#grampa let me hug you

[gomosmorodina]

:^(

[im-totally-not-an-alien-2]

Halloween prompts year 2 day 28

Thomas stared down at Bruce-no- Danny as he led him by the hand toward what he had dubbed as his "Secret Lair" which was just an old fall out shelter in the woods that had been well hidden and forgotten about. The door to it was old and still buried under years of dirt and plant growth, requiring Danny to phase them into it which made Thomas wonder how his grandson had found it in the first place.

Inside was surprisingly high tech. "You have a secret lair filled with all this equipment but don't have any weapons or armor?" Thomas asked, making mental preparations to fix that.

Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck and explained his only allies were two other 14 year olds who were also untrained, unarmed, unarmored, and unsuper-powered which would explain why Danny was so excited to be working with an adult vigilante who at least knew what they were doing.

The kid didn't even mind when some of his more evil or harmful rogues "stopped showing up" thankfully no one would really question the reclusive Vlad Masters "going back to Wisconsin" only to never be seen again. No one saw much of him before coming to Amity Park, it made since he would become a hermit again once he had his fill of human interaction.

And if hes later found dead in his cheese castle? Well, the body had decomposed too much to really say what killed him. His will left everything to a Daniel James Fenton/Daniel James Masters which visibly infuriated Danny. Thomas mentally patted himself on the back. It was a good call to get rid of that one. The will was a surprise, though one that can only benefit Thomas in his crusade of protecting his grandson. Its not like he can return to a timeline that no longer exists anyway.

Unfortunately this doesn't stop the bats from hearing about "Batman" operating in a city in Illinois for the past few months...

[munson-blurbs]

Single Dad!Eddie x Fem!ReaderSeries

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Summary: With no friends and the looming threat of losing custody of his son, Eddie's the lowest he's ever been. But you know what they say: “Rock bottom just means there’s nowhere to go except up."

Warnings: angst, visits from CPS, Reader's grandma has Alzheimer's

WC: 6k

Chapter 5/20

Scruffy!Eddie edit credit to @eddiemunsons-missingnipple Divider credit to @saradika

The phone rings as Eddie wrestles Harris into his jacket. He still hasn’t figured out how to break the news about his classroom change; at this rate, he’ll be dropping him off at school before he works up the nerve. Is there any good way to tell your kid that he no longer gets to spend his days with his favorite teacher?

“Keep that on,” Eddie instructs Harris, pointing to the navy blue sweatshirt. “I’ll zip it for you in a sec.” He jogs over to the phone, answering with an irritated, “Hello?”

“Ed?” Wayne’s voice drifts from the receiver. “It’s Wayne.”

Eddie nods before remembering that Wayne can’t see him. “Y-Yeah, hey,” he says, tone softening at his uncle’s familiarity. There’s a dull ache in his chest when he thinks of how he willingly shut him out over the last month. “How’ve you been?”

“Good. Can’t complain.” Wayne clears his throat. “I’d love to see you and Harris. Whenever you get the chance.” Eddie can hear his concern, the unasked questions that dissolve on his tongue: Are you okay? Is Harris? Do I need to file that custody agreement?

He glances over at his son, who, despite Eddie’s promise, is unsuccessfully trying to thread the zipper with its teeth. He motions him over, cradling the phone to his ear and stretching the cord while he kneels to fasten the jacket. “We were actually about to head to the park if you wanted to meet us there,” he says. “This kid’s got way too much energy to keep him cooped up in the apartment. We’ll both lose our minds.”

Wayne lets out a kind chuckle. “Sounds like a Munson.” Eddie can hear the tinny jangle of his keys. “The park over on Porter Drive?”

“Yup.”

“Dad, let’s go!” Harris whines, twisting the doorknob back and forth to emphasize his impatience.

“We’ll be there in ten,” Eddie tells Wayne, catching a glimpse of the neon orange cast peeking out from under Harris’s jacket. It’s now adorned with his classmates’ names. Your signature seems to beckon Eddie, taunt him, even, and he tries to convince himself that it’s because it’s the only one that doesn’t resemble chicken scratch. “Oh, Harris broke his wrist, but he’s fine. I’ll explain everything when I see you.”

“Hoo boy,” Wayne breathes. “Definitely a Munson.”

Harris spends the short drive to the park bouncing in his carseat. “Is Grampa Wayne gonna play with me?” he asks, rocking back and forth excitedly.

“Mhm,” Eddie nods, keeping his eyes trained on the road. He nervously thrums his fingers along his jean-clad thighs. What if Wayne still didn’t think he was a responsible parent? What if he took one look at Harris’s injury and raced home to call his lawyer? “But I gotta talk with him first, okay? You can play by yourself for a little while.”

Harris hums his agreement, eagerly unbuckling as soon as Eddie parks the car. He starts to run towards the field, and all Eddie can picture is him tripping and hurting himself again.

“Harris, don’t–” he starts, but he then remembers those magic words: “Walking feet, bud. Don’t want you breaking that other wrist.” He grabs the soccer ball from the trunk and kicks it in Harris’s direction.

Wayne pulls up in his truck a few moments later, almost as exuberant as his grandson. “Har-Bear!” he calls out, opening his arms wide for a hug. Harris picks up his pace, slowing down when he remembers his dad’s instructions.

“I’m using my walking feet!” he chirps proudly, and though they’re fast walking feet, Eddie beams at him.

Wayne squeezes Harris so tightly that Eddie worries he’ll inadvertently cut off his oxygen supply. When the boy starts squirming, Wayne laughs and puts him down.

“Go ahead and play,” Eddie tells his son. “Grampa Wayne and I are gonna catch up real quick.”

There’s an uncomfortable silence as the two men sit on the bench, waiting for the other to say something first. Finally, Wayne breaks through the tension.

“Missed you two,” he murmurs, not looking at Eddie. “‘S too quiet around my place without that little rugrat.”

“We missed you, too,” Eddie admits, chewing on his thumbnail. “Harris won’t stop asking for Grampa Wayne.”

Wayne preens slightly at this, shifting in his seat. “This is the longest we’ve gone without talking since…”

“I know,” Eddie cuts him off, not wanting to revisit the part of his past that Wayne’s referencing. “I, uh, started working at Rock Records,” he tells him, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. “It sucks, but it’s a job.”

He feels Wayne clap him on the shoulder, pulling him closer to him for a brief side hug. “I’m proud of you, Ed.” He purses his lips before asking, “and no more of the…”

Eddie shakes his head. “Nope, I’m done with that. Returned the rest of what I had to Rick; told him I was out.” His gaze drops back to the ground, and he stares intently at the blades of grass as though they might disappear if he blinks. “But that might not matter anymore anyway, so…”

“The hell you talking about?” Wayne pinches his eyebrows together, adjusting his position to face his nephew.

Sighing, Eddie tells him about what happened at the hospital last week. Wayne’s eyes widen when he hears that they filed a report with CPS. “That’s some bullshit,” he mumbles, scratching at his gray beard. “Kids get hurt all the time. Can’t keep ‘em in a bubble.” He shakes his head incredulously. “They’re not gonna take him from you, okay? They’re gonna see how you provide for him, how great you are with him, and they’re gonna be sorry they wasted their time.”

“I’m not great with him,” Eddie mutters, standing up in a feeble attempt to exert some of his nervous energy. “I’m ruining his life.” He pinches the bridge of his nose in frustration. “He had this teacher, and he adored her. Calls her ‘Ms. Sweetheart.’ And I was just…just a total asshole to her. I accused her of telling people about the CPS thing and said some really fucked up shit about her sick grandma and…fuck, Wayne. She had Harris transferred to another class just so she doesn’t have to deal with me. And now I have to say, ‘Hey, you know that teacher you fuckin’ loved? Well, she’s not your teacher any more, and it’s all my fault.’”

Wayne absorbs the information, contemplating what he says next. “So fix it,” he shrugs.

“It’s not that simple,” Eddie argues, plopping back down onto the bench in defeat. The wood digs into his lower back uncomfortably, so he stands up again.

“It’s not?” Wayne questions, digging a pack of Newports out of his jacket pocket and offering one to him. “Because it sounds to me like you owe this ‘Ms. Sweetheart’ an apology.”

Eddie takes a cigarette, toying with it before tucking it between his lips. It takes a few flicks of his old Bic lighter to get a spark, and he lets the nicotine calm his nerves before speaking again. “I don’t think she’ll forgive me.”

“Never said she would,” Wayne counters, plucking the Bic from Eddie’s hands and bringing the flame to light his own cigarette. “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t apologize.”

Inhaling sharply, Eddie watches his son kick the ball around before letting out a slow, controlled exhale. “My boss asked if I could teach guitar lessons once or twice a week,” he says, using his empty hand to toy with the frayed holes in his jeans. “If…if you wanna, could you watch Harris? I can pay you.”

“Don’t insult me, boy,” Wayne scoffs, but a playful smile dances on his lips. “You’re not gonna pay me to watch my own grandson. Just let me know the day and time, and I’ll have a pot of mac and cheese ready to go.”

The pent-up tension dissipates from his body at Wayne’s easy agreement. An unspoken I love you floats between them, and he could cry from the sudden surge of relief.

“Daddy! Grampa!” Harris calls out from across the park. “Let’s play!”

Wayne stands up with a grunt, rolling his shoulders back to loosen them up. “You heard the man,” he jokes. “Up and at ‘em.”

It’s your first day off of work since the start of the school year, yet all you can think about are your students. Well, one particular student and his god-awful father. Eddie’s comment replays in your mind, cutting through you like the chilly mid-October air. The sting still hasn’t faded, despite it being three days since he’d said it. 

You say goodbye to your grandma and Elise, her home health aid, grabbing your car keys and closing the door behind you. This morning was already overwhelming; Grandma had woken up at 5 AM, ready to start her day. The sound of her TV blasting at the highest possible volume jolted you from your sleep, and you’d spent the following twenty minutes trying to persuade her to go back to bed. Unsuccessfully, you might add. 

You wince when you see your reflection in the rearview mirror. Your eyes are puffy and bloodshot, with pouches developing beneath them that only emphasize your exhaustion. You practice smiling a few times before starting the car, peeling out of the parking lot to meet Jess, Viv, and Jeff for lunch.

The pleasant aroma of burgers cooking on a grill wafts past your nose as you push open the doors to the restaurant. It isn’t too crowded when you arrive; you assume that the usual lunchtime rush is quelled by the Columbus Day holiday. Your new friends are already waiting at the table, waving you over excitedly.

“Hey,” you call out, forcing pleasantries into your otherwise flat tone. You slide into the seat next to Jess and across from Jeff. “How’s everyone been?”

“Better, now that I’m out of the first trimester,” Viv says with a small laugh. “Now that I have my appetite back, I’m definitely getting the grilled cheese.” She glances at the menu again, adding, “and a side of fries.”

Jess nods. “I think I’ll do the same.” She turns to you and her cheerful expression shifts to one of concern. “You okay?”

“Y-Yeah, just tired.” Your lackluster reply is unconvincing, but she doesn’t challenge it in front of Jeff and her sister. “Chasing after kids all day is wearing me out.”

“Oh, that’s right!” Viv exclaims, taking a sip of her water. “You’re a preschool teacher. The one with Eddie’s kid in your class!”

“Mhm,” you manage; the mere mention of Eddie’s name turns your throat into sandpaper. “Well, not any more, I guess.” Your throwaway comment is met with inquisitive stares, so you give the group a rundown of last week’s events, watching their eyes grow wide.

“He’s such a fucking douche,” Jess grumbles, resting her hand over yours. It feels like forever since you’ve experienced the simplicity of a kind gesture, and you have to swallow the emotion that comes with it. 

“Seriously,” Viv agrees, looking over at Jeff. “Why were you even friends with him?”

Jeff lets out a terse chuckle and shakes his head. “Believe it or not, he actually used to be a good guy. The best, in my opinion.” Disappointment flashes across his face as he continues. “Something changed when he went to Chicago. He was always on-guard, had his walls up, but it used to be more of an ‘if you mess with me, I’ll mess with you’ attitude. But when he came back home, he was…different.”

“Different how?” Curiosity gets the best of you, and the question slips off of your tongue before you can stop it.

“It was like he was determined to hurt people before they could hurt him. No matter what I did, he never fully believed that I was on his side. I was constantly trying to prove that I wasn’t out to fuck him over.”

Viv drapes an arm over her fiancé’s shoulder. “How long did he live in Chicago, again?”

“Long enough to knock someone up,” Jeff muses, mind wandering for a moment before he brings himself back to the conversation. “About four years, I think? He left to chase his dreams of being a rockstar. Then one day, he shows back up in Hawkins with an infant, trying to act like nothing had changed.” He snorts at the very idea of it. “But it obviously did–I mean, besides the fact that he had a whole child, the rest of us had grown up, too. College, work, all that stuff.

“When he suggested getting Corroded Coffin back together, we figured, why not? It seemed like a decent way to chill out, blow off some steam at the end of the day.”

“Let me guess,” you chime in, cocking your head knowingly. “Eddie had other ideas.”

Jeff nods. “He still wanted to do the rockstar thing. And he’d always get angry at us because we didn’t. Not professionally, anyway. Kept mocking us for having 9-to-5 jobs, like it was the worst thing in the world.” He pauses, screwing up his face in contemplation. “Which, come to think of it, was weird. Because back in high school, he told me that it really messed with him, not having that stability growing up. Y’know, before Wayne took him in.”

There’s so much more you want to know, but the waiter striding over to the table to take orders brings the conversation to a natural conclusion. What you’ve gathered so far is that Eddie Munson is a many-layered man, each one more puzzling than the last. Despite your festering hurt and anger, you can’t help but hope that he untethers himself from his complicated past. If not for his sake, then for Harris’s.

“Daddy, what’s a new cents?”

Eddie’s taking the left turn onto the main road when he hears his son speaking from the back seat. “What’s new since when?” he asks, craning his head to check for oncoming traffic. 

“Noooo,” Harris whines, letting out an exasperated sigh. Eddie has no clue where his new attitude came from, and he can’t say that he’s a fan. “A new cents.”

“That’s not a thing, buddy,” Eddie answers, starting to twist the radio knob. 

“Yes, it is!” Harris insists, clearly growing frustrated. “Ms. Marion told Ms. Paula that I’m a ‘new cents.’”

It suddenly clicks for Eddie, and he grips the steering wheel tighter and hopes Harris doesn’t notice the edge in his voice. “You mean a nuisance?”

“That’s what I said!” Harris groans. “What does it mean?”

Eddie pushes past the question to ask one of his own. “What exactly did Ms. Marion say?” Maybe there was a misunderstanding, he reasons with himself. 

But Harris’s answer only confirms his initial suspicion. “She looked at Ms. Paula and said, ‘this one’s a ‘new cents.’ An’ then she pointed to me.”

“Why the hell would she say that?” Eddie’s speaking to himself, but his son replies, still too young to grasp the concept of rhetorical questions. 

“‘Cause of my shoes being untied. An’ she doesn’t like when I ask her to tie them.”

Eddie cringes. He’d meant to teach Harris how to tie his sneakers, but the lessons had to be put on hold when the kid had broken his wrist. Pausing before posing his next question, Eddie carefully selects his words. “Did…Did Ms. Sweetheart ever do that? Get mad about your shoes or call you a nuisance?”

“Nope,” Harris shakes his head. “An’ Mr. Will didn’t either.” And considering that his laces had always been tied in neat bows when Eddie arrived to pick him up, he can only assume that the two of you did this without a second thought. Jesus, why even bother to be a preschool teacher if you’re gonna bitch about tying shoes?

“So, what is it?” Harris snaps him from his thoughts. 

“Huh?” Eddie’s right foot presses on the brake as he approaches a stop sign. “Oh. Um, I don’t know. Sorry, Har.” It’s the second time in as many days that he’s lied to him in order to spare his feelings. Yesterday, he’d waited until they were already in the school to tell Harris that he was picked for a super special project where he’d act as a secret agent in another class. He didn’t know whether to be proud or ashamed that he’d spent all night thinking of that excuse. 

“‘S’okay,” Harris shrugs, raising and dropping his legs so they bounce off the bottom of his carseat. His ankles are exposed, and Eddie realizes that he must’ve grown. Again. Which means that he needs to scrape together some money and buy him new clothes. Again. “How much more days until I get to go back to Ms. Sweetheart’s class?”

“Not sure.” Lie number three. He flicks on the radio, the sounds of Ozzy effectively distracting Harris for the remainder of the car ride. 

If only it was that easy to fool himself. 

A harsh knock on your classroom door and the formality of your first and last name draws your attention from the mountain of paperwork on your desk. Will left thirty minutes ago with the rest of the TAs, so you’ve been sitting alone, humming a song you’d listened to on the car ride to work.

“Yes, that’s me,” you tell the tall man standing in the doorway. His intimidating stature and sullen disposition juxtapose the orange and yellow hues of autumn-themed artwork lining the walls. “Can I help you?”

He flashes a name tag as he steps into the classroom. “My name is Andrew Smith. I’m here on behalf of Child Protective Services to speak to you regarding one of your students…” he checks his notes, “Harris Munson.”

“Oh, um,” you stumble over your words, “he’s–he’s not my student any more. Not since Tuesday of this week.”

“Right,” the social worker nods slowly, patience already running thin, “but I briefly spoke with his new teacher, and she said that she didn’t have enough information to answer the questions, and directed me to your classroom.” When you don’t respond, he gives the legal rundown about the process and your obligations as a mandated reporter. “Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s proceed with this, shall we?” He clicks his pen, eyes boring a hole into you as he speaks. “How well would you say you know Harris’s father, Edward Munson?”

More intimately than you know, you bitterly think. “Fairly well. He dropped Harris off and picked him up every day.”

Mr. Smith scribbles that down. “Was Edward Munson punctual? Did he drop off and pick up Harris on time?”

“Yes,” you confirm, and your mind flickers back to the very first day of school. “There was only one time he was late for pick-up, but it’s common for that to happen once in a while with any parent.”

“Right, okay. And how would you describe Harris’s disposition around his father?”

“He adores him. He’s a generally happy kid, but he lights up around his dad. Or even when he’s just talking about him.” One lunchtime conversation in particular centered around how his dad could play anything on the guitar, even “Old MacDonald.” Harris had been bursting with excitement to report that Eddie made the funniest animal sounds, and you’d be lying if you’d said your interest wasn’t piqued. “I’ve never seen Harris act nervous or scared around him.”

Pen flies across the paper, and you swear he’s writing more than you’d even said. “Besides the broken wrist, did you ever notice any injuries or abnormal bruising anywhere on Harris’s body?” 

You shake your head before realizing he’s waiting for a verbal response. “Nope, never. Just the usual bruises that come with being a kid.”

Mr. Smith cocks his eyebrow, pressing his lips together. “And where were those bruises located?”

Shit. Did you say too much? Why can’t you just shut up when you’re nervous? “Knees and calves?” You point to the spots on your own body, as though the social worker needs visual aides, while silently berating your own stupidity.

“And based on your interactions with him, how would you describe Edward Munson as a father?” It’s a loaded question, and its magnitude is a weight on your chest. 

“Caring, attentive, very loving,” you answer honestly. “Responsible. Harris always showed up with lunch and a snack, bathed, clean clothes, whatever supplies he needed. I never worried that Harris was unsafe or in an unhealthy environment.” You force yourself to meet Mr. Smith’s gaze when you say the next part. “We, um, actually were at the hospital at the same time. My grandma got hurt, and we bumped into them when being discharged.”

This grabs his attention. “And did Mr. Munson appear to be impaired or otherwise behaving out of sorts?” The way he looks at you could easily be mistaken for a glare. “Under the influence of any substances, perhaps?”

“Not at all.” You keep your tone firm and even.

He shoves the paperwork at you, pointing to where your signature is required. “Thank you for your time,” he says flatly, leaving the room before you have time to reply. It seems nearly impossible to go back to the task you were working on before the interruption, but you try to push away the intrusive thoughts about everything that could possibly go wrong.

An hour later, the heavy-handed knock raps on the door to the Munson’s apartment. Eddie knows the drill; unfortunately, this isn’t his first run-in with Child Protective Services. He’s double, triple, quadruple-checked that every electrical outlet is covered, the matches and lighters are far from Harris’s reach, and there’s no remaining product from his recently-abandoned dealing days. The visit is technically unannounced, but since he’s not getting many visitors these days, there are limited options of who could be at his door.

“Edward Munson?” The social worker asks, giving him the same opening spiel he gave you. “I’ll just need to take a look around your home and make sure it’s a suitable living environment for your son.”

“Of course.” Eddie hopes he sounds more confident than he feels, but he can sense the waver in his voice. “Yeah, come on in.” He opens the door a bit wider and lets out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, drawing unwanted attention from the social worker.

“Something the matter, Mr. Munson?”

“N-No,” Eddie insists, shaking his head. If he confesses to being nervous, this Smith guy could mistake it as an admission of guilt, and that’s the last thing he wants. “Just, um, long day?”

Smith recognizes the response with nothing more than a disbelieving glance as he makes his way through the apartment. Eddie watches silently, pushing down his anxiety with a thick swallow. His mind races when the social worker rummages through the refrigerator. Are there fruits and vegetables in there? Did I throw out that container of leftover spaghetti that overstayed its welcome? His stomach sinks when Smith marks something down in his notes but doesn’t have time to ruminate over it before Harris pokes his head out from the bedroom.

“Daddy? You gonna come back an’ play Hot Wheels with me?” His big brown eyes instantly melt Eddie’s heart, and all he wants to do is scream at the man, See? See how much my kid loves me? See how happy he is? Now, why don’t you go deal with the parents who actually deserve to lose custody and leave me to play with him.

Before Eddie can stop him, Harris traipses out and sees Smith rifling through the pantry. “Who’re you?” he asks.

“Har-Bear, this is Mr. Smith. He’s, uh, one of my friends.” Eddie scrunches his face and shakes his head defeatedly at the blatant lie, but Harris doesn’t notice.

Mr. Smith gives a short wave, neither kind nor impolite. Just one slight movement to acknowledge the boy’s presence. He’s determined to get back to his job, but Harris has other plans.

“I like your glasses.” He points to the wire-rimmed frames on the man’s face. “My Grampa Wayne is s’posed to wear glasses, but he doesn’t. Daddy says it’s ‘cause he’s a mule.”

“Stubborn as a mule, Har,” Eddie gently corrects him, a blush creeping into his cheeks. “I’ll be in in a minute, okay?”

But Harris ignores his request, forging towards his dad’s friend. He lifts his arm and flashes an innocent smile. “Look at my cast! It’s from when I jumped on my bed and breaked my arm.”

“Harris!” Eddie hisses, trying to keep his cool. “Can you go play? In the room?” Pleading with him is like negotiating with a terrorist, and he knows his efforts are futile.

“Actually, I do need to take a look at Harris’s bedroom,” the social worker muses, tapping his pen against his lower lip. Eddie has to stifle a scoff at the charade that this just occurred to Smith. Like he didn’t have this mapped out, another bullet point on the list of uninformed judgments he needed to make.

“We, um, we share a room,” Eddie mumbles, as though there would be another possible reason as to why there’s a twin bed nestled into the same space as Harris’s race car bed. “I used to sleep on the couch, it’s just easier to be close to him when he has nightmares an’ stuff.” His heart races when Smith jots this down. “N-Not that he has nightmares a lot. I don’t let him watch scary movies or anything. Just normal kid stuff.”

The man nods, visibly irritated by his rambling. He clamps his mouth shut to inhibit the flow of unnecessary explanations that freely pass through his lips without a second thought.

Harris motions Smith over, using his uninjured hand to grab the stranger’s and leading him into the room. “That’s my bed,” he announces. It sounds like he’s giving a tour, and Eddie almost laughs at the absurdity of the situation. “And that’s where I falled,” Harris points to the unassuming patch of carpet alongside it. 

“Ouch,” Smith mutters, and Eddie swears he can see a semblance of a smile. Leave it to Harris to thaw the most hardened of hearts. “I bet that hurt.”

“Yeah, but there was no blood,” Harris says nonchalantly. “An’ I didn’t need a shot. Just this cast. All my friends signed it. Even Ms. Sweetheart!”

“Ms. Sweetheart?” Smith repeats.

“She’s my teacher. Well, she was my teacher. Now I’m a super secret spy in Ms. Marion’s class, but don’t tell anyone!”

Eddie scoops up a couple of toy cars off of the floor and hands them to Harris, determined to end the conversation before anything else can be revealed. Can you get your kid taken away for being an asshole to his teacher? He doesn’t want to find out. “Here ya go, bud. Why don’t you get the racetrack set up, and I’ll play with you as soon as Mr. Smith leaves.”

“Actually,” Smith says, “I’m about finished. Mr. Munson,” he says, his natural stoicness settling back in as he turns back to Eddie, “after completing this investigation and conducting our interviews, I’ve determined that Harris may remain in your custody. I’ll just need you to sign a few forms and I’ll be on my way.”

Eddie’s relief is palpable. He sweeps Harris into a hug, clutching him to his chest and wordlessly swears to never put him back down. “Th-thank you,” he mumbles, acutely aware of the tears leaking from his eyes. “Wait–what interviews? No one interviewed me.”

Smith nods. “Yes, we spoke with Harris’s teacher. She only had great things to say about how well you take care of him.”

She did? He barely knows the woman; Harris has only been in her class for two full days, and she never indicated any partiality towards him. He makes a mental note to thank her tomorrow at drop-off. For now, all he wants to do is treasure every moment with his boy.

Eddie doesn’t want to let Harris out of his sight, but he begrudgingly takes him to school, not wanting to add a truancy charge to his growing list of misgivings. 

Ms. Marion greets both Munsons with a muted stare, harsh enough to drain Harris of the excited energy that typically buzzes through his little body. “Are we going to listen today?” she quips.

“Yes,” Harris says.

“Yes, what?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” Harris’s affect is robotic and monotone, and the uncharacteristic spiritlessness nearly distracts Eddie from thanking the older woman for her interview.

“The guy–um, the social worker–he told me that you said some nice things about me. About how I am with Harris,” he stammers. “So, uh, thank you.”

Ms. Marion crosses her arms over her faded pink sweater, pursing her overlined lips. Her forehead is marred with frown lines. “That wasn’t me, Mr. Munson. I directed him to speak to Harris’s previous teacher, since she spent more time with him.”

Ms. Sweetheart.

After everything he’d said and done, you’d still vouched for him. Spoken so highly of his parenting abilities that CPS allowed him to keep custody of his son. You could’ve easily ruined his life, but you didn’t. 

What Eddie doesn’t understand is why.

Perhaps he doesn’t need to; at least, not immediately. Right now, he just needs to fix this. And he knows exactly where to start.

Friday marks one week since your blowout fight with Eddie. One week since he’d caught you pathetically crying in your car because of the venom he’d spewed. One week since you’d informed him that you’d had Harris transferred to another class.

Which is why you’re confused when the boy bounds up to your classroom door, shouting, “Ms. Sweetheart! Ms. Sweetheart!”

“Hey, Harris,” you greet him, unable to mask your confusion. “What are you doing here? You’re in Ms. Marion’s class now, remember?”

Harris nods, his curls bouncing with each movement. He drops his backpack to the floor with a thud and unfastens the zipper, tongue poking from between his lips as he digs through it to brandish a cassette. “This is for you.”

You take it from him, eyes widening as you take in Toni Braxton’s face staring back at you. “Harris…where did you get this?”

“My daddy put it there and said to give it to you. So I did,” he answers with a shrug. He looks up at you, innocuous and angelic as he adds, “I miss you. I wish you could be my teacher again.”

“Me, too,” you reply before thinking. Clearing your throat, you kneel down to meet him at his height. “Thank you for my gift. It was very sweet. Go ahead and head to class now, okay? I don’t want you to be late.”

“Mmkay!” he chirps, slinging his still-opened bag over his shoulder. “Bye, Ms. Sweetheart.”

Why would Eddie buy you a tape? Why this tape, the one you’d come in for when he’d said such malicious things to you? You can’t make sense of it, regardless of how many times you try to piece together the puzzle.

At dismissal, you find yourself waiting by the door, hoping to catch Eddie before he can dash out of the school. There’s no logic to his actions: he despised you enough to weaponize your grandma’s cognitive decline, and then he gives you a gift with no further explanation. 

You distractedly hand parents the sign-out sheet, barely registering when Joshua Harrington’s dad asks you about any upcoming plans for a class Halloween party. 

“Is there gonna be a list of things you need? Candy or cupcakes or something?”

“Oh, uh, I’m gonna send home information about that next week,” you stumble over your words as you try not to make it obvious that your mind is elsewhere. 

“Great,” he says, stretching out the word as he tracks your gaze to the spot behind him. “Everything okay?”

“Yup.” You slap a smile on your face just as you spot the mane of frizzy curls you’d been searching for. “Um, excuse me for a second.” You call out to Will, letting him know you’ll be right back, before sprinting down the hallway. 

“Ms. Sweetheart!” Harris’s eager face twists into a frown. “You gotta use your walking feet in school. Or you could get hurt.”

Eddie moves to correct him, but you just smile sweetly. “You’re right, Harris. Thanks for reminding me.”

You allow your gaze to travel upwards, eyes locking onto Eddie’s. You can’t quite read his expression; his brows are furrowed in confusion but the flush in his face indicates that he knows why you’re here. 

“Harris gave me the tape. The Toni Braxton one.” Like he’d gifted you myriad cassettes that required this distinction. “You really didn’t have to do that.”

“Don’t mention it.” The right corner of his lips turns up into a half-smile. “Besides, I  should probably be the one thanking you.”

“Me?” What is he talking about? As far as you know, you’re the bane of his existence. 

“Yeah. For, uh, what you said to that social worker guy. Even after I treated you like a piece of…” he presses his palms to Harris’s ears and lowers his voice, “shit.”

That makes sense; he was relieved that you’d sang his praises when it had mattered most. This was an expression of gratitude; nothing more and nothing less.

“You’re a good parent, even if you’re mean to me,” you say nonchalantly. “I wasn’t going to make up lies and ruin your lives out of spite.”

The statement hangs in the air, gathering an awkward silence that has you and Eddie both grappling for ways to end the conversation. 

He’s the one to interject. “Well, anyway, I hope you like the tape.”

“Mhm.” It’s all you allow yourself to utter in front of Harris. A thousand questions swarm your head, threatening to spill off your tongue, the first of which is simply: why? “I’ve gotta get back. But, um, enjoy your weekend.” You pivot on your heel before Eddie can wish you the same. With the necessary chaos of your life, you can’t invest any more time trying to unravel him. 

“Daddy, when is Ms. Sweetheart gonna be my teacher again?”

Eddie knew it was inevitable that Harris would ask about going back to your class, but he thought he’d bought himself more time with the spy game he’d concocted. He can’t delay the truth any longer. 

“I’m sorry, buddy. I don’t think you can switch back.” There’s a pang in his heart when his son drops his hand, digging his heels into the parking lot asphalt. 

“Is it because you were mean to her?”

His question catches Eddie off-guard. “Wh-What?”

“In there,” Harris points towards the school, “she said you’re mean to her.” He squints when he looks up at his father, the midday sun shining in his eyes. “Why were you mean?”

Eddie exhales, puffing out his cheeks and rubbing the back of his neck. “Sometimes grownups accidentally hurt each others’ feelings.” Or purposely, in his case, but he omits the complexities from his explanation. He reaches out to once again take Harris’s hand, but the boy pulls back. 

“Ms. Sweetheart says that when we hurt someone’s feelings, we gotta say sorry. Even if it’s on accident.”

“I did,” Eddie counters, raising his brows. “I gave her the tape.”

But Harris remains unconvinced. “That’s not saying sorry. You gotta actually say it. Or else it doesn’t count.”

“It doesn’t count, huh?” Eddie clicks his tongue and puts his hands on his hips. “All right, I’ll say it the next time I see her.”

“And then you can be friends?” The question is posed innocently, but it rattles Eddie. Friends? Did he even know how to be a decent friend any more? He’d fucked it all up with Gareth, Jeff, and Danny, and he’s known them for forever. “Daddy?” “Uh, maybe,” Eddie replies meekly; this time, Harris grabs his hand when he offers it. “We’ll just have to see.”

--

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[arc-misadventures]

A funny little idea that popped into my head with the bunny knight posts.

Rabbit faunus Jaune introducing his 'daughter' Juniper(small faunus version of the jackalope) to Velvet and her family

Little BunBun

Jaune was in the midst of a mission in a small village that had recently been attacked by, Grimm. Jaune, and his team had managed to defeat the, Grimm with minimal damage to the town. But, they were combing through the town checking the destroyed, buildings for any survivors, or if there may still be some, Grimm lurking about.

Jaune: Guys? How’s everything going; Any survivors?

Ren: None so far.

Nora: Found one! Pyrrha, give me a hand!

Pyrrha: On it!

Jaune: Need help?

Pyrrha: Don’t worry, I got him!

Jaune: Okay.

Jaune continued to walk through the town when he stopped abruptly, he heard some rustling in nearby bush. He raised his shield, and pointed his sword towards the sound. He slowly creeped forward, hearing the bush rustling more until it stopped when he came close. He bent down to look at the underbrush. And, saw something he didn’t expect.

Jaune: Oh… Well, hello there.

~~~

Jaune: So, yeah. That’s how all of this happened.

Velvet: Oh, that so sad…

Lulu: I can’t believe this could possibly even happen.

Ilaria: It’s more common than you may think… The same thing happened to me when we were younger.

Rumi: I have the scars to prove it.

Silk: And, it happened to this innocent child as well?

Lily: So… W-What’s her name?

Jaune: Oh yes, say hello to my adopted daughter, Juniper Arc. Say ‘hi,’ Juniper.

A small faunas girl slowly peaked out from behind, Jaune’s leg, before darting back behind his leg.

Jaune: It’s okay, Juni, they’re alright. Just like gramma, grampa, and all your crazy aunts.

The girl slowly appeared from behind, Jaune’s leg, and nervously waved at the, Scarlatina family.

Juniper: H-Hi…

Ilaria: Well, hello there sweetie, my name is, Iliara, it’s nice to meet you~!

Juniper: Hi…

Lulu: She’s so cute~!

Lily: Oh~! I want one~!

Silk: She’s already got eight aunts… What’s wrong with one more…?

Velvet: How about another sibling instead~?

Rumi: This is… giving me ideas…

Iliara: You look hungry, do you want something to eat dear?

Juniper looked at them before darting back behind her adopted fathers leg. Jaune could feel her shaking nervously against him.

Jaune: Sorry, she’s scared around other people because of… Because of stuff.

Silk: What stuff?

Jaune: Stuff.

Lily: Best leave it at that.

Jaune: Give her some time, and some space, and she’ll warm up to you all eventually. So long as you don’t do what my mother did…

Velvet: What happened?

Jaune: Well…

~~~

Juniper: SHE’S. SO. PRECIOUS!!!

Juniper, Jaune’s mother squealed in delight as she hugged her first grandchild. She didn’t care if she was adopted, all that she cared was that she finally had her first grandchild, and that she was absolutely adorable.

Everyone was adoring watching, Juniper embrace her new grandchild, except for two people; Jaune who knew, Juniper, his daughter, had anxiety issues when it came to other people, and Juniper, the child, who was in the midst of said anxiety issues as she frantically tried to get out of her overbearing grip on her.

~~~

Jaune: Yeah, she started to hide behind something whenever mom got too close for comfort.

Ilaria: Oh my.

Jaune: So yeah, please give her some space, and time.

Lulu: Can do!

Rumi: I’ll make sure the others give her some space.

Silk: I gotta take a photo of this!

Lily: Awwww~! The way she clings on to him is so precious!

Velvet: She’s just a scared little bunny rabbit.

Ilaria: She reminds me of you girls when you were her age. A whole litter of scared little bunnies. Ahh, you were so adorable.

Jaune: Yeah, she is a… Hmm? What is it, Juni?

Jaune bent down to look into the eyes of his daughter after she pulled at his pants leggings. Looking into her beautiful golden eyes as she cutely stared at her adopted father.

Juniper: Dad, i’m hungry.

Jaune: Alright, lets get something to eat dear.

Jaune picked up his daughter, and held her in his arms, and turned to address the, Scarlatina family.

Jaune: Sorry, ladies. The little lady is hungry. We’re going to grab something to eat. We’ll catch you all later. Say, ‘goodbye,’ Juni.

Juniper: Bye.

IRVLLS: Awww~!

They waved back at the little girl as they watched the father, and daughter duo leave.

Velvet: That is the most beautiful sight I’ve ever seen.

Silk: I always had a feeling, Jaune would be a great father. And, he took to it like an eagle flying in the sky.

Lulu: Hey… Uhh…? D-Did any of you feel a sort of… throbbing feeling in your gut?

Lily: Now that you mention it, I kinda did.

Rumi: So did I.

Silk: Are we sick?

Velvet: I knew there was something off with that casserole we had yesterday!

Ilaria: Oh don’t worry, I know what this feeling is, I’ve had it before myself.

Silk: You have?

Ilaria: Oh yes, numerous times in fact.

Velvet: Then what is it?

Ilaria: A desire to do some baby making~!

Lily: WHAT?!

Lulu: That was my womb throbbing then?

Velvet: Did seeing, Jaune with, Juniper really do that to us?

Rumi: Dips.

Silk: Di…?! Fuck!

Lulu: Wait, are yoy two going to… with the aim of having his kids?!

Silk: I want to be a mom, and, Jaune has already proven he will be one hell of a daddy~! So why not?

Rumi: I’m at that age where I want to settle down, and have a family. Who better to do that with than, Jaune?

Ilaria: Care to make that a threesome sister? Maybe we can give our hips a break of we tag team him.

Rumi: Ha! That’s not gonna happen…

Ilaria: I know…

///

What do you think of the art? I couldn’t find any good art of a jackalope anime girl. So I found a cute bunny girl, and tweaked it so she looked like a faunas version of, Juniper.

Which was a nightmare to do that on my phone. Couldn’t get anything looking right…

Art isn’t mine.

[orange-artist]

How did the gods end up getting to their current parents? I had a mental image of them falling from the sky as meteors for some reason and it cracked me up. Like the heavens going "here, have a child" and then just dropping ome into your arms.

Also how does the original ASL meeting go? I imagine it depends on whether or not the gods were sealed together. If they weren't I think... Well... I can't put it into words exactly but I did imagine a scene.

You are an older brother. You are also a god, but that doesn't really matter right now, because you are an older brother. Eight hundred years ago you were sealed away, and now you are free. But you are alone. It doesn't take you long to find out what happened to your brothers, that they were sealed away just like you. And now you're worried. Where are they? Are they ok? It takes 5 years for you to find your twin. He tells you that he's named Sabo now and you answer with your own, Ace. And it's a relief! One of your siblings is Ok! But where's the other one? The youngest? He must be all alone, he hates being alone (you can't bring yourself to consider the alternative). You haven't seen him on the island, and you've searched every one of the jungle so you would know, but he's not here. So you decide to get a boat and set sail to find him as soon as possible. You gather money for the boat and the trip and maybe you pick a fight with a couple of pirates but you don't have Time you have to find your baby brother he's out there you know it. And then when you're ten your grampa (not that he'll ever hear you referring to him as anything other than shitty geezer) brings another kid up the mountain. He says his name is Luffy and that he's his grandson but oh you'd recognize that face anywhere. You're moving before he even lets go of him, tackling the other in the biggest hug you can give sobbing in relief and the minute he catches a glimpse of your face he's sobbing too and hugging back just as tight and you have to tell Sabo so you run off into the woods leaving shitty gramps to talk with the bandits but that's not important right now your baby brother is here, he's here, and you're never going to stop hugging him, you were so worried.

So uh... Yeah.

HSJFDKLAHFKA?? AOWOHSJDHA???????

JSAFKHDSLJ???????????

OH MY GOD

OH MY FCKING GOD

DUDEEEEEEE HOLY SHIT

About the parents thing: here and here

How did the ASL meeting go? WELL I THINK YOU GOT IT FIGURED PRETTY WELL HOLY FCK AHHHH

I'm going to go cry in a corner now. <3 <3 <3

[russellsppttemplates]

The Charlie as a grampa one was freaking adorable! It got me thinking about Thomas e Élodie having a little one of their own and Charles and Pierre as grampas of the same child. The chaos would just continue on🤣

Note: I have one for each side of the family, so this is split in two

Cw: mentions childbirth

"They said they don't mind having a few more visitors, as long as we keep quiet", Thomas said as he let you go alongside him to the labour ward. Your daughter Élodie had to have a c-section to bring their baby to the world, so you had to wait awhile until you were allowed to visit them in the hospital room.

"She's here in this one", the Leclerc young man said as Pierre walked in front of you, "she was in and out of sleep when I left to get you", he nudged, opening the door to see his wife laying on the bed, eyes open and looking at the door.

"Where's my babygirl?", Pierre said, and for a moment, the nurse inside thought of showing him the bassinet with the newest addition to the family until she realized who your husband meant.

Going up to his daughter, he kissed her forehead and gave her a hug, looking closely at her face expressions, "hey, mon ange. How are you? I heard you did really well", he calmed down as she smiled, "I'm good, papa, tired, but good", she sighed as she noticed you holding her daughter, your and Pierre's granddaughter.

"She's the cutest little girl ever, come see her, P", you nudged, showing the bundle of cuteness on your arms, "Oh, yes you are, little girl, a Gasly and Leclerc, look at you, chérie", he cooed, stroking her chubby cheek.

.

"Grand-père!", the little girl called, cheering as she ran away from her grandfathers who tried to catch her as they ran in the garden. You decided to gather the families, everyone and their own families together for lunch to enjoy the sunny weekend.

Your husband Charles laughed once he caught her, making Pierre now follow them around the garden as they giggled.

"To think they came from being boys in race cars, and now we have a little girl for a granddaughter in common", Francisca said as she sat down next to you, "we're grandmas", you said as if it had been the first time you noticed it.

"Yes, Y/N, we have been for quite some time now", she chuckled, "Oh, what are they doing to her?", she wondered, seeing her husband and your husband holding the little girl like a football, playing with her while she giggled despite the fact that at first sight it seemed a little too rough, "Mama!", she called for Élodie, "I think I'm going to be sick!", she said as the retired drivers stopped, setting her on the floor and checking on their precious little girl.

"Ah! Got you! I was just kidding! You can't catch me!", she said mischievously as she ran away from them.

(Thank you for your submission ✨️)

[aleksa-sims]

RL Simself Story ( 18+)

CW: Pregnancy, Babies, loss, blood

Another day at my grandparents drew to a close. After Dilek made her way home, N. and I got in a discussion. Not about her, it was about Alex, Daniel's Brother. 😔

Alex wrote me a letter, bcs he couldn’t call me. Daniel was against it! However, Alex mentioned a date in his letter. He wanted to see me! He said/wrote, he will wait for me in front of my and Daniel’s apartment on that particular day. I really wanted to see Alex!! I wanted to know what’s going on with Daniel and why he left me??? But as you can imagine, Nico was against it. Which was totally understandable!! That’s why I tried to talk to Nico about it. N. didn’t forbid me, but he let me know, he was disappointed in me. 🙁😞

He didn’t want to start a fight and just went over to M.’s room, while I cleande up our dishes in the kitchen. Nico asked M., what's wrong with Ana?? Why's she avoiding me?? So my Cuz told him what happend between Ana, Adam, Dennis & me in their dorm a few weeks ago. Yup! "Agh, thanks, bro!" 🤦‍♀️😒Such a moron!

Anyway! Now I'm gonna tell you about the dress I found in my room this afternoon. I thought it was my Mom’s! I really loved that dress! I felt so pretty in it. But my Grama seemed to hate it? I had the impression my Grama didn’t want to tell me exactly what she had against the dress I was wearing? She just said it's hers, not my Mom's!! And well, before I went to bed, I wanted to try to talk to her about this thing again in peace. She just came out of the bathroom. My Grampa was still sitting on the couch in the living room, watching a western movie. 😄He and his bloody, old, western movies. 😆😆Agh, I hated them!

Back to that dress. I entered the bedroom. My grandma was expecting me. She knew I had questions and was ready to talk to me about it.

My Grams was born and raised in Italy. She had three siblings! 2 Sisters and a Brother. When my Grams was 16, she went to Greece with one of her sisters, who's 2 years older than her, to work there. They worked in a hotel. And just a year later, she met my Grampa. My Grams was able to learn some Greek. But together with my Grampa, she learned the language relatively quickly and so they fell in love with each other. After spending over a year in Greece, my Grama decided to marry my Grandpa. He asked her and she was also pregnant. Her parents agreed, as long as my Grams had someone to take care of her. My Grandma's family didn’t have much money. My great-grandmother had lost an arm while working in a factory. That’s why she couldn’t work anymore.

Anyway, my Grandma was happy in Greece with my Grandpa .They lived in my Grampa's house which belonged to his Parents, who also lived there. My Grama and Grampa wanted to save money together to move out, so they both worked a lot. Even though my Grandma was pregnant, she worked 12 hours a day. She wanted to, and she felt good, so she just kept going. But when my Grams was 8 months pregnant, she suddenly got contractions during her shift at the hotel. She had to go to the hospital immediately! Something seemed to be wrong. She was bleeding. At the hospital, my Grandma found out she was having twins!!! She didn't know! No idea how her gynecologist could miss this, but my Grama told me that she was not often at the doctor at that time. She only had an ultrasound once! She didn’t take this so seriously. She was only 18! And her doc just said, she is young and strong, so it's all gonna be fine. However,my Grandma lost a lot of blood during delivery. She almost didn’t survive, she became unconscious, she said. She doesn’t remember what happened? She only knew, she was in a beautiful place, while the Doc's struggled to save her life. Everything felt so peaceful and wonderful. She wanted to stay there. She walked through a green meadow where two small kids suddenly ran towards her. She immediately hugged and kissed them. The three of them had a wonderful time on this beautiful meadow. They laughed, danced and played. My Grams was so happy. She didn’t want to leave this place. But after a while, the two Babies had to say goodbye to her. They told her, she had to go back home. My grandma didn’t want to, she asked, if she could stay there?... The Babies hugged her one last time, telling her not to worry about them. One day, they’ll see each other again, right here.

Then my Grama woke up and found herself in a bed in the hospital. She knew, her Babies didn’t survive 😟😢 ...... She told me, that she was not immediately sad as she woke up. She was rather disappointed, because she had to leave that beautiful meadow. A few days later my grandmother was back home. At home, she realized what had actually happened. She lost her Babies. 😔

And this dress I found, my Grandma loved when she was pregnant. Seeing me in that dress scared her, because I was pregnant too. She didn’t want to tell me, not scare me. And secondly, she knew that when I learned that she had twins, it would only make me more insecure. My pregnancy was unplanned, what if I have twins too?? So yes, it actually worried me.

Me: Was Grandpa nice to you? I mean, was he good to you? 😟

Grams: Yeah, he took care of me. Don’t worry about me, it’s been over 40 years.... In summary, I can say.... yes, your Grampa was a good man. It wasn't allways easy with him. You know how much he loves his beer. But thanks to me, your grandpa is not a drinker! No matter how long he was out at night with his 2 brothers and buddies. Every morning, I kicked him out of bed to go to work. But when it came to you kids, I could always rely on him... I know you’re still sad about Daniel. I heard you and Nico talking, but ask yourself a question, A.! How will it be in a few months? How do you imagine your future, not your present!! Now everything may seem uncertain and you are sad. You miss & love him. And if you weren’t pregnant, I’d advise you to wait and see about your marriage. Fact is, you don’t know why Daniel decided to leave? Maybe he didn’t see another way? Daniel is a calm, introverted guy. I think he kept a lot of things that bothered him to himself. In addition, he has never learned otherwise. He never really had anyone to... take care of him. Now it’s too late what his parents are trying to make up for. He doesn’t trust them, he generally has difficulty opening up. I think that’s why he couldn’t talk to you. I just want you to understand, that it wasn’t your fault. You can't fix in those few months you were with him, what went wrong for him in the past. And now that you’re pregnant, I doubt you and Daniel have a chance anyway. This will make it all the harder for him, to trust you. That's how things are rn. This is your current situation and you have to decide how you want to continue. Of course, I can’t tell you what to expect with Nico. But one thing I think, I can tell you! No man, no matter how much he loves you, will love your child as much as his Dad does. Daniel would probably try, and if he makes an effort, maybe he’ll be a good Dad for your Baby. But it’s Nico’s Baby. I know you had your struggles with him. But I talked to him last night. And in my opinion, you can rely on him. He’ll give you everything and he loves you. But most importantly, Nico doesn’t do drugs, bella. I know you don't wanna hear that, but this one important detail, is actually enough, to make the right decision, for you and your Baby.

Me: Why do you think I didn’t decide? I'm so happy with N. rn. I really want this with us! But..... yes! I'm still very sad about Daniel. I’m afraid to divorce him. I don’t wanna hurt him. I wish I could turn back the time to stop him, then we’d still be together and everything would be ok. 😢I always feel like I’ve done something wrong, Nico and I, it feels like cheating.... You believe in God. Do you think someone wants to punish me for all I’ve done wrong? I don’t want my Baby to pay for my mistakes.

Grams: God does not punish, he forgives! That’s what it’s all about! Forgiveness. You have to forgive yourself, A.! But you did nothing wrong, honey. You were sad, felt abandoned, alone & broken. And Nico was there. You might think, he was there at the right moment. Where would you be now, if Nico hadn’t come back to your life? You can be honest A.! I’m not gonna be mad, no matter what your answer is.

Me: I-....I’d probably be high with Dennis somewhere.

Grams: Who's Dennis?

Me: I met him at Ana's dorm.... We did drugs together. I even almost slept with him, even though I only met him a few hours before that. 😢 I didn't care about anything. I just wanted to feel numb.🤦‍♀️

Grams: Come here.... You'll be fine. I'm gonna take care of you and your Baby. You're not alone... I'm there.

Me: Yea...... thanks... I'm going over to N.

Grams: Don’t tell Nico what you just told me. He doesn't need to know that.... You two have to get along with each other now and not fight. I think N is the guy for you. I'm pretty sure. And don’t forget what I said, think about the future, not the past. Tomorrow morning, I’ll remove all your wedding photos, you do the same thing in your room. That's rude to N. He didn’t do anything wrong, he was only there for you and I’m glad he’s back with you. He also seems much calmer than he used to. He wants to do it right, this time. He told me. So go to him now.

Me: So sorry about your Babies. I won't keep that dress. 😭

Grams: Oh, honey. It's ok. Please don’t think about my twins anymore. It's.... all fine. Afte all, just 2 years later, I got my boys and so you, your sister and M. That’s more than I ever dreamed of.

Agh, this was a lot! Sorry. But everything that has now been mentioned in the conversation between my Grama & me, will become a topic soon.

Previous/Next

[tomtenadia]

Detours to You - ch 3

Hello everyone! Here I am with another chapter. I have managed to write quite a lot in the past few days and I have 21 chapters ready. and not far from the conclusion. As usual I planned around 20 but it looks it will be more like 30ish.

Any way... enjoy this chapter.

MASTERLIST

Work had been hell. Aelin had spent the day thinking about the fight with Rowan. 

Yes, she had lied to him and hid their daughter. She had to choose and in the end her daughter was all she actually cared about so she had chosen the lesser of the two evils and opted for not telling him. It had made sense at the time. But now that choice had come to bite her in the back in the form of a very angry Rowan. 

On one thing she agreed with him: Aelin had no intention to involving lawyers either. She had heard how tough custody battles were and the aftermath too. She would not want to put Maya through that. Which meant she had to cooperate with him, allow him in. The idea terrified her. What if Rowan had a woman? What if one day he pushed them aside for his new family? Before she allowed him in they needed to have a proper conversation and set rules.

With all these thoughts crossing her mind she reached her parents’ house and was looking forward to hug her little tornado again.

Her mother must have heard the sound of tyres on the crunchy snow because a moment later she was on the door with Maya at her side.

Quickly she parked the car and jumped out, running to her daughter.

“Mama!”

Aelin picked her up, stamping a fat wet kiss on her cheek “Hi muffin, did you miss me?”

“Yes, but grampa and I had a lot of fun.”

“Did you?” She asked as Evalin ushered them inside.

“We made a snowman.”

Maya wiggled free and she let her go back on the carpet where her father was, surrounded by a sea of building block “Hi dad,”

“Hi love.”

Her mother took her coat and Aelin was positive Evalin was studying every single move. She was good at sensing her moods and Aelin was in a foul one.

“Come in the kitchen with me,” her mother took her hand “They are too busy building a castle, we will have space to talk in peace.”

Aelin followed knowing that she had no choice.

Evalin walked to the stove where she was making dinner and motioned for Aelin to sit down “Come on darling, what happened?”

Aelin grabbed a breadstick “Rowan is back.”

Her mother turned “Is he?”

“Apparently he is chief of the TFD now.”

“That is good news, darling.”

Aelin looked up at her smiling mother. Evalin always adored Rowan like a son.

“Is it?”

“Yes, for both you and Maya. He is back and you can resume from where you left off.”

“How?” Aelin groaned “Mum we cannot go back to five years ago. He left, we broke up. We have separate lives now. For Mala’s sake he is a stranger to me for all I know.”

Evalin’s lips formed a tight line of disappointment “He can’t be a stranger after what you two had, there’s a chance you would have been married by now,” she added quietly “And he is Maya’s father.” Her tone stern all of a sudden.

“Biologically only.”

Her mother took a step closer “Aelin, I love you, but I never agreed with your idea of keeping Maya from him,” admitted the woman, and Aelin was stunned “I never said anything because you were already grieving for having to let him go, but I wish you had told him because I am sure he’d found a way. Both of you.”

“You side with him?”

“I side with what’s best for Maya. And that is allowing her to have a father who will undoubtedly love her to no end.”

Aelin remained silent for a moment weighing her mother’s words “I saw him today.”

“And?”

“We fought. Badly.”

Evalin was silent and brushed her daughter’s hair “Let it out, all the frustration but then start working together for your girl’s sake.”

“He wants contact, wants to be her father.”

“That is good. What’s stopping you?”

“I don’t know if I can trust him.”

Shock was clear in Evalin’s face “Rowan? Aelin you know how serious he can be. If he says he wants to know Maya you know that he will be fully committed.”

A deep sigh left Aelin’s lips “What if he meets another woman?”

“Aelin, don’t go looking for trouble.”

Evalin sat at her side and pulled her daughter to her chest in a hug “Aelin, I love you and Maya and you know I always loved Rowan as a son,” she started “You three can be a family. You took a long detour through life but you have a second chance. Don’t let it go, my love.”

“I am scared,” blurted Aelin while holding her mother.

“Of course, that is just your body trying to protect you. One step at a time.”

Aelin nodded.

“Why don’t you start with a meeting. You can meet up at the park, introduce him to Maya as a friend and go from there? See how Maya reacts to him?”

“That’s what he suggested.”

“Give him a chance Aelin. Give your family a chance.”

Dinner at her parents had been perfect as usual and now she and Maya were in the car on the way home. She thought about her mother’s words and decided that she could try. Set aside her fears and allow Rowan in. 

Maya was in the back asleep on the car seat. At the traffic lights she stared at her daughter “Want to meet dad, my love?” She said in a soft whisper.

Maya in bed, she got ready for bed and exchanged a few texts with Elide with the aim to get Rowan’s number from Lorcan.

Mission accomplished she stared at the saved number and wondered whether to text him or call him. It was late but she knew Rowan was a night owl so she grabbed all of her courage and called him.

“Hello?”

“Rowan?”

“Aelin?” Surprise deep in his voice.

“Yes, I got your number from Lorcan. I hope it’s okay.”

“It’s okay.”

“I am calling with a peace offering,” she paused “You are right. I don’t want to involve lawyers either. We are adults and I am positive we can do this and protect Maya in the process.”

She heard him sigh in relief “Thank you, I really did not want to go down that route.”

Silence on both ends.

“What changed?”

“My mum. You know how convincing she can be.”

Laughter resounded through the phone and she relaxed “You are right. You are Maya’s dad and I want her to know you but…” a pause “A step at a time, Rowan.”

“Of course, Aelin. I will take anything.”

“Do you know the park in North Grove?”

“No, but I can find it.”

Aelin hummed happily “Maya and I love it and I was thinking that if you are free this weekend we can meet there?”

“That sounds perfect.”

“The place has a lovely cafe and we can have lunch together.”

“I love it.”

A pause and then Rowan spoke again “Tell me about her.”

Even through a phone conversation Aelin could already hear the love in his words. She started to realise that would have been wrong not allowing him to be a father. Rowan was ready. Had been ready to be a parent well before she had been.

Aelin let out a light chuckle “She is a little tornado. She started walking a bit earlier than expected same for her first word. And now she does not shut up.” A laugh “She is curious and changes once a week what she wants do when she grows up. This week is unicorns farmer.”

Rowan’s laughter resonated through her phone “I know. Last week she wanted to be a panda nanny.”

“Oh well, she has her ambitions high.”

Aelin laughed again “She started school in august and she loves it. She reads basic stuff and is getting quite good at writing.” She kept telling him “Her birth was hard. The cheeky monkey was two weeks too early. She decided to wake me up in the middle of the night and had no patience. Turns out that in all her hurry to get out, she hadn’t moved in position and almost got stuck in the birth canal so they had to give me a c-section.”

Rowan was silent and she knew he was worrying even after five years after the fact. He was a fussy buzzard. Always had been. And that was an aspect of him that had made her fall hard for him. He was caring.

“She loves her grandparents. Her grandad spoils her rotten when they go to the museums. Now he got her obsessed on astronomy.”

Over the line she heard Rowan’s breath hitch “The morning you saw us we had just come back from a morning at the science museum where they had a session of astronomy for toddlers. I don’t think I have ever seen her sat still for two hours straight.”

“Um,” added Aelin while she kept thinking about all things she wanted to tell him “Hockey. Of course she is obsessed. I take her to games and just the other day she asked me if she can join a team.”

Rowan chuckled “As a former player and now occasional one I cannot but beam with pride.” A pause “Please tell me she supports the Stags or I might reconsider things.”

Aelin snorted “Of course, Whitethorn. I only teach my daughter the correct values in life.”

They both laughed and Aelin basked in the easiness. It had always been like that for them. They would fight, hold grudges for half an hour and then laugh it off not long after. There had always been a special connection between them and in those few moments over the phone she felt as if the flame of their past life was fighting to self ignite again. And she thought, that maybe, maybe she would let it ignite once again. 

“Now chief, it’s late. I better let you go to bed. You have to be rested to save lives tomorrow.”

“Nah, just try not to die of a ferocious paper-cut.”

Aelin was silent for a moment “Do you miss it?”

“The action? Sometimes. But this job allows me a much more normal type of life, no more long shifts. And now that I have Maya I love it even more. I can be with her.” He paused “I still direct the scene in case of a certain level of emergency but I am outside as incident commander.”

“You can have some beauty sleep.”

Rowan laughed.

“Night, Rowan.”

“Night, Aelin.”

Rowan closed the conversation and walked to the window and stepped outside on the lower balcony. He lifted his nose to the sky and noticed the sky covered by the most stunning blanket of stars. And then, in the distance the mirrie dancers. The sky turned ablaze with greens and blues. He tried to take a photo that he wanted to send Aelin. She lived in the centre and such shows were impossible in the middle of the city.

 A smile broke on his lips and hope surged in him. After the fight in her office he had been terrified at the possible fight with lawyers. Now he was looking forward an afternoon with both. 

He winked at the Lord of the North and then sent a text to Aelin the perks of living outside the city. Show this to Maya. Thank you for allowing me in.

*

Aelin was ready to climb in bed when her phone pinged. It was a message from Rowan and it contained a picture of a sky illuminated with blues and greens. Aelin had never seen the northern lights I am so jealous right now. I hate living in the centre. Maya will beg to come and be at your place all the time now. 

You are both welcome. His text read.

She lay down under the covers and thought about Rowan. She hoped Maya liked him.

A yawn was the sign that it was bed time.

She looked at the picture one last time and sent a wish to Mala.

taglist

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[fleet-admiral-hiba]

Back at it once again,

The reader is just minding their business and decide to go outside the “palace” for a little, not to far of course, staying where they are supposed to be

They get bored after a bit and try to go back inside

However a few of the agents dont recognize us? Why? They really should

Even after a bunch of persisting our identity they still neglect and try to get us to leave

Us, being the child we are start crying most likely

One or two of the harbingers hear it and come to the scene

Those agents sure ain’t gonna be here much longer folks

-Simon

I AM ME

A/n: keep em coming man, I'm always waiting to see what new idea you have brought me.

Snow wasn't uncommon in Snezhnaya, but finally having a beautiful, sunny day where it wasn't snowing hard was rare.

You took the opportunity, and ran outside to play. It was absolutely fantastic.

Building snowmen, making angels, playing with the other agents outside was simply exciting.

You had missed doing mundane things outside. And the weather was exceptionally mild. You had to thank your mama later for that.

You went around trying to find some nice looking flowers, you wanted to make a bouquet for her, and for someone else of course.

But you lacked something important: a lace.

Going towards the door, you were stopped by some agents. They asked questions about your identity and so on, and you told them you had just came outside from the palace. They should have remembered you.

They weren't relenting, and they started to shout. You hated people being loud for no reason, but you should have still be let inside. It was your home too.

Trying again, more politely, you received the same answer.

Trying and trying, finally push came to shove. Literally.

They pushed you back, towards the main gate.

Of course, you ran away and went into the opposite direction. Crying, that has been an arrowing experience.

Sandrone was out, testing some new automatons when she heard you crying. Quickly making her way towards you, she was relieved to see Pulcinella with you.

"What happened love?" She asked. Neither her nor Pulcinella had any idea as to why you were crying.

Between sobs, you told them what had just happened "the agents at the door wouldn't let me in, I tried again to enter ,cause I wanted to get some laces for mama, but they still wouldn't let me in. At the end, they started to shout and push me to the gate saying I had to go", you concluded.

Bloodlust began to rose. While Pulcinella took you with him to his office, Sandrone asked for their identity. You pointed them out, sending them to their fate.

She sent you off with a hug, before going to work. She could use some test subjects after all.

Noticing the approaching Harbinger,they bowed down.

"come with me you two" she said coldly.

Fear was etched in their eyes. They knew they were in trouble.

.

.

.

Who knew Grampa Papanella had so many stories to tell, they were one more interesting than the others. So much so you forgot your little scare of before, and you were smiling and bouncing up and down. More stories, that's what you asked for. He was more than pleased to tell you stories upon stories.

And Sandrone that day was grinning a bit too much... Those new automaton sure looked familiar to the agents around the palace...

Better not ask about it, after all... They didn't want to become the new target of the wrath of the Harbinger.

[majorxmaggiexboy]

Rating the Cold Boys based on how good i think they hug let’s go

you hug this man and it’s like hugging your great great great great great great grandpriest’s great great grandmother twice removed. Smells like moth balls, grape jelly, and disappointment, but there’s a 20% chance if you smile through your gritted teeth and say “Yes, Grampa, I Love You Too” he’ll give you a $20 and bad relationship advice on your way out the door. 2/10

Frauncis has never had a hug before in his life he honestly does not know how exactly. Smells like whiskey, regret, and a longing to love somebody. Will pat ur back and say something like “yes, well” and chuckle awkwardly but with a hidden warm smile if youre lucky. Will offer you an alcoholic beverage but ONLY if he can have some too, 6/10

Commander Jehmes could out-hug a professional hugger. Perfect height for seizing by the lapels and weeping against while being Held. Plot twist though he’s crying too. smells of hair product and your wildest dreams. 10/10

don’t be fooled it’s like hugging a pasty skeleton with good hair and also it might stab you twenty-three times in the chest among other extracurriculars. smells like weed and betrayal, wouldn’t recommend it more than once. 3/10

Adorable but will side-hug no matter what gender he thinks u are bc if he registers u as Woman full hugs are sinful and if he registers u as Man full hugs are gay there’s no winning with him but if you can catch him by surprise he’ll make a squeaky-toy sound, smells of banana bread and communion wafers, 7/10

Local man out here trying his best, making terrible decisions but with feeling and admirable spirit, Boromirs that Shite. I bet he smells like peanut butter, doritos, and sand. Solid 6/10

His name is ‘Blanky’ for goodness sake he is the clear winner this man has the voice of a slightly inebriated angel and is NOT afraid to hug tight OR spin you around a few times and pretend to drop you for a laugh. Smells like the dad who actually came home from the milk store, god bless ameri

whups how’d that get in there

look into those eyes and tell me this wouldn’t be a sweet cinnamon hug of joyful companionship, 8/10 easily and score goes up with every hug because this man is all about continuous improvement. Will absolutely wrap you in his coat AND probably give you his hat

Don’t tell me you’ve never longed for the tender embrace of a middle-aged gay librarian 10/10

wouldn’t recommend it babe 3/10

WOULD WHOLEHEARTEDLY RECOMMEND IT BABE 10/10 he will hug you close and love you AND talk special interests in a soothing voice while gazing at you with warm beautiful eyes. Smells like waiting rooms and the very essence of love itself

This man hugs like his life depends on it and cries like Darcy in the rain. Will not let go once hugging begins. Inexplicably damp at all times but the faint stale towel smell isn’t so bad once you get used to it and the sheer desperation is actually kind of endearing 8/10

No matter how it turns out, you are guaranteed to feel more held than you have ever felt in your entire life and will most certainly get a kiss, try it once and see what happens! 10/10 life changing experience no matter what

He’s like a candycane someone dropped in a puddle and then ran over with a tricycle. Under appreciated offbrand of Bob Ross and Peter Dinklage. Has a Vibe going on. Kind of like hugging a scarecrow so you can basically say you’re hugging Fiyero. Have fun out there. 3/10

look me in the eyes and tell me you honestly believe any other hug could possibly be good enough after getting hugged by Henry Foster Collins. 10000/10 was literally built for hugging, custom made, God said Capybara But Make It Human and Henry Foster Collins was born. This man is cotton candy in human form.  A Squishmallow. A babe. Love him. this man studied hugging at 20,000 Leagues Under the Yes Please and got a frickin Ph.D

are you interested in a one-time hug? TOO BAD because this one will not only hug but will also honor and cherish and protect (as long as it doesn’t interfere with caring for the Captain) AND speak so soft and gentle to in an adorable accent WHILE wearing a sweatervest and smelling like coffee, soap, a tiny hint of something absolutely unhinged and All Your Dreams Come True. 10/10

[skz-with-stay]

dad!changbin head canon; 2

snow day

warnings: mentions of food/drinks. if there’s any more, please let me know asap.

style: fluff, dad!changbin, changbin x reader (afab)

word count: 982

lets go!

outside, snow is planted onto the windowsill; inside, cold fog on the window. today is december 28th, which is the day that was selected and planned by your husband and his mother; for a day to spend with his family. vienna (daughter) was extremely excited to go, this is because she loves snow and her grandparents.

“you know who we get to see today, vi?” changbin says with a smile on his face.

“GRAMMA AND GRAMPA!!!” she yells loudly, jumping up and back down, giving off a gummy smile.

“mhm, you’re right! gramma and grampa are very excited to see you today” he says to her.

changbin gathers all of her snow gear, plopping it down by her. then gathers his own show gear and set it next to the pile he had made beforehand.

“okay baby, what do we put on first?” he asks.

she thinks as hard as her 3 year old brain could think. she gives an answer.

“snow pants” she says confidently.

“good job!” he says.

he goes to help her get her snow pants on but he’s quickly stopped.

“i wanna do it” she snaps cutely

putting his hands up in defeat, he backs away and lets her do it herself. he puts on his snow pants and is about to zip up his zipper, but he is stopped again.

“let me help you” vienna says.

once zipped up, he asks again.

“thank you, sweety… what do we put on now?”

he does this until all of their snow gear is on and snug.

“daddy, i’m hot” she pouts, cheeks flushed.

“i know baby, we will leave in a second, i just gotta see if mommy is done helping your brother”

he makes his way up the stairs to your guys’ shared bedroom, where you are with your son. he knocks on the door.

“vi and i are ready to go” he peeks in, seeing your guys’ 11 month old son all bundled up.

“we are too” you say as you place him on your hip. you’re bundled up as well.

“let’s go!” he says, placing a kiss on your forehead before leading the way down the stairs.

=•=•=•=•=•=•=

the 4 of you arrive at the park. vienna’s eyes light up when she sees the hill covered in snow. her focus then centers at the sight of gramma seo. a smile spreads on her face, and she kicks her feet in excitement.

“GRAMMAAAAAAAAAAA” is heard from inside of the car.

gramma seo chuckled. you two wave at each other before you get your daughter out of her car seat. vienna nearly sprints out of your arms to go see her gramma.

“please walk vi, it’s icy” you say

vienna begins to waddle across the icy path. she makes it into her gramma’s arms, giving a big hug.

you go to get your son out of his car seat but changbin is already on it.

“i got max, you can go ahead” he says.

a few minutes go by and grampa seo, daddy seo and little baby seo meet gramma seo, mommy seo and big baby seo. hugs and greetings are exchanged and now the real fun can begin.

changbin goes back to the car and comes back with sleds, and snow molds.

“gramma can you sled with me?” vienna says so heartwarmingly.

changbin hesitates, he doesn’t want his mom or his daughter getting hurt.

“of course, pumpkin” gma seo says.

they slide successfully down the hill, earning a laugh from the two of them.

gpa seo and you play with baby max and the snow molds, making a snow castle.

changbin claps at his mom and daughter, nonverbally congratulating the successful landing.

an hour and a half go by and the 6 of you go to a coffee shop. the kids split a hot cocoa and a piece of cake. gma and gpa seo split a piece of coffee cake, and have separate coffees, same with you and changbin.

“we missed you so much, we haven’t seen you in a few months!” gpa seo says to the 4 of you.

“we missed you too!” you say back.

“yeah and i missed you thiiiiiiiiiis much” vienna spreads her arms out as much as she could.

“oh yeah? well i missed you thiiiiiiiiis much” gpa seo imitates vienna’s arms, obviously a larger span than hers. vi’s jaw drops and then she giggles.

smiles appear on all of your faces.

another hour passes by, both kids are asleep, vienna in changbin’s lap and max in gpa’s lap.

“i think it is about that time where we get going” changbin says quietly, not to wake up the sleeping beauty on his lap.

heads shake ‘yes’ as everyone gets up slowly. both vienna and max jerk slightly but are still asleep. gpa hands max over to you. you all make your way to the cars.

goodbyes and hugs were given.

“see you again soon” you say

“yes! soon!” gma says.

a tiring day is at an end. the time from the coffee shop to your house is over half an hour. you swear you just closed your eyes, next thing you know, your eyes grow heavy and you drift off into a peaceful sleep.

changbin noticed right away and tries his best not to hit any pot holes or bumps.

you’re finally home, but still asleep and so are your children. he grabs max first, putting him in his crib, taking off his gear. then vienna, putting her in her bed and doing the same. then you, putting your arm over his shoulder and picking you up bridal style. he sets you on your guys’ bed and takes off your snow gear. now gets himself undressed from the heavy snow gear.

vienna cries loudly, now awake, you wake up to coo her back to slumber but you’re stopped.

“i got it, lay back down” changbin says sweetly.

[pretty-pink-seaslug]

I see some of you are interested, so I will happily dump out my agent 8 lore!

Introducing...

Agent Saga: Fluorosis

(Art is NOT by me I got it from Zerochan here and did a small edit for the purpose of naming) and @klugpuuo since you wanted me to @ you!

• She fell down to the deep sea metro at around 15-16 years old, dressed the way she is because she was an octo soldier in training

• DJ Octavio is her great grandpa and she was constantly wishing he’d let her out, but none of the phones in the metro work

• Octavio threw a FIT when his great grandbaby went missing

• Once she made it out the metro she got given a kinda stimulus check and tuition from 💝Marina💝 so she could thrive without any more trouble!

• She told Octavio all about what happened and he was STEAMING with rage, he then proceeded to call her over to octo valley, where she gets to meet the squid sisters for the first time and Octavio gives her a whole bunch of weapons as self defense gifts (and a biiiiig hug and kiss 💝)

• Cut to splatoon3, she’s doing just fine and laid back a little more now that’s she’s out of the constant attack trauma! (Idk if she went to counseling or not, she shouldve—)

• She signed up for the new squid beak splatoon because she wanted to do something meaningful with her life as to not feel like canon fodder (looks like the trauma didn’t completely fade off 😰)

• Craig is real happy to see the youngin brave enough to step into new grounds again!

• He did NOT tell Octavio

• She goes through the kettle levels and in her head is like “y’all fell off,,,,,”

• Once she gets to Octavio boss fight she remembers him drunk at an agent reunion (they’re all one big found family 💝) saying “if I ever see you with a weapon in hand *hic* we gon FIGHT!!” And she thought nothing of it

• until they, indeed, fought

• She’s confused on why he came to fight so early, then he says he’s not so sure why either and is trying to figure out who took over his turf, and then they fall to alterna

• She hears faint laughter from the top as she falls to look up and see 3 shadows, new enemies...?

• she wakes up in the fake snow and makes her way to,,, THE SQUID SISTERS??????

Agent 8: uhhhh,,,, hey gang,,, 😳

Squid Sisters and Captain 3: OMG 8!!!!!!!! 💕❣️💕❣️💗💖💓💓💝💝💘💝💗💕❣️💓💓💕

• Cue the rest of the events; 8 sees Deep Cut and is like “Aint these the mfs I see on the news— AINT THESE THE MFS THAT LAUGHED AT US FALLING???? DID THEY TRY TO KILL US?????”

• 8 has unspoken beef with them all the way till the rocket

• Deep cut is constantly like “why is she looking at us like that”

• Agent 8 is in LOVE with all the human lore Orca has to offer and she considers him her favorite bot

• Agent 8 fights all the Deep Cut members and tears their shit UP bro 💀💀

• Goes through more levels yadda yadda

• She hears Craig over the radio “SQUID GRAMPA?!?!—“ “Welcome to your final test, I’m Mr. Grizz” “MR GRIZZ???????”

• After finding out she was betrayed by her boss she is SPEEDRUNNING to get on that rocket and get her 2nd grandpa BACK, Octarian girls with teenage trauma and no counseling don’t take betrayal lightly.

• So we go through the whole get on the rocket, go chase Mr Grizz thing

• Deep Cut help the NSBS out and there is now ambivalence between them and 8

• She goes into space and is like “k shit how am I gonna do this”

“Had a feeling that Mr Grizz figure was up to somethin!” “GREAT GRAMPA!!!!!! 😄💖💝💝💖💝💖💝💖💖💖💝💝💝”

• We fight Mr Grizz we get the good ending yayyyy

• They all go to celebrate,,, after a quick crying session between 8 and Callie,,, and then other agents start crying too because man you can’t be tough forever—

🎊NSBS forever!🎊

Do y’all like it? Lmk what you think!

[halliescomut]

Okay, so this is just going to be a bit of a ramble, but after a bit of a slow spell last ep, I really liked this week's. So if you've been sort of keeping up with Remember Me, you know where the characters are at by the start of today's ep, but here's a quick recap. Em and Name are both living in the hometown, Em plans to open a store. Nucknan has left Bangkok and has been living with Chompu and her family working on their farm. Champ is just living & working, not doing much else except being sad. Gun and Gulf are/were living together, but had just broken up.

We open back up with Gun meeting Gulf to get some belonging out of his car, and he reads one of their penpal letters, it's unclear to me if this is a new letter Gulf had written to him, or if it was one from years ago. Gulf apologizes (which is super important to me because he was in the wrong) and they get back together and Gulf proposes. Now I've been vaguely dissatisfied with the Gulf/Gun storyline, because it's not handled with the same depth of the other stories to me, but I felt like they used it as a selling point because of Ja and First's popularity from Don't Say No, so like this happy ending doesn't feel super earned. But, I do think that it's an interesting look at this particular couple and how they communicate. They literally spent a decade sharing everything with each other under this little shield of anonymity, but after 5 years together as a couple Gun was struggling with that communication. Because to be honest, yes Gulf should have definitely recognized there was an issue, but Gun does have some responsibility too. Even though they're comfortable together, and they love each other, they still need to actively address problems. And Gulf's ignorance of there being a problem, and Gun's inability to speak up about his feelings let the problem fester for months until it broke things. Luckily not beyond repair, and I think they both learned valuable lessons, but it was avoidable. The real high point for me in the Gulf Gun story was Gun 'telling' his father the true nature of his relationship with Gulf. Now I've been done with the homophobic parent thing, I think something that's needed in queer media is accepting or at least understanding parents. So I'm so glad Gun's dad, who's been presented through the show as this vaguely emotionally absent dad, truly expresses and COMMUNICATES (since that's the theme of the show) that he knows who is son is and has no issues with it. It was an incredibly touching moment for him as the parent to explain how he had kind of thought that by providing for his family, and just being there, Gun would understand he loved him, was proud of him, but he had come to realize that wasn't enough. So he not only admits he was wrong but he corrects it, ensuring by both his words and actions that Gun fully understands his love. It's a beautiful moment.

Now we're going to move on to Champ, who's the second biggest story this ep. We're now about 2 years post Grampa's death and Champ has almost fully pulled away from his family. He's let his grief and the resentment he had towards his family create a pretty big rift, and then his sister shows up to tell him she's getting married, and to tell him he's going to be an uncle. Now Champs story has weirdly been one of the best the whole season, there's development every episode, it's easy to relate too, but I can not express the frustration I felt when his sister says she's gonna head out and he doesn't give her a hug. You know, she had come to him because she's clearly hoping that this next stage where there's going to be a new generation might be another starting point for them to regain the closeness they've lost. Especially since she is going to be moving farther away after the wedding. And she's worried about Champ living alone, always working, not really having much of a social life, all these things that you simply worry about for people you care for. So when he just sits there on the couch, doesn't even wave, you can see her eyes get so sad. Previews show that next week they'll clearly make a breakthrough, but damn is it sad. I will say that even though Champ says he'll probably stay at the company he's at, I'm really hoping he moves home or just closer. I feel like that's sort of hinted at with his sister confirming that she's moving away, which would leave their aging parents alone. And I think a smaller community, where his friends are, would be a good choice for him.

Nucknan is up next, he also comes home with Chompu and her brother to introduce everyone and celebrate the New Year. That's about all we get from them, just an official announcement of their relationship. It seems they've decided to commit to Nucknan working on Chompu's family farm instead of pursuing law full time, which is fine. You get the vibe in the beginning that he wasn't emotionally committed to law, it was just a career that would give him some prestige, as well as financial security. Kind of wish they had fully committed to making his story about him recognizing and accepting how his life would be different as the partner of someone with a physical disability, which was kind of where they started, but once he finds Chompu again they never discuss it.

Em and Name...you don't see AT ALL til the dinner scene, which is an absolute bummer. I've been enjoying their story. I think it's realistic, and sweet, and heartbreaking, and very good disability representation. I like that last episode (or maybe the one before) that even after Name starts talking more, and Em's so clearly excited by this progress, he sees that Name is still a little uncomfortable, so he doesn't push. He encourages, and he's firm in that encouragement, but he's careful not to be too aggressive. It is really very interesting, because Em has spent like 15 years learning how to read Name without Name speaking, and he's still using that skill to kind of keep that good balance. Now in the beginning, when Em leaves for college, the show gives the vibe that Name is in love with Em, but once Em comes back after Names mom is ill, there's not much in the way of romantic subtext for their characters anymore. Like there are small moments the last two episodes where it could be argued it's now Em in love with Name, but tbh, even those feel somewhat reachy to me. So idk if we're going to get a love confession next episode, or if they'll just be friends still by the end of the season, and I don't know that I could truly say I have a preference for either outcome. Because I feel like their friendship is really beautiful, so I don't feel like it would be a disservice to leave it platonic, but at the same time...it's a good thing to see the person you love romantically as your friend also. So idk. All I can say for sure is I want my little beans to be happy and together.

So idk how many words this is, because I typed it on my phone, but those are my thoughts. I like the show, a lot actually, I just feel it has some wasted potential here and there. I will say if Em and Name don't become a romantic couple in the end...then idk that this show really belongs in the BL category, since Gulf and Guns story is so minor. Like without that you've got a show with one straight couple, on queer couple, one single guy, and one set of platonic soul mates, which is just kind of a well-rounded realistic show, but maybe not a BL. Like I'm not saying all gay all the time (well sometimes I am) but I kind of feel like for it to be queer media then queer relationships need to make up the majority of screen time, and that's definitely not the case here. Doesn't make it bad media, just poorly categorized.

[thelilreddragon]

Apologies in advance for requesting this. I definitely didn’t think I would submit it but I needed a bit angst/feels:(

Prompt:

Harry: “H happy birthday, d daddy. Me, mom and padfoot are doing ok. Uncle Remus says you are in a happy place. But I still wish I could hug you.”

Lily: “Ohhh Harry love, *sniff* I’m sure james would’ve wanted that too”

(Reference to the idea of the prompt in the link below. Caution: it will hurt😢)

https://www.tumblr.com/nightmers/114762861949/happy-birthday-james-potter-27-03-1960

Lily didn’t want to have to take him. But when he asked, the day before his birthday, if they could make a trip, she had to bring him.

She held his hand as they walked through the metal grates, and gently led him to the site, where his father laid to rest.

“Hey James. Our boy wanted to see you.” They sat down beside the monument, after Lily laid down their blanket.

“Hi Daddy!” Harry said. ( He didn’t understand death yet, but he knew that his daddy could hear him, even if he didn’t play dragons with him. He knew that his daddy loved him, even if he couldn’t come to Parents Day. [ Padfoot and Moony came in his place ] )

“Happy Birthday, Daddy… Mummy, Padfoot, Moony and me are good… Moony says you’re in a happy place, but I still wish I could get a Daddy hug.”

Harry teared up, and crawled into his mother’s lap.

“Oh Harry…” Lily said, scuffing up his hair and trying to ignore the tear streaming down her face. “You know Daddy wants that too right?”

“I know, Mumma… but I still miss him.”

“I know that, dear, but you know you get a big hug from Daddy every time you go to see Gramma and Grampa P. And when you jump into Moony’s or Padfoot’s lap during telly night.

“And right now, baby. You’re getting a big hug from Daddy, because he’s in me. And he’s in you.

“And every time you think about him, Daddy’s giving you a big hug and kiss. Every time you look in the mirror, Daddy’s giving you a smile, because you have his smile.

“Daddy’s still here giving you lots of big hugs.”

Harry pulled away from Lily, and wrapped his arms around James Potter’s gravestone.

“I love you, Daddy. I’m giving you a big hug,” he shouted, looking up to the sky, and Lily let the tears fall.

[kwlsn]

Seasons kept on changing and soon, you would face one of the biggest changes of your whole life forever — the entrance exam.

Emma had graduated and entered a good university and as you watched how happy she was, it made you think about entering the same campus with her or somewhere else in Tokyo.

Roppongi had been treating you nice and it was a shame that you had to move out soon.

When you first came here, it felt like a fresh spring breeze; filling your head with things you have never done before and urging your hand to write them down as a bucket list, hoping you would also gain a new friend or two in exchange for the succumbing loneliness you felt the first time you slept here — missing Emma, Grampa, Mikey and Shin.

Shin...

Unconsciously, your fingertips made a beeline for your face; running it over your plump lips as the scene of Shin kissing you in the winter crossed your mind unannounced, still feeling like a guilty pleasure you wouldn't mind to indulge in if you were given a second chance to experience it.

Then again, you were left wondering why he never showed up to your place; wondering if he felt guilty and regretting the choice he made that night, ending his relationship with you in harsh winter and letting them stay forever at the back of his head.

Mikey was the same, too.

You weren't able to wait until he and Emma came back and fell asleep inside the kotatsu instead. The time you woke up, you were tucked in your bed and Mikey was already leaving to see his gang; leaving you with Emma and Shin to move the boxes.

Emma was really sad when she heard about you moving out of the Sano Household, but she was also as excited when you said this is the choice you made carefully with Grampa, hoping you'd be able to gain more friends there than before since everyone in Shibuya avoided you and Emma — also known as Mikey's sisters.

Shin, on the other hand, was quiet like a mouse. You would think that he was already dead if it wasn't for him moving everything into the truck in a hurry; saying that he'd leave early because he needed to open the shop before some kids made a ruckus that might try to ruin his business for being late.

Despite the promise you all had made, only Grampa and Emma visited you every week and vice versa; not seeing Shin and Mikey whenever you'd drop by the Sano Household — giving you a slight ick that slowly grew into anger before you finally outgrew it, thinking that it'd be the best for you not to engage with them anymore.

Looking at the small charm in your hand, a faint smile found itself to rest on your lips. It was pink with a tie in a similar colour and a pattern of your favourite flower covering it; a charm that represented you in the best way possible.

As your fingertips traced it, you felt a tight hug around your waist and turned your head around to see who it was; didn't expect him to be here as his brother made another grand entrance, earning a look from few other kids that recognised them.

"Yo, sugar!"

"Rin, don't be like that."

Ran looked at you with his usual smile, crossing his arms as a few people began to distance themselves from the two brothers and you while minding their own business.

Rin, who was still hugging you, looked over your shoulder and snatched the lucky charm away; trying to take a good look at it under the sun while keeping your arms close to you with his other hand, feeling in the mood of teasing you around before Ran took it from him and gave it back to you.

While Ran could understand that Rin would pull a stunt on you once in a while, his heart would never forgive me if he ever made you cry; and today was the time where he'd make sure to do that.

"Heh, child. Make sure to pass, 'aight? Make your family proud."

He dropped it onto your palm and held Rin close to him as the entrance gate was opened, watching you running inside as he mouthed 'good luck' in your direction; in which didn't get unnoticed by you before you mouthed back a 'thank you' and ran as fast as you could inside, keeping your charm close as a flash of everyone popped up inside your head.

I will make y'all proud and happy, just wait for it!

A soft sob escaped from your lips when you realised you made a few big mistakes during the test, letting the confidence take over you and forgetting to add important details — especially during the Math test.

"Sugar, what's wrong!"

Rin's voice called up to you, whisking you into a tight hug with his arms as he kissed your tears away; genuinely feeling worried about how this test might put a bigger toll on you than you coulda expect before.

"Nah, just realising mistakes I made during the test. I'm scared that it'll mess up my performance and answer. What if my first choice eliminated me because of that."

You huffed out, a trace of dried tears was visible on your face as your nose and cheeks turned red due to the cold air; while you may take it as one of the worst looks you could possibly have, Rin thought it was your cutest look.

He walked a few feet before you and squatted down, telling you to jump on his back; where you gave him a complaint and walked away instead, having your ankle caught by him in the middle of it.

"Sugar, stop crying..."

"I did twenty minutes ago."

"Why are you shaking then?"

"Cos, 'm starving, Rin."

You tightened your hold around his neck, feeling icked by the older man as he brought you to the nearest Lawson; dropping you off to the same table Ran was sitting on, hoping he could babysit you this time after you tried to strangle the younger Haitani with ease.

Ran placed two mentaiko noriben onigiri, two pork cutlet sandwiches and a bottle of cold green tea; looking at his brother you looked pale then to your grinning face as you opened the warm onigiri, looking at Ran with that look.

The look you always made whenever he gave you something, especially food.

The way your eyes would light up and get slightly bigger, trying to look him in the eyes as your cheeks got filled with the food he got; the look that made his heart swell a bit and his love for you grew bigger than yesterday's.

"Good work, pipsqueak. I'm sure you'll enter your first choice."

He placed his hand on top of your head, giving a small ruffle before you pushed his hand away to fix your hair; earning a collective chuckle when you shot them a warning glare, feeling angry at the both of those two for ruining your hair.

Leaning his head against his fist, Rindou watched your hair swaying around in the wind; comparing it with the one when you first met them back then.

The first time he saw you, he was too flabbergasted to hold himself from asking you,

How the fuck you fit in a giant eagle on your head!

Even though he tried to ask it in the least harsh way (since you're a girl and Rin hates listening to one crying), he ended up getting a chokehold from Ran; who was able to take a hold on you and subside the situation, apologising profusely on Rin's behalf.

But, then again, he wouldn't lie when he said he would bet thirty thousand yen to Rindou, saying your pouf must be at least nine centimeters and a wig.

Unfortunately, when both of them showed up in front of your apartment with a box of his favourite Mont Blanc as an apology (and to see how Rindou's allowances for the next three months will be in his hand), he knew right away that he lost the bet and Rindou got a hold on his allowance for this month.

As you opened the door and gave them permission to get inside, Ran almost let out a scream because you looked way so different from this morning.

You were wearing a pink sundress with a strawberry pattern and frills around the skirt; brewing a tea for two of them in a heart-shaped apron while cutting some fruits and small caked out of your fridge.

But, what made them even surprised was your face and hair.

You weren't wearing any excessive fake lashes, exaggerated shimmering eyeshadow in bold colour nor an overlined, nude lipstick on — hell, Ran would even say that you're a natural beauty and would kiss your feet if you promised him not to wear those anymore from now on.

Meanwhile, Rindou was contemplating asking you the whereabouts of your wig because right now, you were wearing your pastel pink hair down with loose curls hanging barely over the floor; something that he would never consider existed until today.

N-no giant eagle!

As if he could see your thoughts behind that small head, Rindou looked outside as you placed the drink and snacks on the coffee table; an unfazed look wouldn't leave his face while he was literally panicking inside and Ran was trying his best to handle the secondhand embarrassment his brother made this morning.

Sipping on the warm tea you made, Ran gave you the Mont Blanc he bought on the way to here; hoping that the three of you could live in harmony since he lived right beside you with Rindou.

"Thank you so much for the considerate gift, I'll keep it inside the fridge now."

He watched you walk back to the kitchen, second guessing himself about how you were exactly his type if it wasn't for that god awful look you were in for.

I won, but at what cost...

"Do you think she has anything that's fat-free and high in protein here?"

"Rindou, that's a fucking cream roll cake!"

Spending years with each other brought the three of you closer than ever and started not to leave out anyone; including buying new clothes, making an appointment at the salon and matching OOTD whenever you were available for a hang-out.

"Pips, don't you ever think about changing your hair?"

Ran took a streak of your hair, watching the colour start to get washed off and expose a white silver hair underneath it; feeling curious if it was the base or your real hair colour.

Taking your time to think about it, you had never actually changed your hair into another colour except for pink since it was one of the most recommended colours the time you dyed your hair for the first time at a salon (except when you dyed it black for the university entrance exam).

"I'll probably say, no. I want to remove it off my hair and probably cut my hair shorter — like, around my knees and cut my side bangs 'til here?"

You held your side bang and slid your fingers over it until it reached right below your shoulders, earning a glance from both brothers who agreed with it as the three of you entered your regular hairstylist — only to have two of them hiding their choices from you.

Stating that it was for an exclusive secret that could be talked about between Haitani only.

Rolling your eyes at the older one's statement, you could only let out a huff before going to the back to wash your hair as the two brothers sat down at the corner of the salon, reading down magazines that were placed on the table.

"Haitani..."

Rindou raised his head when he heard someone call his name out, finding Mikey looking at him sharp through the thick front glass before he stepped into the lounge; expecting an answer from this pair of brothers for ignoring his calls and texts for days.

Ran was the first one who told him to sit down, asking Mikey in advance not to create a fight since this place was his favourite and he had been a regular for years — not wanting to risk getting blacklisted again.

As if Mikey had been looking for them, he placed a document on the coffee table; asking Ran to review the proposal that Kisaki and Hanma brought from Yokohama.

Minutes turned into an hour and half yet the three of them still couldn't find any loophole they could possibly exploit; no chance for them but Mikey still wanting to be able to seize Yokohama through this.

"Ran, it's your turn now!"

Your head popped up from behind the wall, looking at Ran with a small pout as his hairstylist was still preparing the water, asking for you to call for him since he hadn't walked in for a while; finding a man with silver undercut sitting down with them instead.

Mikey grasped the armrest tightly when he heard your voice, hoping he was wrong only to find it was really you.

As his anger was already at its peak, his nails were dug into the expensive leather while Ran tried to pull his hand away, not wanting to see himself kicked out for Mikey's misbehaviour.

"Ah, fuck."