#none of these kids are allowed to have a first name that starts with 'c'

[meekmedea]

Ok, this has been nagging at me almost all week, but the epilogue for fatum faciendum est got me thinking…

Do Clemensia and Coriolanus end up having more than one child? Probably. They both seemed open to the idea.

And then I fell down a rabbit hole of random thoughts. I think it’d be a bit funny if their daughter in the epilogue gets their wish granted. So without further ado, let me present my ramblings: 

Clemmie’s doomed to be the only one in the family with pin-straight hair. It’s kind of funny because she’ll just be waiting, bored to death as the rest of them go through their 12 step hair routine. (Coryo probably takes the longest to style his hair 😆)

At the same time, Coryo’s fated to have children that mostly take after Clemmie in her eye colour and hair colour

Pandora - their eldest is a little bit of a blabbermouth (she’s like 5 - let’s cut her a little slack). When she next sees Tigris and the topic of gifts comes up, she mentions to Tigris that she’s getting a sibling for her birthday.

Tigris tries really hard not to laugh at Clemmie + Coryo, while these 2 are like “huh, maybe we should have a talk with our kid about what info should stay a secret.” Because there’s no way in hell that Coryo wants to deal with that info being shared to Clemmie’s parents. 

Number of kids? Hmm…maybe 4?

Pandora, their eldest (dark curly hair, and brown eyes)

Eirene - another daughter - this is their only child that has his blond hair + blue eyes

To everyone’s amusement, Pandora is disappointed that her new sister has blue eyes, but says she guesses it’s acceptable (Pandora’s parents are amused - Clemmie more so than Coryo)

A boy follows very quickly, this time it follows Pandora's request lol (dark curly hair and brown eyes). Eirene and Aurelius could be considered Irish twins with how small the gap between them is. 

Then there’s a considerable age gap between Aurelius and their last child. Unplanned, but it’s another daughter –Lytta. (Another dark curly haired child, but with blue eyes)

When asked if they have a favourite child, they both say ‘no’. But whereas Clemensia means it, Coriolanus doesn’t. (Hint it’s his eldest.)

Their parenting? 

Clemmie is a bit more involved than he is

At her behest, the children have some sort of artistic education whether that be music, art, dance etc...

And at some point, each of their children have probably approached Coryo for something that Clemmie has said ‘no’ to. When asked why they’re asking him then, they’ll say, “because Mom isn’t the boss of you.” 

The first time he’s hit with that, Coriolanus wonders if it is a trick question. He has now learnt that there is a correct and an incorrect answer. Being President of Panem doesn’t exempt him from Clemmie’s ire. (He really wished it did though.)

Very quickly, he realizes that most of their children have taken after Clemmie's ability to charm just about anyone. Especially their eldest. Despite it not being as efficient as Clemmie’s - he’s fallen for it more times than he should

~

Bonus: one of Persephone and Festus’ kids falls HARD for one of Clemensia and Coriolanus’ kids. 

Worse yet (for Coryo) - it’s his eldest AND it’s reciprocated 

[onlymingyus]

Hallmark Moment (SVTHUB; Snowventeen Collab)

❆ pairing; singledad! kim mingyu x singlemom! reader ❆ genre; fluff, angst, romance, crack, parent au ❆ warnings; singledad!mingyu, singlemom!reader, kids, food, alcohol, sickeningly sweet moments of cuteness and romance, some cursing, kissing, light touchy moments ❆ svthub snowventeen collab master list - snowventeen tag list ❆ part two ❆ w/c; 19k and some change ❆ a/n; this is all fluff and I really do hope you enjoy it. I thought I might step out of my smut comfort zone a little bit and write a bit of fluffy stuff for the holiday season. I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season! a huge thank you to @housewifehui for reading along the way and then proofreading this beast and also thank you to my dear @onlyseokmins & @wonwussy for also reading and giving me confidence. fluff is not my strong point by any means.

“Let’s go, honey. Say goodbye to Amy so we can get out of Mr. Kim’s hair.” 

Mingyu smiles at you, shaking his head while you both watch the girls start to complain about having to end their play date. You were always grateful for him picking them up after school so that you could take your time leaving work, but that didn’t change the guilt you felt. No matter if you enjoyed seeing him and Amy every weekday just as much as Mina did. 

“Neither of you are in my hair. Besides, we really do wish you two would stay for dinner. I made enough spaghetti to feed a small army. Are you sure you won’t take us up on the offer Y/N?” 

Mina whines, turning towards you to tug at the ends of your dress looking up at you. “Mommy please? Mr. Kim’s spaghetti is so much better than yours. I mean all of his cooking is better than yours, no fence mommy but it’s true.” You sigh into a laugh reaching down to tug at your daughter’s loose hair that had fallen from her ponytail. She had such a way with words and candor, something she had learned from you. 

“Offense, not fence baby, and none taken. I know Mingy–Mr. Kim is a great cook.” Mingyu grins as you start to use his first name in front of the kids. He didn’t mind; he actually would prefer it, but he knew how much you wanted to teach Mina respect so he didn’t push the subject. When you sigh again and nod, Mina giggles moving back towards Amy to take her hand allowing the other small girl to pull her towards the dining room where dinner was already waiting. 

You watch with adoration, trailing slowly behind them until Mingyu takes the spot beside you just inside of the dining room. Your eyes move over the freshly decorated Christmas tree just on the other side of the arch into the living room. Mingyu’s eyes can’t help but to mirror your eyes on the tree, but only, his stay on your face and your smile as it spreads across your face. 

“It’s so pretty Mingyu. You put it up today?” Meeting his eyes, you feel your cheeks go warm at his attention already so focused on you causing you to look away when he laughs nodding towards the girls. “Yeah, they helped me. I just need to put the star on the top. Maybe after dinner you can help me with that?” 

Nodding, you wrap your arms around yourself, making Mingyu’s eyes move over you once again with a smile. “Mm, perfect. Here, go ahead and join the girls, I’ll turn up the fireplace. You all get started with dinner.” You can’t help the shiver that runs through your body when his hand brushes over the small of your back causing you to smile, a smile that doesn’t go unnoticed by Mina or Amy who giggle in hushed tones. 

“I know, I saw!” 

“Tomorrow we will hang it up!” 

Your brows furrow as you catch bits and pieces of this secret conversation, sitting down across from your daughter who had made sure to place you as close to Mr. Kim’s seat as possible. Her smile only fades slightly when you sigh and shift your plate and seat down a bit in order to give him more space. “You guys know how to set a table. You have to give people room to eat. What are you two whispering about?” 

“Nothing mommy, and your seat was perfect. I don’t know why you had to move it…” You watch your daughter pout as you lean to begin putting spaghetti on Amy’s plate then her’s. “Okay, Mina. Napkin in your lap and eat slowly, both of you.” Amy smiles at you adoringly when you meet her eyes, making your chest feel warmer. You find yourself wanting to push her hair behind her ear and make sure she is well taken care of though, you know for a fact that Mingyu does a fantastic job of that even on his own. 

“Yes, Miss Y/L/N. Thank you for staying for dinner. I really like when Mina is here for dinner and you too. I want you to do it more, please?” Your heart beats a little faster, your brain trying to come up with the right words, not wanting to hurt her feelings or give her any false hope. You simply smile, starting to speak when you feel warm wool around your shoulders. 

“Amy, I’m sure Y/N and Mina will eat with us when they can and want to. Now eat up before all this hard work gets cold.” Your hands go to the shawl around your shoulders that Mingyu had placed there, your eyes meeting his to find him smiling. “You seemed cold, I hope you don’t mind.” 

Mingyu’s hand slides over yours to take the pasta server out of your hand, gesturing for you to sit down. “And please, you are a guest, let me serve you since you served the kids.” You glance quickly at the girls as they giggle, spaghetti sauce covering their cheeks while Mingyu places a serving of spaghetti onto your plate. 

“Girls, use your napkins. They aren’t just lap weights.” Mina sighs faux annoyed while Amy laughs, picking up her napkin wiping at her face. Mingyu grins as he watches you with the kids, enjoying the help with Amy and just watching you interact with them both. You were a good mom, attentive but still loving. It was clear that Mina loved you very much and that Amy had a special place for you in her life already. 

Dipping out enough spaghetti that could feed two people onto his plate, Mingyu laughs when he finds you looking at him, his fork already twisting the pasta around it eagerly ready to bring it to his waiting mouth. He only stops at your look as you hold a much smaller bite an inch from your own mouth, a small amused smile slightly hidden by the spaghetti. “What?” 

Shaking your head, you laugh before taking your bite, picking up your napkin to cover your lips and wipe them clean of any sauce at the same time. Mingyu takes his bite, filling his mouth with audible sounds of appreciation, making your heart once again feel full in your chest. Amy giggles drawing both yours and Mingyu’s attention while she watches her father eat with a shrug before pointing her fork at him. 

“He always eats like this. Worse if you weren’t here Miss Y/L/N. Seriously, you could ask Mina. One time I think he inhaled an entire chicken off his plate. The whole thing!” Mingyu’s cheeks warm, he is quick to reach for his water taking a long sip looking at his daughter over the glass as she grins at him with one to match his. 

“I think–” You can’t help but to laugh along with the girls when Mingyu has to clear his throat between talking before continuing, “Excuse me, I think that Amy is a bit dramatic. It wasn’t an entire chicken. I am just a person who enjoys a good meal.” 

You nod along with his words, your smile as bright as the lights on the Christmas tree in Mingyu’s eyes while he watches you working to get another bite of food. “I like knowing you eat so well. It’s good, you are a very healthy man.” When you look up to find him watching you once again, your fork slips in your hand, causing you to drop what little spaghetti you had managed to gather on it, making the girls giggle at your clumsy nature. 

“Thank you Y/N. Girls, eat your food. Stop giggling so much and actually put food in your mouths.” Amy and Mina mutter their okay to Mingyu’s words before going back to their meals, leaving you to regain your composure. A shared glance between the two of you and slight smiles hardly unnoticed by the two girls who kick at each other’s legs under the table before quickly laying down their forks, asking to be excused to go play. 

A sigh falls from Mingyu’s lips before he smiles and looks to you for your opinion. “I–okay, but only for a little while longer. Mina, we can’t stay too late. You have school and I have work. I’m sure Mr. Kim would also like to have a peaceful evening before putting Amy to bed.” 

The girls laugh nodding the entire time they run away from the table and towards Amy’s bedroom to play, leaving you and Mingyu alone to finish your meal. Mingyu smiles into his water once again before daring to let his eyes grace yours again. “You really aren’t bothering me by being here Y/N. I love having you and Mina in the house. It’s really nice. Amy loves having Mina here to play and I think, no I know, that she loves having you here too. She talks about it all the time.” 

You shake your head, feeling your cheeks burning under his attention while you reach for your own glass of water, wishing it was something stronger. “Well we both really love her as well, and you. I mean we love spending time…with you. Mina hasn’t had a good male figure in her life in a long time. It’s really nice for her to have someone to look up to like you.” 

‘...and you’ Those words take Mingyu’s breath away, causing him to sit back in his chair with a small grin, his eyes watching your fingers play with the glass of water. “Amy feels the same way about having a woman in her life. When you took her and Mina to that little nail salon a few weeks back? She couldn’t stop talking about it for days. She called my mom and talked about it for hours, about how Miss Y/L/N took her out for a girls' day. Y/N?” 

Your eyes find Mingyu’s though you are smiling at his story about Amy and his mother when he says your name in a question. “Hm?” Mingyu’s grin widens at how your eyes widen slightly in a question to him as he stands to go to a small cabinet in the corner of the room. “Red or white wine?” 

“Oh…I couldn’t. I have to drive home, and I told Mina we couldn’t stay for long.” Mingyu laughs softly, glancing back at you still taking out two wine glasses while you watch, a smile on your lips before you sigh. “Red, please? Just one glass.” With a nod, you watch the attractive man hold the wine glasses between his fingers and the bottle of wine in the other while he makes his way back towards the table and you. 

Mina kicks her feet when she runs back to Amy’s bed falling down on it out of excitement. “Your daddy got out one of those big bottles we aren’t allowed to touch and mommy looked really happy. I seriously think Santa got the letters.” Amy smiles just as brightly as her father had while looking at you before falling back on the bed to lay beside her best friend, both girls letting out an almost dreamy sigh at the thought. 

The two girls had spent many of their evenings after homework watching the Hallmark channel since they were playing Christmas movies. It all seemed so easy for people to fall in love and for families to have their happily ever after so why couldn’t they have that too? Why couldn’t their mommy and daddy have the same thing? 

They had both watched you work so hard to support them even when you didn’t realize they were watching. They had seen you sad, crying when you thought no one else was watching, they might be young but they knew what loneliness felt like. Yes, you had lost a husband and Mingyu had lost a wife, but they had lost a mom and a dad.

Then something magical happened, they were put into the same class and quickly became best friends. You worked later than Mingyu, so it just worked out that he could keep Mina, making it easier for you to pick her up on your way home. The fact that you two seemed to get along so well was just another seemingly magical moment for the girls, a Christmas miracle. Just like one of the Hallmark movies. 

Turning on her side, Mina reaches for the sprig of mistletoe that she had painstakingly tied the red ribbon around, her small fingers smoothing it while Amy watches her lost in thought. “Like you said, we can hang it up tomorrow. They have to walk under that archway like 100 times a day when your mommy comes by to get you. We will make sure it’s really visible so they won’t have any other choice but to go by the Christmas rules.” 

Amy smiles as Mina does, her friend putting the mistletoe back down for safekeeping before sitting up on bed to reach for a small notebook that the girls now shared. “Okay so, we did plan one. Dinner as a family, check. Mistletoe tomorrow…oh the star tonight. Maybe we can get your daddy to help mommy to put it on the tree like in that one movie. Oh my gosh, Amy, did you see him put that pretty blanket on her shoulders?” 

Mina watches the smile fade on her friend's face only slightly but she still nods. “Yeah, it was my mommy’s. At least that’s what daddy told me once when I asked. I mean I don’t mind your mom wearing it. She looked really pretty in it. I liked it, seeing her wearing that, instead of it just laying in my daddy’s room.” Mina leans to hug her friend making her smile once again, both girls laughing when the mood cheers back up. 

“She did look really pretty, I think your daddy thought so too. I wish he’d just tell her. The girls in the movies seem to like it when the boys tell them how pretty they are. Maybe we can figure out how to get him to do that?” Nodding, Amy takes the notebook from Mina’s lap in order to write down the new idea on their list, knowing she was better at spelling out of the two. 

“Daddy is a gennleman, he tells me that I’m pretty all the time. I’m sure he will be happy to tell your mommy.” A smile creeps along Mina’s lips at Amy’s words and her mispronunciation of gentleman while she watches the girl write slowly on the thick lines of the notebook. “Gentleman, like gentle. Mommy taught me that once. You know like when you touch a kitten, you have to be gentle?”

“Oh…that makes sense I guess? Daddy is gentle with me and you. He would be gentle with Miss Y/L/N and he’s a boy or a man.” Mina nods along with Amy’s words as if she made all the sense in the world, her smile just as bright as yours while you sipped at the last of your wine and leaned against the kitchen counter, taking a break only to dry plates as Mingyu washed them. 

“Mina told me that you all don’t put up a Christmas tree?” Mingyu watches your face shift like a deer caught in headlights while you reach out to take the last plate from him, drying it slowly. “Okay, I’m not a Grinch if that’s what you are thinking, Mingyu. I just…I literally do not have time to put up decorations knowing that in a couple weeks I would need to take them all back down. You know how much I work.” 

Putting his hands up defensively, Mingyu laughs, taking the towel from you along with the plate so he can put them away. “No, seriously I get it. I’m lucky to work from home most of the time. Mina can enjoy the tree here, I told her the same. She didn’t seem that upset about it honestly. Though she was more than happy to help decorate ours. I hope you don’t mind that she did.” 

Shaking your head you pick up your wine, nursing the last new sips and watching Mingyu move around his kitchen as he puts away the last few dishes. Your eyes linger over his back and his face until he turns around to meet your eyes when you speak. “No, I don’t mind at all. It’s good she gets that piece of Christmas somewhere. She usually only gets it with my parents so it's nice to have it here too.” 

Mingyu smiles once again with a nod, picking up his own glass of wine to take a sip. His eyes linger over your fingers and lips as you drink the last sip from your glass before setting it to the side. “It’s my pleasure Y/N. Are you sure you don’t want another glass of wine?” He watches a smile spread across your features while you consider his question. 

“As much as I’d love to say yes, I have to say no. You understand, I’m sure.” Mingyu nods, taking your glass from your fingers, letting his fingertips trail from yours seemingly on accident when he turns to take it to the sink. “I do. Another time, a rain check? When you don’t have to work the next day. Maybe on a Friday? The girls are always asking for a sleepover.” 

You watch his hands move over the fragile glass with such care that you can’t help but to tilt your head in wonder. How this large man could look like he was going to break something without even meaning to and yet hold something or someone like they were a cloud he wanted to keep forever. “They sure are. I keep telling Mina sometime later in the school year.” 

Mingyu laughs, nodding into his wine, finishing it so he can wash his glass before setting it to the side to let it dry. “I wouldn’t mind it earlier, but of course it’s up to you.” You watch him take a deep breath, his hips leaned back against the counter mirroring you against the island causing him to smile. “Should we get the girls and put the star on the tree?” 

Amy is mid laughter when Mingyu knocks on her open door, drawing both of the girls' attention towards him. “Hi daddy, what’s up? Are you and pretty Miss Y/L/N having good juice?” Mingyu laughs scratching the back of his neck realizing that the girls had been spying on the two of you. “Mmhm. We did have…good juice. Did you two have fun playing or did you spend your entire time spying on me and Miss Y/L/N?” 

Mina sits up from the bed with a giggle while Amy tries to play innocent by picking up her doll running a brush through its overly tangled hair. “That’s what I thought. Come on, it’s time to put the star on the tree before you head home with your mom, Mina.” With a whine from both girls, Mingyu mimics them ushering out of the bedroom back down the hall towards the living room where you were already waiting. 

Your eyes were on the tree, flicking from the different ornaments that had dates, some that were picture frames holding pictures of Mingyu and Amy. Your fingers pull the shawl tighter around your shoulders as you step closer to the fireplace, enjoying the warmth against your body and letting out a content sigh when Mingyu comes around the corner. Though neither of the girls seem to notice he stops in the tracks and has to take in a sharp breath at the sight of you like this. 

Mina moves to pull on your dress moving to hold at the shawl also enjoying the warmth causing you to laugh. “Where is your sweater?” Amy laughs, moving towards you as well letting you hold her just as close as she speaks looking up at you. “She forgot it at school. I told her she would when she took it off. She can wear one of mine home tonight, I don’t want her to get too cold.” 

Mingyu’s chest tightens when your fingers brush over Amy’s cheek. Your voice soft as you whisper your thank you to her, shrugging off the shawl to put it around both of the girls who curl up under it, enjoying the warmth and smell of your perfume you had left behind on it. Swallowing hard, Mingyu moves further into the room, his hand shaking slightly when he reaches for the box holding the golden star so he can take it out. 

“Oh…it’s beautiful, Mingyu.” He grins into a laugh that is cut short when he has to swallow hard once again as you step closer to him and the tree. Your gentle fingers run over the star before you look up at him as if asking for permission which he gives with a nod of his head, allowing you to take the delicate tree topper from the box to show the girls who ooo and ahh. 

“I love it daddy! It’s better than that stuffed elf we had last year. Did grandma give us this one?” Mingyu shakes his head no, a soft smile on his lips watching you move back towards him and the tree. Your eyes looking up at the top of the tree, you were clearly thinking there was no way you’d reach the top of it like this. “No baby, I bought it a few days ago from a shop in town. Y/N…wait, let me get a step stool.” 

When you start to speak, Mingyu puts up his hand moving back to a hall closet to bring out a small stool unfolding it near the tree before offering you his hand stepping closer to you. “Carefully, I have you though, okay?” You laugh as you step up on the small ladder with a nod, your fingers delicately clinging to his while his other hand grazes your lower back.

Mingyu watches you carefully until you reach the top of the stool, his hands holding onto you gently but firmly enough that you could tell he would never let you fall. Never on his watch.  Mina and Amy’s hands link under the warm shawl, happy smiles reaching their eyes while they watch you place the star on top of the tree making sure it is perfect. “How does it look, girls? Do you like this?” 

Did they like this? Seeing the potential of a family in front of their eyes? “I love it mommy.” Amy squeezes Mina’s hand tighter, sensing the tears in her eyes helping her to hold them back. “Miss. Y/L/N, it’s almost as pretty as you. Don’t you think so daddy?” Mingyu looked at his daughter with a laugh playing on his lips but she was right. 

“Mmm, almost but not quite.” Your cheeks warm, almost as if you were sitting right next to the fire, when you look down at Mingyu. His smile broadens into a grin before he takes a step back, helping you to carefully descend the step ladder. “Thank you for helping us put that up Y/N, it completed it. I could have never made it look that perfect.” 

You watch Mingyu carry the step ladder away, your fingers nervously moving along your arms you now have wrapped around you with no shawl to hide under. “I’m sure you would have. The girls did a great job with the rest of the decorating. I’m sure they could have done the star just as well, but I am happy to help. It was nice to have a little taste of Christmas.” 

Mingyu watches your hands move along your arms and he wonders if you are cold again, his eyes moving to the shawl around the girls but he knew he would never get you to stay for much longer. He found himself wanting to wrap you in his arms and hold you by the fire while the girls curled up next to each other under the shawl warm and happy by the tree. 

Shaking his head, Mingyu pushes the thought away and smiles at you. “It’s my pleasure, just like I told Mina, you can always have Christmas with Amy and me. We do Christmas with my parents on Christmas Eve then spend Christmas here…I don’t know what your plans are…so I…don’t feel obligated.” 

Mina sits up a bit looking at you longingly which makes your heart beat faster, an actual Christmas tree on Christmas for her. That would be nice…the thought plays through your head. “Uh we actually go to my parents on Christmas Eve as well so maybe. We will just have to see. Let’s not make any plans just yet.” 

You watch Mingyu’s smile tighten every so slightly but he nods even as the girls start to complain. “Amy, stop it. Don’t whine like that. It’s almost time for bed anyway.” You nod agreeing with Mingyu taking a step towards the girls to collect the shawl folding it carefully. “It is, we’ve stayed far too late tonight Mina. Time to say goodnight.” 

Amy and Mingyu watch you and Mina leave, a bit of sadness in both their eyes when your car pulls out of the driveway. Mingyu isn’t surprised when his daughter leans against him, a soft sad whine slipping off her lips. “You will see her in the morning. Time to brush your teeth, and I mean all of them, even the back ones.” Amy groans looking up at her dad with faux annoyance before smiling at him with his matching grin when he runs his finger over her nose only to tap the end of it. 

You watch Mina in the rearview mirror any chance you get on the drive home. She looked sadder than normal and you weren’t sure why. Though you felt sadder than normal after leaving Mingyu’s house and once again, you weren’t sure why. Shrugging off the feeling you make it home with your daughter making sure to take extra care with the borrowed sweater she had worn home. “I’m going to put this in your bag, make sure you give it back to Amy tomorrow okay?” 

Mina nods at you, her feet dragging while she walks past you towards the hallway making you lift your head and follow her. “Are you okay baby? Talk to me…are you that sad to leave Amy tonight? I know you want a sleepover but that just can’t happen on a school night. I really hope you will try to understand why?” 

A sigh leaves your daughter’s lips, her small body plopping down on her bed before she looks up at you shaking her head. “I’m okay mommy. Can I say something and you won't be mad at me?” Your own sigh matches hers when you squat down in front of Mina to reach up, running your fingers over her soft cheek to offer her some comfort. 

“Why would I ever be mad at you for saying something you feel like you need to say? Of course you can tell me something.” Mina swallows hard, leaning into your touch, her almost doll-like eyes avoiding yours, you know she is trying to keep her courage to speak. “I really like being at Mr. Kim’s house with Amy, almost more than here.” 

Your stomach tightens, your brows knitting together at her confession but you nod starting to speak but Mina does first. “With you though Mommy. I like when we are all there together. When you get home from work, that feels like home. Coming here after leaving there feels like leaving home again.” Some of her words made you feel some better but others made it worse, but you’d never let that show not in front of her. 

“Oh, I see. Is it our house? You don’t like your room maybe?” Mina shakes her head and finally meets your eyes letting you see a trace of wetness covering them, your heart feeling like it is going to shatter at her apparent sadness. “Oh baby…what’s wrong?” Shaking her head again the tears spill over Mina’s cheeks and she is unable to find the words only allowing her body to fold into yours. 

Your own tears burn at your eyes but you keep them pushed back refusing to show weakness in front of your child. Fingers brushing through her hair, you hum rocking her softly until she calms down and soft snores take the place of her tiny sobs. Still you keep your own feelings at bay while you get her changed and tucked into bed making sure she is safe and sound, her door cracked when your back hits the back of your own door and the tears finally slip down your own cheeks. 

Mingyu raises his brows looking up from his laptop to the sounds of hushed children’s voices. Taking off his glasses, he pinches the bridge of his nose with a sigh trying to make out what the girls are saying just a room away but instead he hears the sound of wood scraping along wood. “What in the world are they doing now?” 

A small pained grunt falls from Mingyu’s lips causing him to put his hand on his lower back signaling he had been sitting at his desk for far too long anyway when he stands and moves towards the sounds of giggles. He stops short only to watch as Amy balances on the dining room chair, Mina trying hard to keep her held tall but still safe while she attempts to place something as high on the doorframe as possible. 

“I need to get up higher. I’m gonna go on my tippy toes. Don’t let me fall, ‘kay?” Mina makes an unsure sound of approval going to hold Amy’s legs. Mingyu takes a step in closer only to stop again when he realizes that his daughter is holding a sprig of mistletoe in her little hand. “They have to see it here right Mina?” 

“Oh…” The word slips from his lips just as a breath unheard by the girls when Mingyu understands what they are trying to do. A smile spreads across his lips only to be covered when he wipes his hand over his lips still concerned with the scene in front of him. He waits until Amy has placed the mistletoe on the side of the doorframe pointing outwards, as far up as she can get it before he clears his throat looking down at them instead of what they were hanging. 

“Girls, you know better than to play on furniture. What if you fell down?” Amy panics, afraid her daddy will see the mistletoe before he should but when he doesn’t seem to notice she lets him lift her off the chair placing her safely on the ground next to Mina. “Sorry daddy, we were just…we were…” 

Mingyu waits for an explanation but he knows it will be a lie and his daughter had been taught not to lie from an even younger age. “Playing on the furniture, I know. Now run on and finish your homework. I know you two can’t be done yet. We’ve been home less than an hour. I’m going to start dinner soon.” Amy lets out a breath of relief at not having to lie, making Mingyu smile, lifting the chair to take it back to the dining room when he feels a hand tug at his shirt. 

A glance down makes his smile grow wider seeing Mina looking up at him, his heart warmer with her close to him. “What’s up Mina?” Her laugh is so similar to yours it makes him miss you being here. “Can you maybe text my mommy and see if we can stay for dinner again? Amy said tonight is soup night? I really like soup.”

God, how could he say no to that little face and that sort of request. Hell, if you said no he’d send home a bucket of the soup with you so that Mina could eat it for the next few days if he had to. “Of course sweetie.” His hand brushes over her head before he gestures with a nod towards the living room where Amy already was. “Now, go. Homework is waiting.” 

Your phone vibrating on your desk was a welcomed distraction from your work computer letting you lean back and take a breath. You only had a couple of hours left but it felt like you had 8 more to go. When you see Mingyu’s name as the person who sent you the text you find yourself unable to hide your smile even when you know you are in your office alone. 

Kim Mingyu: Hey, hope work isn’t too rough today. Mina wanted me to see if you two could stay for dinner again tonight. We are having homemade soup, a house special. 

You swallow hard reading over the words a few times ready to decline him. You already had the words plotted out in your mind, ‘So sorry but I already kept Mina out too late last night. We’d love to do it another time.’ but another text comes in making you let out a soft sigh. 

Kim Mingyu: I really hope you will stay for dinner. I enjoyed the adult company if I can be honest with you. I know you stayed out a bit later than normal so I will keep a better watch on the time tonight, scouts honor. What do you say?

“I doubt you were a boy scout Mingyu…” You whisper to yourself and the phone, your thumbs running over the sides of the device in thought. Another steadying breath taken you let your thumbs move to the keyboard so you can answer him not wanting to leave him on read knowing for a fact he would be waiting for a response. 

Y/N: If you keep that promise cub scout. Soup sounds really nice, Mina really likes soup…but she probably told you that. Thank you for being so kind to us. You really don’t have to but I really appreciate it. I don’t tell you that enough. 

Mingyu grins at his phone, raising a brow to your wording. Were you flirting with him? Shaking his head he chooses not to linger on that as much as your thoughtful appreciation. Which to him wasn’t even something you needed when it came to him. This was as easy as breathing for him. He wanted to do it, ever since he had met you and Mina it had always been on his mind. You had no one to help take care of you, not that you needed a man to “take care of you” but maybe you wouldn’t mind it once in a while to even have a friend lend a hand. 

Kim Mingyu: You don’t even have to say it. You are a joy to have in my life. 

The text comes through followed quickly by a second as your heart beats quickly into your throat. The correction calms you down but only slightly as you wonder if he had meant the first or second reply. 

Kim Mingyu: *Our life. You and Mina are a joy to have in our lives. Haha…autocorrect. 

Mingyu swallows hard, cursing himself for his quick wording and then his chickening out. His eyes watch the three bubbles pop up then fade several times before finally your response comes through. 

Y/N: You and Amy are a joy in our lives too. See you later this evening. 

You set your phone to the side, hands trembling slightly from how many times you had re-wrote that response. It had gone from, ‘But was it autocorrect Mingyu?’ to ‘You are a joy in my life too.’ before you finally landed on making you and Mingyu feel more comfortable with a safe response. 

Mina and Amy giggle between spoonfuls of the soup while you and Mingyu share the occasional glance. Not much had been said between the two of you out of the ordinary. He had asked about your day, you had told him about it. You had asked about the kid’s evening and their homework and as usual it had gone pretty much the same as always except for a little mishap with climbing on furniture. 

Now you felt warm and content in your chair, the same shawl from yesterday back around your shoulders while you sipped at probably the best homemade soup you had ever tasted. You had made Mina promise to not tell her grandmother that Mr. Kim’s soup was better than hers, causing a smile to grow on Mingyu’s lips before he met your eyes. Your heart racing ever so slightly under his gaze making you wonder how quickly you would be able to run away because you weren’t supposed to be feeling like this, not for him or anyone. 

“Mommy, tomorrow is Friday.” Your attention brought back to the table you laugh nodding at your daughter's observation gesturing for her to continue. “And that means what to me Mina?” Her slightly annoyed sigh causes Mingyu to snicker into his water, getting a playful side eye from you before you give all of your attention back to the small girl sitting across from you. 

“Well I was wonderin’ if maybe I could have a sleepover with Amy? If Mr. Kim says it's okay too?” Mingyu watches your lips tighten into a thinner line as you consider your daughter's question carefully. Your fingertips brushing together, a habit he had noticed you had when you were lost in thought. “I really wanted you to wait until near the end of the school year Mina…” You watch her face begin to fall and remember the night before, how you had held her in your arms while she cried herself to sleep. Your heart is tightening to the point of pain when you lift your hand to stop her from complaining or getting upset.

“If it is okay with Mr. Kim, then yes but only for one night.” Mina’s eyes glisten anyway when you say yes, her head turning towards Mingyu who was looking at you in almost disbelief. “Mr. Kim, can I?” Mingyu laughs quietly tilting his head, his hand moving to scratch the side of his neck. “Yeah, it is okay with me.” 

Amy squeals in delight, putting her spoon down near her empty bowl before tugging Mina into a hug. The girls quickly begin to talk about their sleepover plans while you and Mingyu share glances then fond smiles. “Girls?” Your voice draws their attention causing them to stop for a moment with their rambles of excitement to look at you in question. “Yeah mommy?”

Clearing your throat, you wipe your lips with your napkin gesturing at their empty bowls speaking quietly but with authority. “Put your bowls in the sink and go play. Mina we are leaving in an hour. We aren’t staying as late as we did last night, especially if you are wanting your sleepover.”  

Both girls smile at you quickly following your request before you and Mingyu listen to the sounds of their feet heading towards Amy’s bedroom leaving you two seemingly alone. “You know, I’m surprised you said yes.” You smile at Mingyu’s words leaning towards the table beginning to help clean up dinner, his chair lightly scraping along the floor so he can help you do the same. 

“I’ve gone soft cub scout.” You listen to Mingyu laugh, it’s unlike his normal laugh, not as robust but instead it's almost warm and makes your skin tingle like a good sip of wine. “I’m glad, you deserve a little break once in a while Y/N. What will you do tomorrow evening?” Mingyu watches your brows furrow in thought, your back straightening while you hold bowls in both hands moving towards the kitchen and the sink. 

“Huh…you know? I hadn’t even considered that. I have literally no idea. I haven’t had a day really alone in 6 years. I mean there have been afternoons but never really a night. Mina never wants to stay with my parents overnight, this is the first time she has wanted to stay overnight somewhere.” Mingyu follows behind you to the kitchen, the rest of the soup in his hand. He nods, only stopping to grab a few pieces of tupperware from the cabinet before turning towards you listening. 

“Which, by the way, if she is a problem or has any problems obviously do not hesitate to call me. Literally it could be 2 in the morning. I will drive over here.” Grinning as he separates the rest of the soup into the leftovers containers, Mingyu nods then meets your eyes. “Don’t worry, you know I will keep in touch. I’m sure she will do fine but if we need you I will call you right away. I will always keep her safe Y/N. You are both very important to me, I��to Amy and I both. You know that.” 

If he were any closer he would feel the heat coming off your cheeks. You were surprised it wasn’t boiling the water while you washed the dishes. “Oh…I, yeah. I, we know that. You are both very important to us too and I trust you completely Mingyu. She can just be a little sensitive, or you know, even dramatic sometimes. I was just wanting to warn you.” 

Mingyu bites at his bottom lip pressing down on the lids of the containers glancing up at you to watch you rub the tips of your fingers together, soap dripping from your hands. “It’s okay. They are young, they’ve both already been through a lot. We can let them just be kids, can’t we? For one night?” 

Your gentle smile and nod causes Mingyu to mirror it moving to the fridge to put one of the containers away, placing the other next to your purse on the counter. “This one's for you to take home. You don’t need to cook tomorrow. You said you don’t know what to do with yourself alone? Put on your most comfortable pajamas, heat up the soup, get a glass of wine, turn on the tv, and turn off the world for the night.” 

It sounded like a dream. Something you never had time to do. Most nights after you got Mina home you barely took time to wash your makeup off completely before you fell into bed exhausted only to wake up the next morning, rise, and repeat. Mingyu grins, lifting his hand to cautiously push a piece of your hair from your eyes. “Then take a bath, not a shower. Take more than ten minutes to take care of yourself. Relax for once…” 

When you laugh and don’t pull away from his hand, Mingyu takes a subtle breath in gaining some courage. “I mean…I could try those things. It will be easier said than done.” You watch him laugh, a nod of understanding, his body leaned up against the counter next to you, closer than he had ever dared to stand before. 

“I get that but if you want to text me or call me to see how she is doing I won’t judge you. I will understand it completely. I will expect it actually, you are a great mother.” Your brain was running a million miles an hour. Has he always smelled this nice? When had his hand wrapped around your wrist? Why did it feel so nice to be touched by someone again? 

“Thank you, Mingyu. Really, like I said, I don’t say it enough. You literally make it possible for me to have the job I do so that I can take care of Mina.” Mingyu smiles so bright even as his brows furrow, his hands moving the towel along yours to dry them off. “I already told you that you never have to thank me for that.” 

“I know what you said but…” You walk with him, his gentle hand on your wrist leading you towards the living room only to stop short when he glances up to the doorframe then down the hall towards Amy’s room. Your eyes follow his making your words fall short into a small laugh when you see the poorly placed mistletoe that makes your chest and stomach feel warm and full. 

“Climbing on the furniture?” Mingyu nods, his fingers very softly tapping against your pulse point keeping you close but never making you stay. “I think they are trying to tell us something.” You chew at your bottom lip considering that and how Mina had acted the night before when you hear the sound of whispers from behind you and Mingyu. 

Neither girl was as quiet as she thought she was but both you and Mingyu could pretend for them to help them keep their little Hallmark moment. Tilting your head, your eyes narrow very slightly at Mingyu when you take a step backwards towards the living room bringing him with you under the doorframe and the mistletoe. 

Mingyu chuckles quietly under his breath, his glance over your shoulder barely finding the girls as they peek over the sofa waiting with baited breath for you both to follow the Christmas rules. When Mingyu looks up at the mistletoe showing faux surprise you can’t help but to laugh quickly covering it up by pressing your lips together. “Well, Miss. Y/L/N we seem to have found ourselves under the mistletoe. There are rules about that aren’t there?” 

Amy squeals only for Mina to elbow her side, muttering for her to be quiet while they watch. You roll your eyes at the perfectly charming and silly gentleman in front of you. His hand moves from your wrist to your cheek so he can push your hair over your ear waiting for you to speak but he almost renders you speechless with one simple act. “I–oh. Mistletoe?” 

Mingyu watches your eyes move to glance at the mistletoe before they meet him again taking his breath away. The Christmas light plays off the color of your eyes making them sparkle. “There are rules, I believe you owe me a kiss Mr. Kim.” You watch a smile spread wider across his lips when you all but ask for him to kiss you. He had been waiting for that moment for months. 

“You’re right, I’m such a fool. I knew that, may I?” His thumb on your cheek, his fingers splayed along the side of your face next to your ear Mingyu leans towards you when you nod and whisper yes and a small please. Mina is the one who lets out a small squeal this time when Mingyu’s lips brush over yours. 

“It worked Amy…” Her little eyes threatening tears once again, she clings to her best friend while you two share your first simple kiss. It wasn’t anything they hadn’t seen in their movies but it felt more important even when you two stepped away from each other and laughed. You both seemed to glow in your daughter’s eyes. To them it was like seeing you both really happy for the first time in possibly forever. 

Mingyu rubs his lips together, having to fight the urge to want to kiss you again and more fully. His eyes meet yours as you laugh, the warmth of your cheek under his thumb making him laugh when you reach up to move his hand down. Clearing your throat you carefully step away fixing your hair back from around your ear turning around pretending to be surprised when you see the girls behind the couch. “Girls! Were you spying?” 

Both girls giggle loudly and duck back down making your and Mingyu’s hearts feel impossibly warmer and larger that night. His fingers brush over yours again causing you to look up at him meeting his gaze when he winks at you. He was entirely unfair. You look away like a shy school girl hearing him laugh moving his hand away walking into the living room to look for the girls as he leaned over the couch. 

“Now how did that mistletoe get there hmm?” Amy looks up at her dad with a grin and a laugh only to be picked up and pulled over the couch in a fit of giggles. You watch as Mina moves around the couch trying to playfully help her friend, Mingyu letting the two girls quickly over take him beating him in “fair” combat before he surrenders only to pin them both, tickling them into another giggle fit. 

You rest your hand against your chest over your heart leaning against the door frame still under the mistletoe while you watch. Tears threatening your eyes much like they had for Mina as you listen to her giggle louder than you had in months or maybe even years. If anyone had asked you what you wanted for Christmas at that exact moment you’d tell them nothing because you had just been given it. 

“Mistletoe, add a big check. In fact, I think we can use the red colored pencil.” Amy laughs at Mina’s enthusiasm, the notebook on her lap, colored pencils laying on her bed next to her. “Got it. So, the teacher today was talking about how at holidays we get presents, right?”  

Mina nods along with Amy’s words, her eyes following the other small hand as Amy makes the check mark next to the word mistletoe. “But she said that mommy’s and daddy’s don’t always want toys or games like we do.” Mina furrows her brows because this had been something she understood even though she did very much want a new doll from her list she also knew she wanted her family plans with Amy more. 

“Yeah, she said to write them a letter telling them how much you love them.��� Amy smiles, her brows wiggling much like Mina had seen Mr. Kim’s before after he had told them he had a surprise only for it to be dessert. “What Amy? Do you have an idea?” Nodding, the other girl moves to her knees on her bed, tearing out two sheets of paper from the notebook and handing one to Mina. 

“We write letters to them and tell them why we think they should get married. I think they are already there. If this were on Hallmark we’d be only like two commercials from the end of the movie and the wedding. Your mommy needs time to pick out the best dress and my daddy probably already has a ring. He’s super smart like that.” Mina looked at her piece of paper before picking up a purple pencil considering her best friend’s words. She did have a point, if they were living by their movie logic this was all very much to plan but their parents could use a little push in the right direction. 

“So a list of props and coms?” Amy nods excited, already scribbling on her page with a green pencil. “Yeah if you want to do it that way. Like they should get married because then your mommy wouldn’t have to worry about driving as far to work anymore.” Mina makes a sound of appreciation before nodding. Her pencil moves across her own page as she starts her list. 

“Seriously, Amy…this is why you have all the stickers on your grade sheet. You really are one of the smartest people I know. Like mommy is the smartest then your daddy but you are right up there with them.” Amy beams at the compliment only looking up from her letter to her dad to watch Mina work for a moment. This was already the best sleepover either of them had ever had ever had, even if it was the first. 

Mingyu had fed the girls dinner over an hour ago, leftover soup, before letting them go off to play. He had already told them they could stay up for a little while longer than usual but that he wouldn’t be tricked into letting them pull an all-nighter. Deep down he knew that neither of them would be able to do that no matter how hard they’d want to try. 

Now he found himself stretched out on his favorite spot on the couch, his phone on his chest while he flipped aimlessly through channels on tv. Nothing had really caught his attention yet but mostly because he couldn’t get you off his mind. He had sent you a text just letting you know that everything was going well, you had responded happily to know it. 

His lips pursed, Mingyu had told himself not to bother you beyond that. He himself had given you the advice to turn the world off. How could you do that if you had him texting you the entire night? It didn’t stop him from kinda wishing you would, even if it wasn’t about Mina. He had started to wonder if you hadn’t felt the same way about the innocent kiss as he had. 

You were staring at your phone ignoring the tv completely. It would be so easy to just pick up the phone and text him, or even call him. You could even use the excuse of wanting to check on Mina. God that felt cheap, using your daughter as an excuse. Picking up your wine you all but pout into the glass taking a long sip of the alcohol lost in thought. 

Why were you being such a wimp about this? He was just a guy, but was he? Of course he wasn’t. It was Mingyu. Mr. PTA, Mr. drooled over by every single other mother even the ones who weren’t single. This was Amy’s dad and at the end of the day that’s what really mattered. 

Your wine sat down next to your phone, you swipe up the empty soup bowl taking it to the kitchen to wash only to glance back over your shoulder to the phone. “Fine…fine! Jesus, maybe he won’t think I’m completely pathetic.” Plopping back down on the couch you pick up the phone, pulling your legs under you before beginning to plot out what you’d try to text first. 

Y/N: Hi, please don’t think I am a helicopter mom. How are things with Mina? How is your evening going?

God, had you sounded desperate? Was there an unsend button? There really was no way to put in an “autocorrect” mistake with how you had typed this. It was pretty clear and to the point that this was how you had meant to type the message. Picking up your wine you take a larger sip and wait, your knee bouncing lightly against the material of the couch from nerves. 

Mingyu felt his phone vibrate on his chest causing him to jump slightly glancing around as if someone was going to point and laugh at him for being startled by it. When he saw no one else, he cleared his throat and grinned seeing your name. Of course you had asked about Mina, he had expected nothing else but you had also asked about his evening. 

Kim Mingyu: Hey! Please, I’ve told you that you are a great mom. That will never change. Things are great, the girls were playing in Amy’s room. Quiet, perhaps too quiet but they are good kids. I don’t think I have much to worry about. Do you want me to tell her you said hi? I’m doing pretty good, just watching some tv. How about you? Are you trying to relax? Did you follow my advice?

Y/N: Yes, please, and tell her that I love her. Your evening sounds a bit like mine but yes I am trying to follow your advice. (picture attached) 

Smiling Mingyu looks at the picture of the wine in your hand, the base resting against your leg that was covered in fuzzy Christmas themed pajama pants decorated with candy canes. His stomach felt tighter knowing you were comfortable and he hoped that you had little to no worries. It made him feel good to know that maybe he had helped you feel that way at least for a little while. 

Kim Mingyu: Of course I will tell her. Very cute. I think I have a matching pair. Oh I think that there is some cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie on. If you are into that sort of thing. It looked pretty sweet. Just another recommendation. 

‘Very cute’ This was fine. You were fine. Your cheeks were simply burning from your face from your wine not his text. Sure, and you hadn’t thought about kissing him again all day long. Sighing out a long slow breath you take a sip of your wine shaking your head to try to clear it. 

Y/N: Oh? I will have to take a look. Is that what you are watching? A cheesy romantic movie alone on a Friday night?

Again, why was there not an unsend button on phones? You would think that the creators of such technology would know that people could not be trusted with their own words and needed at least a minute between each text being seen to consider what they had done. Instead you watch the message go to read and the three little bubbles pop up signaling that Mingyu was typing back to you. 

Mingyu laughs, reaching behind his head to scratch at his neck. Was that a burn mixed in with a flirt? Is that what is happening right now? He didn’t want to presume but at the same time he was so tired of being afraid to do or say anything around you. He had shown that last night, granted a lot of it had been to not disappoint the girls but also to not disappoint himself for the 100th night in a row. 

Kim Mingyu: Sometimes, all I’m missing is a glass of wine and someone to watch it with. I’d invite you to join me but I already gave you the night off. Should we do a rain check?

Was that a date invitation? Has the world begun to spin in the other direction? You were incredibly off kilter staring at your phone and his text in thought. Your fingers rubbing together, you chew on your lips trying to weigh out the pros and cons of accepting and rejecting him. If you accepted the rain check, pros would be; a lovely evening with a movie, a nice glass of wine, perhaps another kiss, who knows what else. Which then led you to the cons; who knew what would happen. It could end miserably and ruin your friendship with Mingyu while also ruining a friendship for your daughter. 

Y/N: As much as I’d like to say yes to that, perhaps we need to remember who we are and who is around us. 

His hands felt like weights but Mingyu understood what you were saying even if he didn’t want to. Leaning his head back on the couch, he sighed heavily when he heard a soft whimpering sound from behind him. Laying the phone down Mingyu shifted to look seeing Mina standing in the hall rubbing her eyes, tears running towards her lips. 

“Mina, honey, what’s wrong? Come here.” The small girl wasted no time moving towards the couch curling her smaller body up to his making Mingyu take in a deep breath, his hand pushing her hair back so he could check her over for injuries or any signs of what was making her upset. “Talk to me, why are you crying? Did something happen with Amy?” 

Shaking her head Mina whimpers looking up only resulting in making Mingyu coo in concern. His large thumbs wiping away her tears that seemed far too large for her small eyes. “Amy’s asleep. I was too but I had a bad dream and woke up. Mommy’s not here.” 

Mingyu frowned but nodded, holding the little girl closer trying to comfort her like he had with Amy many times before. “You want me to call your mommy? She already told me to tell you hi and that she loves you but I know she’d be over here in just a little while to get you if you want her to. No one is making you stay the entire night Mina.” 

Mina whines, shaking her head fervently, her hand gripping at Mingyu’s sweater. “I don’t wanna go home yet. I miss mommy but I don’t wanna leave. I wanna do the sleepover.” Mingyu nods, leaning to pick up his phone, pressing your picture on the screen to call you, making your brows furrow when you see his face pop up on your screen, having only expected a text message back. 

“Hello?” You clear your throat answering the phone, the screen pressed to your ear, nerves eating at your stomach making you wonder even more why he was calling. It isn’t until you hear Mina’s tiny sobs that you sit up more in concern. Your voice quickly changes pitch, “Is she okay? I’m getting my shoes.” 

“Y/N, no no, she’s okay. She just had a bad dream. She said she’s missing you. I thought if she could talk to you on the phone it might help. She was adamant she didn’t want to leave the sleepover.” Your whine reminds Mingyu of Mina’s causing him to close his eyes before he hands the phone to Mina who holds it with two hands to her wet cheek to meet her ear. 

“Mommy?” Her shaky voice almost breaks your heart but also warms it at the same time causing you to sink back down on the couch. “Baby, are you okay? Talk to me. Min-Mr. Kim said you had a bad dream?” 

You listen as the little girl recounts what she can remember of her dream. Something about a dark room at school and no one remembering to pick her up. Something that had never and would never happen, she knew that even as you promised and explained it. “Baby I will be there first thing in the morning to pick you up, I swear. Are you sure you don’t want me to come get you tonight? You know it doesn’t ruin the sleepover right?” 

Mina whines causing you to smile, “Mommy no, please and if you come too early that isn’t good either. I wanna eat breakfast here. I’ve never had Mr. Kim’s breakfast. Wait Mommy you come eat breakfast too, like a family? Please?”

Mingyu watches Mina curiously, his brow raising at the word family. He was surprised how much it made his heart tighten and how much he wanted you to agree to the invitation. You chew on your lip with a sigh bringing your fingers up to pinch at the bridge of your nose considering everything that had happened, including turning Mingyu’s date invitation down. 

“Mina…” The sound of your voice makes Mina start to tear up because she’s heard you say her name that way so many times, that is your ‘I’m about to say something disappointing’ tone. “Mommy, please!” The panic in her voice causes your heart rate to speed up when you realize how important this is to her, you weren’t stupid you had heard her call it a family. 

“I–okay. I’ll be there for breakfast.” Mingyu watches the smile form on Mina’s lips making it impossible for him not to smile. “She said she’ll come to breakfast. I’ll even set the table Mr. Kim, I promise I’ll sleep the rest of the night. I love you Mommy. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Mingyu takes the phone back, able to hear you tell Mina that you love her too, so much, just before the girl slides off the couch running back towards Amy’s room and bed. “She’s back to bed I guess.” You let out a tired laugh feeling a bit caught by your daughter, leaning back on to your couch with a small groan. 

“I told you she’s dramatic. I’m sorry Mingyu, I’m sure I can just take her out for breakfast once I get there. You don’t have to cook all that food for us.” Mingyu frowns when you start to talk your way out of breakfast, his disappointment clear in his voice. “I won’t make you stay for breakfast but I would very much like for you to be there too. It really did seem important to Mina…and now I’ll be honest it’s starting to feel important to me as well.” 

The silence on the phone is almost deafening to Mingyu, he can hear your soft breath but he has no idea what you are doing or thinking. Had he crossed a line? “Y/N? I’m sorry if I–” You shake your head and speak up to cut him off when he starts to apologize. “No, I’m sorry. I’m really guarded for myself and for Mina. It’s been hard Mingyu, but I’m sure you have your own understanding of that. It’s easier to push away than it is to let anyone close.” 

If there was anything he understood it was that. There had been other opportunities in the past for relationships but he had never even truly considered them, not until you. He was terrified to hurt Amy and in honesty he was afraid to get hurt. Now he was afraid to hurt you and Mina though he knew he’d never do it on purpose. 

“Yeah, no I get that completely. But if I can tell you something without you maybe thinking that I am a complete idiot or hell, that I’m going too fast…” You feel yourself start to panic at his words but you stay silent wanting to hear what he has to say. “Don’t we deserve a chance? Don’t the girls deserve it maybe? I don’t mean to use the girls like that, because that isn’t what I’m trying to do so please don’t think I am, but it’s very clear to me that they are trying to say something.” 

You know he isn’t wrong so you nod but then remember it’s a phone call. “You are right. They have been…trying. Dinners, mistletoe, “family”. Mingyu, what if things don’t work out for us? That’s all I can think about. I’m truly the worst when it comes to this. I make a list of pros and cons and even if my pros list is 100 times longer than my cons list those cons weigh 1000 times more. “ 

Mingyu sighs into a laugh and you can picture him nodding, his hand rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ve thought about that too, but I’ve also wanted to give this a try for months. Kissing you yesterday was more than just because of some mistletoe and because the girls wanted us to. I should have asked to kiss you long before that. There is so much I want to give you in your life and in Mina’s…because you have given Amy and I so much already.” 

“Mingyu, please.” He smiles when you almost cut him off, your voice pleading in such a soft way it makes him wish you were beside him so he could touch you. “I’m serious Y/N. One step at a time maybe? We don’t have to say anything to the girls yet, we can just see how we feel and we can also remember that no matter how it goes for us we aren’t the important ones at the end of the day. What do you think?” 

More of that deafening silence, god you were good with suspense. Mingyu chewed at his cheek looking over the lights of the Christmas tree, the gentle flickering almost memorizing him until you finally spoke. “Okay, I’d like to try, as long as we really do promise to remember to keep the girls first and not ruin their relationship.” 

“I promise, with my entire heart I will not let that happen. I also will do my best to never hurt you, I think you’ve had enough of that in your life.” You close your eyes and mutter under your breath making Mingyu’s brows furrow while he leans forward looking down at his hand between his knees. “What did you say? You were really quiet.” 

Your laugh makes him smile once again even as you sigh. “I was mainly talking to myself but I was just saying, please don’t say that to me Mingyu.” He shakes his head letting his teeth pull at his bottom lip not willing to give up that easily. “Sorry, no take backs. I mean what I say.” 

Mingyu couldn’t help how many times he looked at you during breakfast. He hadn’t had the chance to see you early in the morning on too many occasions and if he had to admit it to himself he would love this opportunity more often. If it were possible you were even more beautiful in the early light, the sunlight in your hair, that soft smile on your lips any time you caught him staring at you. 

Your cheeks had not stopped burning from the moment you had stepped inside the Kim residence an hour or so ago. Mingyu’s handsome smile kept catching your eye and you kept finding him unabashedly watching you. There was no way his attention was going unnoticed by the girls so you just did your best to keep yourself calm and not give off the wrong impression. 

“So, did you enjoy the sleepover girls? What did you do?” Mina smiles at you, glancing between you and Mingyu before stabbing at her pancake while Amy answers your question. “We painted our nails, oh and daddy’s. Show Miss. Y/L/N how pretty we did daddy.” Mingyu sighs before extending his fingers out to you to show the pink nail polish covering some of his nails. 

You laugh reaching to take his fingers into your hand running your thumb over his index fingernail appraising their work with a nod. “Mmm yes, this is good work. You will have to keep helping him out. There is no way he can look this pretty all on his own.” 

Mingyu’s thumb grazes your palm causing you to look up into his eyes, your hand slowly moving from his. A smile growing larger on his lips when you clear your throat looking back at the kids. “What else did you do?” The girls go on to explain how they colored, played dolls, and made you both a present drawing Mingyu’s attention with those final words. 

Even with his mouth full of pancake he makes a questioning sound tilting his head. “What sort of present?” Mina laughs at his muffled words shaking her head, “Mr. Kim! Don’t talk with your mouth full, bad manners.” When you laugh putting your fingers over your lips, Mingyu smiles looking over at you nodding before looking back to Mina after swallowing his bite of food. 

“Mmm you are right, I apologize. My manners have returned, I promise. Now explain these presents.” You can’t seem to take your eyes off of Mingyu until Amy starts to speak, talking about how you two will have to wait until after breakfast. “They are like early Christmas presents but you have to get them before Christmas, you understand?” 

Neither of you really understood but yet you both nodded to keep the girls happy telling them to finish their breakfast. Shared looks of some concern, you and Mingyu sip at your coffees when he nods and gets up to start clearing the table. “Well I can tell you this, no matter if we are getting early gifts or not, that does not mean anyone else is getting early Christmas gifts. I will not be bribed.” 

Watching the girls finish their pancakes, you smile at Mingyu’s playful words before you stand to start helping him clean up. Each girl handing over their plate giggling when turned with a small surprised gasp to find Mingyu right behind you. “Sorry, I was going to…” Mingyu takes a step back so he isn’t breathing on to your cheek, his gaze unconsciously lingering over your lips. 

“It’s okay, I’ve got the dishes this time. Why don’t you and the girls just enjoy the Christmas tree for a little bit while I finish up? Then we can figure out this present ordeal…” Mingyu smiles when you nod, taking a step away from him. Your eyes glancing back over your shoulder even as the girls pull on either of your hands to drag you towards the living room excited to turn on a movie with you. 

By the time Mingyu finishes and makes his way to the living room he stops short in order to just take in the scene. Mina curled up against your right side and Amy on your left, both of the girls watching some Christmas movie on the tv while your fingers brush over their hair. This was what Mingyu wanted for Christmas, no one had asked him of course but they never needed to. He didn’t want physical possessions, he wanted this with you. 

You smile when you look up realizing Mingyu is leaning against the wall watching you. Gesturing with your head you signal for him to join you with the kids. Amy is the first of the kids to notice her dad smiling brightly when he moves to sit beside her putting his arm behind you all on the couch. Her eyes meet Mina’s across your lap where they share an enthusiastic smile. Neither one wanted to move just yet, this was the closest thing they had to a “complete” family for their entire life. 

Logically both of them knew that not every family had a mommy and a daddy. All families were built differently but it hadn’t stopped them from wanting that dream and when they had become friends it all had started to fit together like a puzzle that somehow no one had lost any of the pieces. Mina nuzzles against your stomach making you smile, your fingers threading through her soft hair while Amy drags your hand from her head down to her side where Mingyu’s free hand is, your hands brushing lightly. 

Mingyu takes in a deep breath meeting your eyes, a gentle smile on his lips as the small girl’s hand tries to hold both of you closely. Neither of you had the heart to move them now. Not while they watched their movie, not while they seemed so content and happy. You wanted more happy days for Mina. Mingyu wanted them for Amy. 

When you lean your head back and to the side, finding Mingyu’s arm behind you, the corner of his lips turn up. “I can move if you want.” He smiles a bit brighter when you shake your head no but you also don’t move your head. Instead he watches you lean your head against his arm while you watch the movie. Mingyu isn’t sure what the movie is even about, he isn’t sure he’d even care now. He can’t take his eyes off you or his mind off the feeling of you against him. 

If it wasn’t for the cheerful music signaling the end of the movie not even the kids would have really realized the movie was over. They too had started to enjoy the warmth of the four of you curled up on the couch, the fire crackling nearby. Amy stretches, finally letting go of your and Mingyu’s hands leaning up to stretch, Mina quickly mimicking her. You both watch as smiles spread across their faces before the girls slide off the couch. “Both of you just…stay here.” 

Mingyu laughs though he glances at you a bit sad when you sit up and slightly away from him but he knows why. “We won’t move Mina.” Amy grabs her hand dragging her towards her bedroom to presumingly grab the ‘early Christmas presents.’ You take a breath stretching a bit on the couch before feeling his eyes on you causing you to look over at Mingyu. 

“Hi…” Just a simple word from his lips makes your skin prickle and a shy smile to creep along your lips. When you glance down at your hands Mingyu laughs, glancing back towards the hall to check on the girls before sliding closer to you. His fingers gently tilting your head back up to look at him. “I’m really glad you are here Y/N. I’m glad you came to breakfast and that you haven’t left yet…this is really nice seeing you for longer. Not feeling like you are always rushing out the door needing to get something done.” 

His fingers push your hair along your neck causing your eyes to move along his face, from his lips to his eyes while you listen to him talk. “And I hope you don’t find me to be too forward and possibly an ass but if I don’t just say what I’m thinking with you I’ll chicken out and never say anything.” You laugh finding yourself just barely leaning into his delicate touch. “I think…I’d rather you just say it Mingyu. I can’t play games. Like you said I’m always rushing and there is a reason for that usually.” 

Mingyu’s thumb glides along your cheekbone while his eyes seem to trace over your face like he wants to commit it to memory. “But we also have to be careful around the girls and not forget our promises. Remember?” He nods but doesn’t move, he simply points to his ear and smiles at you. “I’m listening for them and you can see over my shoulder. I just wanted a moment and I’ll move back, but I have to tell you that you are so beautiful. You always are but this morning you have taken my breath away every single time I have looked at you.” 

Mingyu laughs when you try to look away, his thumb catching your chin turning your head back up to him. Your shy eyes meet his once again while he speaks. “And I know you know I have been looking at you quite a bit today. I apologize for that, I know it’s forward of me, but again like you said, no more games.” 

You start to speak but Mingyu drops his hand and slides back a couple of inches, clearly hearing something you hadn’t but then you see the girls move around the hall. He smiles at you giving you a quick wink when you sit up a bit more trying to make it appear as if nothing was going on. You both quickly find out that neither of the kids would have noticed anyway, both of them holding a decorated piece of folded paper in their hands, their eyes on the paper. 

“What ya got girls?” You smile at Mingyu's voice that seems to bring the kids out of their concentration and back to reality. Mina looks to Amy for her to take the lead knowing she had the most courage of the two of them. You feel your heart tighten slightly leaning forward reaching for Mina who takes a step towards you but doesn’t offer you the paper just yet. 

“So we were learning about how not everybody wants toys and games for Christmas in school.” Mingyu nods along with Amy’s words reaching up to push her hair behind her ear, a smile on his lips. “Mm, that's very true.” She smiles finally meeting her dad’s eyes, most of her courage returning when she shows him the piece of paper. “Mina and I don’t just want those either. So we’ve made these for you.” 

When Mina hands you the letter, you tilt her head up with your free hand smiling at her gaining one in return. “Did you decorate this too?” She nods, chewing at her lip causing you to laugh. “It’s so pretty, so many colors. Do you want us to read them now?” Mina nods, clearing her throat in an attempt to gain her own courage. 

“Yes, please. They are very portant. I mean important.” Mingyu reaches over to brush his hand over her head when she corrects her word, a smile on his lips as Amy lays her letting in his hand. You watch the girls link their hands taking a few steps back choosing to sit on the floor, their eyes on you both in anticipation. Mingyu sighs a bit nervously, his glance meeting yours while his fingers unfold the letter carefully. You follow his lead doing the same with Mina’s, your eyes beginning to move over the page and her obviously carefully written words. 

‘Dear Mommy, 

First of tall, I love you very much. You are the best mommy in the whold wide world. Thank you for being my mommy. I do want dolls for Cristmas but I want something else too so I know how you make lists. I thoght I could do that too. 

Props and Coms to you and Mr. Kim getting married: ‘ 

You look up at your daughter, your cheeks burning warm even though she smiles at you. Her spelling has gotten much better, that was your first observation. You were very proud of her but the context of the letter while not surprising was still a shock. Mingyu glances over at your letter, unable to stop the smile that crosses his lips before he returns to his own. 

‘Dear Daddy,

I love you mostest. Even more than chocolate ice cream. I know you are the smartost person in the world so this won’t be a surprise. I don’t think I want anything for Cristmas. I mean if you ready got me presents that’s ok, I know Santa will bring more. I have been real good. But I want you to marry Miss. Y/L/N. I want her to be my mommy. I know she makes you smile like when I tell you a joke even though she is not funny. She’s really pretty. I know you tink so too. So I figure you ready have a ring like the boys in the Hallmark movie so maybe you can give it to her on Cristmas. Be a gennleman daddy. 

Love, Amy’ 

Mingyu takes a deep breath finishing his letter while you are still going over the list of pros and cons or as Mina had put them props and coms for why you and Mingyu should be married. Less time on the road for you, she could have a daddy, you could have a husband. You sink into the couch continuing to read, realizing there were no “coms”. 

Mina chews on her cheek watching you carefully finally moving to her feet to come to your side looking over your arm. Her little finger pointing to the last “prop” on her list. “That one is my most important reason. I like to see you smile and Mr. Kim does that the most.” 

You swallow hard, attempting to keep yourself composed while you nod at her explanation. All eyes following your hands when you fold your letter back up and put it in your lap. “Um…girls.” That tone in your voice, the disappointing one that Mina knew. Amy watches Mina’s bottom lip start to tremble, the girl sliding from your grip but you aren’t quick enough to catch her before Mina is down the hall. 

Mingyu frowns a bit folding his own letter, he wasn’t sure how to react to it all either. He hated to disappoint the girls but it wasn’t as easy as they wanted it to be. He watches you run your fingers through your hair before you stand and follow Mina down the hall, the soft click of a door opening and shutting then silence. 

Amy doesn’t look up at her dad, the disappointment hanging in the air like a heavy fog. “Amy?” Hearing her name, she still doesn’t look up, instead Amy makes a sound to acknowledge that she had heard her dad causing him to slide off the couch into the floor with her. “It was a very nice letter, from both of you. A wonderful gift, thank you baby.” 

She was strong, rarely cried so when tears slipped down her cheeks Mingyu had to hold his own back. “Oh, no honey. Listen, Y/N and I…adults are complicated. It’s not like the movies. Baby no one is trying to hurt you or Mina. I would give anything to give you the family you obviously want so badly…but things don’t happen for anyone in two hours like you see on tv. I know what you and Mina are trying to do and it’s so sweet of you both but can you do me a favor and try to let me and Y/N worry about the heavy stuff?” 

Amy lets her dad hold her close, his fingers brushing away her tears while she nods. His heart still beating quickly listening to her soft sobs. “You are so young, don’t worry about playing matchmaker right now. Just worry about having fun with your best friend, about school, and about how much you are going to enjoy Christmas.” 

Mingyu watches his daughter shrug her shoulders, his cheek meeting her forehead while he listens to her talk between soft whimpers. “I will try, but daddy I just wanted us to be…” He nods as her voice trails off because he knows what she wanted and honestly what he was wanting too. “All I can ask is that you try.” 

Mina clings to you, both of you sitting on Amy’s bed surrounded by stuffed animals and dolls. Her little hands hold tightly into your sweater even though you knew she was upset at you. You hadn’t pressured her to talk, you had only told her how much you loved her and how sorry you were to disappoint her. It felt like you were always disappointing her. 

“Did I not write it good enough?” Your own eyes close tightly, fighting back the urge to let tears slip from your eyes. “You wrote the letter so well. It was beautiful, Mina. I just need for you to try to understand that life doesn’t work that way. No matter if we want it to or not.” 

She didn’t understand that, not when you looked so happy around Mr. Kim and then when you were at home you seemed sad. This was just logical to Mina. “I have so much to think about when it comes to who I would be with. My own pros and cons list would be much different, baby. You didn’t list a single con but I’m afraid there are always going to be cons.” 

Mina shakes her head glancing up at you like you are speaking gibberish. “Like what? He’s so  nice. You are nice. He cooks good and he has Amy. He’s a good daddy.” Your fingers work to untangle her hair while you sigh nodding. “You are right, I don’t disagree with those baby, but what about if Mr. Kim and I don’t end up getting along? I have to put you first always. Everyday I wake up with you in my mind and how I can make your life better.” 

You watch her eyes blink out large tears that trail over her cheeks only to be wiped away by you. “My life, our life would be better with them.” You didn’t disagree with her but you couldn’t give her false hope when you were so uncertain of everything. The relationship with Mingyu had barely even begun. “Maybe, yes, but how about we just take this all one day at a time? Can you do that for me?” 

You get a skeptical look from Mina who only when she meets your sad eyes does she nod. “Thank you. I love you so much, Mina and I would never hurt you. Not if I can help it, it is my job to keep you safe and healthy. That’s why I have to make decisions you might not like or go slowly with things even if it’s not how you want it to be right now. I know that’s a lot, maybe for you to understand but let’s just get through Christmas okay?” 

Mina sighs, reaching up to wipe her nose with the back of her hand making you sigh. “Okay but only if you promise we will come here for Christmas.” She was so good at trapping you when you were weak, truly your child. “Okay, we will come here for Christmas, but only if you put this behind you and work hard at school.” 

Sitting up Mina offers you her pinky drawing another sigh out of your mouth. “It’s serious business mommy.” You laugh, nodding when you link your pinky with hers, both of you leaning to kiss the top of your fingers sealing your promise. “No take backs.” 

There were a few days when you were able to sleep in. Very few holidays that were deemed important enough that your work actually allowed you to have them off but Christmas was one of them. So you hadn’t set an alarm, instead you had planned foolishly to allow yourself time to sleep thinking you would get to sleep in to maybe even 8 in the morning. 

When Mina’s body lands on top of yours, her excited voice in your ear all you can manage is a whine. Your hand pulling at her to tug her under the covers trying to make her realize it was far too early for this. “Mommy, Merry Christmas! We have to get up, what? No! No, under the covers silly. It’s already 5 in the morning. We are going to be late!” 

“Late?!” You whine out the word and tug your daughter back to you hugging her tightly making her laugh. “I promise you Mina that Mingyu and Amy are not getting up right now, and if Amy has, Mingyu has done this exact thing to her. Now shh, sleep more.” Mine smiles curling her body into yours nuzzling under your chin listening to you talk. 

“Mommy?” Her voice makes you let out a tired questioning sound, her fingers playing with the fabric of your night shirt. “You said Mr. Kim’s first name. You’ve been doing that a lot more.” Shaking your head, you pull her closer turning on your back. Mina watches you throw your arm over your face in the low light, a laugh on her lips. “Go back to sleep Mina. Give me at least another hour. Your mom is tired, and all she wants for Christmas is sleep.” 

Mina smiles at your words nudging up against you with a small yawn, she had been wide awake but why was your bed always more comfortable than hers? It was so warm and you were so warm and felt so safe. She only nods a couple times before Mina is back asleep on your chest in a few minutes. 

You hadn’t been wrong that Amy had attempted to wake Mingyu up just as early only to be wrapped in a blanket now squished up next to him softly snoring. Mingyu had managed to get around an hour more of sleep but as the sun began to rise he couldn’t help but open his eyes along with it. It seemed unusually bright, Mingyu had to squint sliding out of bed carefully not to wake Amy making his way over to the window to peek out. He can’t help but to smile a bit seeing a fresh layer of snow on the ground. “She’s getting everything she wants for Christmas it seems…” 

Amy whines making Mingyu turn around seeing his daughter waking back up. She was struggling with his blanket that he had wrapped around her in attempts to in his own way swaddle his 6 year old daughter. A laugh falling from his lips he moves to help her untangle the fabric letting her sit up and stretch, her hair pointing in all different directions while she squints from the same light that had woken him up. “It’s bright…” 

Mingyu runs his hand over her hair trying to tame some of the hair but he knows only a brush will really do the trick. “Mmhm, you should go into the living room and see why.” Amy grins, beginning to catch on to her dad’s meaning. Mingyu chuckles following behind his daughter, her feet hitting the hardwood floors quickly in excitement, a happy gasp leaving her mouth when she finally crawls up on the couch to look out of the window seeing the snow. 

“Christmas miracles! Daddy, I asked Santa for snow!” Mingyu pretends to not know everything that Amy had asked for, simply letting his eyes widen in surprise. “And it seems like he probably left a bunch of the other stuff under the tree.” Amy giggles when Mingyu sits down next to her before she glances towards the tree in awe at all the different gifts. 

“Woah! Why are there so many?” Mingyu can’t help but to cover his amused smile with his hand shrugging a bit when Amy crawls off into the floor to look at the gifts. “Oh my gosh, daddy! Santa brought Mina’s gifts here! How did he know? That’s so cool! You should call Miss. Y/L/N and tell her right now.” 

Amy keeps carefully digging through the gifts, almost beginning to sort them while Mingyu shakes his head suppressing his laughter. “Should I? I will send her a text. How does that sound? Then I will start breakfast and you will keep your little paws off the presents. You will instead go take a brush to your hair and try to make it look like you didn’t get electrocuted.” 

Pursing her lips in confusion, Amy turns to sit on her knees looking up at her dad as he pulls his phone from his sweatpants. She watches him send you a quick text, her head titling before he meets her eyes and laughs at her expression. “What’s that look for?”

“What’s lectrocuted?” Mingyu sighs and shakes his head trying to think how he could explain it, reading a text back from you, a grin spreading over his face. “It’s uh…you know what electricity is. The lights, when you get shocked. Your hair goes all over like that. Now go brush your hair Einstein. Mina will be here soon.” 

“My name is Amy, you know my name Daddy. Just because you were reading your phone…gosh boys are so weird.” Laughing Mingyu simply puts his phone on the counter getting to work on Christmas breakfast hoping he will have at least most of it done before you arrive.

When you and Mina finally make it inside you are pulling her back to get her out of her jacket and shoes before letting her run off to find Amy. The smell of food hitting your nose makes you take in a deep breath, your mouth watering almost instantly. Walking through the house you find Mingyu in the kitchen, a smile on his face when you are finally close enough. “You finally just let yourself in for once.” 

He laughs watching you roll your eyes, his own eyes surveying behind you only to step closer his hand running along your hip to pull you in a bit closer. “Morning…” Your cheeks warm instantly at his touch and attention. You still weren’t used to it and having to hide it from the girls made it even harder, but you still can’t help the smile on your lips. “Good morning.” 

Mingyu’s lips press to yours gently and briefly before he lets you turn your head to see what he is working on at the stove. “It’s almost done. I thought I’d go a little traditional and a little not. I made some waffles, bacon, eggs, kimchi fried rice, and pajeon.” You shake your head reaching to pick up a piece of the bacon, biting off a piece then putting it to his mouth letting him take the rest from your fingers.

“You cooked enough for 10 people, Gyu.” He laughs swallowing the bacon, his neck heating up when you shorten his name. He still wasn’t used to it but he loved hearing it but he thought to himself there would be other names for him from you he might like even more. “Maybe but we can eat what we have leftover for lunch and then some of this like the rice will heat up really well for snacks.” 

Always thinking ahead. One of the many things you found out that you loved about him. No, that you liked about him. You have to correct yourself even in your head clearing your throat nodding to his words. Taking one of the serving dishes you watch him carry three balancing one plate on his arm making you shake your head while you follow him into the dining room. Your eyes follow him but do seem to travel over his body until he makes a sound having caught you. 

“Hmm, remind me later that I need to give you a Christmas present when we can be alone.” You start to complain but the girls running into the room at the smell of food cuts you off. “Oh my gosh! Mr. Kim, this looks so good!” Mingyu grins at Mina’s complement reaching over to ruffle her hair while the two girls take their seats. You start to move back to help him get the rest of the food but find him standing behind you. 

“I’ve got the rest. Let me get your chair.” Amy makes an ooo sound causing Mina to giggle when Mingyu pulls out your chair for you, letting you sit down. “Daddy, so gentleman like.” Mingyu shoots finger guns at his daughter with a wink playfully making you laugh. “You said it right, I’m proud of you baby.” 

Amy laughs rolling her eyes at her dad’s antics, her gaze finding you while you run your fingers over your hair trying to regain your composure. “Miss. Y/L/N, did daddy tell you about Santa bringing all the gifts here?” You smile at her and nod, leaning to start dishing out some food to the girls while Mingyu brings in the rest taking his seat. 

“He did, that’s very exciting and convenient.” Mina laughs at how you choose to answer Amy picking up her fork stabbing at some of her food. “Amy said there are presents under the tree for you too Mommy and some not from Santa.” You furrow your brows glancing at Mingyu who tries to act innocent shrugging only to hand over the syrup to you. 

“Is that so? Well we will have to take a look after breakfast is all done and cleaned up.” Amy nods in agreement while you raise a brow at Mingyu who simply smiles at you taking a big bite of pajeon. You shake your head amused with him deciding to pay more attention to the girls when you feel his free hand on yours under the table resting on your knee. His thumb gently glides along the back of your hand causing you to pause what you are doing. 

Mingyu smiles at your reaction but he keeps the girls entertained talking to them both about the snow and the possibility of playing in it once all the presents are opened. When you turn your hand over letting his fingers lace with yours it’s his turn to be surprised. Mingyu’s breath catches, his eyes lowering to the table and both of you are pleased to hear the girls continue talking between themselves about their plans. 

With your eyes on his, Mingyu doesn’t even hear when Amy speaks to him until you tap at the back of his hand and gesture with your head towards his daughter. “Mm what did you say sweetie?” Amy laughs, raising a brow at his reaction, some egg on the corner of her lips making him smile. She doesn’t budge even as her dad leans over to wipe them away, her mouth still moving to speak, “You two always take longer than us to eat but today can we maybe just go all together to the living room?” 

Mingyu smirks into a sigh at her question, his hand falling from yours so that he can use both of his hands with his food for a few moments. “Yes, if we make a deal. When you two are finished, go start on dishes. We can work on them together then go open presents. You two always get out of dish duty. Give back since it’s Christmas, help me and your mom.”  

You breath catches at how he says that last sentence and you notice that he seems to pick up on it too. “Mina’s…mom. You know what I mean.” Amy raises her brow even higher if possible glancing at Mina, both girls nodding but not before sharing a look of interest once again. You take a large sip of coffee meeting Mingyu’s eyes over the cup while he shoves food into his mouth only to glance away silently cursing at himself for a slip of his tongue. 

Amy was right in knowing she and Mina would finish first. You and Mingyu watch the two girls gather their plates heading towards the kitchen only to hear the sound of water and their chatter when they leave the two of you alone in the dining room. “Sorry…” Your eyes lift to find Mingyu looking from you to his plate while he pushes around the last bit of food, concern written on his features. 

“For? Why are you apologizing?” Mingyu sighs and almost whines making you laugh, it never ceases to amaze how a man so large could be so small sometimes. “Gyu, it’s fine. Nothing you said was…wrong really. I am a mom and they are now helping out. So where was the reason for you to say sorry?” 

He picks up his coffee finishing off the last bit before sitting the mug back down, a soft breathy sigh slipping from his lips. “I’m trying so hard to keep my promise and keep everything from them but I also just want to be with you. I’m tired of having to pretend like I’m not falling in l..like I’m not in a relationship with you.” You watch him quickly backtrack on his words, your heart racing in your chest. 

“I know, I don’t like it either but we said we wouldn’t tell them anything until we were sure about everything. We can’t risk hurting them. At the end of the day how we feel about each other is the least important thing.” That stung a bit, Mingyu’s face shows that just as much as it felt for you to say it. “Do you mean that Y/N? Or are you just trying to make it make sense?” 

Mingyu watches you swallow hard, your head shaking while you try to come up with words only to fall short. His hand moves along yours on the table to hold it, his thumb sliding gently along your skin. “I won’t make you answer that right now. Let’s just have a good day with the girls and go from there, huh?” You nod in response, leaning your cheek into his lips when he leans to kiss it quickly. 

The table slowly clears leaving you to grab just your own plate and a couple of leftovers so you can join the others in the kitchen. You find Mingyu at the sink having taken over the main washing duty letting the girls dry the dishes. A soft smile forms on your lips even though your stomach was in knots from your earlier words to him. Did you mean it? 

You shake your head answering yourself in your head, no you hadn’t. He was important to you. The way you felt about him and how he felt about you was important, incredibly so. Over the past few weeks he had quickly become someone you looked forward to seeing as often as possible. You never thought that your relationship with him could make him an even better friend to you but you proved yourself wrong once again. 

With the dishes washed and put away, leftovers safely secured for later, you and Mingyu follow the girls into the living room where they are given the go ahead to start going through the gifts. You join Mingyu on the couch sitting a few inches away from him watching Mina and Amy placing gifts into piles. “Are you going to take turns or just open them?” 

Amy considers your question and picks up a gift with a grin that always reminded you of her dad, her eyes finding yours. “Take turns. This one is yours.” You furrow your brows reaching out to take the small long box from her hands to read the tag with a sigh looking at Mingyu who glances away towards the fireplace to avoid you. “Open it mommy.” Your fingers work over the wrapping paper slower than the girls would like but you find Mingyu’s eyes back on you when you finally reach the box under the paper and are able to open it, finding a thin gold bracelet inside. Small delicate gems hanging from the chain in different colors that shimmered in the light from the window making you take a deep breath. 

“Do you recognize all of them?” You nod but quickly shake your head. You knew some of them but there were two you didn’t. Two stones were your and Amy’s birthstones, the others were different but it quickly made you realize who they belonged to. “You and Amy…” Mingyu smiles, reaching to take the bracelet out of the box, setting that to the side so he can put it around your wrist while the girls watch. 

“So you can have everyone with you no matter where you are.” Mingyu isn’t aware of the tears in your eyes but Mina is. Her face falls in concern when she starts to move to her feet only to stop when you surprise everyone in the room by turning Mingyu’s face to yours pressing your lips to his. “Mommy…” 

Mingyu smiles against your lips as the girls gasp and begin to talk excitedly until you pull back realizing what you have just done. “Oh my gosh! Santa got the letters for real. I mean it’s not a wedding on Christmas but…” Your cheek is warm under Mingyu’s thumb, his laughter helping to keep you grounded while you listen to the girls beginning to pick up other gifts. 

“Seriously if he got that letter that means that I got a laptop Mina. Also we have like an entire wedding to plan. Daddy can’t do that and your mommy, oh my gosh she might be my mommy soon too!” You lean your head back and Mingyu lets you rest your head on his shoulder while he looks at the kids. “Hey what did I tell you before? Let us be adults and you two be kids. Open your presents.” 

Amy gives him a sly look nodding while pulling one of her presents into her lap. “Whatever you say daddy.” Mina laughs almost matching her friend’s look before finding a gift with her name on it ripping at the paper. “Yeah whatever you say. You two just let us know when you need help. Cause we have an entire notebook ready. We’ve watched a lot of Hallmark movies.” 

You sigh into a laugh finally looking up to see your daughter's eyes smiling when you see how happy she is. “I bet you have.” The rest of the morning goes almost as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Only a few glances from the girls and the occasional squeal of joy when they noticed that you and Mingyu were holding hands. It didn’t take long before they were both begging to go into the backyard to play in the snow.

Mingyu was more than happy to let you rest on the couch while he wrapped too many scarves around each of the girls. Both of them complained about needing to be able to move to play but he simply mocked them playfully tugging their hoods over their heads. “Stay where we can see you. If I look out that window and you are out of sight I will come find you and then melt all the snow.”

Getting a sour look from Amy, Mingyu smirked, pinching her nose before opening the door to usher both of the girls out into the cold. You watched from the couch, smiling when you saw them both come into view Mina instantly falling down to make a snow angel quickly followed by Amy. You don’t notice Mingyu joining you until his hand slides over your leg to your knee drawing your attention back to him. 

“We will keep an eye on them, but they know the rules.” You smile with a nod watching him carefully and curiously when he leans up to reach behind a pillow to bring out another small wrapped gift. “You didn’t remind me but I remembered anyway.” When you laugh Mingyu’s smile grows exponentially, his eyes following your hands take the gift from him to set it on your lap. 

“First of all you didn’t give me time to remind you and secondly I literally didn’t get you anything Mingyu. We said no gifts and you lied right through your perfect teeth.” Mingyu grins shrugging, reaching up to push a piece of your hair behind your ear while he glances out of the window to watch the girls playing. “I already got everything I wanted so maybe I did lie, but I think I like spoiling you a little bit. It seems like you’ve never been treated like this and I kind of like the look on your face when it happens.” 

Your cheeks warm causing Mingyu to smirk when he feels it under his touch. “You are blushing again.” The sound of his laughter is music to your ears even as you elbow him playfully causing him to jokingly double over only to place a kiss to your cheek. “Open your present.” When you sigh, Mingyu taps at your nose while biting at his bottom lip watching you. 

“Stop looking at me like that.” Another laugh slips between his lips at your words, Mingyu’s hand moving from your face to the back of your neck while he watches you opening the present. “How am I looking at you?” You shrug moving the wrapping paper to the side first before opening the top of the box avoiding his eyes. “Like a school boy in love or something.” 

Mingyu raises a brow and shrugs his lips considering your words. “Interesting way to put it, but not far off.” You start to say something back to him but when you move the tissue paper in the box you find yourself speechless. Plane tickets along with another small unopened jewelry box sit on more tissue paper waiting for you to touch. “Gyu?” 

“Hmm?” He watches you lift the box first, putting it to the side, then your fingers pick up the plane tickets where you read the dates of the flight, seeing two round trip tickets to New York City for a long weekend during New Years Eve. “Oh…how could we even do that? We both have kids and that’s just a few days…like literally…” 

Mingyu hears you start to spiral so he takes his eyes from the window where he had been watching the kids playing to look at you. His hand moving to gently grasp your chin turning your head towards him. “Promise not to get too mad at me but I already took care of that. I spoke with my mom and yours. They want to split the time between them and take care of the girls. I believe your mom’s exact words were to “whisk you off your feet” so I’m here to whisk you off your feet Miss Y/L/N.” 

Your hands were shaking so Mingyu took the tickets out of your hands reaching to pick up the jewelry box putting that into your hand instead. “It’s not an engagement ring. I’m not that crazy, yet, but please open it.” You look at the box using your thumb to push open the box only to have your breath taken away once more when you do find a necklace inside. “The girls found this one the other day and kept saying how it would look so pretty on you. I have to admit they have really great taste.” 

You watch Mingyu’s fingers take the necklace from the box, he only makes a small questioning sound and you already know what he wants. He smiles when you lift your hair and turn your back to him so he can put the necklace around your neck clasping it only to let his fingers trace the delicate gold chain. Your fingers run over the small teardrop diamond pendant now resting on your chest, surprised when you feel Mingyu’s lips gently press to the side of your neck only once before he pulls away and lets you drop your hair. 

“So are you mad at me for planning behind your back?” Mingyu watches you shake your head, not making him smile a bit brighter. He finds himself leaning his cheek against your palm when you reach up to run your thumb along his cheekbone. “No, I’m not mad. I’m just honestly really happy. You asked me something earlier and I avoided it. I didn’t mean what I said. You are so important, this is important. I’m sorry.” 

Mingyu’s brows knit together, his face turning to press his lips to your palm causing your stomach to tighten to the feeling. “It’s okay. I know why you said it, but I’m so happy to hear you say this now. You are important to me too Y/N. Amy, Mina, and you are the most important people in my life and when I said I got everything I wanted for Christmas I wasn’t lying. This is what I wanted.” 

You turn your head towards the window in order to stop yourself from letting tears fall from your eyes at Mingyu’s words only to find yourself watching as Mina and Amy throw snowballs at one another. Mingyu moves your hand into his, holding it at his chest, his eyes following yours to watch the girls playing until they notice you both watching and wave. “This is what I wanted too, Gyu. Merry Christmas.” 

Mingyu smiles, meeting your eyes once again when you speak, your words going straight to his heart and stomach. When you lean towards him brushing your lips against his gently, he can’t help but to smile against your lips. Mingyu’s free hand moves to hold the side of your face gently while the snow starts to lightly fall on the happy girls playing outside making them laugh joyfully.

 “Merry Christmas Y/N.”

❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆❆

tag list; @bangchanbabygirlx @just-here-to-read-01 @niktwazny303 @strawberri-uyu @yeritheloml @tis-niki @noraehey @hoohoohope @otterpopchan @xuxibelle @foxdaisy @smileysuh @vern0nsworld @synthetickitsune @enhacolor @pandorashbox @yeosayang @gyuhanniescarat @yoonguurt @jwnghyuns @xoxodino @sakurasangcl @woniewhite @fantasy2wonderland @midnightvalentines @junhui-recs @woozis-wife @cheolsbestie @sunnyteume @sakurasangcl @multi-kpop-fanfics @noseblowersanonymous @whyokoa @baldi-2 @misssugarlips @rubyscoups @httpswonwoosglasses @nikkell @midnightvalentines @onlywonus @raevyng @sstarryoong @dkakapizzaboy @noniestars @hoohoohope @kinohohoho

please note that I am doing my best to tag all of you who have filled out the tag list form but tumblr won’t let me tag some of you. I think that is because either you have tags turned off or possibly a blank tumblr page. consider reblogging some of the fics you like from me or other writers. ♥

© onlymingyus - all rights reserved. Reposting/modifying of any fic, or pieces of original writings posted on this blog is not allowed. Translations not allowed.  

[melanieph321]

Ruben Dias x Reader - My Brother's Best Friend Part 1/4

I wrote this one at like 4 am 😅

Summary - Reader rencounters her brother's best friend and the two of them hit it off quite well.

Enjoy!

Five years at university. Non stop studying, no coming home for Christmas, Easter or any other holiday. Despite all of this no one in your family had the courtesy of picking you up from the airport. Instead they sent for somone else, a stranger, your brothers best friend, Ruben.

"Y/N, you grew!" He exclaimed, when he finally pulled up to the sidewalk where you stood. He hadn't recognized you the first time he past you with his car. You had to shout his name the second time.

"I did and one day I'm gonna grow old and die."

He chuckled.

You threw your bags into the backseat of his car, settling down in the passenger seat beside him.

He was practically like family, Ruben. He and your brother had been inseprable friends since they were kids, making you the annoying third wheel.

"Only two bags?" He frowned.

You shrugged. "I'm only staying for the weekend."

"For the game?"

You nodded.

It was the first time Ruben and your brother had been allowed to represent their country in a international game. Although it was only a friendly your mother begged you to take a break from school to come down and watch it. Everyone else in your family was coming, your aunties, uncles and cousins. All coming to support your brother. You were a bit bitter that none of them had come to visit you at school before, although it had been five years since you moved.

"You hungry?" Ruben asked, once you got on the highway.

"Does your family still own a restaurant?"

"They do."

"Then I'm very hungry. A broke student who usually lives off cooked ramen can never say no to free food."

Ruben chuckled. "I would have paid for your meal even if it wasn't from my family's restaurant."

"Well thanks." You blushed.

Pulling up to Ruben's family restaurant, they all greeted you with open arms and painful pinches of your cheeks.

"Look at you!" Ruben's mother gasped. "How skinny you've become. Pãi, make her something to eat, fast!" She took a second look at you. "With a lot of meat in it!"

"I'm actually a vegan."

"You are?"

"You are?" Ruben repeated.

"Is that okay?"

His mother's expression mellowed. "Of course sweetie. I'll inform Ruben's father, see what he can do. We don't have alot of vegan opinions on the menu though."

"I'm sure anything will be fine Mrs Dias, thank you."

"I didn't know you went vegan?" Ruben said, the two of you sliding into your dining booth, sitting on the opposite side of each other.

"Sometimes I think it's the reason my family doesn't invite me to family gatherings anymore."

"That's horrible."

"I'm sure it's not the case." You protested, seeing the expression that came across his face. But in reality you had no idea.

"A plant based diet is good. I do it all the time." Ruben said.

"Eat vegan food?"

"Yes. Especially before a game. It's hard to run an average of 12k a game with a giant steak digesting in your stomach."

"Huh?" You muttered.

"What?"

"Defenders run 12k a game, you sure about that?"

Ruben threw his napkin at you but missed.

"I'm just saying." You chuckled. "I don't remember you as very agile to run."

"Or jump, or sprint..." His sister came by to take your drink orders. "Don't you remember Y/N, Ruben was a very chubby kid when he first started playing football. He would either play defense or goalie, those were his only options." She laughed.

You held your tounge seeing the deadly stare Ruben was giving his sister.

"Can we order our drinks now?" He grunted.

"Yes, of course." She brought out a pen and paper. "A water for you brother and what will you be having Y/N?"

"A coke?"

"A coke it is. See brother, get yourself a girl that isn't afraid of a few calories."

Ruben rolled his eyes as she left you to it.

"So... you only date girls with diet only in their bio's?" You teased.

"It makes things easier." He shrugged.

"Easier how?"

"Well, she won't complain over my strict diet, will she? Or force me to eat carbs two days a week?"

"Ohhh, poor Ruben is scared of getting little chub back on his cheeks?"

Another napkin was thrown your way, forcing you to duck this time.

"What about you?"

"What about me?" You said, throwing back his crumbled up napkin.

"Don't you think you'd be doing guys a favor by mentioning that you're vegan in your social media bio?"

"Nah, I like to see the look on their faces when I surprise them. My ex boyfriend thought my reason for going vegan was because I hadn't tried meat before, which resulted in him taking me on food truck spree. His idea of a good date."

"It would've been a great idea." Ruben objected. "I know alot of great food trucks with amazing vegan options. In fact my friend drives one. I could take you there if you're ever up to it this weekend?"

"That would fulfill your dreams, wouldn't it Ruby?" His sister said, making her stop with your drinks.

Ruben's silence was evident that he didn't enjoy the sudden interruption of your conversation.

"Do you remember that time he and your brother forced you into that shopping cart and pushed you down the hill?"

"One of my fondest memories." You said. You ended up breaking your arm that day.

"Well you should have seen the look on his face when he ran to tell our parents what happened. They were furious, but Ruben was inconsolable, which made all of us feel bad for him."

"Inconsolable how?"

You didn't rembering beeing told Ruben's side of the story before. Your brother on the other hand, told you how he had been by your side until the ambulance came, terrified of what your parents would say once he told them that he's killed you.

"Hasn't Ruben told you?" His sister frowned.

"Carolina, please " He sighed.

"He cried all night, begging our parents to take him to the hospital to go see you."

"Really?" Your eyes widened.

"Yes. He even cried at the hospital seeing your little body all patched up in the hospital bed. I thought it was cute." She said, patting Ruben's shoulders.

He ran a anxious hand through his hair, probably praying that his sister would leave.

"He gave you his favorite teddy though." She shrugged. "That must count for something."

Somewhere a costumer waved for her attention. "Coming!" She groaned and left you two to it.

The relief on Ruben's face was hilarious. "I'm sorry about that." He sighed. "Carolina can be...well Carolina."

"It's okay. " You giggled. " I had no idea that Rosie the whale was from you. I thought my parents brought her to me from the hospital gift shop."

He shook his head. "No, Eddie the whale..." He corrected. "...was all mine. I hope you took good care of him."

"Eddie?" You frowned. "My Rosie is a she."

Ruben snorted. "I don't think so. My Eddie identifies as He/Him he told me so himself."

"Is that so?"

"Ask him yourself."

"I will. As soon as I fly back home."

Somthing came across Ruben's face.

"What?"

"You brought Eddie with you to university?"

You blushed, but was quick to collect yourself. "I did."

Ruben looked to his hands, hiding his smile.

The food arrived just in time to mend the longing pain in your belly. You enjoyed it so much that Rubens family promised to make the selection of vegan food a part of the menu from now on.

"I had fun today." Ruben parked his car alongside the driveway to your parents house.

"Me too Ruben. Goodluck during the game tomorrow."

"See you after?"

"The game?" You frowned.

"Most of the team are going clubbing after, depending on the finally score of course. Either way, your brother and I are celebrating making the national team, you down?"

"I don't know?" The thought of going clubbing with your brother was not a appealing one.

"Or we could do somthing just the two of us?"

"Oh." You stuttured, a reaction to Ruben's eyes staring back at you.

You can't remember the last time they'd stayed on you for as long as they had done tonight during dinner. You thought that to Ruben you were just his best friends annoying little sister,  but after hearing the story of how he had worried about you the day you broke your arm, somthing changed within you. Your feelings for Ruben changed.

"Ruben I didn't..."

Cleary somthing had changed within him too, because as you sat with one hand gripping the passenger door, ready to jank it open and jump out, Ruben had leaned forward, catching you off guard by pressing his lips against yours.

"Ruben."

You spoke into the kiss, his breath warm against your face. He let himself enjoy it for a second, before his body stiffend and he pulled back, a terrified expression on his face.

"Don't tell your brother."

"But...I...you kissed me?"

"I know." Ruben was quick to try his lips with the back of his hand. His gaze facing the road ahead. "It was a mistake. Just don't tell your brother."

You got out of the car, confused to what just happened. You watched Ruben disappear down the street along with your stolen kiss.

"That was odd." You muttured. You had barely gotten a chance to react to his lips pressing against yours. Surely the feeling had been pleasant, but how could you know for sure when it all went down so fast?

Somthing else that came at you fast was the realization that your parents house stood empty. However a note was pinned to the inside of the door, saying: "Staying at your brothers tonight, calming his nerves ahead of tomorrow's game. Kisses, Pãi e Mamãe!"

Well who's gonna calm your nerves, you thought. Because they were all over the place for the moment.

[carmsgarms]

just wanna hug you for the jkr post bc my former friends made me feel insane for not validating their continued engagement 💜

Bestie listen youve unzipped me and im about to go off. Harry Potter was my entire life until she literally couldn't shut the fuck up about trans women being perverts and infiltrators. I was a lonely neurodivergent weirdo and Harry Potter brought me solace as a kid. I read each of the books at least 7 or 8 times, that shit is INGRAINED in my brain. One of my best friends of 10+ years is my friend today because the first thing we bonded over was seeing the last HP movie. I used to be deadset on my 2nd tattoo being my pottermore wand with my hogwarts house. I wanted a fucking HP-themed wedding. The first funko pops I bought were Harry Potter ones. My first serious boyfriend told me he wanted to propose to me in front of Hogwarts castle (this was something he said to guilt trip me when i dumped his ass) ((also thank the gods that never happened he was a shithead and so is jkr)). My mom for some godforsaken reason let me help her name my youngest brother when he was born because she couldn't think of a name and my 10yo ass fuckikg picked DANIEL because of Daniel Radcliffe. I was in DEEP.

And you know what? Aside from the books I camped out to buy on release day and the DVDs that are crammed in a box somewhere in a storage unit, I have gotten rid of every single Harry potter thing I owned because I grew the fuck up and found better things to like. Sure I'll watch the DVDs again every few years to feel the nostalgia again because a good chunk of the cast are great people (we fucking stan Dan Radcliffe and David Tennant in this house ) but I'm not giving jkr another cent of my money or an inkling of my time beyond that.

You are so valid and you are allowed to be upset if your friends continue to engage with Harry potter content.

Anyone who days "uwu my nostalgia" ask them if they still sleep with their fucking baby blanket too.

My former boss wouldn't shut the fuck up about the new video game when it came out. At least once a week he'd ask me if I'd played it yet and every single time I would tell him "I'm not engaging with that franchise anymore. JKR uses money to fund anti-trans legislation." And he'd always spout some bullshit about nostalgia or "but it's SO good" or "yeah I just try to separate the art from the artist / oh but the devs who worked hard on the game! / but playing the game doesn't actually support her! (yes the fuck it does if the game does well it boosts her platform)"

And especially now that my wife has come out, I'm extra ready to fight the next grown person who tells me they ~separate the art from the artist~ like fuck off. There are better things to spend your time and energy on. I hope everything JKR makes flops hard. Everything shes done since the last movie has been a disgusting cash-grab and none of it is even good. I'm beyond thrilled that BG3 has had a wild runaway success and a longer-lasting player base than the fucking game she put out. Nothing has ever disappointed me more than JKR being the way that she is.

Oh but the lore and world building? The ability to make your own character in such a fun and magical immersion world?bDnd has better lore than Harry potter ever did and the lore adds up and makes sense. If you look at her shit beyond the surface level she is actually fucking TERRIBLE at world building especially when she tries to do it without being a fucking racist ((does anyone remember when early drafts for the American magic schools that were using Native American imagery and it was all REALLY FUCKING OFFENSIVe and let's also not forget "no-maj" being the least fucking creative thing she ever came up with)

"But my hogwarts house" PLEASE choose a better Personality.

I have more nostalgia for Avatar the Last Airbender these days since i got into that when it first started airing when i was 12 (and look if you're really into the fuckin houses as your Personality you can get that with ATLA! Water tribe forever bitches)

"But the characters!!!" Please. There are better characters ALL AROUND YOU. pick up a fucking comic book. Yknow Superman actually has a similar structure, he's got the nerdy Normal friend and the love interest and it's a goddamn shame none of the movies include his bestie Jimmy because he's just as important as Lois Lane is.

"But all the strong female characters!" It is 2024 please I beg you to find other female role models (I will again point to Avatar the Last Airbender and Literally Any Comic Book Featuring A Woman. Captain Marvel is actually really good. Battlestar Galactica is also chock full of strong female characters and that came out in the early 2000s!)

Bestie i genuinely feel bad for all the fucking white people who can ignore all the bullshit JKR has done and said and all those sad saltine cracker flavor type people whose entire personalities are Watching The Office and Enjoying Harry Potter And Star Wars. Grow up. Move On.

If it's that important to you (and i mean the general you here not you specifically), please do what I did and Marie Kondo that part of your life. You don't need to hold onto the safety blankie you had as a child. You don't have to hold onto the pair of shoes that got you through high school and are out of fashion and falling apart. You give it a sendoff. Say "thanks for getting me through that part of my life but I'm moving on" and you move the fuck on.

I did something really sappy for my 30th birthday - I said goodbye to the franchise. I mourned what could have been. I went to Universal studios ((also bc Simpsons land and fast and furious ride and ET and a bunch of other stuff are there)) but I stopped into Harry potter world to do everything once and say goodbye to that part of my life since it was something I had wanted to do for most of my youth, and my friend who i became friends with because of harry potter was there with me. We drank the fucking pumpkin juice, had breakfast at the three broomsticks, appreciated all the little easter eggs around hp world, rode the hagrid ride, and ate a chocolate frog I wore my trans rights shirt and dressed gay as hell, my friend is trans so he just ~existed blissfully~ . I think every Harry potter fan needs to acknowledge that the franchise was good for them in the 90s, mourn that part of their life, and move on.

Bonus: me being Gay as Fuck in front of the castle. I hope JKR fucking rots and fades into obscurity and people come to realize she's worse than HP Lovecraft.

[snowe-zolynn-rogers]

Kagaya Please Save Us

Pairings: None

Word Count: 1,307

Summary: The sun comes up faster during the Mugen Train incident, leading to Akaza stealing Rengoku’s cape to cover himself with to run away from the sunlight. So, naturally, Rengoku makes a group chat.

Warnings: Innuendo (mentioned only), Death (meantioned), Cursing, Torture (mentioned), Caps, Sex (inferred only) let me know if I should add anything else.

Chapter 1: The Cape Incident

5:15am

Rengoku has created a chat

Rengoku has added 11 people to the chat

Rengoku has renamed the chat to ‘I Stole Your Number Because You Stole My Haori Where Is It?’

Akaza: I feel like that was angled at me.

Rengoku: It most certainly was. Where is my family heirloom?

Akaza: …

Akaza: Um.

Sanemi: Tell him demon scum!

Akaza: Oh shut up and get therapy.

Akaza: I have it with me still.

Tengen: Why does he even have it?

Rengoku: What?

Akaza: Why do you think?

Tengen: Please tell me you’re not sleeping with a demon. I know you understand demons have a conscience, but come on, that’s pushing it a bit far.

Rengoku: What?

Akaza: What?

Sanemi: I swear to god, if you two are screwing I’m going to scream as loud and long as I can.

Akaza: better start screaming then.

Kagaya: I can hear Sanemi screaming from inside. What did you do?

Kagaya: Nevermind, Amane read me the backlog. Rengoku please tell me you aren’t.

Rengoku: We are not sleeping together!

Tengen: Proof.

Rengoku: I have never and will never share a bed with a demon! We were fighting after the train and he stole my haori and ran off with it when the sun came up. I would like my family heirloom back, Akaza!

Mitsuri: Do you want us to kill him orrrr…

Rengoku: No! Do not kill my sparring partner! I just want my haori back!

Akaza: When the sun goes back down, I will give it to you. Unless, of course, you’d like to come to my house and take it.

Obanai: You of all people have a house?

Akaza: I’m not a heathen, Obanai. Yes, I have a house. I’m visiting it currently, taking care of my son, of course.

Sanemi: You have a fucking kid? Demons can have fucking kids!?

Kagaya: It’s not unheard of but not common. Demons can have children with each other as well as humans if their hunger is able to leave the human alive. -Amane

Giyu: That is a horrifying idea, thank you.

Shinobu: So who had the misfortune of breeding with Akaza of all creatures?

Sanemi: Probably a sad pathetic lower rank girl. Poor girl.

Akaza: I did not ‘breed’ with anyone! My son is a demon that I turned soon after he died. I felt bad, he didn’t have parents and Muzan had sent Takeo to bring him and his twin to him. They were potentially powerful given their bloodline and Muzan wanted that bloodline in our ranks. Apparently Takeo thought it was funnier to try to kill them both and got himself killed by the younger one. I was sent to check on his progress because it had been a while, found my kid dead and took him with me. I assume that he ate the younger twin but I’ve kept the older twin safe for four years now.

Muichiro: What is that fucker’s name!?

Kagaya: Oh no.

Akaza: Yuki? I renamed him. Muzan allowed it for once since mine was the first bit of demon blood he got.

Shinobu: Ooooooh no.

Muichiro: WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?

Akaza: He wouldn’t tell me his name, I think he forgot it. But he kept screaming ‘Mui’ when he woke up. And he started mumbling about ‘Yui’ when I asked again.

Obanai: Oh, now you’ve done it

Muichiro: GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!

Akaza: Listen, I have to go get fucking killed. Can this hashira drama wait?

Rengoku: No! Give me back my heirloom!

Muichiro: GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!

Akaza has dropped a location

Akaza: There. It’s with my kid. Be nice to him, he gets aggressive when he’s hungry and I haven’t made breakfast yet.

Kagaya: I was assuming he was a demon?

Akaza: Oh he is. Demons can eat still as long as they don’t do it too often. Yuki likes eating once a day in the morning, I eat human food once a week. Since he’s younger, Yuki’s body can handle it more frequently than mine can.

Muichiro: HIS NAME IS YUICHIRO!

Akaza: Buddy, I didn’t know his name, he didn’t remember by the time he changed. I named him Yuki and that’s what he responds to by now. If you want to, you can try to call him Yuichiro but I doubt that stubborn kid would accept it.

Rengoku: Come, Muichiro! We shall retrieve my haori and you can talk to your brother!

Muichiro: Fiiiiiiine

Akaza: Finally, I can go die. Take care of my kid, please. I may actually not survive this.

Kagaya: Why may you not survive this? What is ‘this’?

Akaza: I have to go tell Muzan that 1 I didn’t kill the kid with hanafuda earrings, 2 I didn’t end up killing a hashira because the sun tried to get me, 3 his little horny boy Enmu died, and 4 I didn’t find that damn flower.

Akaza: In short, he has four reasons to take my soul out of my body, drag it through hell, rip every cell apart, put my soul back into my body, wrap me up mummy style with wisteria and bury me thirty foot under.

Sanemi: Yeah right like he would kill his upper ranks.

Akaza is now offline

Kagaya: Oh, he absolutely would kill his upper ranks.

6:32am

I Stole Your Number Because You Stole My Haori Where Is It?

Rengoku: @Akaza Are you dead?

Akaza is now online

Akaza: I feel like it. Please end me. Just…Just come with your sword, kill me.

Rengoku: Why? What did he do?

Akaza: Look at me and ask me again.

akaza: ifeellikedeath.jpg

Rengoku: My god, you look like Enmu ran you over.

Akaza: I feel like Enmu ran me over.

Rengoku: I will not kill you, however. I do care about your health, despite you trying to either kill me or convert me. So I will be nice and help you while Muichiro and Yuki are out getting food.

Akaza: Yuki is out? In the sun?

Rengoku: Muichiro has him in clothing that covers his whole body. He should be fine.

Akaza: Fine. I am begging you to kill me but fine.

Shinobu: What did he even do to him?

Akaza: He rubbed wisteria in my eyes and mouth. I’m suffering. I can’t even speak. Tell my son I love him.

Muichiro: No.

Shinobu: Fiiiiiiiine, I’m coming with a wisteria antidote. Fuck you, Rengoku for the private message threatening my life and bribing me with money to come help you.

Rengoku: Love you, Shinobu.

Shinobu: I hate you. Pay me the fifty bucks, Rengoku.

Rengoku: It’s waiting for you.

Akaza: Why are you paying for my health?

Rengoku: Because I do want to spar with you, even if I don’t become a demon.

Akaza: You are a mystery to me and I hate it. I don’t understand you.

Tengen: He’s an enigma, we’ve simply accepted that he will go full chaos mode at any opportunity.

Rengoku: Why were you missing on the train, Tengen? I never got to ask you.

Sanemi: Probably busy with his wives again.

Tengen: What!? No!

Muichiro: Miss Suma said they were busy all night.

Tengen: WHAT!?

Muichiro: Yeah, I tried to visit and ask but he was screaming so I think Miss Makio and Miss Hinatsuru were torturing him.

Kagaya: Oh my god, no. Muichiro, I really don’t want to give you the birds and the bees talk. Please don’t make me.

Muichiro: Oh, Yuki is explaining it now.

Muichiro: I think I’m scarred for life. Thank god I’ll forget this in a few hours.

Tengen: I’m not living this down am I?

Kagaya: Absolutely not. You and your wives will apologize for scarring him immediately.

Tengen: I literally did nothing!

Kagaya: Except scream apparently. And I don’t think any of us want to know why.

Tengen: …No, no you don’t because of the kid in here.

[autistpride]

The history of ABA and the unfortunate reality of current therapy options

ABA was founded on a basis of hatred and ignorance about autistic people.

Ole Ivar Lovaas created ABA and saw autistic individuals inhuman. He later went on to create a gay conversation therapy.

"In any case, what one usually sees when first meeting an autistic child who is 2, 3, or even 10 years of age is a child who has all the external physical characteristics of a normal child—that is, he has hair, and he has eyes and he has a nose, and he may be dressed in a shirt and trousers—but who really has no behaviors that one can single out as distinctively ‘human’. The major job then, for a therapist—whether he's behaviorally oriented or not—would seem to be a very intriguing and significant one, namely, the creation or construction of a truly human behavioral repertoire where none exists."

"You see, you start pretty much from scratch when you work with an autistic child. You have a person in the physical sense—they have hair, a nose and a mouth—but they are not people in the psychological sense. One way to look at the job of helping autistic kids is to see it as a matter of constructing a person. You have the raw materials, but you have to build the person."

The purpose of the therapy is that autistic people are broken, and should not be allowed to be themselves. That they should be subjected to treatment until “molded” into something deemed more acceptable to society and their parents.

ABA doesn’t actually change the subject into what the program and their parents want. An autistic kid does not become allistic.

What it does accomplish is to essentially force the subjects into acting more like the type of person desired by the program (masking).

After enough bullying, shaming, coercion, and general breaking down of a child’s personality and defenses, that child learns to pretend to be allistic as much as possible, to please authority figures and avoid negative consequences (beatings, denial of food, denial of affection, denial of water, denial of washroom breaks, denial of preferred items etc).

It’s intensive “training” using aversive and coercive methods, to force change in a child’s behaviour. A lot of the time, this is about changing harmless self-sooothing or coping behaviours in autistic children.

ABA is an intensive therapy, usually 35-40 hours a week, of compliance training. Children are often pulled out of school for a good chunk of these hours, missing out on actual education, for what is essentially a full time job.

In these sessions the RBT (who only had to do a few weeks training) has the child do tasks repetitively earning a small prize like a candy or a token to gain a privileges to their favourite items and activities. The consequence is their favourite things and activities are removed, including the encouragement of the removal of their parents attention, until the child complies.

When subjected to compliance training for 35-40 hours a week, autistic children are taught that they lack autonomy. They are taught that they do not have the right to say “no” to something that they do not want to experience.

That’s incredibly harmful and dangerous. This leaves autistic survivors of ABA to be highly susceptible to various forms of abuse both as a child, and later on in life.

Also “pretending to not be autistic” thing is extremely problematic. I'll talk about that in another post.

A study in 2007 found that nearly half of all ABA survivors met the diagnostic threshold for PTSD. Other studies referenced put the number closer to 85%, and also include C-PTSD.

In 2016, Congress funded a report to examine whether the ABA services they have been effective

With 3,794 participants, this is the largest study ever conducted on ABA. The 31-page report entitled, “The Department of Defense Comprehensive Autism Care Demonstration Annual Report 2020” concluded that “ABA services are not working.”

“… these findings demonstrate that … the delivery of ABA services, is not working for most TRICARE beneficiaries in the ACD.”

“ … the Department remains very concerned about these results, and whether the current design of this demonstration, as well as ABA services specifically, is providing the most appropriate and/or effective services to our beneficiaries diagnosed with ASD.”

In last year’s report of over 709 individuals with autism, 76% showed no improvement after one year of treatment, 16% had improved, but that 9% were worse after a year of treatment.

ABA “therapists” - BCBA stand to lose a TON of money if ABA is considered bad. Parents or insurances are paying around $25,000 for 3 months of ABA.

As a society, we realize that gay conversion therapy is inhumane. We look at the type of dog training that most closely resembles ABA to be animal abuse. We look at residential schools - an idea that bares striking resemblance to the concept and execution of ABA - as a dark spot on our country’s history, and one that we are trying to make reparations for now, after the fact.

Unfortunately, ABA is oftentimes the ONLY resource now available to families with autistic individuals.

When given the diagnosis, the professionals hand out pamphlets and print outs of ABA companies. Some have even resorted to fear mongering or threatening families who refuse to use ABA.

Many doctors are not even taught about ABA or therapy options. They are simply told ABA is for autistic people, push it, and they do.

For families that trust their medical providers and have no other knowledge on autism or ABA, they think their provider is looking out for their best interest.

Many parents are just sadly uninformed and think they are doing the best thing for their child.

This is not helped by the fact that there are even facilities that are basically ABA in name only in order to be covered by insurances that will only pay for this therapy and none others.

These facilities are often floor time or play therapy in disguise which confuses people even more due to the fact that they claim to be ABA but are not. This has caused much discourse between people who think that all ABA must be like this when in fact they just got extremely lucky.

For BIPOC families, who are targeted by authorities already, any therapy they can get can be a potential life line that may help keep their children alive.

This leaves these families in a terrible situation of having to choose between one or potentially the other.

I'll share some amazing BIPOC voices in another post as I am not qualified to speak on their story due to me being white.

And for some families, it has become a last resort choice before having to move to a more institutionalized setting or in some cases threatened with child services.

A good hard look at ABA should be done with funding and encouraging alternatives like more access to floortime, speech, ot, or pt.

Those therapies are provided for some families but given very few hours in comparison, there are no facilities near them and they cannot afford the travel to them, and for some families, they aren't provided at all.

Some individuals qualify for no therapy options outside of ABA and this leaves some families without any resources or help and left to navigate everything alone as best as they are able to.

Which has been our experience and why it is important to me to get information out there, for those who have no other resources.

And sadly understanding that until acceptance and other resources are available to all families EQUITABLY, some may have to choose between one heartbreaking choice or another.

Either way, there is potential risk in ANY therapy you choose to utilize and it should be something to be aware of. So be aware of any red flags.

[dani-luminae]

Based off another idea: what if Nightshade and Caspian came to the past to try and prevent the Rulers of Evil from ever becoming evil?

Nightshade goes by the alias of Amaya Orisaina, of Harrow's Glen (the forest where Aurora grew up as Briar Rose.) Caspian takes the alias of Christophe "Kit" De Lancret, a minor noble of Charmanten. Together, they find themselves in the past... a bit too far in the past, as a matter of fact. Soon-to-be-King Ben has only just announced his first proclamation: to allow four children from the Isle of the Lost to come to Auradon.

At first, Caspian suggests to Nightshade that they can sabotage the kids arrival. Preventing Mal from ever entering the picture would prevent her from coming between Audrey and Ben, and setting in motion the events that lead to the rise of the Rulers of Evil - right? But Nightshade thinks of all the other VKs, such as Evie, Uma, Harry, Celia, and knows that if Mal doesn't get her chance, none of them will. So putting a stop to it that way is out of the question.

So next it becomes how can we ensure the kids still get their chance without a) getting in the way of Audrey and Ben, b) driving away Ben's allies, and c) keep the Isle kids from getting the wand so the way forward is easier for Ben?

There is no actual single answer for that.

Nightshade gets involved in helping to prepare for the kids arrival. Perhaps showing Ben unwavering support... despite the trepidation of most-if-not-all of the rest of the school... will be helpful in preventing trouble. She works with Audrey, closely, as they arrange dorm rooms, class schedules, school supplies, and all of that. Audrey and Nightshade are polite, respectful, and capable of working together well, though Nightshade is surprised to see how judgmental Audrey can prove to be, not only to the VKs but to some of her own classmates.

(The Rulers of Evil have had the benefit of looking back. They understand their own shortcomings as teenagers and worked hard not to let those same qualities bloom in Nightshade. As a result, Nightshade doesn't know so much about her parents past aside from the 'fairy tale' they told her all throughout her life.)

Caspian isn't being very outright helpful. It's simply not in his character. No, he's better at fading into the background to be aware of everything going on all over the school. He joins the tourney team to blend in (his father's lessons come in handy!) and maintains modestly successful grades - just another student, nothing to note. Doing so, he ends up encountering Chad more than he would like, and it takes so much of Caspian's willpower not to clash with him.

(Caspian's father knew he had been a sheltered, spoiled, pompous prince. He did what he could to try and keep Caspian from being the same way. But the end result is similar: Caspian never knew how unkind Chad truly was.)

Finally, the day comes. The limo pulls up to the curb. Nightshade and Caspian are standing in the back of the big assembly of students gathered to welcome the Isle kids. The limo stops. The door is opened.

Jay falls out. Nightshade laughs because she thinks it's hilarious. Caspian, however, knows immediately that this has gotten so much more complicated than the task he originally signed up for. But Nightshade's kindness is unwavering, and she keeps trying to engage with the Isle kids. Her first conversation with them is that evening, over dinner, when she walks up to the table where Mal and Evie are sitting and asks them, "Is everything working well for you girls so far? With your dorm?

Mal squinted at the brave Auradonian girl. "And you are?" Nightshade paused in surprise, and smiled. "Oh, my apologies. My name is Amaya." "Yeah?" Mal's tone hadn't changed. Most of the kids here started off their interactions by boasting about their parents. Might as well get it out of the way now. "Whose kid are you?" "And who sewed your dress?" Evie interrupted, to Mal's annoyance. Nightshade beamed and brushed her hand down an embroidered sleeve of her snow-white dress. "I sewed it myself! And, I don't think the two of you would be familiar with my parents," she said. "I've been castle-schooled up until a couple months ago. I was a part of the process of getting your rooms together. Are they comfortable?" "Too plush," Mal said flatly. "You really could not have possibly outdone yourselves." "That's wonderful." Nightshade's smile was dazzling. "If you need anything, please, don't hesitate to ask me." "I thought we were supposed to ask Doug?" Mal replied, and Nightshade just laughed as she strolled away. Behind her, she heard Evie comment, "Definitely a princess. Look at her royal-perfect posture." Mal scoffed. "Nah. Too brave to be a princess."

The failed attempt at the museum doesn't alarm Nightshade or Caspian, because Caspian knew it would happen and assures Nightshade it was destined to fail from the beginning.

The next day, Nightshade doesn't expect any issues. She accompanies Jane in visiting Remedial Goodness 101 to get the signature from the Fairy Godmother, and later witnesses Mal do her first spell on Jane's hair and subtly convince her to ask for the wand. Nightshade is concerned, but Jane doesn't listen to her, and Caspian has to reassure her, again, that this attempt fails.

Later that evening, Nightshade visits the kitchen and walks in on the Isle kids in the middle of creating the love spell - but Nightshade doesn't realize this is the love spell itself, and considers it odd but not necessarily suspicious for the kids to be making themselves a late-night snack. She is present to listen to the "even villains love their kids" misconception from Lonnie.

She talks about it with Caspian the next morning, just after homeroom.

"Lonnie thought even villains love their kids," Nightshade explained. Caspian paused rummaging in his locker. Out of everything he'd guessed they might find in their way on this quest, that complicated... discussion was not one of them. Did villains love their kids? His mother hadn't necessarily loved him, and yet, Nightshade's parents... He stammered over his words, realizing Nightshade was still looking at him. "Oh. Uh. I mean... some of them do, I'm sure, especially -" "I think she's right," Nightshade said unexpectedly. Caspian looked at her in surprise. "Nigh - Amaya," he said, tripping over her alias. Did she really believe her parents hadn't loved her? She didn't look heartbroken. Had she gotten over it that fast? No, this was Nightshade, who felt everything deeply. Was she just trying to hide it, then? "No, come on -" "And that it means my parents aren't all villainous," Nightshade concluded. Caspian stared at her. She smiled brightly. "That's what we're here trying to prevent, right?"

Because of this conversation, they completely miss when Mal and co slip Ben the love spell, and are entirely unaware until the tourney game finale. Caspian plays well with the team as Nightshade cheers him on (she loves tourney - almost wishes she had the skill to play it herself) and everything seems perfectly fine until Ben grabs the mic.

"Give me an M!" "M!" "Give me an A!" "A!" "Give me an L!" "L!" "What does that spell?"

Audrey runs off the field in tears, followed swiftly by Nightshade. But Audrey isn't particularly interested in being comforted, quickly picks herself back up, and heads back out onto the field to act as if she's completely unruffled.

"Chad's my boyfriend now!" She proclaims. "And I'm going to the Coronation with him, so I don't need your pity date!" And she turns and kisses him. Nightshade and Caspian look away, uncomfortable. Sure, they knew vaguely that Chad and Audrey were close, and dated once. Seeing it in front of them was just weird. "Well. Strike one, out the window," Caspian muttered. "There's still so much time to fix it," Nightshade whispered to him.

With all the chaos, however, Caspian does see the chance to explore the sunlit, beautiful kingdom he was always told stories of. He and Nightshade step back from the school for a couple days after that - best to let the business between Mal, Ben, Audrey, and Chad settle down - and they explore the city, the nearby towns, the forest. Nightshade in particular finds the Enchanted Lake - not frozen over like she knows it in the future - and adores spending time there. They might have stepped back from the task at hand, but by no means does it lessen their resolve. Now they see more of the kingdom that they're fighting to restore, to prevent the destruction of.

They formally return on Family Day, and Nightshade would spend the day with Audrey were it not for Queen Leah's arrival. So once again, she and Caspian sort of fade into the background, watching everything from afar.

Which makes for an unfortunately good vantage point when Chad ruins everything, and Caspian's never been more ticked off with his dad.

"He's a stupid kid," Nightshade tries to dismiss it. "All our parents were. He'll learn." "He only learned because his closest friends united under evil and took over the kingdom," Caspian pointed out. "What's he gonna be like if we keep that from happening?" The expression on Nightshade's face is troubled, but she knows he doesn't really mean any doubt. They weren't just striving to help her parents, they were helping all their kingdom, even if that meant a prince or two remained a spoiled jerk.

Nightshade descends from the parapet to join Ben when everyone has walked away from them. She seems like the only person willing to walk up to him as he stood alone, and he jumped when she spoke.

"Don't listen to them, Ben," she said, as he turned to her. She looked pristine and angelic, as she always did, in her white dress, with flowers in her hair. Like a princess who stepped out of a storybook. "This isn't your fault. You wanted to do the right thing. It's their own prejudice that caused this, blinding them to the fact that these children deserve the same chance as anyone." Ben looked at the way that Audrey, Chad, and the others had left, then back to where his parents had walked away. "How do I get them to see through it?" She smiled sadly. "That's not something that you can do. Only they can choose to confront the lies they were raised with, or the pain from the past." Ben looked at her. She looked so calm and composed... like she knew this was going to happen. Most of the onlookers had been shaken by a display of dark magic, but not Amaya. "How come you're not afraid?" How could she ever explain the answer to that question? Nightshade shrugged it off vaguely. "The villains of my bedtime story... are much, much different."

The Coronation arrives. Nightshade and Caspian do not attend, and instead watch from the television in Caspian's dorm room. They know what will happen, and they are not surprised, but Nightshade still flinches at the sight of the Dragon's Eye in Maleficent's grasp. Caspian holds her, and she hides her face against his shoulder.

Sure, Nightshade has faced far scarier, but there's something especially chilling about seeing such powerful evil a year before it would ever influence her father and alter the future of Auradon.

...Fortunately, she and Caspian still have plenty of time to keep that from happening.

~~~

Okay so this got so long I decided it's just the Descendants 1 part for now. Movies 2 and Good to be Bad adaptation coming... eventually? lol.

[aspecpplarebeautiful]

I hope you don't mind me venting a bit, if you don't want to see this feel free to just ignore it.

My friends keep accidentally outing me?? They're all really close to me and I love them (/p), but I feel like they don't understand how private my identity is to me. Me and one of my friends (we'll call her S) went to summer camp together way back in July, and a bunch of us were hanging out in one of the dorms. And they start playing kiss, marry, kill (a game I have never understood lol), and S goes, "well, [my name] can't play, she's aroace." Which she had no right to do!! Of course she was right I had absolutely no inclination to join whatsoever, and one of the people had just come out to us as bi so we knew it was probably safe, but if I wanted that information spread to a bunch of girls I had never met before in my life I would have done it myself! Or the other day two other friends (C and Z) were jokingly shipping me and another friend (D) in our group chat, and I was just rejecting it (I did enjoy the pun with our names though), and then I reacted STRONGLY to discussion about kids. Obviously raised some questions, and C goes "Cause she's aarrroo". Which 1. isn't even the right part of my identity for that, and 2. Only 2 out of 5 people (not including myself) in that chat knew about it. Once again it was fine, it was hidden in a flood of messages, but still. I confided in them because I'm really close to them and trust them immensly (honestly, they can be uncoorparative sometimes, but they know when to back off if it's something serious and I trust them with my life) but I don't know how to make that clear to them, because I DON'T trust the people they're outing me to that much, and even if I do I want it to be on my own terms. The only people I've come out to so far that were entirely on my terms is them, my mom, and my cousin. I don't even know if my dad knows yet tbh, but if he does it was bc of my mom. Every other time was either an accident, or they forgot/didn't realize that I view it as a really big deal and just let it slip out.

The worst part is I want to be mad at them, but I can't. I quietly yell at them a little bit later, but none of my friends have ever done it multiple times, and if I'm close to someone I find it really hard to stay angry at them. So I want to tell them about it and get them to understand, but they've never done it since I told them I didn't like it, and I WANT to trust them but I still don't really because it's just so easy for them to slip up. All of the scenerios were fine in the end, it really was okay, but it could have not been okay and that makes me nervous. Any advice for how to tackle this?

I'm sorry that happened to you, Anon. It's really not as well-known as it should be that people should never out someone without their permission first. And it's not uncommon for people to just not realise that coming out isn't a one-and-done thing, that coming out to one person doesn't mean a person isn't just out. Especially since that's how it's often portrayed in media.

It does sound like they listened when you asked them to stop, and that's definitely a good sign. You are still allowed to have a conversation with them about it, though. Maybe start with something like 'I just want to explain to you guys why I asked you not to out me' or 'i just want to talk about it a bit, but I'm really happy you guys have been good about not telling people since I asked' or something like that, it won't feel like you're harping on them or putting them on the defensive or make them feel attacked, but just able to more clearly explain your side of things and be understood better.

I definitely think a good conversation is a good way to go, and help you clear the air a bit. And if you know they understand your side better, you'll likely feel more secure that they'll listen and be more careful about outing you.

All the best, Anon! Good luck!

[myshredda]

I’m not sure if it’s been decided yet— but I was thinking about Pink, Green, and Pink’s dynamic and their age range. Like— they could all be the same age but they have no idea. Sure, Yellow and Green were essentially the same person, but technically, Yellow WAS the first one to come round. I like the think that they have a decent idea that Yellow is the oldest b/c of this, but no one knows how old Pink is. Plus, all of the kids’ birthdays were randomly decided, so it’s something they’d never be able to figure out.

I don’t think it would matter too much to anyone in the clump, but it also brings in the funny idea of them swapping the older sibling/younger sibling title. Like— I can imagine the boys running into trouble with other children (since Lesley likely allowed other people to start existing) and then going to Pink, which in turn makes her grab a bat or something and run out of the house yelling: “LEAVE MY LITTLE BROTHERS ALONE!”

This could also go for a more teasing situation where I can imagine Green being like “as the oldest, we have to do this—“ and then the other two foaming at the mouth yelling that, actually, THEY are the oldest. But then they reverse it when in trouble. Like— Yellow breaks something in Pink’s room and while smoke literally comes out of her ears he’s yelling “DON’T HAVE HURT ME— I’M THE LITTLEST ONE!”

I don't really have any ages set in stone for any of the characters because I like for them to be kind of loosey goosey for plot reasons, much like the way none of the characters have names OR ages in the show (even Yellow's birthday plot in Wakey Wakey is vauge, the ribbon on his shirt goes from 38 to 48 over the course of the episode- so nothing canon there)

I agree that Yellow is technically 'the oldest' only because he was the first one to live with the clump, followed by Green and then Pink, but they would absolutely flip flop around and play with being 'the oldest' or 'the youngest' like a game of hot potato. Whatever they decide in the moment is what age they're currently at I believe.

Pink would be the protective older sister when Yellow and Green are in trouble for sure, she's definitely the most feral, so she'd go crazy protecting her 'little' brothers. Then the hard switch to her being annoying and them turning on her with her reply being 'YOU CAN'T BULLY ME I'M THE YOUNGEST' they would all absolutely do it, Green and Yellow included. I love them all fighting over who gets to be the oldest when fighting over who gets to be in charge, and Yellow claiming being the littlest one to get out of trouble dfslhjhls

[spacepigfanclub]

Theory Blurb #1 - What if the Watcher said “Fuck the Dyrwood” and never went there

After a long writing and “generally-anything-that-wasn’t-a-reblog” hiatus, I’m back as a way to de-stress from my finals

I would also like to both thank and apologise to the members of the Pillars of Eternity Discord server for having to endure my brain farts lmfao

[TW: death, lots and lots of death, lynching, suicide, everyone having a really really bad time]

...Short answer, the Dyrwood is capital “f”  F U C K E D

A bit longer answer, the fandom’s weed blorbo and the elven blorbo with anxiety, as well as the entire nation of Dyrwood are doomed. Everyone’s wellbeing depends on that one funky little gremlin that hoards pets and is not allowed any drugs due to seing ghosts while clean/sober.

Let’s get to the biggest issue at hand first and then get to various miscelaenous things.

So, starting off, the moment the Watcher decides they want to, as an example, settle down in the Living Lands instead... there’s no one in the Dyrwood to actually stop Thaos from continuing Waidwen’s Legacy. He can actually carry out the mission with none of those depressed meddling kids getting in his way and manages to empower Woedica and discredit animancy in the Dyrwood with little to no resistance.

He likely doesn’t even need to continue the Legacy for much longer, since the entire nation is on the brink of collapse. Even if Thaos leaves and the Legacy is no more and the Dyrwood doesn’t fall into anarchy like Defiance Bay did after the Animancy Hearings, they will, and I mean 10000000% CERTAINLY WILL have to deal with a massive demographic crisis.

PoE1 takes place in the year 2823 AI. Waidwen’s Legacy, meanwhile, began less than a year after the Saint’s War ended, around 2808 AI. This gives us 15 years of the vast majority of births in the Dyrwood being Hollowborn births. Not all births, since there are kids like Gordy and Saeda, who are perfectly fine, but more than enough to really matter in the long run. 

Even if the Legacy stopped and every adult in the Dyrwood got to doing the horizontal mambo like there was no tomorrow, those new births would not offset the effects of Waidwen’s Legacy, which would be felt for years to come.

As a result, the Dyrwood’s demographic pyramid would look a lot more like that of a modern day first world country... in a fantasy setting. Granted, they do have guns and some pretty nifty tech, but it’s still a fantasy setting and they only just began industrializing AT BEST. 

The only good things that I can think of here is that IF Thaos decides to end the Legacy soon after empowering Woedica, he will no longer need to divert souls. And because of the return of souls, the Dyrwood will have good harvests once more (since they were also struggling on that front if you take into account that one quest with the miller in the Gilded Vale). Everything in Eora needs soul power to work properly, plants included. 

So, we got a nation that would surely undergo a demographic crisis in the following years, where the spirits are low and there’s this aura of despair and suffering. Granted, all this exists in canon, but here it doesn’t get resolved by the Watcher. No extra kids from Hylea. No empowering the living populace by Galawain. Everyone has a Bad Time™.

And there is one nation that tries to take advantage of that by making things worse for the Dyrwood. The Vailian Republics. 

I imagine that things would go the same way as in one of Pallegina’s endings, namely the one where she bocomes Ducess Spireno’s personal guard. The tribes of Eir Glanfath and the Vailians sign the lucrative af trade deal, cutting out dyrwoodan competitors and the Dyrwood cannot do anything about it. The Dyrwood becomes the favorite chewtoy of the Republics, and they look not that better off than Readceras. 

Actually, Readceras might be better than the Dyrwood, because at least they got their pride back thanks to Adaryc and the Iron Flail.

Obviously, that would lead to the escalating tensions between the Dyrwood and the Republics. This could either result in a future war, which the Dyrwood would lose, and futher humiliation or other niceties. Or the Vailians would start thinking about “helping” the Dyrwoodans by making the crumbling nation dependant on vailian exports. As a treat.

Even if Thaos doesn’t kill Duc Aevar and Eydis Webb during the Animancy Hearings, the duc would still likely be ousted from office. The Vailians could then install a pro-Vailia puppet, leading to even more Bad Time™ down the line...

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Misc. Section:

Aloth never gets therapy and gets beaten by drunkards from his introduction scene. He then either leaves Gilded Vale soon after and becomes a recluse, or enough people start talking about “some Aedyran asshole that is acting hella suspicious” that Raedric hears it and arranges him a HANGout spot in the middle of the settlement. ...ok, I’ll leave now.

Speaking of hanging out, Edér is another solid candidate, judging by his introduction scene alone. Homeboy also never gets therapy or answers regarding Woden. 

After the birth of his Hollowborn son, I imagine Raedric would become even more paranoid of Eothasians. And since there ARE rumors in the Gilded Vale that Edér is a follower of Eothas, or at least that his late brother was one... he may better book it out asap.

Kana never finishes his thesis on the Tanvii ora Toha, or at least tries to get through the barrages of spirits up above and the monsters down below on his own. I believe he would, sooner or later, have to either abandon his dream or hire a whole ass merc group to help him if he actually can do everything without the Watcher’s abilities. 

Though, on a more positive tone, perhaps this could make him meet Aloth and Edér without the Watcher’s help, though I suppose their dynamic would be different compared to the actual game.

Bloody Legacy is never finished. Aelys Harond is never rescued from the Skaenites and the ritual is completed. Everything goes on the same way as when the Watcher begins the quest, but never fights the Skaenites or wipes Aelys’s memory, AKA she returns to her uncle, kills him and then herself, causing an uproar.

Heritage Hill is never cleared of the undead. Saeda Valtas is forever locked in the quarantine zone and either dies of starvation or is found and eaten alive by her undead family/neighbours.

Simoc, Vela’s guardian, eventually finds a gullible fool that would get him the baby-made potion. Vela either dies, or Simoc’s son finally decides to kill his father. 

Raedric never gets killed as long as he’s staying in his hold. Once Thaos empowers Woedica and leaves for a new mission, Waidwen’s Legacy would misteriously “dissapear” and Raedric would be seen by the remaining populace of Gilded Vale as a “hero”, just like in one of his endings.

Maerwald eventually dies and Caed Nua becomes even more of a ruin that everyone avoids like the plague. Since there’s no one there to conveiniently repair and pimp up the keep, Lord Gathbin never bothers to leave Aedyr for the Dyrwood.

Stalward either remains a backwater, or they do indeed get help from someone else. Maybe an adventurer reactivates the Forge and everything’s well... until the Eyeless arrive and Adaryc decides to occupy the place and succeeds, giving way for an era of relative prosperity in Readceras (for the first time ever, actually). Adaryc would try to find a way to destroy the Eyeless menace, as he is the only other Watcher that we know of, the only other person that gets the message that shit is about to go down.

He either succeeds or gets martyr’d trying, but would have a delayed response due to him thinking it is all Dyrwood’s fault. 

If Adaryc and the Iron Flail succeed in wiping out the Eyeless, but at the cost of Adaryc’s life, then get ready for the Cult of Saint Adaryc, the Second Coming of Eothas, to spread like wildfire across Readceras.

If they DON’T succeed though... say goodbye to the entirety of the Reach.

[dreaming-hibi]

✨ A doll once loved ✨

Year | 2014

Tags | #A doll comes alive but it’s not a horror story #Don’t judge a book by its cover or a doll by its ugliness #Even boys can play with dolls, please it’s the 21st century #Everyone makes mistakes

Summary | A rag doll, Ada, who thought no child would ever want her, is surprisingly bought by 7-year-old Misha, who chose her over every other new toy in the store. She spends many wonderful years in his company and eventually falls in love with him, just like a human being would. However, not only is she no longer able to talk with him due to him growing up, but they are two very different beings. Things start going for the worse when Ada realizes that Misha is dating a girl, her ugly feelings possess her into trying to kill her beloved.

Fortunately, the better side of her prevails but, because she harbored such dark feelings, her body begins to turn to dust. All her thoughts are for Misha, whom she wishes to find happiness and live a long life. These feelings of hers give birth to a miracle, allowing her to be freed from shackles. Whether Ada and Misha meet again after that is another story.

Story |

Time and time again, children would come into the store. With their excited cries and shining eyes, they would run around and pick anything they found interesting. Cars, robots, Barbie, stuffed animals. None of them even looked at me. Was I that ugly? Days passed, months passed, maybe years passed too.

Yes, descriptions weren’t my forte. Or dialogues. Or transitions… Writing wasn’t my forte.

I have to admit: I wrote in first person POV for an uncomfortably long time. Not because I thought first person POV was the best way to write a story, but simply because I didn’t know any better way to write a story.

- Give it up, Rag Doll - barked the stuck-up plush toy. He was new around here. With his velveteen coat and soft paws, he had all the kids at his feet. Though, for sure he would be easily forgotten once the kids find out about real animals, he was right.

And apparently, I also didn’t know what a verb tense was.

Oh My God.

Although, I gotta admit I love how brutally honest our little protagonist Ada is. You go girl, go tell that stuck-up plushie who is boss!

Brown hair held in pigtails, cheeks apple red, fat and bunchy. I was the last remaining in the shop, everyone else had been bought during our à la mode time. What kid would want to play with an old rag doll such as myself?

I remember having had a crystal clear image of how I wanted Ada to look like. I wanted her to look exactly the same as a rag doll I once had, but g00gle image was just not collaborating with me. The amount of time I lost trying to find a reference pic was ridiculous. And then I ended up writing one sentence about it. Ah, the struggles of a wannabe writer.

I watched as he passed in front of my shelf, feeling depression overtake me again as he didn’t even notice me. Hope was the last to die, right? Suddenly he turned around and stared at me. “What..?” I wondered, sitting there unable to move. - Wow, so cute - he mumbled as he stared at me from up close. “C-cute..?!” I thought shocked, this was the first time someone ever looked at me! And.. he said I was cute!

I actually find this scene cute. I didn’t when I first wrote it, but I definitely adore it now.

I still do write characters thoughts, only I do it very differently now. At least, in this regard, I can see that I have improved a mountain load.

The boy hugged me tightly. So tightly that it made me realize what people mean by ‘bone-crushing hug’, not that I had bones that could be crushed. - Your name will be… Ada! Do you like it, Ada? - he asked, lifting me up high so he could see my face. Already painted on my face was a smile. I was born with it but, finally for the first time did I feel like this smile was perfect for me. - Let’s be together forever - he proclaimed then kissed my painted smile. And, even the apple red cheeks seemed to be perfect for me in that moment.

Ah yes, my first attempts at humor. Where is that “You tried” award, because my kid self definitely deserves one!

Final thoughts | Emotional value aside, I do think this is a story—well, an idea, considering its state of almost non-writing—worth completing. It carries an innocent message of “Don’t judge a book by its cover” and “Love can be felt by anyone and anything”.

Others may laugh, however, I am a strong believer of showing love or appreciation towards inanimate objects. Because while they might not be able to show in actions or in words, our love gives them a special kind of magic that makes them invincible. I have plushies and gifts that are more than a decade old, but they still function and look as though they had been bought only yesterday.

At the very least, I feel like this story could be a good reminder that not everything has to be as society commands. As long as it's true, you are allowed to love what you love. That's all for Nostalgia Tour: A book not written by me #1, tune in next week for #2!

[angelsdean]

Continuing to think about this parallel and the contrast between the two scenes where Dean finds out his dream world isn't real. In 2x20 he immediately springs into action to find a way out and has to be convinced to stay by his (fake) family, which he rejects VS in 14x10 Dean is so resistant to the thought that his world isn't real and has to be convinced to leave by his (real!) family.

2x20:

DEAN: (breathing heavily) What if I'm like her? What if I'm tied up in here some place? What if all this is in my head? [...]  I don't think you're real. [...] DEAN: There's one way to be sure. (he pulls out the silver knife) SAM: (backing off) Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you doing? DEAN: It's an old wives' tale. If you're about to die in a dream, you wake up. [...] DEAN: You're not real. (tears in his eyes) None of it is. MARY: It doesn't matter. It's still better than anything you had. [...] It's everything you want. We're a family again. Let’s go home. [...] in here, with us, it'll feel like years. Like a lifetime. [...] Dean, stay with us.

14x10:

SAM Okay, listen to me. You have to remember what's going on out – out in the real world. [...] DEAN: (back in the bar, Dean looks around and Pamela is gone) No. No, no, no, no. Guys, this is -- this is my life. This -- This is the dream. CASTIEL: No, no, it's not. It's just A dream, Dean. That's all it is. Please, you have to -- you have to try to remember, because the people in your life -- in your real life, out there -- we need you to come back.

Also ANOTHER interesting parallel I clocked is: the order in which people try to convince Dean to stay / leave.

There's obviously no Mary in 14x10, but I think Cas echoes some of Mary's points in an inverse fashion. But what's more interesting to me is, then Carmen (Dean love interest whose name starts with a 'C' !) speaks to Dean, trying to convince him to stay. Followed by Sam.

And in 14x10 it goes Cas first, laying out all the reasons to leave like Mary + Carmen do in 2x10. And then Sam comes in at the end with few words. In 2x20 he's tearful and "begging" and "echoing what Dean said earlier." In 14x10 he uses their coded communication of "Poughkeepsie" to snap Dean out of it.

But another-NOTHER parallel within the parallel of Cas and Carmen both holding the same spot in the order of speaking to Dean is just, Carmen's whole scene. The framing. She's looking up at him with big eyes and saying "I love you, Dean" and begging him to stay with her. VS the tragic inverse of Dean being told "I love you" by Cas in 15x18 as a goodbye before Cas must leave him.

Carmen, an idealistic dream, is saying it as a way to convince Dean to stay in the false reality, promising a future, a family, while Cas's I love you in their bleak reality is the (seeming) end to their story. It's a goodbye. It's a door shutting on their potential future. And they have a family, but it keeps fracturing. Their kid keeps dying. They all keep having to sacrifice for the world. Unlike Carmen's "I love you" as part of a plea to "stay with me", Cas's "I love you" is the parting words of a heartfelt final goodbye. Instead of a plea to stay Cas is saying "you have to let me go now."

In dream worlds you get to have "everything you want" but in the reality of their lives more often than not it's "the one thing I want is something I know I can't have" and "How come you only want what you can't have?" They both want the same thing, but they can't have it because they won't allow themselves to be selfish, not when lives are on the line, not when the fate of the whole world still rests on them.

ummmmm. i feel insane. i just looked at gifs of dean in his michael dream world while taking a break from by 2x20 rewatch and just. thinking abt his "dream worlds" like over a decade apart. and in both he never....lets himself truly have what he wants (pam his subconscious even calls him out on this). he's never selfish. he's always merely content but never fully happy. and most of all he just wants everyone he loves to be happy and safe. i'm gonna explode.

[sunflowerinpearls]

Some information before reading:

- We moved out as a family of 5 from my in-laws fully furnished 3 bed, 1 bath basement apartment, & we lived there for 6 years. We moved into a 3 bed, 1 bath townhome and then we bought a house and my mental health went to the bottom real fast and I could no longer physically care for my children, because I couldn’t physically get out of bed. Our Children moved in with my In-Laws because of how bad things had gotten. The hardest choice I ever made was telling myself “you shouldn’t be the one that’s responsible for them when you can’t even handle the simplest things when it comes to caring for yourself!!!!!”

But it’s been 7 long years in recovery from C-PTSD, BPD, PD, MDD, SAD, & more… and I have learned a lot of things since the very beginning.

So without further ado, here ya go:

If I say “Give me my son/daughter/their name/child/etc, YOU SIMPLY TURN MY CHILD TO ME AND LET ME TAKE OVER FROM THERE. You do NOT keep fucking walking away from me. That was your LAST mistake! Your first one was trapping my 7 year old son, who is your Nephew first and foremost BEFORE you’re his GodParent, and you NEED to stay in your lane.

There are boundaries for all of us *TryingReallyHard* parents who have to set boundaries to keep their Special Need(s) Child(ren) SAFE, just to see Derek’s Mother & Sister continue stepping over the boundaries I’ve made.

There is absolutely none of this “I do this everyday at school and HE IS JUST FINE!”. He was NOT fine and your words and matched actions escalated things and then I stepped in because you messed up.

And then umm, that triggered my biggest fear now: Having his family try and keep my kids from me and shit, cuz I wouldn’t put that past them. Not after Roxi asked me straight up if she could “stop by her Lawyer ‘cause all she would have to do is sign a few papers & she can have Guardianship of the two- just in case of an emergency.” Uhhh. No I don’t think so. That’s not at all why she asked… She wants all of the Power & Control over my Children. Why? Because I am the Wife of her son and the Mother of her Grandchildren and she will NEVER accept it because I am “Mentally ill” and “Disabled” & she looks down on that as if at any moment, she couldn’t ever *possibly* become Disabled herself, ya know because she’s Invincible & Immortal. 🙄

Well you’ll be happy to know I fucking stood my ground when I saw Jack escalate and dereks sister kayla and grab him and put him in his room. She said “I got it Cecelia. I do it daily at school.”

“He’s my son.” Babble babble Roxi and me “first and foremost, he’s my son.”

Derek intervened, I walked toward the garage to exit and said “I’m leaving. I am done. I’m not doing this.” (Or something like that I really can’t remember now)… & the fucking way she cornered Jack in front of Roxi’s recliner, grabbed his upper arm and went to send him to his room, *I*

knew what Jack needed instantly when I saw him pace back and forth from being cornered. I don’t allow that. Hell to the fucking no. & I ended up getting Jack with me, outside in the freezing ass car waiting for Derek to finish a game. When I started to walk out, I heard faint whispering & definitely caught my name so they can *All* fuck off.

Derek raised his voice at idk his mom and sister? Saying that they need to let me handle it when I say I got it. And they also, can do other things other than sending a child away to be alone in their bedroom. That’s not how we are parenting our kids so you won’t be parenting them that way either and if you really wanna do it again & I will find out, guess what?

*YANK*

Like I said, there was a fucking reason I said “NO” 3 fucking times!!! When Roxi asked me for Guardianship of them.

He needed to be held as tight as possible with his arms folded across his body and brought back down very slowly and calmly.

Not be grabbed by his arm and be sent away to be by himself.

That is exactly how you teach kids that the world is against them and always against them and no one will ever help them and they’ll always be alone.

So, nope. You don’t get to do that!

I held him by the door and I told him he was okay, and sat with him until he was ready to go back inside.

And yeah, I did in fact take him home w me. And he slept so peacefully and warm in his bed and woke up around 6. He got 9 hours of sleep. I’m relieved for him for that.

Today I made him write down an apology letter to Kayla for breaking her “pretty” (decor). & he wrote 2 sentences & when I told him he owes her more than just 2 sentences and that he gets nothing (games, treats, etc) until he writes the letter and signs his name after but he has to write more than 2 sentences. He got immediately livid & impulsively put an X through the halfway done apology letter & then I told him he needed to step away for a minute, sit on the couch and take some deep breaths & not break anything on the way there, either! He sat and punched himself in the side of the head/face. I jumped up quickly, because I immediately thought of my past self, and did the following:

wrapped his arms around himself & held onto him tightly, & told him all the things he needs to tell himself and I made him repeat it all, too:

“I’m a good person”

“I have a beautiful heart and a beautiful soul”

“I’m a good boy!”

“I’m a good son”

“I’m a good brother to Christine and Lily”

“I’m a good Grandson”

“I’m a good Nephew & Cousin”

“Just because I make choices, does NOT mean I am a bad person”

And then I said “and my face is pretty cute”

And he smiled & then we were all smiling because when we looked around, Dad had been smiling the entire time in absolute awe of the way I love our children.

If it’s one thing I will never fail consciously, it’s my 3 Babies: Christine, Lily, Jack. ♥️

[page150]

Not A Friend - (Sister to Oscar "Spooky" and César Díaz)

Request: "i was wondering if u could do a fic where oscar and cesar have a teen sister and she’s sexually assaulted and tells oscar??"

Pronouns: She/Her

Word Count: 3181

Warnings: Sexual Assault, Guns, Cursing

A/N: I usually don't do a author's note before the imagine, but this is a sensitive topic so if this might be triggering please click away.

Y/N - Your Name f/c - favorite color

Y/N sat quietly in her room, reading a book, illuminated by a white lamp sitting on her dresser.

Outside her brother, Oscar laughed with some men and her other brother, César had left a while ago on another adventure with his friends, leaving Y/N by herself in her room. Placing the book down, she moved the curtains away from her window. She looked at the gathering of Santos socializing in the backyard. Red solo cups in hand, dancing and eating. She remembered how Oscar had let her help decorate the backyard for the party only to be later excluded from it. Looking at him laughing with a with his arm around someone she betted that he had forgotten that she was inside.

She had gotten used to being forgotten and treated differently by people. Ever since she was born her brothers didn’t know what to do with her. Oscar had never expected to have to raise a brother by himself and especially not a sister. Even though she was only a year younger than César, Oscar's idea of keeping her safe was keeping her hidden.

She was only allowed to go straight to school then straight home, never alone either. If César or Monse weren’t going to a place neither was Y/N and that’s how it always was. She was especially not allowed to hang out with any of Oscar's friends, making life extremely lonely.

Glancing at a photo that was taped next to the window, she smiled at herself situated between Jasmine and Monse with Jamal, Ruby and César in the back. César’s friends were nice, but they were his friends not hers. He was the one invited to all their parties. He was the one they had tried to save, not her.

This left school to be the only place Y/N could socialize, but no one wanted to be friends with a girl from a gang. She was labeled dangerous before anything else, leaving her by herself. Always forgotten, and always alone.

That night she went to sleep feeling sorry for herself and woke up the same way. It continued the next few days until one day when while sitting in her algebra class, a new student was introduced. He was placed next to her and, ignoring the strange looks the class gave to him, he introduced himself.

“I’m Luke. Can I sit here?”

Y/N looked up at the blond haired boy. Her table partner had moved schools a few months ago and no one bothered to sit with her since. He looked nice, he had a nice smile and it made her want to lower her guard slightly, “Yeah, you can sit here.”

Luke sat next to her and immediately tried to start a conversation. He talked about how he moved from Florida. She noticed, as they talked more, how similar they were. They both had interesting families. He had two brothers, she had two brothers and they both lived near each other.

Y/N found herself laughing more than usual at his jokes. This led to the teacher having to stop class multiple times to scold them. Y/N never had a connection to someone like this, especially not on the first day. At lunch Luke went to sit with with her and -

“Who’s this?” César asked, suddenly sitting down at the lunch table next to his sister and wrapping an arm around her. Jamal, Ruby, and Monse also sat down. The table that previously consisted of two people quickly turned to six. Other kids nearby, eyed the two “dangerous” siblings sitting together.

Y/N rolled her eyes at the unexpected attention that was now forming. “This is Luke, he’s new.”

“Lukeee,” César trailed, “I’m Y/N’s older brother-”

“By a few months,” Y/N butted in.

“Whatever, I’m César, these are my friends Jamal, Ruby and my girl Monse.”

Monse laughed, “I’m not your girl.”

“Not yet,” César winked.

Y/N sighed and threw César’s arm off her. She turned to Elliot and apologized.

“Sorry for them.”

“No they’re cool,” Luke grinned. “Any friend of mine is my friend as well.”

Y/N raised her eyebrows, “We’re friends now? It’s only been a day.”

“Of course, you’re cool.”

With the compliment Y/N cheeks turned red. As childish as it was, having an established friendship with someone made her feel nice.

“This must be how César and Oscar feel all the time.” She thought.

“I don’t know if Oscar will like you having a friend that is a boy.” Ruby remarked. “No offense, Luke.”

“None taken.”

“Oscar doesn’t like anyone anyways.” Monse muttered, taking a bite into her sandwich.

“Don’t worry” Luke smiled, “I’m one of the good guys.”

“That’s what they all say,” Jamal said suspiciously. He leaned in close to Luke’s face and gave him some crazy faces.

“Okay, great talk guys,” Y/N said sarcastically, “I would love to chat with you more but lunch is about to end and I have to show Luke where his next class is. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah I have to go, but it was nice meeting you guys.” Luke stated, before he was dragged away by Y/N.

The next few weeks Y/N spent all her time with Luke. He sat next to her in the classes they shared, they talked at lunch and while walking home after school. They even stayed up at night so they could talk on the phone. She found herself smiling every time he talked to her. Every time he offered to carry her books. He was just so nice.

One Friday afternoon, Luke came running up to Y/N, putting her items in her backpack after her last class. He put his hands around her eyes, trying to hold back his laughter.

“Guess who?”

“Mrs. Kurt, I told you we can't see each other here.” Y/N whispered.

Luke removed his hands and his face went white. Y/N turned around and started crying with laughter. She had to sit down, her face turning bright red as she continued to laugh, gasping for air.

“I don’t even want to think about you dating my mom.” He trembled, before returning to his cheerful self. “Stop laughing, I have important news. There’s a party tonight and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me.”

Y/N stopped laughing and thought about it before responding. “I don’t know. I don’t think Oscar would want me to. You know how he is about stuff like that.”

Luke smiled and picked her backpack off the floor. He then put out his hand and helped Y/N to her feet.

“Which is why César and his friends already said they are coming too. Oscar doesn’t have to know you're going as my date.”

“Your date?”

“If you want to be. I want you to be my date.”

Y/N smiled, a pink blush covering her cheeks. “I can be your date.”

“Great,” He took her hand and began to lead her out of the classroom. “It’s going to be amazing, don't worry.”

That night Y/N drank water out of a red solo cup, while sitting on the couch of a kid she had never met before. This time she was the one laughing and partying. Colors flashed around the room as more and more kids came into the house. The air was foggy with smoke and smelt like a mash of perfumes and colognes. Y/N nodded her head to the music enjoying the energy in the room.

To her surprise Luke pulled her up to dance with him. She giggled feeling his hands go around her waist. She put her arms around his neck just like she saw in the movies. Rap was blasting out of speakers placed on the ground. Somewhere someone joked about getting a noise compliment to which the crowd began shouting the rap lyrics louder. Taunting the idea, almost hoping for it so the party could gain extra excitement. Y/N shouted along with them in bliss. Ignoring the past fear she had felt once she noticed César had left. Ignoring the looks she had gotten when she first walked in the party. Ignoring how Luke had moved his hands past the dip in her back...

When she felt his hands squeeze her butt she whispered for him to stop which he did, but she still felt weird. A sinking feeling sat in her gut that this was a mistake. Suddenly the small action made the party feel like too much now. She could smell the stink of alcohol on Luke’s breath and weirdly on herself as well. How did she get drunk?

Y/N moved from Luke to where she had placed her cup. Now she could see scribbled on with a black sharpie, someone else’s name. She must have grabbed the wrong cup sometime during the party. Swaying slightly, she moved back toward Luke.

“I need to go home,” She hiccuped. “I drank someone's drink.”

In the darkness she didn’t see Luke’s small smile. “Wow, I’m sorry. Let’s get you home.”

The two exited the party and began to walk home. Y/N felt more tipsy as she walked, eventually having to lean on the blond boy. She didn’t feel really drunk, she could still tell what was happening, it was just her body felt a little out of balance. Luke seemed the same way, but before they reached Y/N house he grabbed her hips. The sudden movement left her in shock.

“You looked really nice tonight, babe.” He said, pulling her into a kiss as he ran his hands on her back, slowly moving lower onto her butt, then up to her breasts.

Immediately Y/N pushed Luke off of her, moving to wrap her arms around herself. “What the hell? I’m a Santo, pull that shit again and it's over” She yelled, backing away from Luke.

“Like you would, I’m the only one who cares enough to pay attention to you. Do you really think anyone else wants to be around you? I’ll do whatever I want. You would be an idiot to lose me.” He fumed.

Y/N froze. Luke had never acted like that before. He couldn’t truly mean what he was saying. She ran into her house and locked the door behind her. She waited a few minutes to check that he had left, which he did.

After her shower she convinced herself that Luke must have been really drunk. That’s why he acted that way, but on Monday he proved that that was not the case.

At the beginning of algebra it started off okay. Luke kept his eyes on the board and focused on his work. It was okay up to the point where he started rubbing on Y/N's leg. She told him to stop but he ignored her. First rubbing small circles on her knee. Then moving up to her thigh moving closer and closer upwards. No matter how many times she moved his hand he kept putting it back. Eventually she had to stay quiet out of fear of distracting the class, but he kept going. She begged silently for it to stop. Suddenly feeling powerless as he continued to do as he pleased for more days.

At lunch even though Luke continued to joke with César she started to go silent. It was a constant internal battle. If she pushed Luke away more, it would cause her to lose her only friend. If she didn’t she would continue to feel uncomfortable. She told herself it would stop eventually, that things would go back to normal, but they didn’t.

As more days went by Luke tried to do more things. The more he tried to do the quieter Y/N got. But luckily César began to notice. He noticed that Y/N wanted him to sit between her and Luke more. How she stopped laughing at his jokes and how Luke changed his tone when talking to her. It wasn’t always playful like it used to be.

Even though César wasn’t really close to his sister he acknowledged that they had to look out for each other. Y/N had been the one to get Oscar to let him back in the house many times. She looked out for him, and he had to look out for her.

Which is why when César and Monse accidentally walked in on Luke kissing her in an empty classroom while she tried to push him off, he freaked out.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He shouted, pulling Luke off of her and close to his face by the collar of his shirt. “I'm Lil’ Spooky I’ll have your face in the dirt if you do that shit again.”

“César, stop what are you doing here. You’re going to hurt him.” Y/N yelled. Monse gently pulled her away from Luke, but she pushed Monse back.

César punched Luke in the eye and he fell down, crumbling into a fetal position. César continued to kick him in the stomach until Y/N pulled him away.

“You’re hurting him! You can’t do this here! César stop please!”

César turned and grabbed Y/N's arm. He led her out of the classroom and out of the school with Monse trailing after them. Y/N’s items in hand.

“I can’t believe he was on you like that. Shit, Y/N. Wait, don't cry, don’t cry, it's okay.”

Y/N hadn’t realized she was crying until he said that. Tears were falling rapidly down her cheeks. She choked back sobs, trying to keep herself somewhat together.

She was thankful for César stopping it, but afraid for what would happen next. Once they reached their house César guided her up the stairs and inside where Oscar was smoking a cigarette at the dinner table. Hearing the door burst open and crying he instantly got up. He reached for his gun, but seeing that it was his siblings he stopped.

“Shit, what the hell happened César. Why is she crying?”

“Tell him,” César said softly. Monse ran in and went to Y/N’s side pulling her into a hug.

“Tell me what. Why are you crying?”

“He 's not mad at you hermana. Él va a ayudar.”

Y/N sniffled and buried herself into Monse’s shoulder. Trying to hide her embarrassment she whispered, “My friend at school was touching me in a weird way, Oscar. He wouldn’t stop. I told him to stop, though. I did. Please, don’t be mad at me.”

“We’re not mad at you and he’s not a friend anymore, Y/N. That should’ve never happened to you.” Monse murmured.

The room went silent. Monse still slowly rubbed Y/N’s back and César stood tense. Oscar looked from César to Y/N.

“César, do you think he left school yet?”

“Uh yeah, school ended right after I pulled her out.”

“Come on,” Oscar grabbed his gun and began to walk out the door, César following after. Y/N ran after Oscar begging for him to stop.

“Don’t Oscar, don’t hurt hm. He’s my only friend. He’s a kid, it was just a mistake.”

“No no!” He shouted. Oscar turned and placed his hands on Y/N’s shoulder’s. Looking into her teary eyes.

“It’s not your fault. It’s never your fault hermana. My job is to keep you safe. I've failed at a lot of things, but I refuse to fail at that again. Get in the house and rest. He just needs to be taught a lesson. Stay with Monse. Te amo como una hija bebé espeluznante.”

He left with César, leaving Y/N on the lawn. Monse guided her back into the house. She remembered what her dad did whenever she was going through a lot. She treated Y/N the same way. Reassuring her that it will be okay. That it wasn’t her fault.

César and Oscar didn’t come back until later that night.

“We got you this,” Oscar muttered, walking into the house and tossing a stuffed bear to Y/N. “We saw the idea online.” It was a f/c bear with a heart on it that said ‘Te Quiero’ with little messages César and Oscar wrote on the back. There weren't a lot, but the few ones there were were heartfelt.

“Thank you, I love it” Y/N smiled, holding the bear close. Her eyes were still slightly red from crying.

“And pizza,” César quietly cheered. On his face was a bandage, but he moved his face so Y/N couldn’t see it. “Monse do you want to spend the night?”

Monse looked at Y/N, “Yeah I already have clothes here so I’ll stay,”

She picked up a slice of pizza. “Soo, what did you guys do?”

“We took care of it,” Oscar said, sitting on the couch next to Y/N. “He won’t mess with you again. If I didn’t have a reputation I would’ve reported it.” He lowered his voice. “You can always go to us Y/N, we’re going to protect you. If that cabrón messes with you again I’m coming for him. ”

“I know,” Y/N mumbled. “I just wanted a friend, how dumb is that.”

“You can always hang out with us,” Monse added, “We’re your friends. We love having you around.”

Y/N sighed, “I mean my own friend. I love you guys too, but it gets so lonely. No one at school wants to be near me. Soy un marginado.”

The room went silent again. Before Monse spoke up, “You know you’re really smart Y/N. There’s a school in BrentWood that might offer you a scholarship to go there. I know you could pass the entrance exam. ”

“I could get a job for the tuition,” César added, rising from his seat at the dinner table. “Oscar what do you think? You’ve been making more money lately. It would keep her safe. She is really smart.”

Oscar looked at the ceiling, a good sign that he was thinking about the idea. Y/N kept her mouth shut, trying not to get too excited.

“How would she get there?”

“It’s a long bus ride,” Monse remarked, “But it’s safe. Only a bunch of rich kids. Most of them will be nice to you, Y/N. You’re smart, you’re funny, and you’re strong. Not a lot of them are like that there. No one will know who you're related to. I can get my mom to help get you in.”

César, Monse, and Y/N looked at Oscar. He took a deep breath and released it. Pulling a cigarette out his pocket, he lit it. Breathing deep he puffed out the smoke.

“I failed you today as a hermano, if I can keep you safe I will. I’ll work on getting you there.”

Y/N smiled and hugged Oscar, feeling César join as well.

“Thank you Oscar. Thank you Cesar. Thank you Monse. I love you.”

“Yeah, yeah” Oscar grinned. “Get off me I’m going to bed. I think I’ll go to the beach tomorrow. Want to come?”

“Yes!”

Author's Note: My DMs are always open to anyone who needs it. I am also on twitter to anyone who wants to talk @/thepage150. Requests are open. You are important. You are valued. You are loved. Have a wonderful day ~c'k

[jaycewrites-192000]

Baby Bird Pt.2

Summery: Y/n and Keigo’s kid get’s his father’s quirk, and it’s a bit difficult to deal with, for their kid, and them…

Character: Keigo Takami (Hawks)

Warnings: None

C/n=Child's Name

Once C/n's wings started to develop, you couldn't help but notice the slight worry in Keigo's eyes. When asked, he explained that when his wings came in, it was a bit painful at times. After all, wings were sprouting out from his back. The worry got to you as well, just as C/n began to feel it. The small bumps that had once been present on his back, were now larger, one bigger than the other.

There were tiny slits around the edges of the bumps, and every now and then, blood would seep through, much to C/n's dismay.

"I-it hurts..." C/n whimpers, tears falling from his eyes. You and Keigo did your best to comfort him. You held him close to your chest, minding to avoid touching the sensitive bumps. You rocked him gently cooing words of comfort. "I know baby bird." Keigo took out his phone and dialed up a number. "Who are you calling?" You asked, looking up from your sniffling child.

"Pharmacist. There is some medicine for quirks like this. I had to take a lot of it when I was younger." He explains. You wiped a tear away from C/n's face. "You're going to be ok C/n. My brave little boy." You say softly.

Eventually, Keigo got the medicine for C/n. It was a painkiller that when applied to the sore area, relief would soon come after. This was a huge help, and C/n slowly got more and more use to it.

A week later, any pain had ceased. The bumps on his back had finally grown into wing bones, and a few feathers to go along with it. But no where near enough to fly with. And while there was no pain, they were quite sensitive. Brushing against anything would cause itching and unpleasant shock up his back. C/n got fed up with it pretty quickly, so you allowed him to be shirtless while at home. Otherwise, he would have to bare with the itchy tickly feeling until he was home again.

Another week had passed, and after all that time waiting, C/n's baby wings were finally developed. They would continue to grow as he would get older, but for now, he could start flying lessons with his dad.

Keigo had took his son out to the backyard, it was the safest option for now. You watched from outside the backdoor, ready to swoop in a stop the lessons if they escalated beyond simple flying. "Now remember to be careful ok?" You tell your son before he hurries to his dad's side. "Don't worry, I will!" He giggles.

"Ok baby bird. You ready for step one?" Keigo asks. "Yeah!" C/n's wings fluttered excitedly. "I'm gonna be just like daddy!"

"You sure will. let's start by getting off the ground. Try flapping your wings." C/n nods and raised his little red wings, he flapped them down, a little unevenly, throwing him off balance. Keigo caught him just before he could topple over. "Oop! Got ya." He set him up right. "Try again, this time be a bit more gentle."

C/n does the same again, but this time taking his dad's advice. He flapped over and over until he was an inch or two off the ground. Only for a short moment, his feet meet the ground again as he panted. "Very good!" Keigo gives him a thumbs up. You clap your hands. "Nice job C/n!"

"This is hard...I only got up a little." C/n pouts. Keigo kneels to his height. "It will be at first. But the more you practice, the easier it will get. And soon you'll be flying like me in no time! Try again.” C/n takes a few deep breaths before flapping his wings again. Just like before he got off the ground.

“That’s it. Keep going.” Keigo encourages him. With a tiny grunt, C/n flew up further. He was now a good foot and a half up in the air. “Ah!” C/n flapped a little hard, and ending up falling. Keigo quickly caught him before he could hit the ground. “That was amazing kiddo!” He cheered.

C/n smiles brightly. “Yeah! Did you see me mommy? Did you see what I did?” You joined his side. “Yes I did. You did so good sweetie!” You say as you pet his messy hair. “I wanna go again!” C/n started flapping his wings again.

“Oh, careful!” You tell him. “Aw he’s fine.” Keigo chuckled. “You should have seen me my first time flying.”

“As long as he’s more careful than you were, I’ll try to worry less.” You sigh. “I just want our baby bird to get hurt.”

“He won’t get hurt Y/n. I’ll make sure he-Oops!” Keigo quickly caught C/n as he was falling back to the ground. You gasp before glaring at Keigo. “You were saying?” Keigo laughs awkwardly as he set C/n down. “I think that’s enough for today. Mama says so.”

“Aww!” C/n pouts. “You can try again tomorrow, I promise. For now, let’s head inside. I’m going to make your favorite meal, to celebrate your new wings.” You pat your son on the head, his pout turned into a bright smile. “Yes!” He hurried back inside the house, his little wings fluttering as he ran.

“Our baby bird is growing up so fast.” Keigo crosses his arms. “Soon he’s going to be leaving the nest.”

“Yeah…Is that a tear I see Keigo?” You smirk. “What? No.” Keigo turns away from you. “Oh yes it is!” You tease. “Aw my two baby boys!”

“I’m going inside.” Keigo walks ahead of you. “Wait! I’m only teasing!” You laugh following him inside. “I won’t tell anyone you cried!”

“I didn’t cry!”

“Suuuure you didn’t. Now who’s hungry?”

“Me!” C/n cheers.

[heyo-phillip-dead]

BOY WOULD I

thank you so much for the opportunity to dump s2 comes out next month and im dying. entire s1 plot synopsis below

When I said entire I mean it because the show is about Rhaenyra and Alicent more than anything else.

It starts in the same universe as Game of Thrones ~170 yrs prior (only rlly relevant bc of the medieval fantasy + dragons). We follow Rhaenyra, the daughter and only child of King Viserys, who was chosen as his grandfather's successor even though his cousin Princess Rhaenys had a better claim, because she was a woman.

WHEN THEY'RE YOUNG

Rhaenyra is around 15 and Alicent is her best friend.

(Rhaenyra's the blonde one)

Rhaenyra's mom dies horrifically in a primitive C-section because the king is desperate for a son. The baby boy dies within the day. Feeling guilty about murdering his wife (who he did love), and angry at his brother Daemon, the king names Rhaenyra his heir, even though she's a girl.

Shortly after, King Viserys is being pressured to remarry. Even if his only child wasn't a girl, only having one kid is risky in a medieval hereditary monarchy. The most politically beneficial option is a 12 year old girl, his cousin Princess Rhaenys' daughter. They go on 1 "date" at the behest of his councilors. He's not into it (singular Viserys W).

Sinultaneously though, Alicent's dad (OTTO HIGHTOWER) has been pressuring her to visit the king regularly. She is kind, demure, and supportive in these meeting (because she is overall). Against the advice of his councilors other than Otto Hightower, Viserys decides to marry Alicent. You know. His daughter's best friend. And he also. Decides. To not tell Rhaenyra OR Alicent about it until he formally announces it.

A FEW YEARS LATER

Queen Alicent and King Viserys have had a son, named after Aegon the conquerer, first Targaryen king of Westeros (because that's unlikely to inspire people to support his claim over Rhaenyra's). Viserys faces pressure to go back on naming Rhaenyra as his heir. He refuses. Alicent supports him (and Rhaenyra, even though they're no longer close).

When Aegon is about 3 and has a new little sister, Rhaenyra's uncle (Daemon) takes her out for a night on the town. They end up in a brothel doing Targaryen stuff (incest), but don't have sex. That same night though, Rhaenyra DOES have sex with her knight protector (sworn to chastity). Alicent catches wind, confronts her, and Rhaenyra lies. Alicent finds out she lied and is. Upset.

King Viserys also finds out, and decides that she no longer gets to choose her own husband. She will marry her second cousin Laenor to make up for when Viserys refused to marry his sister (the 12 year old). Laenor's extremely gay. He and Rhaenyra agree that they will do their duty and have children, but have sex with who they want on the side.

Rhaenyra's sworn protector is still not over breaking his vow of chastity and kills Laenor's boyfriend about it at the wedding.

A FEW YEARS LATER

Rhaenyra "and Laenor" have kids.

These are the other 2 with their real bio father. Everyone knows he's their dad (especially Laenor, and he's OK with it)

I mean c'mon. You're telling me 2 people with naturally white-blond hair had brown haired kids? Not to MENTION the race thing. Alicent's pissed that Rhaenyra's flouting her breakage of the rules. She's been told all her life that it's her duty to be faithful and subservient to the gods and her husband and here's Rhaenyra doing none of that and still winning. Still the heir. No one's even allowed to state the obvious.

Alicent meanwhile has been torn apart from her best friend, essentially pimped out by her dad for political power, forced to marry to an old man she doesn't love (HER BEST FRIEND'S DAD), have three kids with him, and she's been quietly dutiful throughout it all. It's all so unfair.

It's at this point that it all boils over. Alicent's been trying to protect her children from the influence of Rhaenyra's (not officially) bastards (since their religion asserts bastards are inherently untrustworthy, sinful individuals), and so has pitted her children against Rhaenyra's.

Alicent's son Aemond claims the dragon of Laenor's dead sister the night of her funeral. Rhaenyra's sons confront him. Aemond calls them bastards. The 6 year old slashes him across the face with a knife.

When the children are found and brought before the court, Viserys ends up taking Rhaenyra's children's side, even though his and Alicent's son Aemond has lost an eye. Alicent has a bit of a joker moment and goes for a knife, demanding an eye for an eye.

just saw your tragedy uquiz (i got self-inflicted. i could've told you that) and i was wondering if you've seen house of the dragon bc i've been losing my mind over the doomed from the start sapphic tragedy that is rhaenyra and alicent

hello there! no unfortunately, I’ve only seen it through the eyes of my mutuals. I believe they’ve mentioned those two, though I honestly can’t recall. I do love a good doomed from the start sapphic tragedy! would you care to tell me more about them?