#grandma knew she was going to sell them but imagine if she didn't

[imagine-silk]

Things sitting in my WIPs

You know when you start something and you have like a few things for it but not all of it. I have a reasonable amount. So look at them and maybe do my job for me or send a little thing for it. I'm spread thin. (Also, yes, I am getting to the asks. Just losing writing juice.) Marvel first. Also header here.

Steve Rogers finding some blood family

Summary: Steve wants a family, that much is clear from the movies, so the idea is he finds someone in Brooklyn that is related to him.

He couldn’t get himself to knock so he stood at the door uncomfortable close. Steve has nothing from his past life, his apartment was rented out to someone, everyone he knew was dead, the air smelled different, so did the growing winter chill. But he was never one to give in so easily. He was bound to have some sort of family. And he did. He was at their doorstep. 

His mom's sister's grandson. Steve got one of the SHIELD people to get the info for him, he loved Natasha but she would have given him everything this man had ever done before and he didn't want that info. Now he was thinking maybe he should have.

Knock knock

It took fourteen heartbeats for the door to open and show a young man in a tank top scratching his head and squinting, skin tanned with freckles from the sun and two moles on his neck that made vampire bites. His squint didn't let up however. "What'cha selling. I don't want it."

"I'm not here to sell anything. I'm looking for [F.Name]."

[F.Name] stopped scratching. "I beg your pardon."

"[F.Name] [L.Name]."

"I can't see, who am I talking to?" He seemed to be one hundred percent serious about the sight thing, his eyes didn't focus on him.

"This is going to sound crazy but I'm your cousin."

"I can see color," He frowned, knitting his eyebrows in the same way his aunt would, genuinely confused but very willing to hear someone out.

"My name is Steve Rogers. My mom was your grandma's sister."

This was the part he expected to fight for, to show proof or explain further. He didn’t need to though. "Oh. Yeah. That. Come in then." [Name] stepped back and held the door from the side. So he took the invite with confusion, sat on the couch while [Name] took the other. "First things first. My mom is dead, but I guess you knew that. She said she didn't want you to see her if she couldn't recognize you. I'm guessing you've been through that too though."

Steve rubbed his hands and thought of his cousin, wondering if he could handle seeing her like that while Peggy was doing the same. "Yeah I have."

"Sorry, man. Can't imagine waking up from a nap to all of this mess. Then having to do what you do. I do not envy you."

"You knew we were related? And you never said anything."

"Why would I?"

"I've had people tell that to me before. Not all of them were kids." He was a big figure and had diplomatic immunity to a certain extent, after he saved the world last time he had it again. In short, a good person to have in your pocket.

"To be honest, I didn't think you'd want to see me."

"Why?"

"I'm 'colored'. You're from the 1930s." It made sense and he never thought about it before. To think that was what got in the way of seeing him was depressing. "I figured you wouldn't but I didn't want to risk it."

Peter B is a fucking HIMBO

Summary: Peter is very smart and not dumb at all. That being said, I just want a himbo so here we are.

It was so fucking hot. Summer was not your favorite time of year and it never will be. The beach was always crowded and so was every building, the good stuff at stores was always sold out unless you got to it early, and vendors had lines that led to the train. And here you were sitting on a bench in the park that had no shade waiting. There was shade a bit away but you told Peter you would be there and you didn’t want to risk it, even if the time was flying and baking you. 

You looked around again not actually expecting to see the man you were waiting for, even less so that he would be running. Sweating to the point his work shirt was starting to show what was underneath and disappoint you it was another shirt. He did a hard stop in front of you and struggled to catch his breath, face flushed, chest heaving. “Hey, I’m sorry I’m,” 

You swept your lust under the rug and let your panic take front. “Peter, why were you running? I thought you were taking the bus.”

“I ran to see you dingus.” He laughed and looked at you with a squinty smile that moved what was under the rug. “You won’t believe everything that’s happened but let’s go over there first.”

He all but collapsed under the tree shade and propped his arm on his knee while his thigh pushed his stomach pudge. “You should take off your shirt.” You said. “To get cooler.” You found out a long time ago he didn’t see your impure ogling. At first you thought it was something he was ignoring or thought it was weird but then you blurted out you wanted to feel his chapstick and he actually gave you his chapstick.

“Yeah.” Like always he listened and agreed before going on. “So the epic tale goes a little like this; I wasn’t supposed to go to work today but I got roped in to do a half shift so when I got out I had to come straight here. Then the buses got out of order so I took the wrong one. I ended up a few blocks down and the next bus was going to make me even more late if it even got me here. So I ran.”

"You didn't have to do all that just to meet me." You knew what he was going to say. He was a creature of habit.

"I wanted to." Kind to a fault.  ->

-> There was one thing in your way of you asking to have him. "Oh, I have new pictures of Mayday." He was married, even had a kid.

And if I die before I wake

Summary: Now, I give my characters fucked up powers to the point I think I might be sadistic. So imagine not being able to die. Also I grew up very religious so I know this prayer very well.

I pray the lord my soul to take.

But you learned God didn't want you by his side. At the age fourteen you were in an accident. In the hospital you and your father were pronounced dead, but you woke up on the operating table. It was a miracle. Then you died in an alley, a mugging gone wrong. You looked out to the bustling street from the shadow and held a bleeding chest. But you did wake.

The great tale of Cain and Abel wasn't something that needed to be recited to you. It seemed to you like your father was Abel, blessed to salvation, and you were Cain, doomed to walk the earth. What was your crime? You couldn't imagine what you did as a child that warranted punishment but you did everything to repent for your sin.

At church there was a man, a broad man with posture somehow tensed and slouched praying in mumbling Spanish. He went when there were no sermons and less people, his time was for him and no one else. Just like you. So you did your best to not bother him. He seemed not to notice and it was nice for you. Together but not. You doubted he felt the same.

Then a fucking Rhino man busted into the hall and destroyed everything. You would say desecrated but you weren’t feeling particularly preachy after. Maybe that was why you were how you were. Spiderman was there to save the day and all was well for everyone else. You left through allies to succumb to your wounds, to bleed out praying it was the last time. As you stumbled you heard a person behind you. You told them you didn’t have any money or anything of value on your person. But they caught you and lowered you to the ground. They seemed to recognize nothing could be done so they just held your hand. You asked them to let you die alone and they shushed you.

You woke up to the sounds of ambulance sirens and you ran before you found out if they were for you or not. It was a traumatic event when you died but you steeled yourself first so you could get safe before you dealt with your mind. Like every time you went back to church. You followed the signs to a temporary place of worship to atone. 

The second day of your repent you saw the man and when he saw you he didn't move so you didn't notice him.

He grabs you because his knee jerk reaction is that you are still dying so he is trying to catch you before you fall

Say in Spanish you are haunting him

He is making a very big scene that he is then going to have to explain especially if he has to take a few steps

He looks you horrified and goes to you later to ask if you were okay alluding to the idea he knows you got hurt he just doesn’t know to what extent

Say in Spanish you are haunting him

He sees you but you don’t so he has time to collect himself before he goes to speak to you and you both have a half honest conversation (WINNER)

You do not admit you are repenting and it may or may not be obvious you are not praying for others

He says he was checking on you because he was there but you didn’t see him there and he may or may not have noticed exactly who you were

It's something you would never know but he did see you before he walked up. You figured as much but you never knew for sure. Unlike him you didn’t mutter your prayers but unlike him you made it very obvious how you were dealing with the prayers. He knew you were losing your mind.

He asked to sit with you before asking if you were okay. A small gesture, one you would have welcomed at any time but now, so soon after death, it was hard. He said he was checking up on you because he thought he saw you get hurt. You told him nothing of the sort happened and mentioned in passing you didn't see him there. You both were hiding, one just had a question that needed answering. ->

->You felt like you were being watched, when you were walking home from work, from church. Nueva York wasn't the safest place in the world but you had never felt like that. And it happened for a very good while before something came of it. A woman attacked you in any alley. You didn't know why but she said it was your fault. 

Spiderman swooped in and did his thing but added to the routine. He asked who you were and you panicked, rightfully so. "I'm not sure I follow."

"Most people don't get up after bleeding out. Answers, talk fast." He said walking forward. Slow, painfully slow. And you backed away even slower because you knew there was no way you would out run him.

"I don't know, it just happens." He kept walking. That wasn't enough. "I get back up and I can't explain it. Every time I think it's the end, it's not." It still wasn't enough. "I don't want to be like this. I just want to stay dead." That was enough.

Two weeks after the initial incident he finally came to you as a civilian again. Introduced himself and asked your name saying he had always seen you but never found a reason to speak. Finally a name to the face, Miguel O'hara. An overall quiet man, calm in nature and polite. He started to speak to you after that.

There was still the feeling of being watched, it must have not been the woman. You stopped and looked around. When you looked up you thought you saw something on the roof but then pigeons flew off so you brushed it off. But when the same thing happened again you thought maybe someone caught onto your living situation. Then again, maybe not.

The church was set up again and you thanked God. You didn't talk on the pews before him and he'd be the only person you would. It was pleasant, chattering whispers to not disturb like it wasn't just five people in the room spread out farther than any hearing range. The topic of jobs came up and you had an underwhelming answer. (He said he did a lot of computer work, whether it was at a computer or on you didn’t know./He said he was an engineer who worked on his time.) Not a lie.

A month went by and you acted on impulse, you asked if you could confess to him. He asked if he should be the one to hear it but you assured it wasn’t something you would be condemned for. You admitted you lied to him when you said you weren’t hurt after the church incident. You said you thought you were visited by an angel who was going to take you away but it wasn’t, it left you there.

[jerzwriter]

How do both of your pairings manage Santa/Tooth Fairy/Easter Bunny and things like that with their kid/s?

UGH. Nonny. This was SUCH a big issue for me IRL. Personally, I don't believe in selling these things to children. We always say it makes childhood "magical," but that's because we're lying about reality. I think we should teach them what real magic is, the love of the people who surround them, and sometimes even the outside world.

Ironically, I adore the concept of Santa Claus, and I cry every damn year when I watch Miracle on 34th St. (tradition! lol). But it's a fable and should be treated as such. Kids should know it's their parents/guardians/whoever loves them and is doing these nice things for them. It is a way to teach love and giving to others.

And what of poor children? You know, the ones who don't have the money for oodles of gifts under the tree? Do they assume they are "bad" because they get nothing or get much less than other peers? Heaven knows we demonize the poor enough; does this just help kids internalize feeling lesser?

I didn't want to do this with my kids, and I was overruled. I knew it was a mistake as one child was special needs, and when they learned (in a really bad way) that these were essentially lies it was not a good thing at all. (I said I told you so A LOT.) If I had it to do over again, I would NOT do it. I know it's not a popular opinion, but I stand by it.

Now... why can I totally imagine Ethan feeling the same way? When he discusses it with Kaycee, definitely understands his point (see Casey's reasons below, Kaycee is the same, remember) but takes a more "traditional American" approach to this. They compromise (kind of what I did, lol), and with Santa, they will have one gift from Santa under the tree in the morning. The rest will be from Mommy, Daddy, Grandpa, etc. The focus will NOT be on gifts but on acts of service and love. And when the day comes, they will explain that Santa is sort of a metaphor for love, charity, and kindness, never meant to be taken literally. I think they'd skip the tooth fairy (part of the compromise) and just let the child know Mommy & Daddy will have something special for them in the morning.

Now... Tobias... I see him going full on Christmas and wanting to go all out with the tradition. I see Casey being the one who hesitates. Casey's family really struggled financially when she was a child. She lived in an area where many people lived in poverty, and she knows how the children who did without felt. (For her part, she was fortunate. Even for years, her parents couldn't afford gifts. She had aunts, uncles, and grandparents who were not wealthy but could step in and help). So I think they'd take a similar approach, Santa's part of the festivities, not the main focus. He leaves a gift and a stocking, but the big gifts come from Mom & Dad Grandma Vivian. Also, in their household, the religious aspect comes into play a bit more (it's not in the Ramsey household at all.) So it makes it easier to remove the focus.

Thanks for this ask - I'm sure you didn't want my dissertation. This has just always been an issue for me. lol

[inappropriate-aunt]

I still miss my dog every day. I wish he could have lived just a few more years. I wish I'd had time to process that I was going to lose him.

It just happened so fast. I remember desperately thinking that I could save him if I just got the right treatment, if I had the test results, and going to the grocery store and buying every food I could imagine that he might eat because he had stopped eating. I spoon fed him ice cream and yogurt and chicken baby food. He licked little bits but the cancer was in his lymph nodes. It must have hurt to swallow. Pain medicine can only do so much.

I knew it was happening but I couldn't accept it. Why couldn't my love and care keep him alive? Why couldn't I, with access to medical treatment and a perfectly ruinable credit score, why couldn't I save him? I knew it was going to be expensive but I didn't care. I thought, I can sell every part of my body that someone would buy if it means I can get him healthy again, get him walking without bumping into walls or falling down, get him well enough to eat. I just didn't have enough time, and I thought, I should have noticed sooner. I thought, god if I had figured it out sooner I could have done things right, and scolded myself that I was so wrapped up in my own issues that I didn't notice.

But I did notice, and I took him to the vet, and I did everything you can do, and still he died. And it's been almost two years but I still miss him. I think about my current dog, and I worry if I'm missing signs, not feeding her right, not taking proper care of her needs. A month after losing Ed she came into my life, and a month after that she nearly died of bloat. It cost every penny I had but I kept her alive. Now sometimes it's hard to believe how healthy she is, when she romps around and barks at me and pulls me off the road so she can try to eat something in the grass. It all seems so ordinary, so domestic, compared to the anxiety and terror and grief of those tense emergency vet visits. When I get frustrated with her or stressed about her behavior, I want to scold myself, I want to remind myself to be grateful.

But that's life, I think. We're grateful for who we have but we can still be frustrated by them. Because we love them. I think about my grandma, and how frustrated her children are with her. I know they'll cry when she's gone.

And I am grateful. I know every day with her is borrowed time. I know she would have died if her old owners hadn't given her up for adoption. Selfish pricks who used her body to sell puppies and discarded her as soon as she got too old for their liking. Would they have even noticed?

I like to think I notice when people aren't doing well, but I'm so oblivious sometimes, so wrapped up in trying to keep myself alive. But I worry. About my friends, about my family. I try to pull them back from the despair of living and grieving. Grandma doesn't walk anymore and it's suffocating her. I bring her plates of cookies and gossip with her and get her to laugh and I wonder if it's enough to keep her with me for just a little longer.

I think about my friends, most of whom suffer from the same mental illnesses that I do, and I wonder if I'm doing enough to keep them around. Please don't leave me. You can move to the other side of the world and never speak to me again but please, don't go. I promise them, I won't leave you, all the time, even when it's hard and I'm thinking I can't do this anymore. I remind myself why I can't die. That it's not fair to them. They keep going, and so do I. We're all hoping together that things will get better. We're all trying to make life a little easier to bear for each other. Because we all know how hard it is. We all know the feeling of grief that tugs at us, and keeps piling up year after year.

Maybe that is why we can't live forever. I'm 32 now. My grandmother is in her 80s. She carries so much more grief. I'm so scared of losing her, and my parents, and my friends. Because I can't do this life alone. But she went on and on, even after losing her husband, her parents, brothers, sisters, friends, second husband. She keeps laughing and teasing people and scolding us. She still has spunk enough to demand that I bring her baked goods, and play against her in word game apps that have too many ads. So I know it's worth it to keep fighting past the grief.

I just miss them so much, and missing them makes me want even more time now with the people I still have, the people I have found, the people who are far away but still fighting to live. To me, life is worth living to keep others alive, to remind them that there are times when they will laugh and smile, and eat good food, and listen to good music, and to remind them that just by existing they make one strange woman very very happy.

[skiplo-wave]

You want to hear messed up family history that involves no royals or incest, I have one for you.

My great-grandmother was a teen during the great depression. Her parents was so desperate that they traded her, at the age of 14, to a dirty 54 year old man for food so that they and the younger kids can eat. My great-grandmother was forced to marry him. The reverend at their church didn't marry them because he knew it was a forced marriage. So they had to go out of town. Once they was married and he immediately took her home and tried to force her to sleep with him. When he didn't get his way, he started beating her, especially when he found out she could not cook. 2 days after the marriage, the 54 year old man sold her off to another man who then forced her and she became pregnant. She was still married to the 54 year old man. When she had the baby, she ran away with the baby who was not a month old. She found her family, but at this point, all her siblings got sold off and the house was filled with liquor bottles. My great-grandma put her baby in the county home in hopes he would be adopted and have a better life. Unfortunately, that did not happen because the baby died of what we know today SIDS. Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. My great-grandmother lived on the land in the woods near a river and fished for living. Eventually she saved up enough money to buy a small cabin. At the age of 17, she received word that her ex-husband died.

At the age of 19, she met my great-grandpa whom treated her like a queen. Although the first year of their marriage was a little rocky, because she had PTSD as you can imagine and trust issues with men.

Jesus…

I know people think economy is bad ( it is) but just be glad we’ll never reach Great Depression level bad folks had sell their kids off.

Your grandma is a god damn trooper

[mistaeq]

nijimura okuyasu: half and half

tw // hospital things at the beginning, angst, flesh bud

contains: have you ever wondered why is okuyasu's hair half black and half gray? and what about his facial scars? NO reader insert.

dora's note: this comes from my mind entirely. but i found this interesting, and i care a lot about it. i was scared of sharing it, but i think it's worth a read. i hope so. thank you in any case.

word count: 2.4k

"so, sir... what you're saying is that you have no clue of what happened to your baby?" the nurse asked. the adult held the older son's hand tighter, to prevent him from telling the lady what had gone down during the previous hours. he knew the child enough to imagine keicho wouldn't have stayed silent about it.

"not at all. i left the two of them in the kitchen and moved to my studio for a while. i heard screams and a loud cry, and when i went back to them, the little one was bleeding and... crying. i got so scared." listening to his old man's lies, five year old keicho left the place, running off of his father's grip, because he didn't even want to be touched by him. 

the man obviously made sure he had left the bloody ring at home, that one ring that originated two deep, symmetrical scars, the youngest nijimura would have never forgotten. and all nijimura mansaku could do about it, was lie, and say it was an accident. okuyasu, keicho's little brother, was in need of blood because of that injury, and it's meant to give you goosebumps, to know his only parent doesn't feel even remotely guilty about it. he's just ready to do anything in order to hide what really happened. in order to save himself over his baby.

the truth is, that not even dio himself ever trusted nijimura mansaku. it was clear from a mile away, that a man like him had no interest in the vampire's plan and intentions, rather than in the money he could earn from that alliance. that's why, to keep himself from being betrayed, dio brando made sure he gave him the flesh bud, a disgusting octopus-looking thing, that carried all of dio's will and dna. no wonder, the presence of that made his attitude as a father even worse than it was before. he was already used to hurting his sons, it more or less began when nijimura juuno, his wife and mother of his children, died. but the flesh bud worsened it, at the point that he didn't know when to stop.

at this point, both him and keicho had taken a blood exam to check the compatibility with okuyasu's body, and at the end of the day, the closest one was mansaku's one. how does it feel to save the son you almost killed with your own hands? how did you expect a three year old baby to endure that wrath? and the best part, is that all he could offer was dirty blood. dirtied by the flesh bud, dirtied by dio. but it's always better than nothing.

as he was running around the hospital after the blood exam's result, keicho looked for his little brother's room everywhere, and successfully climbed over a chair to take a better look inside of the room from the small window on the door. okuyasu was quiet. bandaged, connected to a bag, full of transparent liquid keicho couldn't quite identify. poor baby wasn't sleeping, his eyes were halfway closed. the blonde one blamed himself. that should have been him, not his little brother, he thought. if he could take the pain from okuyasu, he would have done that.

that was, until he felt the strong arms of a sweet nurse picking him up from the chair and putting him back on the floor. "be careful there, little one... who's your guardian?" oh keicho, he felt the impulse to go on and tell the lady that his father had lied. okuyasu's injury was no accident, rather domestic abuse. but all he could do was stare in the nurse's eyes. she looked like mom. she really looked like mom. the child pointed towards the door with his chubby finger. the sweet lady's breath gently hitched. "is that your brother? then your dad is looking for you. we'll take good care of him, he'll be fine."

so... it was okay, right? keicho trusted the sweet nurse. he even accepted to hold her hand as she guided him back to his father. and in his mind, when after a bunch of days of hospitalization, okuyasu was allowed to come back home, keicho thought the sweet lady had cured him directly. after such a concerningly narrow escape from guilt, mansaku didn't touch his sons for a week. it was the best week of the babies' lives. somehow.

"aniki..." the blonde's heart broke, everytime he heard that weak voice in his ears. he was combing okuyasu's hair, he always did. a lot of black, dark hair. the brothers were pure opposites. keicho's eyes were green, a really beautiful green, at it. they looked like two fresh apples. "...why won't these signs disappear...? i am ugly..."

okuyasu's eyes, on the contrary, were gray. as gray as a cloudy day, when it threatens to rain. and sometimes, it rained a lot in them. "they will disappear, eventually." keicho lied. "they're called scars. they make you look strong, not ugly." he knew what to say. it was a lot, for a six year old who had grown too fast. yes. six year old. he had his sixth birthday, during okuyasu's hospitalization. it wasn't celebrated. none of the children's birthday ever got celebrated, after juuno's death. but the biggest present had been the return of his little brother from the hospital, and it was more than enough.

"mama was b-beautiful." the little one mumbled with a short giggle. keicho moved a lock of his own golden hair away from his shoulder. he liked long hair. his father always forced him to keep it in a bun or in that weird hairstyle he used to have when mom was still alive. she used to style her son's hair with a braid when she had the chance, though. and keicho loved the braid too. "am i beautiful too?"

okuyasu's hair, on the contrary, was shorter, and pitch black. the elder brother liked to dip his hand in it, and it would just disappear in a dark cloud. "yes, of course you are." keicho's hair came from the fatherly part. mansaku's mother, the children's grandma, was blonde. on the contrary, okuyasu definitely looked more like mom. everyone on her family side was dark haired. and always tried to make others happy. keicho started to comb the younger's hair with his hands, and took the chance to check out the black again.

black on the front, black on the sides. black everywhere, every black hair around the house was okuyasu's. black were the eyebrows, black the eyelashes. the little locks of hair sprouting from the top of his head were black. the whole soft center of them was black, and just like the rest, his nape hair was... gold? no way. okuyasu was black haired, come on. keicho's hands trembled, as he touched those unusual locks. they were warm, and gave him negative feelings. but he couldn't quite understand how could it be possible. it didn't even look like human blonde. it was just... gold.

how do one's hair just turn blonde? nobody in history had ever had his hair to get blonde, no, gold, all of a sudden. nobody, right? right after that one operation, right after that one blood-giving thing. five year old keicho, smart but naïve, as kids are, just thought, that since father's family side was blonde, getting mansaku's blood could lead okuyasu to get blonde too. little did he know dio's dna was running around that blood because of the flesh bud on his dad's forehead. and that such a thing, injected in a three - almost four, in october - year old was no joke.

every morning since then, keicho would wake up in the middle of the night to go check on his little brother's new golden hair, and couldn't admit he was rather jealous, at this point. okuyasu's hair color was much brighter than his. soon, the pitch black cloud was gonna turn into a golden wind. that's how keicho was gonna call it.

the golden wind had started to spread more in okuyasu's nape, and reached the sides of his head as well. all that was left, was a bunch of black hair at the top. for a while, that one issue with the younger's hair had been an amusement for the both of them. "what if aaaaall of me turns gold?" the baby often asked, and keicho had an answer, under the form of "dad would sell you if you did, sweetie", but he never dared to really say that.

september came, okuyasu's birthday was always closer, and keicho waited for it patiently. every morning, he woke up earlier than usual, to comb his little brother's hair and get to school in time. on okuyasu's birthday, the kid couldn't help but notice the golden wind was a little paler than usual, but he'd just laugh it off with his little brother. "see? it's because you're turning old."

"but i-i'm... i'm not that old." god, okuyasu was an hilarious baby. and they laughed even more. now that they could. now that they had a reason to. because just a week later, their life would have been doomed.

keicho would have come back from school, he would have greeted his small sibling and caressed the golden wind with joy. add a prayer to make sure dad would have been used to hitting them less than he usually did. or better, not hit them at all, if possible. or at least, this is what he had planned. but he came back to an awful scene. the worst he could see. as soon as he opened the door, he was greeted with his little brother, crying right in front of him. for a second, he thought mansaku had beaten him again. "okuyasu!"

everytime he would beat them, before he stopped doing that after his little brother's operation, there was something weird about the man. like he hurt them without ever attacking. little did the children know, that he had a stand they couldn't see. "did dad hit you again?" he ran to okuyasu. "that scum!" but the little one kept saying no, and holding onto keicho as if something was scaring him to death. mansaku's screams could be heard from the other room, as if he was in pain. and it was looking down at okuyasu, that keicho noticed...

he didn't know what it meant. but dio had died. and with him, mansaku's flesh bud had gone berserk. and with that, okuyasu's golden wind became a gray cloud. dio was dead. it was over. the golden wind was over. "your hair..." keicho mumbled, caressing his little brother's hair. "what's happening..." he asked himself, as followed by the little one, he looked into the kitchen to see what was up with mansaku.

we all know what happened next. the man turned into a creature, not worthy of being called a man. the vampire had died, and the effect of his existance...

"...and the effect of his existance marked you for life."

the teenager's lips started trembling, as he pushed the tongue on his cheek's inside to prevent himself from crying. "okay, fine, it's a nightmare, after all. i'm gonna wake up in some minutes... and go to school... with josuke."

"i'm sorry, okuyasu." jotaro tightened his grip on the papers in his hands. the temperature in the nijimura household was dangerously cold, and the atmosphere caused by the topic they were talking to each other about was even worse. the marine biologist could swear the air was warmer, before he had finished explaining. "the foundation's been examinating all of your brother's childhood diaries. along with the testimonies josuke and koichi gave us about what your brother told them before his death."

"so, jotaro-san... i have these scars because the flesh bud made my father go mad." okuyasu stood up. "and i have this..." he pulled his hair in fury. "...this fucking hair because of dio's blood." jotaro started to feel not so much at ease. would have it been better for him to shut up about it? in josuke's opinion, it was the best choice. okuyasu deserved to know. "what is it, did that... scumbag mistake me for a customizable doll?" tears couldn't be held back anymore. kujo took his hat off.

"the hair thing happened to his son too. giorno giovanna, my... great grand uncle. but his hair changed from black to blonde when dio was dead, already. i think it's because it's a matter of parental genes, while you just had a direct injection of them when you were three, causing your body to react immediately."

"great granduncle..." okuyasu repeated, looking at the ground. "it's amazing you still have a great granduncle... and josuke is your uncle... you have your parents... and you have mr. joestar... and... a mrs. joestar, i believe...? and your daughter..." a couple of heavy tears fell on the ground from okuyasu's jaw. "you have such a big family, jotaro-san... i'm so jealous..."

how many families had dio destroyed? jotaro remembered of jonathan, even if they never met. jotaro risked seeing his mother die when he was seventeen. he witnessed friends die, when he was seventeen. and could, somehow, understand how would it feel for a teenager to lose his family. but maybe, he couldn't imagine how was it to come home to nobody. in his life, he used to come home to his mom and to his wife and daughter for a brief time. the kind of relationship he had with them is unrelated.

how does it feel to come home to nobody but a creature that barely remembers who you are? "josuke told me you would have probably said that." the marine biologist stood up, and in front of okuyasu's shocked gaze, he hugged the teenager. the younger one didn't even know what to do. did he have to hug back? did he have to stay still? he was hurting, but any kind of contact could make him melt. he trusted jotaro, he was a man to admire, in okuyasu's eyes.

"josuke told me so. and i agree with him, okuyasu. you're part of our family."

"family... t-thank you." the teenager finally hugged back.

he felt happy.

it was a painfully new sensation.

[criminalminds4days]

Family Matters | Chapter 3: Trivia

Hello People!

I hope you have had an amazing week and are going to have an ever better weekend. I am so done with this week. It was really crappy and I just can't wait for the beginning of next, hoping it will be better. The only positive side is that I was able to get over my writer's block and have finished about 3 new chapters.

Anyway, enjoy this chapter of Family Matters and let me know what you think!

Warnings: Swearing, sexual references, violence and murder references, public embarrassment, and very bad jokes!

Word Count: 3.6k

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tag list: @mcntsee @lets-be-gay-for-the-angel @evelyncade @haylaansmi @paulaern @myfandomlife-blog

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(This gif is not mine)

Chapter 3: Trivia

She closed the blinds and made sure for the fifth time the door was locked. Her breath caught in her throat and the fear and adrenaline that had rushed through her body made even Spencer Reid nervous.

"What's going on?"

"This is bad, I didn't realize the consequences of this until it was too late. I am so sorry I got you all tangled up in this mess."

"What are you talking about? What happened?"

"I-" She turned and took a peek through the blinds, ensuring there was no one around. "I did not think things through. I think it's best if you go home, that way you might be spared."

"You are seriously starting to make me nervous, please tell me what's going on, how can I help?"

"There is nothing you can do; I am basically a dead woman."

"Why? Who's after you?"

"Anna Hemingway."

"Your cousin is after you? Did she threaten you or something?"

"No, she didn't have to." She walked towards the bed and sat on the edge, still glancing every now and then, making sure the coast was clear.

After her and Spencer's victory, they had both decided to go to bed, and while the rest of her family insisted on having another dinner dedicated to the couple, they had both decided best to eat and head back to their cabin. He had finished first and decided to head back, and as soon as he was gone, the memory hit her making her mistake obvious. And the main reason she had resorted to a passive competition with the world's worst cousin was clear once again. In a hurry she had returned to their cabin, ensuring she was not being followed, and locked the door, startling the doctor.

"The last time I beat Anna at something was when I twelve. We were both auditioning for the same role in our school musical. They gave me the part." He smiled, truly excited for her accomplishment, as well as happy to learn this new fact about her. "Don't get too peppy. On opening night, at Grandma's celebration for the play, I fell down the stairs."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Because, Dr. Spencer Reid, as hard as it is to believe, me falling down the stairs was not due to my immense clumsiness."

"Wait, your cousin pushed you down the stairs?!" He exclaimed, truly horrified. How are children so cute and so evil at the same time?

"More like, she set her foot for me to trip on, but you get the idea." She glanced back at the door and then at the man in front of her. "I was lucky, I didn't break anything, but I have a feeling that might not be the case the next time. I also would prefer not to drown or anything like that."

"But we're federal agents, doing something to you or me would be unwise."

"You're speaking of the girl that tripped me down the stairs and thought that stealing my boyfriend and marrying him was wise."

"I'm gonna double-check the door is locked."

After hours of attempting to stay vigilant, her body had given in and she had fallen asleep. Although Spencer knew the danger, to him it was as simple as closing his eyes. She knew they were trained to deal with a lot of sick people, but he didn't understand the limits his cousin would go to destroy those who she felt wronged by. Although her main target had always been her, she once had basically ended a girl's life by getting her banned from pretty much any respectable college or job position because this one had made fun of her prom dress. Anna Hemingway was one to be cautious with, and they had both just embarrassed her in front of the people whose attention she had snatched years ago. It was worse than she realized.

"Spencer, Spencer." She spoke as she slightly moved him. He growled and moved away from her, attempting to continue his slumber. "Spencer."

"No, let me sleep." He complained.

"Spence, get up, please." After minutes of silence, she devised a new plan. "Spencer!" she screamed, making him jump, falling off the bed and landing between the edge of this first one and the door of the closet. "Oh good, you're awake."

He didn't say a word, for what seemed like centuries, and she wondered if screaming him awake was not the best decision, especially as her next request would not be something he would be inclined to.

"Sorry for that, I just needed you to wake up."

"Is there a fire I don't know about?"

"No, I just thought we could go for a run." There it was, the look Spencer had only given the unsubs he despised the most. She had earned it, but that didn't mean she liked it. "Sorry, I just, Nicole had to leave, and since I have a target on my back and there's safety in numbers... I also didn't want to leave you here alone, and vulnerable. I just felt like, despite your muscles, I am concerned you haven't yet mastered the use of your body."

"I will have you know that by all accounts I definitely know how to use my body. Quite effectively if I do say so myself, and others."

After his words, her mind went to a thought she never imagined having. She wondered if he meant it that way or she was just losing it. "Good, then you can come with me." That sentence following her thoughts was probably not ideal.

"No thank you, you can do it by yourself." She needed to change the direction her thoughts were going; they were definitely not helpful.

"Spencer, please. I am honestly a little terrified, and you should be too."

"Well, I'm not. She isn't worse than any unidentified subject we've dealt with before."

"Oh but she is. She's the worst type of unsub you could think of, but ten times worse."

"What's the worse she could do?"

"Let's not find out."

After whining from him and pleads by her, they both made their way out of the cabin. The shorts he had avoided yesterday were now covering almost nothing as they jogged. This was not a good reminder of their earlier conversation, so she simply focused on something easier: her cousin's imminent revenge. She thought it would come in the form of her accidentally pushing her into the lake, or a repeat of her falling down the stairs. She was even worried this time Spencer would be the victim since he had been the one to embarrass her. Her thoughts were interrupted by deep breaths and a yelp.

"Are you okay?"

"We've been running for hours, how dare you ask me such a question?"

She looked at her watch, "We've been running for exactly three and a half minutes. Actually, we haven't been running, more like jogging."

"How long do you usually do this for?"

"Depends on the day, but from thirty minutes to two hours."

"You need help."

"It won't be as bad, come on."

"You can go on, I am just gonna sit here and have a heart attack real quick."

"How on earth did you pass your physical?"

"I got it waved."

"Cheater."

"If it isn't it the 'it' couple of the weekend!" Suddenly the one having a heart attack was not Spencer, but her. "I didn't know you guys ran together, that's so cute!"

"Yeah, truly the reason I love her," Spencer said, a pinch of sarcasm in his voice.

"How adorable." It's coming, she could feel it. "Anyway, I was thinking, since love seems to be in the air this weekend, why don't we celebrate it by wrapping up the family retreat with a trivia night!"

"What does trivia have to do with love?" She regretted the words as soon as they came out, as Anna looked at her like she might as well be six feet under.

"Silly, the trivia would be about your significant other, of course!"

"Well, that's just-"

"Wonderful, I know!" The blonde smiled, delighted by her idea. "The family has already been briefed and they are all on board, I have started taking in questions and designed the cards, so we'll all meet around the campfire for dinner, and then we'll have trivia night!" She smiled brightly and began to leave, stopping by to appreciate Spencer's figure and palming his behind as she left.

"Did she just-?"

"Yes, yes she did."

"I need a shower."

After both had showered and changed they made their way to grandmas house, alert as to anyone following them. Most of her family had moved on from spying on them, but she knew Anna and Uncle Ernie were not that normal.

"So, what did your grandma do?"

"No one really knows, I mean it had to be good to make her so rich, but by the time my uncle Ernie was born, the eldest, she was already rich enough to sell whatever business she had and become a full-time parent."

"What about your grandpa?"

"He died before I was born."

"Oh."

They sat at the same table he had been at the day before; the chessboard was still in place. She began messing with the pieces, creating the game that always made her win, courtesy of her grandma.

"I didn't know you played."

"I too began at a very young age. I haven't really played since grandma died; she was my game partner. The only one that treated me like I was a human being." She sat down, remembering the hours she spent here when Nicole wasn't around, and everyone pretty much ignored her. "She was the only one that ever consoled me for losing my dad. Losing her was just one more box to check."

"I am sorry for your loss." He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it gently, hoping to convey his sympathy.

"Yeah well, by how calm Anna looks right now I guess it won't be long before I join her, so we don't have to worry about that anymore."

He rolled his eyes, a smile tugging at his lips. "So, what should we expect during this trivia night?"

"To lose, that's our safest bet."

"I don't really do losing."

"And all I do is lose, so I will be your guide this time."

The family had made their way inside, their excitement overflowing the room. She couldn't help but wish she could simply run for the hills. She knew the chances of them winning were null, because a) she needed to lose and b) Spencer and her hadn't known each other, really known each other long enough to be able to answer these questions. She wondered if that was the plan all along, that Anna somehow had found out about their lie and was using this as a means to expose it.

"Okay everybody, let's get started." Said, uncle Ernie. He wore the same clothes as their first day here. "Let us start with the competition. Since we have the newlyweds as well as the new couple in the family, I think they should make the honors."

She looked at Spencer and he smiled at her, she leaned closed and whispered. "Remember, to ease the monster, we need to lose, which shouldn't be hard, we're not even a real couple, there is no way we know enough about each other, right?"

He nodded and they both moved to the sofa that was designated as their spot, her uncle who now apparently served as the show host, handed Spencer and Tyler a buzzer, explaining whichever sounded first would get to answer the question. She mentally prepared herself, hoping she could answer enough questions to not raise suspicion but not enough to win the game, what a grand world that would be.

"Ready everybody?" everyone cheered in approval and she prepared herself. "This round is for the guys, once we finish you will pass the buzzer to your partner and at the end, we will have one round where either of you can answer. Now, the first question, what is your partner's Starbucks order?"

Spencer's buzzer went off as Tyler attempted to recall the memory. "It depends on the season. During winter and for as long as she can get it, it will be a Grande Peppermint Hot Chocolate, during the summer it will be no-coffee Double chocolate chip cookie crumble Grande Frappuccino with extra whipped cream, and no straw." She looked at him completely taken aback by his answer, how specific it was, and the fact that he knew she was a seasonal drinks person.

"Yeah, that's it." She spoke.

"Point for team FBI!" Her uncle cheered. "Next question, what is your partner's favorite color?"

His buzzer went off and the doctor spoke again, "Blue."

Ten questions later the scoreboard was 8-2, Spencer's lead, and the two questions he hadn't answered were because he decided that would be enough to lose. She didn't understand how he knew these things, or the fact that she knew what her answer for him would be, but what she did know, was that she had to be really bad in order to allow Anna to take the lead back, what she wasn't sure about anymore, was whether she wanted to let her cousin win.

"Ladies, you're up." Spencer handed her the buzzer and she smiled at him. "First question, how does your partner drink his coffee."

"That's easy. He doesn't drink coffee." She said soon after her buzzer went off. "He drinks sugar with a side of coffee, no creamer. Eighty percent sugar, twenty percent coffee."

"That is so mean to say! But it's true." Spencer agreed.

"How are you a doctor and drink so much sugar?"

"Not that kind of doctor." He clarified to the man.

"I have no idea what that means! Next question, what is the thing your partner is most proud of?"

"His job. Spencer loves helping people and using his knowledge to reunite families, he's the bravest guy I know." She smiled at him and he returned the gesture.

It was no surprise Anna was not content with the results, as the end was a 23-4 in favor of Spencer and her. As soon as the game was finished she knew that she had basically carved her own grave.

"That is not fair, they are not even really dating!" Her cousin screamed, "it's all a lie!"

"What?"

"Yeah, I know your little secret, I overheard you and Nicole talking about how Spencer was not really your boyfriend and how he didn't actually have dyslexia!"

"I-" She didn't know what to say, how had she not seen her? How could she let this happen?

"First of all, I think it is very inconsiderate of you to suggest that my dyslexia is not real. I have fought so hard for such a long time to ensure my condition didn't prevent me from succeeding, going as far as getting a Ph.D. in mathematics, for someone to simply come and question my hard work." Spencer said, seemingly very upset. "Second of all, this woman right here is the best thing that ever happened to me, and I will not sit here and tolerate you calling her a liar. We are in love with each other, and you as her cousin should be happy about it. Yet you seem so upset about her finding someone, it seems to me you're jealous, but what do I know, it's not like I can understand human behavior or anything. Oh, wait." He said, he took her hand and pulled her as close to him as she could. "Just leave my girlfriend alone, you took her sloppy second and married him, so what more can you want from her?"

The room fell silent, everyone eyed Spencer and Anna, trying to grasp what had just happened. "You and I both know you're lying, you two are not a real couple, you are just trying to ruin this weekend for me."

"Really, not a real couple? Then how did we end up destroying you at trivia? You made the questions Anna, I had no idea what was on them, you did. And I am not the one wearing a wedding ring. So my question is, how do you marry someone without knowing their proudest moment, or their Starbucks order?"

"Well, how come no one has ever seen you two kiss? You can learn facts about each other but that doesn't really make you a couple."

"You want to see a kiss? Fine." She turned and pulled Spencer's lips to hers. She let herself enjoy the moment, really enjoy Spencer's kissing skills, not because she wanted to or anything, but rather because that is how she should kiss him, there was no way anyone would have any doubt about them if the kiss looked authentic. Which it did, it also might have felt a little more authentic than it should but now was no the time to dwell on that.

Spencer kissed her back, creating an atmosphere in which her cousin's word didn't matter any longer, in which the humiliation her family had put her through was nothing worth thinking of, and the fact that both of them had such deep knowledge about each other only fueled it, melting her a little in her spot, she felt his teeth on her lower lip applying slight pressure and she couldn't help but wish they were by themselves right then and there.

"We get it! You guys want to take your clothes off, now please stop." Tyler's voice echoed, and the two doctors left each other's lips reluctantly, looking at him. "Now, can we please move on?"

"No! Not until they admit they are not really dating, and all this was a plot to humiliate me!" Anna screamed.

"You know what? I am not going to stand here and tolerate this behavior any longer. Bitchy Anna, you can whine all you want, but that will not change that I am with a man I love, and that loves me. I have let this family make me feel like less for long enough and I am done doing so. You can all go fuck yourselves because I am done with each and every single one of you. You allowed this crazy brat to humiliate me and treat me like I was less for long enough. Let's go home, Spencer." She grabbed him by the hand and exited the house, giving her family the middle finger before she banged the door. She walked to their cabin and gathered her stuff, him following suit. As soon as they were in the car and far enough away, she pulled over and sighed, coming down from her adrenaline rush.

"In the wise words of Penelope Garcia, that was hot," Spencer said.

"What was?"

"Everything." They laughed for a couple of minutes, the scene she had just created replaying in her mind. "I am so proud of you."

"Why? Because I gave my uncle Ernie the middle finger?"

"Because you stood up for yourself."

"Yeah, well even if she was right, I tend to get a little too angry when people call me a liar or get in my way."

"Yeah, I know." He chuckled, "How did it go, oh yes, 'Nu-uh bruh, I know you didn't just interrupt me mid-sentence.' And then you commented how a man who wore sweaters in the middle of July was not going to cut you off."

"I am so sorry about that; I was just so used to being cut off I didn't want it to be a thing at work."

"It's okay, I understand. I began cutting people off because that's what most people did to me when I spoke."

"Well, that's dumb. I love hearing your facts, you have all this knowledge, and you chose to share it, people should be grateful for it."

"Thank you, I appreciate that." He smiled, "Speaking of facts, our chances of getting murdered will increase by the minute if we continue to sit on the side of the road."

"Right, forgot about that!" She turned the car back on. "Let's go home, Spencer." As his apartment complex became clear, she slowed down, making a stop right in front of it. "Thank you for coming with me this weekend, I really appreciate it."

"No problem, that's what friends are for." Before he moved to get out of the car, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek. "What was that for?"

"For being the best fake boyfriend and real friend a girl could ask for." She smiled at him, so grateful for his existence. "I will see you tomorrow morning at 5:45 am sharp. Goodnight Spencer."

"Goodnight. See you tomorrow." He opened the door and walked out, waving to her before he entered his building. She sat there for a couple of minutes, taking in the past weekend. She knew her mother wouldn't let her get away with her actions, but right now that didn't matter, Spencer Reid had told her he was proud of her, he had even used the term hot which in itself was hot because she never even imagined he used that type of vocabulary.

Regardless, she stood up for herself, she let Anna have it, and Spencer was proud of her. It seemed like a win-win. She drove home, a smile on her face.

[logarithmicpanda]

(No prompt this time because I had something specific in mind but you can keep them coming)

(part 15/ ?)

The knock on your door ripped you from your dreams. You blinked a couple times, confused, while the banging went on louder and louder.

You glanced at your clock. 8:42AM. Not awful, but certainly earlier than you had wished to be awake on a Sunday. With a sigh you got up, wrapped yourself into your dressing gown and shuffled to the door. You were rubbing your eyes as you opened it, and were surprised to see Lilian on your doorstep. At least this time she wasn't a frog.

"What do you want?" you asked a bit colder than usual, but you still weren't quite awake and worry at seeing her here gnawed at your politeness.

"Can you come? Please? It's Gyn."

She saw your face blanching and quickly went on:

"They're fine. As in, they're not in danger or anything. But... They're just spiraling and not listening to me and I figured maybe you could help. Please?"

Part of you was amazed to see Lilian, proud Lilian, beg like that.

"Of course I'll come, just give me a sec to get dressed."

X

You climbed the stairs two by two. You were out of breath when you reached the top floor, but it didn't matter. The anxiety would have made you breathless anyway.

On the way to the shop, Lilian had explained, all out of order and as if feelings were truly out of her depth, that Gyn had applied for a specific magical qualification, one that would have let them sell handmade artifacts in the shop, and had failed.

"They're terrible with failure," Lilian added. "Each one brings up everything they ever failed at, every time they felt unworthy. And there were a lot of those."

You took a deep breath and knocked on Gyn's starry door. No answer. You tried the handle and the door opened with a creak.

"Go away Lilian," Gyn said in a low, dangerous voice you had never heard them use before.

I have a lot of anger in me, they had told you once. But you had never seen it, never truly understood it. This was like a poison that attacked them just as surely as it did anyone within reach.

"It's me," you said softly, half afraid they'd tell you to go away too, but determined not to let them push you away that easily.

The room was dimly lit, and you hadn't quite seen where they were before, but your words caused them to sit up. They had been lying on the floor, wrapped in the blanket you had made. Your heart broke a little. You wanted to hug them so badly.

They hadn't said a word, so you slowly walked up to them and sat down, close enough that they could reach out to you if they chose to, but far enough that you weren't invading their space.

"Hey," you said.

"... Hi."

Well, that was not go away, at least.

"Lilian told me what happened. I'm really sorry, I can imagine how shitty it must feel. Can I do anything to help?"

Gyn looked away and tightened the blanket around them. Underneath they were wearing simple cotton pajamas, and you felt bad for glancing at intimacy that had not been offered to you. Maybe you shouldn't have come.

But then they would be alone. Worse, if you left now, what would they feel? That they failed you, too, by letting you see the rougher aspects of themself?

"Do you want me to leave you alone? I'm sorry I didn't ask before coming in."

They shook their head, still silent.

You had felt like that, when your grandma had died. Like words had left you entirely. Like it wasn't worth saying anything because everything was in ruins anyway.

You knew what it was like. You could make it easier. You took a deep breath to steady yourself. You prepared yourself for rejection, just in case.

"Is it okay if I touch you?"

A small, hesitant nod.

You reached slowly to their face, so they would have time to catch your hand if they chose to. You tucked a wild strand of black hair behind their ear.

"This is the first time I see you without earrings," you let slip.

They gave you a small, startled laugh, and seemed to relax a little. You opened your arms and they fell into your embrace. Their hands let go of the blanket and grabbed the back of your shirt instead. You could felt the slight tremor in them.

You tugged at the blanket so it covered you both, then started rubbing small circles on their back. They were warm. Their hair smelt faintly of oranges, and you kissed their head.

You stayed a long time like this. You could feel their tears on your shoulder, but Gyn wasn't making a single noise. It almost scared you. As if all sound had left them. At some point you had started humming, partly to fill the silence and partly because it had always comforted you when your grandma sang this lullaby to you. You couldn't quite remember the words, though.

Gyn did. They started to sing softly, their voice breaking every couple syllables. It was a song about the moon and how the stars filled the sky to be with her.

When the song ended, they pulled back and wiped their eyes. They were rimmed with red, and it made them look almost green. You wanted to kiss them until a smile replaced the frown on their lips, but you knew they needed to go through the pain first.

"I just... Feel like no matter how hard I try, things always end up going wrong," Gyn whispered.

"I'm sorry. I know how exhausting it feels, when you do everything by the rules and then the world just rewards you with bullshit."

Gyn shoulders sagged. You caught their hands and squeezed them gently. For a terrible second, you thought they wouldn't squeeze back, but they did.

"Hope just stabs me in the back everytime. And I know that living without hope is worst. Rationally, I know that. But right now it feels like the safest thing is to give up. If I don't try, it can't hurt me to fail, right?"

Gyn laughed bitterly. You looked at them until they looked back. You needed eye contact for this, to be sure they could see you meant what you said, that you were taking everything seriously.

"Giving up on yourself will only hurt you worse. It doesn't mean you don't get to rest, though. You don't have to be constantly trying. It's okay to let go of your burden for a moment, it won't go anywhere. It will still be there when you're ready to pick it back up. It's okay to take time to focus on yourself."

"I don't think I even know how, Miria."

You shivered. They rarely called you by your name. You both liked it and dreaded it. It reminded you that you were a person that existed for others. It also reminded you of your father scolding you.

You pushed the thoughts away. Right now, it wasn't about you. It was about Gyn. You looked at them. They looked even smaller than usual, out of their clothes and bundled in the blanket like a burrito. They radiated sadness. But they were still the person you knew. Sure, the sarcasm was sharper and their eyes more intense and their whole being felt both fragile and dangerous, but it was still them. Still Gyn.

Mistaking your silence for confusion, they went on.

"I don't know how to rest. Everytime I stop, my anxiety just skyrockets. I get restless and I feel guilty of the time I'm wasting and I am not feeling rested at all when I spend a day or two doing nothing. I just don't."

"That's okay. Resting doesn't mean doing nothing, necessarily. It just means taking a break from the work things. What are things you enjoy but don't count as work?"

"Spending time with you, I guess. Though that occasionally means work as well," they added with a sad laugh.

"Fine. I'll do all my transactions with Lilian directly, from now on. We'll only see each other for ourselves. I'll drop by the shop to see you, and not to sell you anything. Well. Not that I wasn't already coming more to see you than to sell you random junk."

Gyn eyes had opened larger and larger as you talked, until Gyn burst into delighted laughter.

"Just like that?"

You shrugged.

"Yeah? I was starting to get tired of navigating all this give and take, anyway. I don't want to have to count when I'm with you."

"Aren't you concerned I will take a lot more than I will give?" Gyn whispered, looking away again. "You're already spending your morning here to comfort me instead of enjoying your day."

You gripped their chin firmly and turned them towards you.

"Look at me. I might not be enjoying the situation per se, but there's nowhere I'd rather be. I could have ignored the door. I could have told Lilian I didn't want to come. I could have turned away when you didn't answer my knock, or when I saw you. I didn't. Because I want to be there. I want to do anything in my power to help, because you matter to me, and because right now, I have the strength to do something. You told me once you were full of anger. I'm fine with that. I am full of ice, and sometimes I won't have the strength to move or to talk or to be there for you. But right now I can, so I sure as hell will."

Tears started streaming down Gyn's face again. You kissed each one and drank them, as if you could take away their sadness like that.

Their lips met yours. It was a slow kiss, wet and salty with tears - yours, too. It lasted a long time. It probably would have lasted longer if your nose hadn't started running.

You pulled away and rummaged through your pocket for a handkerchief. You blew your nose like a trumpet, and Gyn started laughing so hard they fell backwards. They didn't sat back up, even when the laughter died.

"Come here?" they said, but there was a shyness in their voice that made it a question.

You wiped your eyes and crawled up to Gyn, before settling with your head on their shoulder and your arm on their chest. You could feel their heart thundering and your brain suddenly turned to very different matters.

Gyn cleared their throat and pressed their hands on yours. They opened their mouth, closed it, and opened it again.

"I am really grateful to know you, Miria," they said at last.

It wasn't what they had first intended to say, and you both knew it. But it was good too.

"I am grateful to know you too, Gyn."

There were no words after that. Only warmth in the dimness of the room.

Send me a prompt in the form of an artifact and I'll write the reaction of the weird person at the magical antique shop that is not always there when you walk buy.

[zebra-warrior]

Five things I'm greatful for and then some.

1. My parents. I honestly couldn't ask for a better set of parents than I have. As a kid we didn't have much money. My parents wanted to purchase a nice house to raise me in so I had the best environment to grow up in possible but in choosing the home they did everyting else was very tight but they never made it feel that way. Back in the day when crafting and building things were less expensive than buying them (boy have things changed with crafting) if we didn't have someting they would make it. I remember a lot of my friends would have birthday parties at places like Chuck E. Cheese, Magic Mountain, the Zoo or a skating rink. My parants didn't really have the money to do that and what they had they would have rather spent on a nice present for me so my mom would decorate the house and my dad would go out and mow the grass really short. They would dig holes in the ground and put PVC pipe in the holes that my dad would get at work from the dumpster and turn our back yard into a put put course. They would put up a vollyball net and crochet set and we would use big workshop vice grip clamps and turn them upside down as putters. The house they bought already had a swing set and swimming pool so I would have pool parties and with magic mountain in my own back yard. It was a lot of work but not a lot of money even though to me it felt like they spent a fortune. Everyone always looked forward to my birthday parties as a kid. They were always a bit hit. Not to mentuon sidewalk chalk was someting they also would splurge on so setting up the driveway with lots of fun stuff was something my dad liked to do. He used to like drawing with chalk as much as I did. As I got older they always made things work. When I began getting bullied at school I was switched to a private home school coop. Which my great grandma who was also the best grandma ever paid for knowing my parents couldn't and she couldn't stand seeing me hurt the way I was but my mom would drive me 35 minutes to school, drive almost an hour to work then after work wound drive almost an hour to pick me up and then 35 minutes back home every day for 3 years until I got my driver's license. She was so excited for me to get my license she took me a month early for my T

temps. I told her it was too early and she said it wasn't and whan I got there they said come back next month lol. I never wanted to drive. I was always afraid but she couldn't get me to the BMV fast enough lol. My parents also taught me a lot about the value of money and work ethic and now say they taught me too well because I'm known to shop for several months for something more costly that I need like contact lenses in order to find the best price, all coupons and all rebates and sales available. I got my first job at age 11 and was able to buy my first car myself, pay for college myself without taking out one loan and buy my first home outright and as a foreclosure to remodel and fix up how I wanted it to look. My second car was the only thing I've ever taken out a loan on. When I got sick and OSU tried to put me in a nursing facility my parents offered to help me sell my house and take me back in with open arms so I could be cared for in their home instead of a long term care facility. They still help me to this day cooking for me, driving me to appointments when I can't use transportation services, cleaning and helping me bathe myself. I now pay them rent and utilities as well as half of groceries and personal needs of my dog and myself not because I think for a second they would dump me into a long term care faculty if I didnvt but because it's the right thing to do. This ties in with family but I'm so very greatful and thankful to still have my mom. She was on life support after having her liver cut into during a botched surgery which resulted in a full blown liver rupture. It was the hands down the scariest moment of my life. We weren't sure she would make it and her doctors couldnt even give us that reassurance but she did everyting ahead of schedule and all I had to hold on to was her promise that she wasn't going anywhere. She kept that promises and on the day she was released the nurse that called when she began crashing came into the room shocked she was alive and admitted that she was sure my mom wasn't going to make it and that was the end for her. She was completely amazed my mom was still here. My mom was caught in the battle of her life, a battle she should have never had to fight and now has PTSD because of the experience but she's alive. My mom is here. I know a lot of adults have already lost a parent and I can't imagine the pain. Having my parants bring really the only family members I have a close relationship with and being my caregivers, I don't know what I wouls do without them. I would probably be in some nursing home somewhere without them. With my dad has Autism, though he was able to work, my mom paid bills, did most of the shopping as my dad can't use a debit card. But my mom does most of the money, paperwork and phone call related stuff for him so I can't imagine how life would even be able to continue without her. Or my dad. They both have two totally different rolls and being disabled I need them more than ever so I couldn't be happier this is in the past but couldn't be more upset or had to happen to begin with. In Ohio doctors are protected against medical malpractice and though she almost lost her life and will have life long physical complications and likely somewhat shorter of a life due to these complications she will never get the revenge she deserves and the doctor didn't even get a slap on the hand for what he did to her body and with now having PTSD, her mind.

2. Maggie: This dog has rolled with the punches and adapted flawlessly. She's my best friend and fur daughter. She picked up cardiac alert from my last baby Sandy and took to training to be able to use that ability as a career line a champ. I have seen her blossom from the puppy from heck. (no offend Ma-mag) but she would literally rip wallpaper off the wall with her teeth, it took 8 months to housebreak her and there was no such thing as no in her dictionary. She got into everything but I've since learned that was only because she was so intelligent and always curious because once she began training she excelled and grew into the most trusting and obedient dog I've ever had. Not only that but she thrived on structure. When working she walks on the leash beside me just fine but when I put her on my lap at that point nothing can stop her. She sits up all straight, sticks her chest out and thinks her poop doesn't smell. My lap is her thrown. I don't mind because she can alert just as well up there as she can waking, if not better because she doesnt have to try as hard to get my attention in loud and busy places. Not only is she obedient but when she's not formally working, even at 8 years old she's still very playfil and silly, always doing things to make me laugh or my heart melt. She's a velcro dog so I've always got a snuggle buddy and someone to keep me warm and my face coated in a layer if dog spit lol. I got her the day before I got my first pacemaker and she was the first one to sit at my bedside when I came out if surgery for my second one. As I went from a much closer to healthy individual who would take her on long walks and when stuck in a terrible relationship I would walk she and Sandy some days for several hours a day, sitting around the pond eating snacks, going into every store in walking distance that allowed pets and exploring the neighborhood to much sicker, in a chair with her only real walks occurring when she worked outside the home and a much more stagnant lifestyle Maggie never loved me any less, if anyting she loved me more because to my surprise she fell in love with my wheelchair and head over hills for my powerchair. When I turn my power chair on it makes a chiming sound and whan she hears that sound she makes a mad dash for the room I'm in begging for a ride. In her mind these changes in my life had made me no less the mommy to her as I was before. She is one person (yes I will call her a person) who I can count on to always love me no matter what. If it wasn't for her, I don't think I woukd he here. This conditon has made me want to go to bed and not wake up more than once and she's saved me every time and I can't thank her enough for being such a good girl.

3. My neighbor Pam has been my neighbor since I was 5 years old so she's been in my life most of my life and much more than any family member outside my household has ever been. She's basically my aunt or a second mom to me. As a kid she helped in reaching me the value of money and hard work my giving me my first two jobs at age 11. She has me clean her primates cages and prepare food for them not only teaching me the values of good, hard work but further fostering my love for animals. She's always had the primates as well as dogs and cats I would take care of when she was out of town. I was the first kid I knew to have a real job even if it was part time. It wasn't much later that I began babysitting her grandson who even now that he's grown and I no longer talk to him, I think if him as a little brother to me. He was the most well behaved kid I ever babysat and boy was it an eye opener when I started babysitting a lot of other kids in the neighborhood and saw how some kids can really act lol. Pam has always been there for me and my family. She would take me on summer trips sometimes like I remeber a trip to Wyndot Lake that really was a blast and she has always treated me like family. We have a key to her house and she has one to ours. When I got to the age I could stay home alone I never woried too much about if I couldnt find my key or the screen door was locked because I always knew she was just a short walk away if I needed help. She watchs our houses and we watch hers contacting each other if we see anyone or anyting unusual. She comes over each year for Christmas dinner and will occasionally surprise my parents by bringing over a soup she made or some cookies she baked and last summer sent a Chimney Sweep to our house because she knew my mom needed a break and we like to have fires in the winter but haven't had our Chimney cleaned in a while. For my 16th birthday she took my awe dry car to her business at the airport to clear coat it with the same material used to clear coat jets and whan I got sick I didn't have to worry because she is always nearby. Before I got transportation services she was always willing to drive me to my medical appointments and with Corona, she helped with shopping. Over the summer we could pick anyone in our family to go on a trip to the zoo with us my dad's last year of work and we chose my neighbors and had a great time. We may not be family by blood but my neighbor is my family. Not many people are lucky enough to have a neighbor they get along with or even care for yet ours is closer than extended family and for that I'm thankful.

4. My home. I couldn't be more lucky when my parents bought this house. It's almost as if they knew that when I grew up I would be in a chair. We live in a one story floor plan with a kitchen. That has an island in the middle so if I have someting I hand its still easy to just grab the counter and zip around in a circle to any part of the kitchen I need to get to. Before the passing of my grandma, she used a walker and wheelchair so my dad had already installed a ramp in our garage so I went into this journey with access to my home. My home is also set up so my dad found easily set up a ramp onto the back porch. I have always had a large bedroom, bigger than most people I know. It's similar in size to a master bedroom and being in a chair, thats very much a necessity now. In a chair you need a lot more room to navigate an area efficiently. Of course my home is far from perfect. The bathrooms are much too small to be truly accessable so I have to make due with what I have and my bathroom. Needs despiratly to be remodeled. Unfortunatly the bath tub that was put into my bathroom could quite possibly be the most unexcwssable bathtub for someone in a wheelchair in existence. I don't have a pull down closet nor do I have pull down cabinets in the kitchen or appliances I can easily use. I don't have a stove that rises and lowers or countertops that are at my height it an elevating powerchair to be able to reach those areas. Even the microwave is a Hazzard but as far as manuverability we have that. I can access every too. In our home except our basement and one part of a bathroom we have. It would be easier to menuvour here if my parants didn't have so mucb stuff and such big bulky furniture it I think that's also part of living with my parents. They have more life experience and more stuff but it's doable. Not everyone is lucky enough. After becoming disabled to have a home that's usable or has porential. Many were forced to move after getting sick or disabled. I was forced to move out of my home but my parents home is usable and I can't be more happy for this home.

5. Doctor Joseph and his staff. I went 30 years of my life unable to get help for this condition slowely robbing more and more from my body. When I came across Dr Joseph they were something I had never seen in the medical community. This was all new to me. I entered into a facility of four of the most caring and compassionate individuals I've ever encountered. I finally found a doctor who specializes in my conditon and he was just over a half hour away. But only was he familliar with the disease but also the comorbidities, Misconceptions, PTSD we have all faced from others who hold some form of medical degree and how we likely have no one to advocate for us and we have been on our own literally fighting through the pain and suffering. For appropriate medical treatment to only be dealt more pain and suffering. When he took me on I was the sickest I've ever been in my life and I so much pain I frankly can't believe I hadn't taken my life much before even hearing about him not only did he take me on as a patient knowing how big of a project I would be after over 200 doctors in the past saw me and just pushed me off but he never gave up, hasn't given up and I don't see him giving up on me in the future. His staff has fought tooth and nail with insurance companies on my behalf, files formal complaints about hospital care for me, brought me in on days they were fully booked to try to help me and spent weekends and holidays on the phone with my mom and the hospital angerly fighting with them to do the right thing and provide appropriate care. They may have not listened to him, learned to hate him and failed me terribly but at least I can't say my doctor and his staff didn't try. His wife came in on her day off to fight with my insurance company and they have helped me find the right goverment officials to contact with problems. The goverment officials may not have done anything but again, at least I can say they tried and that says a lot about a doctor. I. Not on the best treatment and the battle still continues to get me into a surgeon, gst testing completed and fight for more than the fifth or sixth best medication. They treat me no different than they would treat their own family members and that is something I've never seen in a doctor. I have seen improvement. It may not be as much as they would like but every bit of improovment is because the continue to fight to me, continue to teach me to advocate for myself and refuse to give up on me just because I'm a complicated case. I couldn't thank his office more for what they have done and continue to do each day.

I know that's five but just to list a few, I'm thankful for my late dog Sandy, my late Great Grandma, nature and other non harmful animals that cross my path, my local church, my online friends and the availability of support groups, the internet, with the virus I'm thankful for the new door that has opened for those of us who are homebound with all of these vertual tours and other New online resources that open the world up to us from our beds and couches, that I still have my mind, my manual and powerchair as I would have no way to access anyting, including my own house without them, the nice days after the ground has dried up and I'm able to roll around my yard and around the garden. To re-establish a love for crafting. My cricut and sewing machine and mich more. So just because there are things I'm very upset with in this world doesn't mean there aren't things I'm thankful for.

#myEDSchallenge #myHSDchallenge

[silentxforever]

Story Time

I apologise in advance for how confusing it may seem to you... And how long it is..

My group of friends from church and I usually hang out after a youth night. We all decided to go to In-n-Out. So we talked and laughed, and a group of three guys came in, took their order and sat down at a table near us. We took the whole row where the window was (people who have been to an In-n-Out know what I mean). While we were talking a couple girls felt like the guys were staring at them, and or possibly the guys in our group.

So flash forward to when a big chunk of our possy left. I walked my friend to her car and then went back to my two sisters. I noticed that they were also with a guy friend in our group. I come up to here them say, "What are they doing? Just come out already!" I look in the to see the same three guys talking to our guy friends inside. Mind you, me and my sisters were the only girls besides our friend, who was currently in the bathroom. There were only five guys, including the one outside with us, let's call him, Christopher. So Christopher's brothers were inside along with two other dudes. One guy stopped talking, mainly bc he wanted to leave and have nothing to do with them, so he left. And then Christopher complained how his brother's needed to get out too. Eventually they stopped and came out, formed a circle with us and then we started talking. Our girl friend, let's say Dahlia, came out of the bathroom, and then we noticed her brother was still in there taking with the three dudes.

Then we started discussing on what they could possibly be talking about in there, one brother commented saying that Dahlia's brother was possibly talking about Jesus to them, and we all laughed and agreed. But the thing was that the dudes looked really sketchy. They talked about whatever in a low profile kind of way, like not many people are allowed to know this. So we were kinda scared to leave our friend here without any protection. So the brothers stayed and so did we, and all we did was talk about them inside, quiet down when one of them came outside, and then proceed to talk. It was getting pretty late, around 10:30, it's a school night and we need to go home, so Dahlia went to her brother to ask to leave now, the bro said 'in a little bit', but to Romanians it's never 'a little bit'.

It turned 11 and the brothers had to go, it was way too late for them. They didn't want to go, but we offered to stay until they finished inside and left. So now it was just us girls waiting outside. Dahlia went back in after some time to gesture to her brother to hurry up. Her brother said wait, but after that the guy that wasn't selling whatever made a come here gesture to our friend. The way he did was so weird and kinda creepy too... We stood out there for a good while before the guy who was mainly talking and selling came out to us. Her brother was still inside talking to the creepy one and another dude. He came to us all apologetic bc he knew they we needed to leave, it was late and she still had some homework to do and all that jazz. Then he pulls out this credit card looking thinking. It was all black with a silver chip looking thing at the end. He asked us if we wanted to know what is was, we said no, but ever the salesman, he told us anyway. He put his finger on that silver chip and two green lights blinked on the top right corner of the card thing. He told us it was some kind of smart computer, I'm not sure exactly. So the creepy guy came out told the other dude to stop trying to sell it to us, it's whatever we're not interested. So the other guy said night, sorry for making you wait and he left towards a car, and the creepy dude followed. But he turned around to speak to us as he walked and said, and I don't quote word for word, "It's ok, when we're billionaires with this and your over there with your meh life, you'll regret this" all said in a snobbish, mocking tone. "It doesn't matter, because we'll be billionaires"

This is was going through ALL our minds," Ok, yeah sure" but Dahlia actually voiced it. Before he finished his sentenced she yelled out, "O Lasă-mă cu billionaire!" (English, loosely translated) "Oh leave me alone with your talk of billionaires!" She said this in a really, whatever you say just leave us alone kind of way, just imagine an eye roll with this too, if it helps. After that they stopped talking to us, but us girls were dying of laughter! The way she said it and the fact that she went all Romanian grandma on them was great. Just by the tone of her voice you could tell what she was saying. Never laughed so hard before lol. After that we walkes toward our respective cars, which were right next to each other, while her brother were talking to them again... They finally stopped and the creepy dude went his car, and as he went to it, he said in a mocking tone, "God bless you girls". We gave half smiles and was like, "yeah.. Night" (kinda wished said "God save your souls"). So we gave our official goodbyes amongst each other and got into our cars.

The end!

Oh and the thing they were selling? We're not exactly sure what, but it probably was part of the illegal pyramid schemes and not part of a legitimate multi-level marketing opportunity. All we know it was sketchy and that it mostly likely was illegal. Don't worry, Dahlia's brother didn't fall for their scheme.

[unpretty]

apparently my grandma was reading an article and saw an ad for a set of dishes that looked familiar so she clicked it and it brought her to my mom's ebay listing of the dishes grandma gave her