at V and addressed the cat again: ‘You’ll be the most spoiled cat in the world, and I will call you Johnny, so it fits!’

‘Oh, you won’t, you son of a-‘ V had to will the construct away not to laugh and left Kerry with his cat. Back in the car they felt sorry for the last cat in the box. ‘Don’t worry, you will get a nice home, too. You will like it. Always on the move, seeing the world. You will have a big family and believe me, nothing is better than laying in the sun on a warm dashboard seeing the world pass by.’ V felt Johnny’s eyes on them and sighed. ‘What? Back with the Bakkers we constantly picked up stray dogs and cats. Not that there were a lot. But I remember one that loved riding with us.’ Johnny answered by lifting up his hands in surrender and looking out through the window once again.

The drive to the Aldecaldo Camp took quite a while and the sun was already setting, as they reached the edge of it. It was in the progress of settling down for the night, the few guards on post nodding towards her and greeting her friendly but brief. It wasn’t far to Panam’s tent anyway, so V just passed them. ‘V! What a surprise! How are you?’ ‘Good. And you?’ ‘Can’t complain. What do you have there?’ ‘My cat had a litter. I found homes for all of them except this one. Wanted to keep the ride out here for last, you know how the city can get at night.’ ‘Okay’, Panam said, waiting for more. ‘So you want me to take the kitten?’ ‘If you want it’, V nodded. ‘I think you would take great care of a cat. And the Aldecaldos are there too.’ ‘But we will be on the move constantly, do you really think I should take her instead of someone in the city?’ ‘No one I know has a stable life, Panam. And with you I know the kitty is safe. You can always put a tracker on her collar or something if you fear her getting lost. If you want a cat.’ ‘Oh, I would love to! Thank you!’ She took the last kitten from the box, pulling her close to her chest and already looking for one of the larger trailers to keep it in for the beginning. ‘I will take good care of you kitty, V!’

‘And that was the last one of your kittens, V’, Johnny concluded on their way back. ‘I think your friends will give them a good home.’ ‘I hope it brings them joy. A little bit of good in this world.’ ‘Don’t be so pessimistic. The world may be a disaster, but if you know where to look, there will always be a little bit of good.’ ‘A thing of beauty?’, V teased, maybe not nearly as jokingly as they might had wanted it to be. ‘Who knows? Maybe?’, Johnny sighed. ‘However this might end, they will remember you, V. You won’t be forgotten.’ V lowered her head, gripping the steering wheel of the Porsche a bit harder. ‘And neither will you.’

#Cyberpunk 2077 #CP 2077 #Cyberpunk #nomad V #V #Johnny Silverhand #judy alvarez #misty olszewski #viktor vector #nibbles the cat #goro takemura #river ward #kerry eurodyne #panam palmer

87 notes · View notes

slasherscream · 5 years ago

Note

poly Billy and Stu and their s/o as parents? like the type of father's they'd be and all

A/N: glad you all know that i'm only here to put these dumb-ass boys in all sorts of domestic scenarios and nothing else.

billy loomis x reader x stu macher ft. starting a family with these idiots

——————–

Let's get one thing straight here. Billy has been dodging the idea of starting a family since you started having it. He could smell the urge to have a kid on you and was like (big gag). There are so many reasons for him being like this he can hardly name them all. This doesn't stop him from trying you know, cause he's a huge asshole.

Him? Somebody's Dad? Okay babe, sure. He lists a lot of reasons that have nothing to do with the root of the problem which is actually his own insecurities. Yes it's true he's never really liked kids much. Yes it's true he's probably not the best role model even after all these years of growing up. You get the picture already Billy, fucking hell.

Stu is neutral on the subject for a long time until his own "biological clock" starts ticking. Then you both find yourself sharing longing looks at families you cross on the street. You'll be having lunch out somewhere and coo at a baby that's all the way across the restaurant. Stu happily joining in. Once Stu is on your side Billy starts getting really defensive .... (aka more insecure).

Honestly you're not the one to talk him out of his own head for this one. That's all Stu. Because as ridiculous and goofy as Stu can be he understands intimately and deeply how Billy works no matter how much of an enigma Billy fucking thinks he is. Billy storms out because he doesn't want to deal with his feelings (first time he's done it in years) and Stu goes to chase him down and tells you not to worry, he's got this.

You're very upset but when they come back the first thing Billy does is kiss you gently, Stu standing in the doorway and simply watching. There's several visible hickies on Stu's neck so you know he and Billy already made up while they were gone. Now it's your turn to receive Billy's apologetic affection. You and Stu share a knowing exasperated look over Billy's shoulder. You both love him though.

Billy was just insecure about being a shitty parent or your relationship falling apart and somehow effecting a kid. Honestly it all goes back to his own undealt with familial problems and once Stu gave him an honest talk about how you're all not #His Parents?? He's good. He's using his braincell again and he's fine.

Now onto the actuality of having the kid! You're in for quite the ride co-parenting with these two bastard idiots.

Stu is the dad you can get away with doing just about anything with. He’s the parent that if you go to them they’ll just say yes. Sometimes he’ll use his one borrowed braincell and hit the kid with “did you ask dad?” or “did you ask s/o?”. The kid pouts because like .... obviously fucking not since I came to ask the parent who'd just give in. Weak-willed! Weak-willed! Weak-willed!

This is Billy every time he has to talk to his kid about any bad behavior.

You'll have to be the PTA parent right off the bat because the boys are just ...not gonna. Unless there's a real problem they're gonna default assume everything is fine and not look deeper or get too involved because like... This has nothing to do with my fucking kid in particular? You want me to go to a parent meeting....about....repairs in the library? Fuck you.

The one exception to this is during the "first starting school age" and it's Billy who is the exception. Stu loves the kid but he's very chill and not a helicopter parent. He's honestly the one who has to calm you two down a lot because he knows everything will be fine.

Billy? Kid first starts school and he's this parent (don't watch past 15:00). He thought he'd be fine but he's anxious as shit. The last one to leave the drop-off even if his kid is fine. But oh god .... oh god if they're freaking out? Oh boy he's gonna start freaking out. Hiding it like a pro but you know your man and can see the panic in his eyes. One well placed "daddy I wanna go home!" and he'll break and haul them right from the classroom. You and Stu have to intervene.

Billy wants to hang out in the cafe that just so happens to be a five minute walk from the school all day. You put your foot down and tell him they're gonna be fine. You have to cuddle him on the couch all day to keep him still. When it's time to go pick the kid up he's out the door ... so fucking fast. He almost leaves y'all highkey. Billy and the kid run to each other full speed and he picks them up and doesn't put them down...like....all day. No you two cannot get a turn.

Sometimes Billy gets very emotional about the life they’re giving their kid. Not out of insecurity or anything like he thought would happen when he first thought of starting a family with you and Stu. He actually realizes that you’re all doing a fantastic job of being parents and that your house is full of love to the max. It makes him soft(TM).

Wanted to keep this totally gender neutral but it’s gotta be said ….. this goes double for if the s/o is a woman. Seeing them with their child stirs something in Billy deeply vulnerable. He’s literally buried his head in the crook of your neck before and thanked you quietly for being such an incredible mother. He was so sincere about it you started crying and honestly? ….Maybe he allegedly got misty eyed. Okay back to gender neutrality now!

Y’all wouldn’t have more than two kids honestly. I can’t imagine Billy and Stu wanting more than that. And they’d want to have them really close together/close in age so they grow up close/as friends. They're the single kids who kinda wished they'd had a sibling growing up. Billy because he thinks that would have been less lonely and Stu because he thinks it would have been fun. You (if you have siblings) know.... better. But if you wanted multiple kids yourself you keep your mouth shut and just wait for them to watch and learn.

Stu is the favorite parent honest-fucking-tea. He just is! He’s playful. He’s fun. He’s loving. He lets his kid climb all over him and play wrestle. They're constantly playing airplane or on this man's shoulders. He can match them energy wise any day of the week. He doesn’t stop being the favorite when they get older either. When the kid is like grown/20′s basically whatever their "I am no longer being raised to be a person" stage of life? They’d probably dead ass hang out with him as a "friend".

"Nah I can’t come to the party I got plans with my dad this weekend…. fuck you he’s way more fun than you guys-”

Billy is the strictest parent but he’s very loving and devoted. He’s the parent your kid runs to whenever they feel they need protection. It warms Billy’s heart to be that to them. Their first line of defense against the whole world. It’s been like this since they were little. If they had a nightmare they’d run into the bedroom and bypass the two of you completely and head straight for Billy. He's also a little smug about it. Especially to Stu and especially if they have a daughter. I'm the alpha Dad?? Tremble before me.

They don’t have a preference for adopting or having bio kids. You’re probably the deal-breaker on that, your choice goes.

Adoption? They both thought they wanted a boy. Super adamant about it. Gonna play football... grill shit together. ...grill a football together. You? Neutral. But all along you knew damn well you were gonna wind up having a fucking daughter. Lo and behold!

They see a little girl playing by herself in the corner. She can’t be much older than six. She set herself up a whole little mini city and then they watched as she took a dinosaur toy .... and destroyed it thoroughly. She made quiet screaming people noises and everything. Or just ..... this. They instantly looked at each other like 👀👀👀 are you seeing what I'm seeing?

Billy, clutching his chest: oh shit what’s going on You: your heart is growing three sizes you fucking grinch- Billy: don’t fucking curse she could hear you and she’s ours now-

Once they've got the perfect weirdo little girl under their belt then they'll think about having a boy. But they'd want to make sure she's totally settled into life with the three of you before they bring another kid into the mix. And ... lmao if she expresses disinterest in having another kid around. She is ... #Princess and gets whatever she wants. Whatever! She! WANTS!

You have to convince her you three will never love her less even with another kid around and besides .... she's gonna be getting a stinky brother this time so she'll still get to be daddy's (plural) little girl. She agrees and now the boys are back on board. Fucking absolute pussies.

Funniest fucking thing if you guys go as a family once again to try and get a boy and instead your daughter bonds with a ..... get ready for it! Different little girl! Billy and Stu are fucking SCREAMING. Look at her this one is perfect too. God dammit ... god dammit we have another daughter now.

Two daughters? Two? They'd rule the fucking house. Billy can see manipulation coming from a mile away and yet he let's it happen because they're both so cute running the show. Plus it's like when lions fake being hurt when their cubs attack them to encourage them to be better hunters. He wants his daughters sharp! He wants his daughters clever! He wants them to be able to do whatever the fuck they wanna do!

Stu is less good at seeing the manipulation and it's so fucking funny .... he doesn't even wanna see it! He's legally blind! His babies want something? He will throw any amount of money at them and whatever they want. Is the Dad that they'd beg him to start like... a new hobby or sport and he'd get them everything they need to do it (top of the line expensive shit) and then! If they wanna quit a week later? Not even mad! What do we wanna do this week, sweethearts?

You have to stop them from being spoiled, little monsters because your husbands sure fucking won't.

You have walked in on them doing tea parties and you did take pictures. Stu was posing for them while Billy just looked straight at the camera with murder in his eyes and you knew in your heart you were gonna be getting payback for this later in the bedroom (worth it).

Billy is the type of Dad that if he tells someone he's gonna be busy watching his kids and they go "oh? babysitting duty, huh?" he launches into a ten minute rant about "how am i fucking babysitting? it's my fucking kids? these are my kids? you can't baby-sit your own fucking kids. that's called parenting. you know what, Nicholas? that's why your kids are so fucked up-"

Billy starts beef with other parents if I didn't make that clear.

Stu is the parent that gets too into whatever his kids are doing. School plays? Soccer games? Science fair? Jesus christ... he has quite literally almost gotten you all banned from every activity your kid has been in. He's gotten penalties before. Decided to skip the middle man once and coach your girl's teams to make it easier. Chaos ensued that summer.

Honestly? Best Dad(s) Award. 10/10. Should totally do it again.

——————–

#billy loomis x reader x stu macher #stu macher x reader #billy loomis x reader #stu macher imagine #billy loomis imagine #slasher x reader #billy would take the longest to want kids and stu is billy's follower adjkl #however there'd get to be a point where stu starts seeing families out in public and kids playing around with their dads and shit that he #just cannot parse anymore...billy i wanna be a fucking Dad now we're like 40 years old i need you to get over your mommy and family issues-#stu and the reader would have to gang up on him to get the kid they want but once billy hAS the kid??#billy: if anything ever happened to my child i would kill everyone in this room and then myself #like adjkl i'm serious in that i feel he'd even be wary during...the pregnancy or adoption progress #like he's going along with it because he doesn't think it's fair to deprive both his partners of something they really want but #he ...is wary and just decided that 'hey i can at least give some kid a good home' and figuring you and stu will give the kid .....actual #love...and shit .....like god i wish i could put into words what he's thinking but #it goes out the window once he actually gets the kid so it doesnt matter adjk;#if you adopt you're gonna walk outta that place with the WEIRDEST kid ...she's either lilo or anne of the green fucking gables #they will not SETTLE for normal domestic home life they want ODD-BALLS we're the fucking ADDAMS family in this bitch

423 notes · View notes

some-cookie-crumbz · 6 years ago

Note

Your Kidge married hc were so cute! I will wait for part 2!!!!!

Hopefully a Part 2.1 will suffice for now! I ended up talking about their first baby a lot more than I intended, so I’m going to break this down by each child and then do a post where I focus primarily on the whole family dynamic!

Forewarning that there will be some mentions of Allurance in all these parts, but I’m not tagging it because they aren’t given any real focus. Additionally, since I know some of thisstuff can squick some people out, warning that there will be somewhat-detailedtalk about pregnancy, birth, and what exactly comes in the early stages with anewborn so please be wary if such things make you uncomfortable.

The First Baby

They talk a lot about children before they end upconceiving; specifically in the later years of their dating and throughouttheir engagement. Despite neither one of them being very social people, familyis undoubtedly a huge thing for both of them. Pidge’s family – the Holts – meana lot to her and she likes the idea of having a few kids of her own someday.For Keith, the idea of having a family unit comprised of his own actual kin –since all he’s got left is Krolia and maybe Nana Eve too idk

Pidge doesn’t actually get morning sickness with their firstbaby. She also doesn’t realize that she missed her periods because she was toofocused on her work, and actually finds out at one of her regular check-ups.

She’s about eleven weeks along at the time, with her duedate being placed in the mid-to-late October range, and is thrown for a completeloop. Not a bad loop, just a Holy-Shit-I-Wasn’t-Expecting-This-Today kind ofloop.

She actually calls Keith to tell him after she’s done withthe rest of her appointment.

“Hey, Keith.”

“Hey Pidge. How’d the doctor visit go?”

“Well, uh… I got some interestingnews…”

“Oh yeah?”

“I might… Kinda… Sorta… Be a little bit pregnant…?”

“…”

“… Uh… How can you be kindaa little bit pregnant?”

While Pidge heads home, Keith mulls over the news andrealizes that Pidge is pregnant with ababy and she’s gonna give birth to ababy and they’re gonna be parents toa baby and they’re gonna have a start to a little family with a baby anD HOLY CROW A BABY!!!

The minute Pidge walks in the door he scoops her up and justkisses her and she’s absolutely confused for a tick. But then she sees how he’sgrinning at her and how big his eyes are and she realizes that they’re wateringjust a bit and she catches on. She nuzzles up into him and cuddles him and theyjust kinda stay there swaddled together for a long time and bask in theirexcitement.

They decide to tell everyone all together at a bigget-together two weeks from when they find out. They get together with theirfamilies and the other Paladins at least once a month to catch up and shoot theshit.

They both have to try really hard to keep it to themselvesthroughout dinner until finally, after they eat, they chime in that they havean announcement to share.

Pidge is the one who actually comes right out and says thatshe’s pregnant, with Keith preening right beside her.

Colleen is immediately in excited tears and darts over tohug them both, tickled pink at having a grandbaby to dote on. Samuel gets alittle misty-eyed himself and hugs each of them in turn, kissing Pidge’s foreheadand giving Keith’s back a good and hearty pat respectively. Coran also flies into hysterical, excited tears.

Matt gives Keith a playful punch in the shoulder and makes ajoke about not congratulating the guy on getting laid with his little sister.Pidge rolls her eyes and tells Matt he’s just jealous she gets it more than hedoes.

Lance and Allura both offer their excited congratulations,admitting that they’ve been trying for a baby of their own and will hopefullybe joining them soon.

Hunk gets a little weepy and promises to help them with anypainting, building, etc. they need to do in preparation.

Krolia slips away when everyone’s distracted without a word.Keith is pretty upset about it, since he was hoping his mom would be excited tobe a grandma, but he lets it go and instead focuses on being happy with theothers.

Keith is very emotional about being a Dad™ and it makesPidge emotional about having a Family™. They feed off of one another’sFeelings™ completely.

In regards to changes to the diet and schedule, Pidgestruggles with lowering her caffeine intake and making sure she gets her sleepschedule under control.

Pidge has been dependent on caffeine since she was like15/16, okay? How else do you think she got through early morning Garrison classesand late-night Garrison hackings?

Keith sees how hard it is for her, so he starts finding waysto help her out with it. Specifically, he finds out how to make fruit smoothiesfor her to substitute her morning cup of coffee.

In regards to her sleep schedule, Pidge mostly adjusts to anormal sleep schedule because her staying up late starts to stress Keith out alittle it and she doesn’t like that. Plus, once she gets further along in thepregnancy, she feels tired more often and sleeps more simply because she alwaysfeels tired.

With them going to bed around the same time, they cuddle alot more. Once Pidge starts showing more and the baby starts moving, Keithloves sleeping with one hand on her belly so he can feel them moving. Somenights, when the baby gets really restless, it sometimes seems like Keithgently rubbing where they most recently kicked seems to help soothe them, too,so Pidge is absolutely fine with it.

Keith makes sure to attend every doctor’s appointment with Pidge,to see how she and the baby are both doing. When they reach the point they canfind out the gender, they decide to go for it since they’d been struggling withnames and maybe having a gender will help.

They are happily informed that they are expecting a littlegirl! They’re both absolutely thrilled by the news, and picking names becomes abit more streamlined.

They also get a hospital bag ready once Pidge is about amonth out from her due date. Inside are some spare clothes for Pidge, as well asthe onesie they decided to they wanted to bring the baby home in. It’s darkblue with stars and comets all over it, and a little flying saucer on the frontthat says “Outta This World!” They pick this for obvious reasons, I think.

Pidge starts feeling a little weird late into the evening onOctober 29th, but she passes it off as just being exhausted. Sheends up waking up at nearly eleven, though, and gets up to use the bathroom. Keithnotices she got up and lays there, waiting for her to come back to bed, dozingin and out of it.

“K-Keith, are you awake?”

“… Hm! Y-Yeah, I’m up! What’s up?”

“I… I’m pretty sure it’s time…”

“W-What?” *flails uselessly and topples over the side of thebed*

“I’m pretty sure my water just broke… And that these crampsaren’t just cramps…”

“Okay, we got this! We’ve prepared for this!”

Keith gets Pidge the cheap slippers she bought, just forthis situation, and helps her get to the car. He makes sure to grab thehospital bag and rushes them there. Once they arrive at the hospital, Keithsends out a mass text to everyone letting them know that Pidge is in thehospital and the baby will be born soon.

It takes about seven hours of agonizing labor, and by theend of it Keith has lost all feeling in his left hand, but at 6:48 A.M. on October30th, Keith and Pidge become the proud parents of Amber Rose Kogane!

Keith playfully refers to her the best late birthday gift he has ever received.

Amber ends up having Pidge’s eyes, which is where her firstname comes from, while they select Rose as her middle name because Keith wasonce the Red Paladin, and being Paladins was what brought the couple together.Other than that, she ends up with dark hair like Keith as well as his palecomplexion, but gets Pidge’s button nose.

Everyone gives Keith and Pidge a little time to relax andsleep before they start cropping up to visit and meet the darling little girl.In that time, Pidge gets taught how to properly breast feed, as well as bothshe and Keith being shown how to change a diaper properly, specifically asconcerns involving yeast infections are a higher risk to newborn baby girls ifthey aren’t kept clean or wiped thoroughly. They also manage to sneak in a fewhours of sleep.

Colleen and Samuel are the first two to come by, with anextra little gift. Colleen went ahead and knitted a little peach colored baby blanketfor Amber, which has Pidge watery-eyed and Keith beaming. Matt shows up not toolong after that and, being a good big brother, comes bearing snacks and sodasfor the groggy new parents. Allura, Lance, and Coran are the three to show upnext, followed closely by Hunk and then Shiro.

The hospital normally doesn’t let this many people in to oneroom to visit a newborn baby and mother, but Universe-Saving-Paladins-of-Voltron and allthat can get you some nifty little exceptions.

Everyone gets a turn to hold Amber and coo at her, thoughadmittedly Colleen and Lance tend to hog her the most. Lance tries to excuse itas simply being a matter of needing to know how to hold a baby for when he hasone of his own. Keith calls bullshit.

Pidge and Amber only have to spend one whole night in thehospital to be monitored and then they can go home. When the little family ofthree pulls up, they’re surprised to see what is clearly a Blade cruiser parkedin the front yard. Krolia is leaning against the cruiser, fiddling with asmall, long box in her hands. Pidge side-eyes Keith before indicating he gotalk to his mother while she gets Amber out of the car. Krolia perks up whileKeith approaches her.

“Uh… Hi, Mom… It’s been… A while…”

“Yes, I do apologize for that. I had to take care of somethingimportant.”

“Didn’t even stick around long enough to let us know how youfelt about having a grandkid, in fact.” *Said with only a little bit of malice.*

“Well, it was a legitimate reason. I came here to being youthe gift I got for the baby.” *Said with only a lot of defensiveness*

Pidge approaches them with Amber’s little car seat slungover one of her arms and Krolia immediately melts, looking at the dozing infantinside. They all head inside and Pidge passes Amber to Krolia once they getsettled. While she quietly cooes over her granddaughter and aks Pidge aboutthis or that about the newborn, Keith opens the little box she brought.

Inside is a brand new bonafided luxite blade.

Turns out Krolia had gone searching to find some more of themineral and then, upon retrieving some, gone looking for a blacksmith thatcould properly sculpt it into a working blade.

Keith is simultaneously touched and exasperated by the gift.Like, Krolia could have at least stayed a little longer to bask in the glow ofthe news and then gone off. Then again, he knows that she still sometimesstruggles with the whole Being-Responsible-And-Involved-With-A-Family Thing.

She vows to come by and visit as often as she can. She also reveals she has about seven or eight more luxite blades in her cruiser for anyother kids they have. Keith is a little less endeared and a little moreexasperated by this.

“But why did you getso many?”

“I wasn’t sure how many offspring a human has at once! My brotherUdurat was mated to a Patuvian and they can produce as many as five to nineoffspring at one time!”

“…”

“I have an uncle namedUdurat?”

Anyway, back to the matter at hand! Amber and her parents!

Babies are typically pretty dull for the first six-sevenweeks since they haven’t started figuring out expressions or noises or anythinglike that. It’s mostly just a grace period for parents to try and figure outwhat they’re doing before their baby becomes more like an actual little person.

Once she starts figuring things out, Amber is a veryexpressive and happy little thing. For the longest time, she doesn’t know howto laugh, so instead she just kinda wears a big grin and shrieks for all she’sworth instead. Pidge and Keith find this simultaneously adorable and hilarious.

*Keith comes home from work* “I’m home.”

*Amber’s eyes get wide and her mouth gapes wide in a bigtoothless grin and starts panting and bouncing in her seat*

“Who is that, Amber? Is that your Daddy?” *Pidge, alreadystarting to snort in anticipation*

“AaaahhhhHHHHAAAAAAHHHHHHHAAAAHHHhhhahhhhh!”

“Happy to see you, too, baby girl.”

Keith still goes on his morning runs, but he invests in alittle baby sling and takes Amber with him. He makes sure that she’s beenrecently nursed before he does – which isn’t hard, since Amber is an earlyriser like her Daddy – so that Pidge can get some more sleep while he gets tohave some Daddy-Baby time with her. He even buys Amber her own little babyvisor so the sun doesn’t get in her eyes.

Pidge gets the first genuine smile from Amber, but Keithgets the first laugh.

Amber struggles to figure out how to crawl. Like, she worksout how to roll herself on to her tummy, but she just doesn’t know what to dowith her arms. So she’ll just lay there on the ground, little butt in the air,staring at wherever she wants to go to like thatwill make her move. Again, Keith and Pidge are absolutely floored by theridiculous cuteness of their child.

She takes her first steps from Keith to Pidge while they’resitting on her little playmate with her in her room. They weren’t actuallyworking on her walking, either; she’d gotten good at standing at that point, sothey were just having her stand while they got her dressed to go to a familyget together. Pidge had been looking for the shoes that went with the littledress they picked, and Amber decided that she wanted to help look, apparently,and bam! She’s waddling her way across the floor to her Mommy.

Her first word is shouted in a way that Keith and Pidge findhilariously aggressive for such a tiny thing as her.

*Keith in the other room* “Hey, Pidge, did you finishgetting the grocery list together?”

“Uh, not yet.” *Trying to get Amber to take a little tether toy*“Aw, come one, sweetie. This is nice and cold! It’ll help with those achy littlegums!”

*Pokes his head around the corner* “Still refusing hertethers?”

“Oh, absolutely. She’s just so ridiculously stubborn.”*Small huff.*

*Amber is shoving the toy away with sharp barks of protest*

“Gee, I wonder where she gets that from…” *A small,sarcastic laugh.

“DADA!” *Shoutedwith every fiber of feeling in her tiny body and paired with a dramatic turn ofher head to look at him*

*Cue Mommy and Daddy McFreakin’ Losin’ It.*

This is all for this part for now, but I promise to have thenext part with Baby #2 out as soon as I can! x3

#crumbles grumbles #Thank you so much for the message!#I reached six pages with this and decided I needed break it up #Hopefully that's okay with everyone!#Keidge #Kidge #Peith #Kidgemas #half baked headcanons

129 notes · View notes

makebelievetimeformymind · 6 years ago

Text

Save the Hallmark

Drab for soy’s 666 followers challenge @hornsbeforehalos

Prompt:: “Helena” by My Chemical Romance

Pairing:: Dean Winchester X Elizabeth Lafitte (Benny’s great Granddaughter)

Warning:: Nothing major at all, some angst.

word count::800

Giggles filled the air causing his emerald eyes to shine. Burning on just like a match you strike to incinerate. This all felt to good be true for Elizabeth. Nobody in their right mind thought Dean Winchester would actually leave Sam in the cage but he made a promise. The couple clicked their glasses in toast to her passing go when the lights flickered a few times. Dean perked his head up toward the lamp to watch flickers again.

“Never gonna get a break, are we?” She asked, “Let me get my two hundred, please. The bulb could more than likely be going out.”

Dean grabbed the fake money, not taking his eyes from the view of the open room and pointed them in her direction.

“My Spidery senses are tingling. Stay here.” Gun in hand held downward he pulled the blinds down low enough to glance outside. “It’s too dark for me to see anything.”

“Things are better if I stay.” Static echoed from the radio above the fireplace as the room went completely dark. “It’s the storm. We shall be okay, just listen to the beautiful thunder.”

The storm played in the background with a ray of fireworks giving her enough light to see him pilfering for a flashlight. Stretching out across the couch Elizabeth closed her eyes to wait for the lights to return. “Come cuddle. Break that damn radio, too.”

No response was given.

She darted upright, “Dean?” White lights brightened the room and clashing stopped. “DEAN?!”

Nothing but for white noise caused by the radio pierced her eardrums.

Ears plugged deep with fingers her eyes bounce all over room in panic. The lights flickered faster until everything became distorted; as if the TV needed bunny ears adjusted, fear flowed to the bottom of her gut.

“Can you hear me?” Louder she called for him, refusing to watch her world flash between a blank room and the fantasy. “Oh my God, fucking Dean. Are you near me?!” Her surroundings switched a couple more times before staying solid white. Legs crossed she sat on the floor rocking backing and forth, fingers still shoved in her ears, screaming for help.

Dean and Sam were standing in front of Elizabeth wide eyed, not having a clue what was going on with her. Dean placed the Angel blade in his boot. “Elizabeth?”

Shaking her shoulders Dean looked at her petrified face, wondering how to bring her back to. Quickly a pair of hazel eyes peered open. Holding each other’s glare they were surprised.

“Dean? Where did you go?” Confused, she shook her head violently. “WHY are you here?” Mentally collecting composure she massaged tiny circles against her temples. “Aren’t you supposed to be down there taking care of monsters?”

“No, I’m supposed to be here saving you. There are always monsters.” Dean’s lips tightened.

“Uh, guys… can we hurry this along?” They fought their way to her in heaven but time wasn’t on their side.

“What in hell are ya’ll doing here?” She hissed at them getting on her feet.

Dean placed finger in the air, “Heaven”. He showed no sign of sarcasm. Hard cheek bones and a square jaw glared at Elizabeth.

“Why are you here?”

He squeezed his eyes taking a deep breath, shoulders low. “I told Benny I would protect you.”

“Dean, she’s in heaven.” Poking his head back into the hallway to look out the door, “And we’re not supposed to be. We really need to go.”

“What if it’s not meant to be?” breaks in his voice pulled on her heart.

Head down and eyes locked at the floor, she did everything to keep her emotions in check. Cries were pushing their way up her throat.

“Elizabeth, look at me.” Pulling her squared to him she looked to their feet, avoiding eye contact. She didn’t want to slow him down more than already. “I said look at me!” he growled.

Tears gushed as Elizabeth looked up at Dean’s misty eyes. Swallowing gulps of air to hold her breath helped sideline the hysteria. “The truth is I’m past saving.” She was, too. Seeing real monsters was enough to not fight her fate to die, destiny is destiny.

“Oh, come on, man, don’t quote me to me.”

“I thought you and Sam always told each other not to look for one another?” Taking a step back, so his hands would fall “I think it’s better if I stay. So long and goodnight.”

He hated not being able to argue a valid point, “Save the hallmark.” Spinning on heals he dabbed his eyes cry and started walking away.

Hostility filled her voice, “Seriously? Save the hallmark? That’s your response?!”

“What’s the worst that I can say?”

“So long not goodnight.”

#soy's 666 challenge #supernatural #fan fiction #dean winchester #angst #elizabeth lafitte #dean x elizabeth #challenge #supernatural fandom

4 notes · View notes

neganandblake · 7 years ago

Text

I think I liked you better when you didn’t have a knife in your hand, Peaches... Chapter 126- Tears and resignation

When Blake finds herself sold out to the Saviours by her abusive fiancé, she realises that she's certainly not on her own anymore and finds an unlikely friend in Negan. And Negan does NOT like men who beat their girlfriends, one tiny bit….

MASTERLIST

Chapter 126- Tears and resignation

[Negan confronts Blake in the dining hall...]

By the time Negan had returned to his room later that night, he had found it be to be void of any trace of Blake, and the following morning, despite waking early by his standards, Negan had gone to the blonde's room down on the second floor, to find it empty, despite the bed having looked like it had been slept in.

Today, on this gloomy grey and misty morning, dressed in his usual leather jacket, black boots and grey pants, with a belt slung around his hips, Negan, with Lucille swinging from his hand as he went, had entered into the large dining hall. Only to see Blake sitting on a bench at the far end of the chaotic and busy room, with Mia sat up next to her, stuffing a piece of toast into her tiny, yet already full, mouth.

Negan dragged a hand down his bearded chin almost instantly, his heart dropping into his stomach.

He fucking hated arguing with Blake like this, and almost immediately after the blonde woman had walked out of the kitchens last night, Negan had regretted his words. Although he certainly did not think he was in the wrong here.

Like he had told her. He wasn't fucking blind, and he could see that she hadn't been herself lately.

And as gorgeous as she was, heavy bags lay under her eyes and her normally sparking orbs looked duller that normal.

But it wasn't just that.

To Negan, she seemed like she was holding herself differently. Looking like a porcelain doll, that if knocked over, would shatter into a million pieces.

He watched her now run a hand through her long tousled blonde hair, her elbow on the table as she smiled down at Mia who was, as always, babbling away at a million miles a second about nothing and everything all at the same time.

Fuck, he loved her. Blake.

But perhaps him showing his concern for her in that way last night was the wrong way to go about things.

But this needed to be addressed, one way or another. He needed her to be well….to be safe...

Because he knew that, after losing Lucille, he would not be able to take another loss in his life like that.

For after years of feeling like a man, broken, full of anger and hurt…..

...Blake had fixed him, healed his heart and made it whole again.

"You enjoy your lie-in, boss?" came a sudden voice just over his shoulder, causing him to blink, swinging his shoulders around to cock an eye at the questioner.

Simon was stood there now, blue shirt on and thumbs threaded through his belt loops, coming to stand at Negan's shoulder, surveying the room with him.

But Negan gave a scoff.

"Now what the fuck makes you think I have time for shit like that?" said Negan in a very unamused voice.

But his right-hand man paid no mind to Negan's tone, giving a sniff and nodding over towards the table at the far end of the room where Blake was sat.

"Just thought you were takin' it easy this mornin' seein' as your gals were up and out without you," the mustachioed man said in an easy voice. "Seven-foot Pete said she was up with the larks, cleaning up the kitchen floor before dawn. Said he got down there, to find her finishin' up. Said somethin' about makin' a mess last night."

Simon gave a grin, side-eying Negan.

"You two have some fun down there after hours, boss?" he said waggling his eyebrows.

But Negan gave a growl, suddenly rounding on his friend and lifting Lucille to Simon's chin intimidatingly.

"Did I ask you to stick your nose where it doesn't belong, Si?" he snarled.

Usually dealings with Simon never ended in the threats that Negan presented to his other lieutenant on occasion. But this morning the dark-haired Saviour was NOT in the mood.

But Simon, barely flinching and keeping his chin raised, shook his head.

"Apologies," he said in a clear voice.

Negan lingered for a long moment, before he backed off once more, letting out a long and tired huff.

He hadn't slept well at all last night.

The nightmares had only become worse. Blake's endless screams continuing on and on for what seemed like hours...with Negan waking in a sweat at least two or three time throughout the duration of the night.

And so taking a deep breath and knowing that something needed to be done about all this, the dark-haired Saviour, with Lucille hanging limply from his hand, paced slowly over towards the long table where Blake and Mia were sat. Leaving Simon where he was stood without another word.

The blonde woman quickly looked up upon seeing Negan approach, but to his dismay, she did not smile at him, Negan seeing a gulp trail it's way down her slender throat.

Shit, was she still pissed at him?

But Negan didn't have time to dwell on this now as he came to stop just in front of their table, his lips pressed into a firm line.

"Hai Eggy," said Mia sudden breaking through the awkward moments-silence. "I eatin' towst."

With that, the teeny girl, with unkempt messy hair today, sitting there in little pink smock and spotty leggings, brandished a floppy and half-chewed piece of toast up towards him.

Negan couldn't help but give a smile at this, his eyes twinkling at the toddler.

"I can fuckin' see that, Beansprout," he replied, his eyes drifting over the mass of crumbs that covered the table before her.

But Blake, turning herself slightly in her seat to face away from him, focused her attention on Mia instead, lifting the little girl from beneath her arms and pulling her onto her lap.

The caramel blonde woman was today in a pair of black jeans and a cozy-looking flannel shirt with her hair half up and half down. But she seemed to look at strained as ever, with hollow dark circles beneath her eyes.

"Come on, Sweetie," Blake said in gentle voice, ignoring Negan completely. "Eat you toast, then we'll go."

But as Negan gave a frustrated frown at her words, and as Blake stood, hauling Mia with her, the toddler gave a loud, crying wail.

"Noh, I noht reddy!" she squealed, kicking her legs out wildly, as Blake looked utterly forlorn, dropping the teeny girl back down onto the bench before her hurriedly.

Normally Mia acted like an angel around Blake, but today perahpsthe little girl was having an off day.

And from the looks of it, the same could be said about Blake too….

...as in the blink of an eye, as though in reaction to Mia's outburst, Blake had shaken her head, placing both hands to her face, dropping back down onto the bench beside Mia with a plop, and given a small sob.

Negan, his face filling with concern, moved hurriedly around the table to her, as several nearby Saviours looked their way, obviously curious what all the fuss was about.

Blake's head was now bowed low and her shoulders hunched, with both hands drawn down into her lap, her beautiful face awash with tears, as Negan came to crouch before her on his long legs, a frown lingering between his brows.

He took her hand gently, and to his relief she did not flinch away.

"Peaches, c'mon," he urged her in a low voice, of course knowing that his gentle affection for her had indeed gained the attention of most of the Saviours in the gigantic dining hall right now, with the room falling almost completely silent.

But Negan did not really care.

His focus now on one person, and one person alone.

He rubbed Blake's soft fingers with his own, as her tear-filled eyes finally met with his.

Right now she looked utterly lost and far from the Blake he knew and loved.

"Wot 'rong, Bwakey?" came a sudden voice from their right, Negan looking up to see Mia, clmering swiftly over Blake's legs, placing her tiny hand to the woman's shoulder. "I sowwy. I didn' mean ta make yew cry!"

And with that, Mia placed a sloppy kiss to Blake's tear-strewn cheek, causing the woman to give a small sniff and pull Mia close, cuddling her in a one armed hug, resting her head against the toddler's comfortingly.

"Darlin'," Negan uttered once more, drawing the blonde's attention back to him finally. "Go an' see fuckin' Carson...hell, I'll get him to come to you if you want."

Negan's chocolate eyes searched her face for an answer.

But Blake merely chewed on her lip, pondering his words for what felt like the longest moment.

It was obvious she knew that there was something wrong….and no excuses about her being tired would cover this one.

But even so, she tried to push his help away yet again.

"I've got to take care of Mia-" she murmured, shaking her head once more.

But Negan cut across her quickly, sucking on his teeth in frustration and need.

"I'LL take beansprout for the mornin'" he pressed in a firm tone and lifting his chin in seriousness. "And you're gonna go see Carson."

Blake opened her mouth hurriedly as if to speak, but Negan stopped her before she could do so.

"I ain't arguing' with you again, Sweetheart, we clear?" the dark-haired Saviour said with a frowning growl, digging his cheek with his tongue and looking from side to side, before he gazed back to her once more. "Look I fuckin' love you, Peaches. But I'm not against throwin' you over my damn shoulder and haulin' your ass over to the doc myself. So go."

With that Negan reached out, hauling Mia carefully into his arms, before getting stiffly to his feet.

"Beansprout an' I will be fine," he continued as Mia pressed her chubby little hand to Negan's bearded face with great interest.

And Blake, staring up at the pair of them, finally, to Negan's relief, gave a solemn nod, as though she was committing herself to a dreadful fate by agreeing.

But nevertheless, she stood too, looking as fragile as Negan had ever seen her.

But it made the tall saviour happy that she was finally agreeing at least. Which after their argument last night was something Negan never thought he would manage to corale Blake into.

But there was something different about her today. A resignation of sorts. As though she knew what was coming…

Like she knew what fate was likely to behold her behind Carson's door….

But Negan's eyes were still on hers now, as, jostling with Lucille and Mia in his leather-clad arms he managed to lift his free hand to Blake's face, still sticky with tears.

"I can come with ya-" he offered.

But Blake, cupping his hand with her own, shook her head.

"N-No, I'll go….." she said before pulling away from him gently, giving Mia's leg a gentle squeeze as she went, before leaving the room…

...Negan and Mia watching her as she went.

And it was only when her tall, leggy form had disappeared around the door on the far side of the room, did Negan stare about, realising now that almost everyone in the room was staring at him….

….as he stood there, with a concerned look upon his face, and Mia on his hip.

But Negan, cocking an eyebrow up towards the lot of them, leaning back on bended knees and surveying the room, suddenly spoke.

"Can I fuckin' help you all?" he said in a loud, carrying, sarcastic tone, as people suddenly began scurrying to and fro, getting back to what they had been doing before.

It took all of Negan's effort now, not to roll his eyes, as he hitched Mia a little further up onto his bony, belted hip and turned to her.

The pair were of course a huge contrast to one another, the teeny girl in her pink dress with chubby cheeks, still clutching onto her soggy piece of toast for dear life. And Negan, tall, dark haired and intimidating, a picture in black.

"Wher Bwakey gonn?" enquired Mia after a brief moment had passed, and after Negan had let out a short huff.

He mused for a second before answering. "Well Peaches, has got an urgent appointment with the Doc-"

"Peechiz…" repeated Mia in a whisper, gazing at Negan's mouth as though mesmerized by his words.

But the bearded man gave a chuckle at this.

"That's right," he said watching the toddler carefully. "So I guess it's just you an' me for a lil' bit, huh?"

Mia, her fingers fumbling with the collar of Negan's leather jacket gave a nod.

Shit, the kid was sweet, and even in the short time she had been here had taken on plenty of Blake's gestures and habits, staring at him doe-eyed, causing his heart to contract slightly.

"Well, good." he nodded, gazing about the room for brief second, before looking back to her finally.

"So, Beansprout, you wanna come with me an' make sure my empire is in tip top fuckin' shape?" he questioned, raising an wicked eyebrow in the toddler's direction. "Crack a few fuckin' skulls?"

And at this, Mia gave an excitable nod, obviously enthused at the prospect of spending the rest of the morning with Negan.

"Yesh. Bat wat cwakin skwuls meen?" she asked in curious voice, her mouth hanging open in a small o-shape.

But Negan gave another chuckle at this, knowing that Blake would kill him for teaching the kid shit like this, and so he didn't quite have the heart, or the balls to answer THAT question

So instead, reaching up with his free hand, he grabbed Mia's hand that had been holding the toast, lifting it to his mouth and taking a large bite.

Mia, at once, gave a squeal of laughter, causing many of the surrounding Saviours to look his way once more.

But Negan just ignored them.

"C'mon," he muttered with a mouth full of toast, finally turning on his heel and heading out of the room with a bemused grin plastered across his scrubby face.

But across the Sanctuary, far less happy was Blake, who stood in the long gloomy hallway, with one hand pressed flat up against the door in front of her, and her head hung low, staring at her shoes.

For she knew what this was…

What all of this was.

And inside, she had always known.

For days she had tried to fool herself that she must be wrong...praying that it was something else.

But Blake had had these symptoms before…

Twice before now, in fact….

And as much as she had tried to pretend that this was tiredness….exhaustion….lack of an appetite….

She knew almost for certain what it was. What she had feared would happen to her in this brave new fucking world….

And so, resigning herself to her fate, Blake lifted her head, letting out a long steadying exhale, before knocking on the door with a firm- RAT-TAT-TAT.

Swiping the newly-fallen tears from her cheeks as she waited…

Credit belongs to the gif owners.

Would you like to be tagged/untagged?

123 notes · View notes

thesassybooskter · 6 years ago

Text

MUST LOVE BABIES by Lynnette Austin: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway

Must Love Babies by Lynnette Austin Series: Must Love Babies #1 Published by Sourcebooks Casablanca Publication Date: June 5th 2018 Genres: Contemporary Romance Pages: 416 Source: Publisher Format: eARC Goodreads Buy Online: Amazon ♥ Barnes & Noble ♥ Kobo ♥ iBooks

Disclaimer: I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book. All opinions stated are solely mine.

This baby’s not the only one in need of a cuddle…

Brant Wylder is a bachelor and loving it! He’s in Misty Bottoms, Georgia, property-hunting for his vintage car repair shop when he gets the call. His sister’s been in an accident, and Brant has to drop everything and take care of his five-month-old nephew. That’s the end of the bachelor lifestyle.

Bridal boutique owner Molly Stiles is all business all the time, until she sees that Brant’s in trouble. In this Southern town, nobody ever has to go it alone. And besides, how can she resist that beautiful baby in the arms of a beautiful man…?

Review

Brant Wylder is living the life, pursing his passion for vintage cars alongside his brothers, when Mr. Dependable finds himself the temporary guardian of his baby nephew, just when he’s debating turning up the heat on his ongoing flirtation with bridal boutique owner Molly Stiles. How’s a guy to juggle baby duty and wooing a woman?

This story has all the ingredients to make it a splash – a hot bachelor, a baby and the only woman who revs his engine. Brant and Mollie’s relationship was cute and sweet and I really enjoyed his relationship with his family. The story also felt familiar because of the secondary characters from the author’s Magnolia Brides series.

But it also felt off to me. A lot of the background between Brant and Mollie is missing and their relationship feels like it’s missing some depth. Brant was a really great guy he did most of the heavy lifting, while Mollie’s inflexibility made her quite unappealing.

Jax the baby was the star of the show and an integral part of the story, but also comes across a filler because without him, what was developing between Mollie and Brant was very thin.

I was a bit disappointed because I have enjoyed Ms. Austin’s writing style and her sweet and flirty romances, and I hope the next book is better.

Excerpt

If Molly Stiles had been a vintage car, Brant Wylder would have known exactly what to do with her. She wasn’t, and he didn’t.

But a man could look.

“Hey, you still with us?” his elder brother, Tucker, asked.

“Yeah.” Brant tugged at the annoying bow tie.

“Good, because we have a job to do, and so do you,” Tucker said.

“Understood.” Brant met his brother’s gaze. “Chill. This isn’t one of your Marine reconnaissance missions.”

“No, it’s not. Which means no sniper’s waiting to take a potshot at you, so stop whining.”

“I’m not whining,” he groused. “This wedding’s a waste of time. I’d rather go with you to pick up that car.”

“We’ve got it covered.” His younger brother, Gaven, slipped into the rental car. “You’ll check out those places we spotted yesterday, right? See if one of them will work for us?”

“Absolutely.” His answer was automatic, his attention on the petite bridesmaid he’d escorted down the aisle. The woman was so drop-dead gorgeous, she made his palms sweat.

“It’s important,” Tucker reminded him.

“Yep.” Brant eyed his watch. “That plane’s gonna leave with or without you two.”

Gaven started the car’s engine.

Riding shotgun, Tucker rested a tattooed arm on his open window. “Sure glad it’s dark. Anybody sees us in this four-door, plain-vanilla, sorry excuse for a car, our reputation’s shot.”

Brant laughed. “Drive safe.” He tapped the car’s roof, then took several steps back as it headed down the winding, oak-lined drive.

The taillights disappeared, and he was alone.

Well, as alone as he could be with a hundred and some other people.

Resigned, Brant turned back to the wedding reception. Because the temperature was in the balmy midsixties, unusual for January even here in Georgia’s Low Country, Magnolia House’s massive front door stood open. Light, conversation, and laughter spilled onto the restored antebellum home’s front porch.

At the bar, he ordered a club soda with a twist of lime and, popping cashews, chatted with a friend of the groom’s. All the while, he kept the brunette front and center on his radar.

She threaded her way through the small clusters of guests, paused to speak to several, then plucked a grilled shrimp kebab and a napkin from a passing waiter’s tray. Raising the appetizer to her Kewpie-doll lips, she headed outside. Alone.

Brant set his nearly untouched drink on the bar and nodded to his new pal. “You decide you want us to do something with that ’72 Chevy Chevelle, give me a call.”

Casually, he crossed the room and stepped into the night. Molly had wandered to the edge of the large front yard and stood in a pool of moonlight. The two of them had bumped into each other twice now, and she stirred up feelings in him—feelings he had no time for, yet itched to explore.

For such a petite thing, the lady had curves. Shiny, coffee-colored hair curled halfway down her back, and his fingers practically begged to mess it up. She smelled sexy as sin on a dark night and all but made a guy drool. Her pale pink, bee-stung lips cried out to be kissed…but instinct warned him Molly could be dangerous. Very dangerous.

Brant ran a finger under his bow tie again and swore beneath his breath.

He felt restless. Last night, he’d driven through town a little after eight. It had been quiet, buttoned-down, and locked up tight. The carpet rolled up early in Misty Bottoms, Georgia. He could live with that.

Good thing, because if things worked out right, he’d be spending a lot more time here. But right now? Instead of hanging around Magnolia House in this monkey suit, he could be flying off to Texas with his brothers or at their garage in Tennessee in his old jeans, replacing a clutch in the ’48 Chevy they were restoring. Heck, for what the daddy of today’s bride had shelled out, Brant figured he could rescue a whole fleet of cars.

Music drifted on the soft night air and entwined with the scent of roses and jasmine. Muted voices rose and fell. He slipped a hand into the pocket of his tux pants and, feet crossed, leaned against one of the massive columns. Life had been bumpy lately, but at this moment, it was pretty darn good.

A full moon added its magic to the star-filled Southern sky. As he picked out several constellations, he imagined even the seated queen, Cassiopeia, danced tonight with Orion, the hunter. No doubt every single woman here had hearts, flowers, and wedding rings on the brain. It tended to make a single man nervous.

Even so, he’d see if he could sweet-talk himself into a dance or two with sexy-as-all-get-out Molly.

At his previous wedding here, she’d tried her darnedest to escape the rush of single women desperate to nab the bridal bouquet. Now, she stood beneath a magnolia tree, her face tipped to catch the moonlight. The breath caught in his throat, and for one fanciful second, Brant imagined a mythical princess or fairy.

He shook his head. The woman was real, and he wanted a dance, wanted to hold her in his arms. A little flirting? Harmless.

Stepping out of the shadows, he made his way to her. “How about a dance?” Holding out a hand, he tipped his head toward the temporary dance floor in the backyard.

She hesitated.

“I’m not asking for a lifelong commitment, sugar. Just a single dance under the stars.”

a Rafflecopter giveaway

About Lynnette Austin

Lynnette Austin, a recovering middle school teacher, loves long rides with the top down and the music cranked up, the Gulf of Mexico when a storm is brewing, chocolate frozen custard, anything by Blake Shelton, Chris Young, and Thomas Rhett, and sitting in her local coffee shop reading and enjoying an iced coffee. She and her husband divide their time between Southwest Florida's beaches and Georgia's Blue Ridge Mountains. Having grown up in a small town, that's where her heart takes her—to those quirky small towns where everybody knows everybody...and all their business, for better or worse. Writing for Grand Central and Sourcebooks, she’s published twelve novels and is at work on a new series.

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Pinterest

MUST LOVE BABIES by Lynnette Austin: Review, Excerpt & Giveaway was originally published on The Sassy Bookster

0 notes

bearerofmen · 8 years ago

Text

Stripped!

"Don't you ever judge me by what I do! Ever. I am a stripper, yea, but I am using that money to put my son through private school. I started stripping to take care of him. He doesn't deserve a shabby life all because I was a dumb kid that made bad choices. He deserves the best. So I do what I have to do. I make good money." Some woman screamed from the television set.

"But he can't look up to that. One day you will have to tell him what you did to make that money. You could do other things. You are going to have to tell him what you did for money, " replied another television personality. The implication that all money isn't good was where the person was headed with the conversation.

I was watching reality television with my mother, The General. This term of endearment came from our St. Louis days. She was admired around our neighborhood and received compliments on how well behaved her children were whenever we were out in public representing her. We pretty much marched in a straight line even when she wasn't present. That reason among an array of colorful other reasons yielded her the title 'The General.'

We watched the series and folded clothes together. This type of reality television was new at the time. It was the beginning of the Flavor of Love Era of television. I was about eighteen years old or so. I can't recall which show I was watching at the time but I know that it doesn't come on television anymore. We were plugged in. The scene was emotional and intense.

"He is a kid and he doesn't know anything. He knows he goes to a nice school. He knows that he has nice stuff. He knows that I am providing a good life for him. And you know what, I'm his damn mom. I don't have to explain shit to him. If he ever finds out, I will deal with it then. If he finds out, I will tell him that I had to do what I had to do so that he could have the best. There is nothing I won't do to put food on my kid's table; nothing I won't do to keep a roof over his head. So you aren't going to sit here in my face and judge me for that. You can get the (bleep) out of my (bleeping) face for real. Don't ever talk to me again. I swear it..." the TV personality continued on for a while. The powerful words in the message started to lose some of its effects after so many f-bomb. She ranted and talked over the man who attempted to slut shame her into feeling like a horrible mother because one day her son would know what she did to be his provider. I don't remember everything about that scene. I remembered that much of it because The General heckled along to it intently.

"You damn right! You don't have to explain nothing." She turned and looked at me, "He is wrong baby. That woman is a mother and he doesn't know what she has going on. You don't do that. People should mind their own business if it has nothing to do with them. He shouldn't have said that to her. He was wrong for that."

"I think he is just saying she could get a different job mom." I said trying to make sense of it for her. As if she had missed the message or something.

"Girl please. Yea maybe she could have. But she is a mother. A mother will do anything to take care of her children. It's hard out here." The General said as she continued to watch the friction unfold. She even got misty eyed. She shook her head as the man said degrading comments toward the mother of one.

Being a single mother of four children was hard on my mother, especially since she did all the "right" things in life before having them. She went to college, met her husband, and married before starting her family. Life's tricky toss and turns will always render you helpless. With patience one can learn to bend and not break under extraordinary circumstances. She used to work for an insurance company but after a big move to Louisiana she changed her career path and became a nurse that worked nights. She had four children while going to school to be a nurse and still worked. Life became interesting and different during that transition in our lives.

Every time I think I may break during my own times of adversity, I remember her and what seemed like an effortless example of doing all that it takes to provide for her family. Eventually, the tension subsides and I bend to the will of the circumstances before me.

She was a nurse at the time that we watched the show and I could only imagine what she was thinking as this woman cried on television. Dabbing at her eyes she shook her head and went to her room. As I reflect on that moment, I am reminded that my mother is still not a fan of reality television. Instead, she is a devoted lover of fiction/fantasy novels and television. One of her favorite movies is Imitation of Life.

I remember being in elementary school, sitting and playing with Barbie, when my mom first introduced the movie to me. She told me to put the dolls down and to come with her to watch that movie. She explained that she had watched it with her mother, and it was my turn to watch it with mine. If you aren't familiar with the movie, there was a woman who worked as a maid her entire life to provide the best possible life she could for her daughter. The daughter was embarrassed by her mother's job and ungrateful. She was genuinely angry for who her mother was. By the end of the movie I was in tears. Even at a young age I realized that having a loving parent was a true gift.

The daughter lost her mother before she had the opportunity to tell her she was sorry and that she loved her. Her mother died with a broken heart.

Fast forward. I am a mother now and I get it. I get the tears my mother had and the struggles that go along with being a provider and a role model. I understand the plight of the PARENT in a world full of criticism in a society with very few tangible solutions; especially when you are "playing by the rules." No matter what you can't help the hand you are dealt. I understand the tears that come with studying, instead of cuddling with your children and holding on to their every word; I understand the look a child gives you when they want your undivided attention but you have to start that second job or else you guys aren't gonna make it to the next month. I understand the pain you feel when you get in late from work and you haven't seen the reason you work so damn hard all day because they fell asleep before you got home. I understand how people unintentionally lose themselves in work while trying to be providers and flip out when they get home because of unappreciative smart mouthed comments or ungrateful behavior. I understand how children grow an ache of longing for their parents to be around for everything but if their parent doesn't sleep for their night evening job or second job then the children don't eat. I completely understand how people would think that stripping would be the easy way out for fast cash but I dare you dear readers to ask yourself if having other human beings question your self respect is an easy thing to do or deal with.

Motherhood is something I understand now. Those moments are some that some women have the privilege of never experiencing. Other mothers find moments where their backs are against the wall and in quiet desperation they affirm that their is nothing they won't do to make sure their children have a better life. The early morning grind and the late night oil burning; the furnace tempting your God given mold to crack and succumb to the heat of life. Mothers I hope your children grow up to thank you and love you no matter your sacrifices.

In the meantime, let's not sling mud and soil our own garments in the process of child rearing because essentially it will only lead us all to stripping ourselves bare to face our own naked truths.

#Family Life #Family Time #Sons #Day to day #BearerofMen #Judge not #Family Matters #Love #Bearer of Men #Family #Changing Mom #No judgement #A mother's love #Grind

0 notes