#if I told my grandmother the things i tell my mum she would care

[abluehappyface]

There are times where I think my mum just doesn't care about my safety the way she should, but it's not like I can do shit about it

[lulublack90]

Prompt 11 - Fake Date

@wolfstarmicrofic May 11, word count 875

“Eugh, my mum keeps asking who I’m bringing to my cousin's wedding!” Remus groaned as he checked the new message on his phone. “She’s getting worse. Ever since Oscar and I broke up it’s all she cares about.” He shook his head and put on a high-pitched voice, imitating Hope. “Reemuss,” He elongated his name like Hope did with her lilting accent. “Remus, why don’t you have a nice boy to bring to Gwen’s wedding? You should go find yourself someone, Remus.” He grimaced. “Like it’s so easy. She met dad in the middle of a forest when that guy jumped out of the trees at her and dad came to her rescue. Knowing my luck, the would be murderer would fall for me.” He leaned his head back and cursed the heavens. 

Sirius had sat there patiently listening to Remus grouse. He snatched Remus’s phone from his lap and typed a quick message to Hope. 

“There,” He said. “Now you have a date.” He grinned mischievously. Remus paled. 

“What did you do?” He picked up his phone and gasped. “Sirius! What the actual?!” His phone pinged as Hope started gushing about how happy she was and how much she’d always loved Sirius. He had to put his phone on silent to shut it up. Sirius had messaged Hope telling her that he was bringing Sirius as his date. Sirius who he’d had a crush on for years and told his mother every little thing about it. Oh gods, this was going to be a disaster. 

“It’ll be fine, Remus. I’ll pretend to be your boyfriend for the day, and then we’ll mysteriously break up, none of them will be the wiser, and it'll make your mum happy.” Remus groaned into his hands. 

They travelled to Wales the day before the wedding and stayed at Remus’s parents house. Lyall greeted them at the door but then disappeared into his study. He was happy in there and Remus was happy he was in there, to be honest. They’d never quite seemed to quite understand each other and this way was easier, much to Hope’s annoyance. 

Hope, on the other hand, wrapped them both in her arms and cooed over Sirius.

“I knew you’d end up together. You’re perfect for each other.” Sirius lapped it up. The only problem they had was Hope put them in Remus’s old bedroom. They hadn’t thought of that when they’d agreed to stay there. There wasn’t even another spare room. 

“It’ll be fun,” Sirius beamed. “Like being back at school.” 

“We never shared a bed. That was you and James,” Remus reminded him. 

“Well, better late than never then, I guess,” Sirius responded. So that was how Remus found himself in bed with Sirius. 

Thankfully, morning came quickly and then it was time for the wedding. 

Everybody made a fuss about Sirius.

“He’s so handsome Remus,” His grandmother had declared when he’d introduced him. “You ought to put a ring on his finger, so he doesn’t get away,” She’d said loudly. Remus went beet red. 

“Nain, you can’t just yell that out!” He hushed her. 

“And why not? I want to see some great grand kids before I pop my clogs, and you aren’t getting any younger,”

“Oh my god,” He didn’t know how to handle her apart from with a gin and tonic and the bar wasn’t open yet. 

“Don’t you worry, Mrs Howell, I’ll make an honest man out of him.” Sirius said, linking her arm with his and leading her away to her table. He turned and winked at Remus. Remus wished he could turn invisible. 

By the end of the wedding, Sirius had won over all of Remus’s family and all of the grooms. In fact, more people knew who Sirius was at the wedding than knew who Remus was. 

Remus was glad when they were on their way back to his parents house. It had been a long day. “So,” Sirius asked him. “When are you going to pop the question? Your Nain’s promised me her engagement ring.” He grinned, fighting back a laugh at Remus. 

“Oh, haha, Sirius,” Remus rolled his eyes and said no more about the subject. 

That night, much to Remus’s surprise, Sirius snuggled under his arm and rested his head on Remus’s chest. 

“I had fun today.” Sirius told him with a sleepy voice. “Your family is really nice, and I might just steal your Nain. She was brilliant.” He turned his head to look at Remus. “Thank you for letting me come.” He said quietly. 

“You invited yourself. I had nothing to do with it.” Remus huffed. 

He closed his eyes hoping Sirius would take the hint. But instead, Sirius pushed up and kissed him. Remus’s eyes shot open, and he stared at Sirius. 

“I was serious about that ring, Moony. Whenever you’re ready, I’ll be there.” Remus didn’t know what to say, so he dragged Sirius’s face back to his and kissed him deeper than their first. He melted as Sirius kissed him back. “Took you long enough,” Sirius murmured against his lips. Remus had never been happier. He made a note to send a bottle of champagne to his cousin, because without her this might never have happened.   

[stevesbipanic]

Steve and Eddie have actually known each other for years, as bitter rivals.

No, not high school bitter rivals, nursing home bitter rivals.

When Eddie had moved to Hawkins his grandmother (Wayne's Mum) was still alive and lived at Hawkins Home for the Elderly. His grandmother was one of the nicest ladies he knew and taught him how to play bridge. She would show him off to all the ladies in her bridge group and Eddie would come over to play whenever Wayne had a late shift.

One of the few people in the Harrington family that Steve actually cared about was his grandma. She would tell him stories about being a spy in the war and how her and her husband were soulmates. He loved those stories. One of his favourite things to do when he visited her was to play bingo. He was there every Tuesday night to play bingo, always getting excited if he got close to winning.

After both of their grandmothers passed Steve and Eddie would still go to visit all of their grandmothers friends that had grown fond of them. This is where the rivalry began. Steve had always been a golden boy, soaking up the praise from people around him, glowing under it, done of the ladies he played bingo with also played bridge with Eddie and would gush about him as if he was their grandchild. Eddie had the same problem, often hearing how sweet that going Harrington boy was for bringing them brownies yesterday.

The boys were sick of it.

"Oi, Harrington go schmooze ladies your own age, or have you already dated every girl in Hawkins?"

"Fuck you Munson, I happen to enjoy their company, what are you trying to do send them to hell when they die?"

The rivalry continued until one day, Ruth, an old woman who had told both boys about her old "roomate" Agatha, noticed something behind their bickering and decided to do something about it.

"You know Eddie, sweetheart, I've got a lovely grandson that's just your type."

"Oh Ruthie, are you trying to set me up?"

"Just come visit me next Wednesday when he visits."

"Steve, darling, my grandson is visiting next week and I think the two of you would really hit it off."

"Ruth, you know I'm not that into dating anyone right now."

"Just come by on Wednesday to meet him for me, won't ya."

Which is how the boys found themselves in the visiting area on Wednesday afternoon.

"What're you doing here Munson, bridge is on Thursday, you're early"

"Well bingo is Tuesday Harrington so you're late and if you must know, Ruth wants me to meet her grandson."

"What? But Ruth wants me to meet her grandson."

"What're you boys talking about, Ruth doesn't have any grandsons."

The boys were now very confused. Eddie looked at Steve, did Ruth want to set him up with Steve? Steve was equally confused, he'd only just figured out he liked boys and now Ruth thought he would be a good match for Eddie?

It was then Ruth came out.

"Oh good you boys are here, I was going to take you two on a picnic but my hip's playing up so you two can take the basket and go have fun!"

And with that she was off, a filled backer and blanket now in Steve's hand.

"That cheeky little lady, well, I don't think you want to disappoint ol Ruthie do you sweetheart."

Steve was now blushing but tried to get ahold of some of the Harrington Charm.

"It seems we've got a date to go on, Eds."

If the following Tuesday Eddie held Steve's hand while they played bingo and the next Thursday Steve was listening intently as Eddie explained bridge, well that was between them and one sneaky old lady.

[csuitebitches]

Hello~

I hope you're doing well!

May I ask you a few pieces of advice, please? Reading through your blog, I've discovered that you're Asian with Asian ancestry, and after some thoughts I've come to the conclusion you're the best person to ask. I'm Slavic woman (Eastern European) married to an Asian man (Chinese), exactly how you described, in Asia it's more a marriage between two families, meanwhile me and my husband married for love. In fact, his parents "consented" to our union, only because 1) I'm a good-looking woman 2) he was so stubborn in his feelings and argued whenever someone had something bad to say 3) I'm respectful, accommodating, and listen to my husband 4) good at cleaning, it's important to his father since he's traditional.

But sometimes, drama happens, mostly from his mother-in-law (his father's second wife), always manipulating and saying stuff as, it was better if he married a wealthy Chinese woman, someone who's good at running a business etc.

How can I stand up for myself or just manage these kinds of situations? The only solution seems to be to just take the risk, and do business, so they could finally stop finding faults. Furthermore they don't know, but I come from a wealthy family, but got disinherited by my mother for saying no to an arranged marriage.

Thank you in advance for your time, help and insight, I'm really grateful. Have a wonderful day and take care of yourself!

Hi there love. I’m sorry to read this. Asian families can truly be both a boon and a curse.

the reality is that your in laws will have an issue regardless of what you do. You could start a business, they could still have 10 horrible things to say to you. You could choose to look after your husband and your home, and they’ll still say awful things to you.

here’s what you should do in my opinion. And this advice comes straight from my mother.

my mother came from a middle class family. My father is a self made man, who made a fortune. They had an arranged marriage. My grandmother (my father’s mother) was really awful to my mother. She wouldn’t even let her touch the cutlery in the house. She had a problem with everything my mother did - with the way she raised her kids, what her career was, everything. She would bitch about my mother in front of us kids, she would say nasty things to my extended family. She told my maternal grandmother (my mum’s mum) that she was sure that if she was on her deathbed, my mother would never care for her. Maternal grandmother was SHOCKED and snapped and told her that her daughter was raised with better values.

my grandfather on the other hand, loves loves loves my mother, as though she was his own daughter. Praises her everywhere he goes. But that’s beside the point.

here’s what my mother learned.

She cannot control her mother in law. MIL is stubborn, ruthless, cunning. It all boils down to one thing - insecurity. Insecurity of never being good enough, smart enough, never was able to control my father (he left home because issues with her), and my father gave my mother the attention she deserved.

MIL was very possessive of my father. Asian Mums 90% of the time have a weird incest relationship with their sons. They cannot let their sons be happy with anyone. Your husband seems like a great guy, standing up for his wife. The support may not heal your hurt, but I’m sure it does a lot of good by having him on your side.

regardless of what she did, she knew she would be criticised anyway. So she did what she liked. She was a stay at home mom till I went to school, then she got two masters degrees, got herself involved in a business, has her own clients, has her own name. Even when she became successful, MIL still bitched about her. But you know what else happened? People began coming up to my grandparents and telling them what a wonderful person my mother is. MIL obviously couldn’t bear the criticism but FIL loved it and cherished her even more. She won her FIL’s respect. To this day he sings her praises even to me.

some fights are not worth it. MIL would sometimes antagonise her over small things, just to provoke her. My mother would simply stay calm. Eventually even the extended family realised that my mother had gone through a lot.

she remained emotionally detached with MIL, but she took care of her when she had cancer. She looked after her, proving MIL’s words (“she’ll never take care of me on my deathbed) absolutely wrong. And she did that out of kindness. She did that because SHE was a nice person, not because MIL deserved it.

do what your heart wants to do. The more you live life to gain approval from someone else - someone who may never give it to you - your life will be miserable. The only way to fight these horrible MILs is by standing up straight, being decisive, being able to say no and hold your ground. She has to respect you as her DIL, regardless of what you do. You will not earn her respect by trying to be someone you’re not.

If your FIL is more accepting towards than her - Build a relationship with the FIL. Forget about the MIL, she’s going to be jealous and awful, and I highly doubt such women ever change. Half the time, they behave in this way because that’s how THEIR MIL’s treated them. MIL’s MIL treated her awfully as well - the former was scared shitless of the latter. She repeated the same pattern with my mother, but my mum was too strong to let MIL bring her down.

If you want to be on good terms with your in laws, focus on the father. Be the daughter he never had (even if he has daughters). But do it because you WANT to, not because you HAVE to.

Such women are simply insecure. Insecure to a point where they must hurt other women because it genuinely gives them joy. Do not let her words affect you whatsoever. And do not live your life by her terms. Focus on being a good person to yourself and your husband.

[nearaceln]

The medication that my psychiatrist recently started me on, meant to aid in my depression, has caused my chronic insomnia to worsen to such an abhorrent degree that I find myself missing the former 4-5 hours I was getting on the prior medication meant to help the depression. The night shifts I work at my job probably don’t help much, either, in the soft defense of pharmacological distributors.

It is an odd sensation- waiting for a pager to go off, hoping it doesn’t. They don’t warn you that once you start, you will hear phantom pages for the rest of your goddamn life (seemingly; will correct if I ever stop hearing beeping that is not real).

I love my job. Well, I love my field, and I love what I do. The fact that my job has to exist is a cruelty. Peoples suffering could never make me happy (okay, perhaps a select few of those who have hurt me deeply. But those suckers have it coming and are unrelated to the folks I help treat).

Tonight a young-sounding 19 year old called. She was tearful, sniffling back something she didn’t want to (but also did want to) talk about. I won’t explore the content of her story, as it isn’t mine to tell, but I can say that the way I have learned to handle these calls is to tell the audience the things I wish someone would have told me, in this case, at 19. “It isn’t your fault. You did not deserve that. Not any of it. You sound bright, and kind, and even if you aren’t always, you still don’t deserve that. You are a person deserving of respect, kindness, goodness. I know we forget it sometimes about ourselves, but for a moment imagine you’re speaking to a friend. Would you tell them they didn’t deserve goodness? No. Of course not. Because it isn’t true. I am so sorry that those things have happened to you. It is not, however, a reflection on you. You’re here in spite of that. That is a power. It is a strength.” She asked “how do I fix it so I can sleep tonight?” And I rattled off some ideas like journaling things that make her happy. I added, knowing 19 year old me would think “this is bullshit”- “I don’t mean some cliche shit about your life, the world, or the future. You can write about that if you want. It’s your list. I mean…the sheets you picked for your bed. The way the first bite of an apple tastes in the fall. The sunset. The smell of coffee. The feeling of finally getting to take your bra off. Your makeup off. The view at the top of a hike. Your dog. Your favorite nail polish shade. Your favorite socks. Words you like the sound of. The meal your mum cooked the best. Your grandmothers hands. That stuff.” She conceded, and wrote some of a list that she planned on finishing. Before I let her go, I reminded her “you are only 19. You have not even yet met everyone who is going to love you - your kindness. Your heart. Your intellect. Your drive. There are so many people out there who will listen to your story and care about it. And the things that happened, they don’t define you. Your strength in calling tonight, does. Your willingness to be vulnerable, to stay alive, to write a list with a crazy lady on the phone. That’s you. And, for what it’s worth, I think it’s wonderful. So, while the world waits for the right moment for these people to arrive, you remember to call this line whenever you want. Seriously. I can be your temporary. And it won’t bother me for one single second. You’re not alone. I won’t let you be.” She ended the call by thanking me for my time and kindness, said she was feeling better, and that she was going to try to get some sleep.

As I hung up my phone I thought of the version of myself from a decade ago. She was so lonely. She lived in a one bedroom flat, had no friends, studied and worked, kept her head down. She would never believe that a future version of her could be anything different. And yet, here she is. Rather, here I am. Awake with crippling insomnia, still lonely at times, always keeping my chin up toward the sun.

I think of the home that I have built. I hear my husband snoring, finally resting. I look over at him. His mouth open slightly, brows furrowed, hair messy, one arm beneath his head and the other outstretched. He looks, in this moment, like I imagine he did as a young boy. I wonder what he needed to hear when he was; who didn’t say it to him; who did.

I have many dogs. Eight, to be exact. Having this amount of them means that at any given moment in my life I could easily reach out and Pat a dog. What a therapy I have unconsciously given myself. They sleep soundly beside me, so used to my insomnia that they only stir when my husband wakes up. Pavlov must have been right - my mental illness has conditioned not one, but a pack of dogs to not even notice the weight of a body being lifted off the bed, the sound of a door opening, the start of a car. I think of the life I have given them, and I know they have felt nothing but kindness. That alone seems intangible to me. A child of abuse grows to be an adult filled with enough trauma to make sleep a concept only read about, never experienced. An adult who worries at every moment when something will break; who hopes it is not her. An adult who knows how to hand out both cruelty and kindness equally well. Skilled tongue in both causing injury and kissing wounds. I choose kindness. Perhaps, just to be the opposite of my parents. Isn’t that what we all grow up wanting to be- just not our parents? Or perhaps because I know what it feels like to only be offered cruelty, and how small acts of kindness are but a candy you find hidden in your grandmothers purse after being told you cannot eat anything but cauliflower (By the way, I still hate cauliflower, mum). How you can suck on it for hours. While it doesn’t ease the belly cramps, it warms you. It keeps you alive for another day, hoping for another strawberry wrapped gift tomorrow.

I go pee, and I look in the mirror. I usually avoid this. My own reflection bothers me. I try to conjure the 19 year old me to tell her precisely what I told the girl from before. She doesn’t arrive. She died long ago. She resides in ashes throughout my bloodstream. Perhaps we are all made up of the versions of ourselves that could not survive.

The sun is coming up now. I look out the window of my home. Pet my dog (one of eight). Brush my fingers along my husbands forehead, try to comfort him from whatever nightmare is plaguing him. Admire him and the life we’ve built. My chin tilts toward the rising Sun. I have survived another night, and will survive another day, and I will once again choose kindness. If not for those in my life now, for the little girl residing in my veins who never had the chance to receive it.

-Ace

[hummingbird-of-light]

Against All Odds

Part 319

McCoy

McCoy tried to distract himself as best he could until dinner, but his nightmares remained present in his head. Khan’s hand on Scotty’s face, Jocelyn’s on his own. He knew that would never happen, yet the images wouldn’t leave him alone.

He was grateful when it was time for dinner, though by the end of it he wished he had asked Dr. Boyce instead of Spock. Spock was a good friend, but not necessarily the best for getting his mind away from the dreams still haunting him. Though, he was grateful to Spock for not asking why he was having dinner separate from everyone else.

There were more things McCoy wanted to discuss with his father, but he would wait for another day. He had said he would call Scotty again after dinner and let him know about Father’s reaction.

He was incredibly grateful to see Scotty’s smile and hear his reassurances as they talked. His heart and mind were always calmed by his love.

“Uhm… I’ve… told my mother about what happened.”

McCoy blinked.

“How come?” he asked.

“She always knows when something’s on my mind,” Scotty said. He looked hesitant. “It came out about that Jocelyn before I could stop myself. I’m sorry Len.”

McCoy saw the remorse in his boyfriend’s eyes.

“She was worried something was wrong with yer father when I said it was private.”

“I…” McCoy knew Francine cared about him like one of her son’s. His cheeks began to burn again though.

“Umm, Mum said she knows how you’re feeling,” Scotty continued. “And if ye’d ever like to talk about it, she’s willing to listen.”

“What?” McCoy’s eyes focused on Scotty harder. “How would she…”

“She had something similar happen when she was a lass.” Scotty’s voice was soft, but McCoy saw the anger in his eyes. His own anger rose in defense of Francine. And yet a fellow feeling rose as well. Francine had gotten past it, she was a wonderful, strong woman. McCoy knew then everything would be alright.

“Tell her she already helped,” he nearly whispered. Scotty nodded and a faint smile began on his face.

McCoy’s chest ached with how much he wanted to kiss that smile at that moment. His hand traced across it on the screen.

“Spock told me something over dinner,” McCoy said to change the topic. Spock had not said much over dinner at all, but had shared something.

“Yes love?”

“The day the Darnell’s leave, he and his parents are leaving for a short trip to Vulcan. They’re going to visit his grandmother and…”

McCoy paused. Briefly he wondered if Scotty had heard this from Jim. But Jim and Spock both seemed to be quite private about their relationship. Maybe the mental bond they appeared to have made it easier to be together while apart. McCoy didn’t know.

“…and I think they’re seeing T’Pring’s family.”

“Oh.” Scotty’s brows raised in interest.

“Jim hasn’t said anything?”

Scotty shook his head.

“Spock’s birthday is next week,” McCoy said. “He told me once that Amanda had said nothing would change at least until he came of age.”

“Oh. I hope everything works out for the best for all of them; Spock and Jim and the lass.”

“I hope so too,” McCoy agreed. He really did. Jim was a great friend and Spock had become a much closer friend. He would hate for either of them to be hurt, though he wouldn’t want T’Pring to be hurt by all of it either. What a silly thing to do to children, betroth them at such a young age and hope they would just be together when they grew up.

Maybe it worked on Vulcan where those kids could grow together but when separated like Spock’s family, wasn’t that just asking too much? McCoy felt a wave of gratitude towards his parents who seemed to be on his side in finding who he loved on his own.

“Hey, I didn’t ask why you called earlier. We got sidetracked by…,” McCoy swallowed. He didn’t want to say her name and bring it up again.

“Oh right!” Scotty grinned.

Part 320

Scotty

He couldn’t help the grin that washed over his face. They had been sad and concerned for long enough and were in desperate need of good news.

Scotty lowered his voice to make sure that his mother wouldn’t hear anything. After all, it was a surprise.

“Granddad and I visited our neighbor today. Her dog is pregnant and… Granddad wants to adopt one of the puppies for Mum’s birthday!”

Leonard’s face brightened up too.

“Really? That’s great! I didn’t know Francine was a dog-type though.”

Scotty chuckled.

“Oh, she loves dogs. She always wanted to have one but Granddad didn’t up until now.”

They chatted a while about the breed and when Francine’s big day would be there, when suddenly there was a knock on Leonard’s door.

The prince’s eyes darted over to the door and he narrowed them.

“I’ll… call you back.”

Scotty felt his heart drop. He really hoped it wasn’t that Jocelyn.

“Aye, I’ll be waiting.”

With that the boys ended the call. Scotty let out a deep sigh and stared at the ceiling.

Who could it be? Who would bother Leonard at that time of the day?

Maybe it was the King. Maybe he had thought about everything and wanted to tell Leonard that the Darnell’s would leave? Or it was Mrs. Darnell who wanted to apologize for her daughter? Or Eleanor… or Leah…

So many options.

Scotty just hoped it was a good one.

His eyes drifted back to the PADD and the message he had been reading. He found the sentence where he had left off.

*So Kati will leave the musicians for some time. I thought that maybe I could take her place and play the flute? I mean… I was banned from all sports clubs anyway and maybe music will help me stay calm.*

It seemed to be a good idea. Music had helped many people with their emotions. He typed in his response.

*Just ask the teachers. I’m sure they can tell you if it’s a good idea.*

He sent the message and was surprised when the reply came almost instantly.

*But what about you? Are you okay with me joining after… everything?*

Scotty sighed. Why had he seen that coming? It always seemed like Khan wanted - no, needed - his approval for every decision he made.

*I’m fine with it, don’t worry. As long as it helps you.*

Scotty sent the answer and then put his PADD aside. He didn’t want to read any more messages.

His mind drifted back to Leonard. And he frowned.

The dream his love had told him about…

Khan and Scotty had been in the music room.

What would Leonard think if he got to know about Khan actually joining the music class?

Scotty had to tell him. He knew. Maybe he should have said ‘no’ to Khan? Maybe the Augment shouldn’t join?

The Scotsman quickly shook his head.

That was nonsense. Leonard would understand that none of this had a meaning. His nightmare had been just that - a nightmare. It wasn’t real. And it would never happen.

Scotty was lost in thoughts when his PADD bleeped. Leonard was calling him back!

The boy quickly grabbed the device and answered the call. He was happy to see Leonard’s face.

“Hey mo gràdh. Who was it?”

[scarecrowcounty]

Trauma is such a weird thing because it’s like a swing of bad to worse but we really only think to not share the worse things but then you share the bad things and people just don’t know how to react.

I shared a memory of when I was a kid and my mum had done my hair since I couldn’t take care of it myself because I never learnt how to properly so she made it all pretty and braided it then told me to stay where I was and then suddenly came back and I hear the scissors against my hair and it’s gone and I turn around and she’s just holding my hair and has this gross smile like, a weird motherly smile while holding it and said something, I can’t remember what because by that point I was bawling my eyes out so we leave and my grandmother is there too and we’re on holiday so we go into town and they’re telling me to stop crying because I’m embarrassing them, my mum takes me to a hair dresser and he styles it in a way mum likes and she just keeps telling me that it looks good and when he asks if I like it I was just drained and nod

From my reaction to my hair being cut from then on whenever I misbehaved my family would threaten to cut my hair off, I think they did an extra few times but I can’t be for certain but I was a problem child.

This is an example of my lesser ‘trauma’ if it can even be called that, in my opinion but to the friend of mine she just sat staring at me blankly until she leaned over and told me what my family did wasn’t okay, I tried brushing it off saying they did worse and she just frowned.

I don’t believe my mother was a bad parent, she was a single mother of three kids and I was always causing problems for her so I get that she was frustrated l

[hardynwa]

Train crash victim: My daughter preparing for master’s in UK before accident – Dad

Oreoluwa Aina, a National Youth Service Corps member, was one of those who died on Thursday when a Lagos State Government staff bus collided with a train in the PWD area of the state. In this interview with DAYO OYEWO, her father, Femi Aina, speaks on her daughter’s plans after the service year How did you receive the news of your daughter’s death? I was in Abuja watching the television around 9 am when I saw the incident. An hour after that, I got a call that my daughter was involved in it. That was when I knew what I saw on TV was actually happening to me. Then I immediately called my younger brother and sister in Lagos. I later received two more calls in another 10 minutes and by then, she was already in the ICU (intensive care unit). They were attending to her and at the same time calling me from there. I even heard some of the staff members praying for her. So, I rushed to the airport to get any available flight back to Lagos but when my plane was ready to take off by 4 pm, I was told that she had passed away. When was the last time you communicated with her? On Wednesday, my younger brother’s wife celebrated her birthday. She recorded the birthday and sent it to us. We all laughed at the video and the following morning (Thursday) she sent a WhatsApp message to me saying, “Daddy how was your night? Hope you slept well,” and I replied, “All is well” and there was no response after then. I even thought she did not respond because she ran out of data, not knowing that she was already involved in an accident. Were you aware that she used to board the staff bus? I know she boarded the staff bus, but not every day. If not for this cashless nonsense policy, she would not have followed that bus. But she did not have cash, so she had to follow the bus. She had just N200. They just kill people anyhow in this country. What can you tell us about Oreoluwa? Oreoluwa was very dear to me. She was a gift from God to me and that is what her name implies. She feared God and she was hard-working. I used to tell her that she took the job like she was already a staff member of the state government. She was a very nice girl with visions and ambitions. She was preparing to go to the United Kingdom for her Master’s programme after her youth service ends in May, but unfortunately, all her plans had been dashed. She happened to be the first grandchild of my parents and she stayed with my mum here in Lagos because our dad passed away last year, so she had always been with her grandmother. She was dear to everyone around including church, school and at work. Her death is a great loss. How old was she? She was 28 years and was supposed to be 29 in October this year. What about her mother? She stays in Ogun state, but her family came for her burial. She is just trying to cope. Were you checking to know her condition? Yes, we have been talking, including her family. We are just trying to cope and calm ourselves down to survive these few days and then we move ahead. Can you tell us about her education? She graduated from a primary school here in Egbe, then she proceeded to a secondary school also in this area before she went to study Pure and Applied Chemistry at Osun State University. Although, there were so many strikes while she was studying in school and I thought she would even give up on going back to school but she went through the storm. She did well and her report was always good. Even those she worked with in the ministry said the same about her and the church. She was chubby but very energetic. She was also industrious, she did so many things as a young lady and was very focused. She must have gone through some difficulties at the university. Can you tell us more about this? Yes. There was a time she had challenges with some of the courses she had to take over again. She was like, ‘Dad, this cannot be my result,’ but I encouraged her and she withstood the stress of going through the challenges. The course was for four years but she spent close to seven years in school before she finally graduated last year. That was why I said she went through hurdles. For someone who had gone through such rough paths, how did she feel after she eventually graduated and thereafter mobilised for NYSC? She was happy. When she eventually came out, I told her that she was already a success after going through all the stress. I did not know that would be the end of it all. When she started serving with the state government, we discussed and planned how she was going to get a meritorious award after her service year. I told her to serve very well so that the state could give her an award. I was expecting the meritorious award but it was a death certificate that I got (breaks down in tears). I was just too eager for her to finish. She was my first daughter. Her death is painful because I have invested so much in her. This world is cruel. A girl that was full of life when she left home was now brought back dead. Was she deployed directly to Lagos? Yes, she was deployed directly to Lagos. I have a copy of her deployment letter. She did not redeploy from any state. And she was so happy that her prayers about the posting were answered. How do you feel losing a child? The feeling can’t be described. Normally, when you hear the news that somebody is dead or people have an accident, there are personalities attached to those people. She is my daughter; I can show you some of her text messages on my phone. When I went through them again, I felt so bad. She called me names like, “O.G, Nigga, Daddy, how far?” We have tried, we have planned and just for her to finish and then, we go from there. Did she share any of her aspirations with you? Yes, many of them. She planned to travel to the UK for her Master’s programme, and she was already into catering. She was part of a thrift society and they even called me from there yesterday to inform me about it. She was saving money to start a mobile food business. Even though she had plans to study more, she was just trying to do things. She was also into music and she recorded in the studio. We are a member of The Apostolic Church and she was a staunch member. I learnt she was even the one that led the song last Sunday. She had so many plans and she was just about to fly. It was just this youth service which is mandatory that she wanted to complete and then fly. What is your assessment of the response of the state government to the incident? Sincerely, I was impressed. When I arrived in Lagos, I went straight to LASUTH and I saw how the victims were being attended to. I saw different injuries with different segments and how they were trying to help everybody. They tried their approach to that level of emergency. They were trying to salvage whatever they could. What is your take on the driver? I am not happy with the driver at all. The driver had caused a lot of damage. I learnt they want to do a mental test for him. Let the law just take its course. I can’t say what is on my mind. What do you expect the state government to do following this incident? The governor was here yesterday and we spoke at length. The government needs to carry out a re-evaluation of our drivers, especially those who carry such a large number of people. A lot can be done to evaluate people so that we keep our lives in their hands. Possibly, the way they do for pilots, if we can value our lives like that, this thing could have been averted because my thinking is that the driver must have been doing something like that before now. This cannot be the first time. When they are doing roadworthiness, they should also do mental worthiness or whatever they can call it. We hear tankers falling on cars in this same Lagos, things that are not meant to happen normally. We can take them seriously as doctors who spend seven to ten years in school because they want to treat a human being. But we just give a driver a license to convey close to 95 people in a bus at a time and we don’t know the health or the mental state of such a person. We take them as just drivers but our lives are in their hands. So, if there is anything the governor can do to evaluate them if possible – constantly. Read the full article

[ilovedilfs228007]

I want a person i could fully trust. A person who could hug me and id feel safe. A person who would care about me, love me, say nice things to me. Years ago i thought that it's a psychologist's work but now i know it's not. Oh how disappointed i was. It's quite a long story about my psycologist but i have time. I won't sleep until im exhausted so...

It happened 2 years ago. I told my grandmother i cut myself, i asked her to tell my father. After a long and uncomfortable conversation with my father, he finally decided to make an appointment with a psychologist. I needed a normal psychotherapist, not a gestalt therapist. She said i should draw mandalas and stamp while listening to "shamanic music" (to reduce my anger). I drew 1 or 2 mandalas but i have never done that other shit. It made me just more angry because I looked like an idiot. She never answered any of my questions, she touched me when i wasn't comfortable with it. She said things about my "imaginary friends" i can never forgive. She never showed any emotions and it was the most annoying thing in my life. She said i should visit a psychiatrist and she gave HER FRIEND'S NUMBER. Her psychiatrist friend wasn't any better but then she just gave up and gave my case to an actual child psychiatrist. This woman was the most adequate. She spoke quietly, politely and she answered MY FUCKING QUESTIONS. I was taking antidepressants and tranquilizers. At the same time i continued therapy. I told her i thought my father was a softie AND SHE ASKED MY MUM TO "TALK TO ME ABOUT MY FATHER, BECAUSE I CALLED HIM A SOFTIE" BRO WTF???????? DID U EVER HEARD ABOUT PRIVACY????

My mum wasn't angry, she was... Well, shocked and sad. She swore she didn't know anything else. I have never felt so angry. I was ready to punch her(psychologist) in a face. I phoned her the next day, when i was alone on the street. "i DoNt wAnT u To tHiNk ThAt i bEtRaYeD u" so what did u do? "I dIdNt kNoW i WaSnT aLlOwEd tO sPeAk aBoUt tHe mAiN tOpIcS oF oUr sEsSiOnS" IT WASN'T A TOPIC U SHIT, U FUCKING QUOTED ME. It was the first time i ever yelled at somebody that much older than me. Im proud i didn't curse. It was the point of no return, she was so annoying and she fucking told my mother i say shit about her husband. I thought I was going to choke her the next session. But no, actually, she asked me to write down some answers and i just answered like:

No. Nothing. Idk. No.

She started to say some shit that if I didn't want to be here i could take my money and go. Im proud i took the money and went away to my favourite cafe to drink lemonade. My mum wasn't happy because the day before i said that i will go there 3 more times. But hehe, no. But it wasn't a big deal. Fuck i still feel pure anger when i think about it. When she tried to diagnose my transgenderness by "why don't you like being a girl" and "draw a boy and a girl. Now, stand on each picture and say which is more comfortable". Sha always asked me to draw but she never gave me the materials i wanted. She always gave me dirty old gouache and a dirty old brush. And when i asked her to give me pencils or something like that she said "no, u have to stop controling things" fuck u, i hated those paintings, they never described my feelings right BECAUSE I CAN'T DRAW WITH PAINTS.

Maybe i was the problem there but im still so fucking angry.

[rosepetalcharm]

I have so many things that need to be done..but I'm not doing them right now and That is making me feel even more awful about myself than I already am..

Edit: Don't read the tags if you don't want to get hit with parts of a likely breakdown on my end.

[evita-shelby]

Fics wth dad Tommy are my weakness Can i have one with him fathering his boys across the years, sometimes he does well, other times not so much. But his wife is always there to make sure that her boys are good to each other and take care of one another because that's how a shelby family work.

The Shelby Boys

Gif by @perioddramasource

1925

Charlie is three when he draws on the pristine ivory walls of Arrow House.

Tommy crouched down beside him and remembered he couldn’t be too harsh on a boy of three. He wouldn’t raise his children like his parents raised him. Besides, his wife would murder him if he ever raised a hand against Charlie and his unborn sister.

“What did we say about drawing on the walls, Charlie?” he asked the boy who concentrates on his stick figure portrait as if he were Michelangelo and this was his Sistine chapel.

“Not to.” The boy said stopped his drawing. “I’m sorry, daddy.”

“Oh no, boy, the one you’re going to have to apologize to is Frances ---and Sandra and Molly--- who have to erase your masterpiece of the walls.” Tommy ruffled his hair.

“What’s that?” the boy asks confused.

“Let’s get you cleaned up and then we can go downstairs to the room where your mum keeps all the paintings, so I can show you.”

----

1935

“No.” Tommy shook his finger at three-year-old Gabriel who promptly ignores him.

“What did we say about the N word?” his wife asks condescendingly. She mocks him because little Gabe has learned to tune out the word no.

Charlie and Diane had been angels compared to Gabriel Thomas Shelby.

Polly had been right to give the boy his name.

“We don’t draw on the walls, Gabe.” Tommy tried again.

“Why?” the toddler whined, stamping his little feet.

Thomas swore that was his son’s favorite word.

“Because Aunt Polly will be disappointed in you.” He tells his little boy. Polly was the closest thing they had to a grandmother, neither he nor his wife had a living mother to dote on their children, so it fell on Polly to fill the role.

“’m sorry.” His little boy pouted sadly and looked at the floor. Couldn’t say it properly yet, and that was probably what made it so easy for Gabe to be forgiven so easily.

----

1932

Charles Henry Shelby is ten when he says the unimaginable.

“I hate you!” Charlie yells and slams the door.

“Charles Henry, you open this door right now—” he begins, but his wife stops him.

“If you yell at him, it will make it worse.” She says like a sage.

A sage holding their two-year-old girl on her hip and making sure the six- and five-year-old go straight into the kitchen for snacks.

His wife was born to be a mother he thinks.

If only fatherhood came as easy as motherhood did to her.

“Charlie, kid, tell me what’s wrong.” Tommy groans as he sits beside the locked door. He had some hints as to what this outburst was about, but if he got Charlie to speak about it, he’d call it a victory.

“Why do you make me be friends with people who hate me?” he sniffled from the other side of the door.

“You don’t have to be friends with them, Charlie.” He told his boy. “I may work with their fathers, but you don’t have to put up with them.”

“That’s the problem, you work with people who hate people like us!” Charlie insisted.

Thomas would’ve thought that because Mosley had lost his seat last year, things would be better. He didn’t have to join this new party of his, but it seemed the issues had come to Charlie in the form of racist schoolchildren.

“You can say racist, Charlie.” Tommy suggested.

“Fine.” His son grumbled and then asked. “Why do you work with racist people?”

A question that Tommy couldn’t answer truthfully.

Or perhaps he could, his children could keep secrets.

“What if I told you this was a secret mission, like the ones your mummy did when she lived in Mexico.” He begins.

----

1936

“I hate you!” Gabe yells, stomps all the way to his room and slams the door hard enough for him to wonder if Johnny Dogs will have to take a look at the hinges again.

Gabriel’s ten and its 1936. Two entire years after Tommy stopped pretending to be a Fascist sympathizer and declared himself Mosley’s enemy.

Suffice to say it didn’t make things easier for his children.

“Do you want to talk about it, kid?” he was forty-six now, it was getting difficult to sit by the door and coax his children to speak to him.

“No.” Gabe said with angry tears.

“Fine, I won’t push you to talk if you don’t want to.” He said and remained there to show his son he wasn’t alone, and that Tommy loved him even if he claims to hate him.

It’s been half an hour when Gabe speaks again.

“Are you gonna stay there all night?” his boy asked, concerned now.

They were stubborn as mules, times like these made him smile because Polly was right to name him Gabriel Thomas.

“Pol said never go to bed angry, you know. Can’t sleep if you still hate me.” He tells the boy.

Polly was God to them, Saint Polly of Small Heath who was all wise and all loving.

“I don’t hate you, daddy.” The ten-year old said. Been a while since he called Thomas daddy, said he was not a baby and called him dad instead.

“What happened in school today, Gabriel?” he asked again.

He hears the lock on the door unlock and let himself fall when the little boy opened the door. It was stupid, felt stupid doing it, but he knew it made the children more comfortable around him.

“I got in a fight.” He answered, head still bowed, looking at his feet.

“Did you win?” Tommy asked his son and the remorseful little boy nodded.

Should’ve just named him Thomas, Polly, the man thinks as he tries to explain why violence is not always the answer.

----

1939

Charles Henry Shelby is seventeen when he brings his first girlfriend to dinner.

This was a week after war was declared on Germany and Churchill made him part of his Cabinet.

Mary Churchill was the last girl Thomas had expected to see with him.

“They’ve been friends since they were seven, Tom, Clementine even hinted at it at the last picnic we went to.” His wife points out as they dress for dinner. “Swallow your dislike for Churchill and the Tories and welcome your future daughter-in-law like she’s just another girl, love.”

Thomas said nothing and drank the rest of his whiskey.

“Aren’t you going to say something, dad?” Charlie asked concerned.

“Welcome to the family, Mary.” Tommy manages to say.

----

1943

Gabriel Thomas Shelby is seventeen when he brings his third or fourth girlfriend to dinner.

If Thomas thought Mary being his daughter-in-law was terrible, this took the cake.

“Love, I think I’m having a stroke.” Tommy whispers to his wife.

Lucia Changretta.

Luca Changretta’s daughter.

Diane tries to keep the peace, his wife pretends its all fine, Flora had Andy sweating bullets for whatever reason he’ll yell at her later and Charlie is wondering how to explain this to Mary in the most discrete way he can.

“Welcome to the family, Lucia.” Tommy says covering up Mary’s surprised gasp.

Somewhere in hell, Luca is being forced to watch this too.

Other dad!Tommy fics: Diane Elizabeth (Diane) and Six years old (Florence)

[lunmelia]

I’m gonna rant for a bit, because after thinking about it for a solid 1 minute Supernatural had so much potential to make Sam and Dean’s relationship with Mary extremely strange, but in a “I just came back from the dead and to a world I don’t know, I cannot handle being a mom to 2 grown adults who are older than me so actually we’re siblings now” kind of way. Hear me out.

Just... imagine. You’re 29, you have 2 sons, one who’s 4-years-old and the other who is only 6 months. You die. 33 years later, you’re alive again but you’re still 29, and you’re faced with your 2 now adult sons, one who is now 8 years older than you, and the other 4 years older. Your sons are literally now older than you. They have experienced life for longer than you have. Your oldest has wrinkles and you don’t. How fucking weird is that!!

Just the... complexity that kind of relationship would have. I did love how they approached Mary in the show, how they had Dean confront her and how we later find out that Amara brought her back just so Dean could face reality and not paint his mum as a saint but like... it could’ve been so much more weird. That kind of situation just calls for weird. 

That scene where Mary ordered them dinner should have been so much more awkward and not as comfortable and light-hearted as it was. What if Mary just outright told them “I don’t cook” and they’re like “uh... okay, well, we could order?” and she perks up like “order?” and she’s thinking oh cool they’ll just call the nearest pizza place but no, her sons pull out a mobile phone and they try to teach her how to use the app but she just gets frustrated and doesn’t get it so they give up, Dean orders and they spend the time waiting teaching her how to use a phone. And okay kids are usually teaching their parents how to use technology but this is just weird because her sons are older than her. Then the food gets there and she’s like “why don’t I serve it?” because that’s what mothers do, right? But it feels weird and awkward and wrong because they’re grown men so she shouldn’t have to mother them, right? And they eat in silence and it’s so fucking awkward and all of them know it’s awkward and after a moment Mary goes “... Dean, do you uh... do you still like pie?” and he says yes and it’s a huge fucking relief but at the same time it’s fucking not because that’s all she knows!! that’s all she knows about her son and thank fuck he still likes pie but that’s all she knows.

And just- Mary having a full breakdown because she always wanted to be a mother, that’s all she wanted. She just wanted to drop the hunter life and be a mother and just live a normal fucking life for once and she can’t. She can’t. That life was ripped away from her and now her sons are adults and older than her and she didn’t raise them and they’re hunters and she’s a hunter again and she can’t be a mother. Her sons are hunters and she never wanted that and it makes her nauseous and makes her head hurt. And Sam and Dean find her sobbing in one of the bathrooms next to the toilet and they hold her close until she stops shaking. They comfort her because she can’t comfort them. She only knows how to be a mother to a 4-year-old and a baby, she can’t be a mother to them. 

And you know what? Sam and Dean are oddly okay with that. All they wanted growing up was a mother to care for them, to cook them food and be there to hold them when things got bad. But now that they have their mother in front of them? They realise that they don’t really... need her. Not Mary sepcifically, but just a mother. They’ve survived the past 33 years without a mother, and sure it was shitty but it happened and they’re used to it. They’re grown men, they don’t need a mother. Sure, it would’ve been nice but when Mary tried again the next day by making them scrambled eggs with a forced smile they just cringed. They don’t need a mother. It sucks, and they wish so bad that they had one growing up, maybe things would’ve been better, but they’ve dealt with this for the past 33 years and they’re good. 

So, okay, she’s not their mum. She is, but she’s not. Really, they’re just strangers trying to get to know each other. And so they do. They spend time together, so much they eventually become insperable. Not in a separation anxiety kind of way, but when Mary isn’t desperately trying to play the mother role the three just click and make a kickass team. They can’t call her “mom” in public because she obviously looks younger than them so when they’re out shopping or anywhere else they just call her Mary and introduce her as their sister. It works, it’s believable because they look related, they are, but no one blinks when they refer to her as a sister. 

And eventually they stop calling her “mom” and start just calling her Mary. And “mom” becomes a rare word, a word used in dark moments where one of them is frantically putting pressure on a wound that won’t stop bleeding, or when Mary finally breaks free of the British Men of Letters’ brainwashing. But one day Dean takes a sip from a beer, puts it down and is quiet for a moment before saying “... I think we’ve accidentally adopted our mom as our sister” and Sam just goes “yep” and cue John Mulaney ‘you know those days when you’re like “this might as well happen”? adult life is already so goddamn weird’ and it’s just. that just becomes their dynamic. 

She’s not their mum, they’re not her sons, so the relationship dynamic they adopt is siblings. And the concept is so fucking weird but it feels more normal to them than her being their mum. She’s just now their little sister and they’re her big brothers and it’s like “huh. okay. didn’t expect this to happen but okay” 

Like it’s STRANGE but I think their situation calls for it!! This is SUPERNATURAL!! Let it be fucking weird!! She’s their mum but no! Now she’s their little sister!! Imagine the humor opportunities! 

Mary starts to date and she dates a hunter who isn’t aware of the situation and it’s like Sam and Dean act like protective older brothers and give the person the “you hurt her she’ll hurt you, good luck” talk but also

Hunter: so... ever thought of settling down and having kids? Mary, immediately panicking like should she tell them?? is this an appropriate topic to introduce on the third date? she can’t even wikihow this! she tried and nothing came up!: uhhhh

And also after Jack is born and I’m just gonna sprinkle some baby!jack AU in this, after Dean is like *points to Jack* this is my son and *points to Cas* this is my husband Mary’s like

Mary: damn... I’m a 30-year-old grandmother. I don’t wanna be a 30-year-old grandmother Sam: technically you’re 63 Mary: technically I died when I was 29, was dead for 33 years, got brought back to life and was still 29 so you can shut your face I’m a 30-year-old grandmother Dean: I thought we all agreed you’re more like our sister Mary: not when it comes to being a grandmother. I can’t handle being your mom but I can certainly handle being Jack’s grandma Cas: I’m confused... I thought you just said you don’t want to be a grandmother Mary, holding Jack up: I’m a grandma now

[incorrectclonewars]

Since you're British what's your reaction to the queens death? What happens to the UK now that she's gone?

I was watching the news with my mum and we instantly knew something was wrong because everyone was wearing black, then one of the presenters announced that Queen Elizabeth II had died.

Even though we knew it was coming, we were still very shocked - my mum close to tears. We weren't much of fans of the Royal Family like a lot of other British people, we all loved Princess Diana and my mum would tell me how she found out (her brother aka my uncle told her) and that she and her mum (my nan) went to London for Diana's funeral.

Queen Elizabeth II has reigned for 70 years, she became queen at 25 and died at 96. She is the longest of any British monarch, I know a lot of people hate the monarch and they deserve too, but please remember that this was a women who me, my mother and my grandparents saw as the Queen. She is a mother and grandmother and she loved her family deeply, the children do not deserve to see their caring grandmother being slated.

I have never been a fan of the Queen but I am saddened by her death, as I said before that she was Queen for 70 years - she was Queen when my grandparents were children. She is the one I, and many others, will remember ruling our country and it's sad and strange to see her go.

As what will happened to the UK there is a thing called Operation London Bridge which has been set ever since Queen Elizabeth II was made Queen. There's quite a lot to it so I've included the link so you can read about it.

[blu-joons]

When Their Family Loves You ~ Seventeen Reaction

S.Coups:

His smile grew as he walked through the front door and saw your eyes turn back to greet him, noticing his awkwardness. “You’re going to hate me,” he frowned, “but my parents have invited us round for dinner tonight.”

As your eyebrows knitted together, his heart sunk. “I thought we were going to go to that new restaurant in the city?”

“I know,” he whispered, “but they were so desperate to see you again, I just couldn’t say no to them. They really like having you around Y/N, as often as they possibly can.”

“It’s alright, I understand,” you assured him.

He reached across to take a hold of your hand, “I promise that we can go to the restaurant tomorrow, I really appreciate you making the effort for them.”

“If your parents like me, I have to make sure I keep it that way,” you smirked, “dinner can wait for another night, but your family definitely can’t.”

“You’re the best,” he smiled, “thank you for being so understanding for me.”

“It’s fine, I love time with your parents too.”

Jeonghan:

As his grandmother walked through the house ready to greet the two of you, Jeonghan opened up his arms ready to greet her, only for her to walk straight through to you. “Is your grandson invisible?” He questioned her.

She glanced back at him as she pulled away from you, “it’s just been a while since I had the chance o see Y/N, that’s all.”

“I’m your grandson,” he reminded her, throwing his arms around her fragile frame, “I better not be second best to Y/N otherwise I might have to break up with her.”

“Don’t you even think about it,” she scolded.

Your smile grew at how quick she was to leap to your defence, “are you really going to throw a tantrum about the fact that your grandmother hugged me first?”

“I’m always the one that she hugs first,” he tried to protest, although the two of you barely paid attention to what he said. “Would you prefer me to?”

“Don’t be silly,” she laughed, “you should be pleased that I adore Y/N so much.”

“Not when she becomes your favourite I shouldn’t.”

Joshua:

You knew from the second you met Joshua’s grandfather especially that he was going to keep a close eye on you and take you under his wing. “Does Joshua take good care of you; I hope that I raised him right?” He asked you.

Your head nodded instantly, smiling across at him, “you raised him perfectly, he takes very good care of me, I promise.”

“I’m glad to hear it,” his father grandfather cheered, glancing between the two of you, “but you know if he ever steps out of line, you come straight to me and I’ll sort him out.”

“I don’t think I need to worry about that,” you laughed.

His eyebrows raised quizzically back across at you, “I know what this kid can be like, he’ll act all innocent, but I watched him grow up don’t forget.”

“Don’t make me sound bad,” Joshua whined, pleading across to his grandfather, “the last thing I need is for you to scare her off.”

“Am I scaring you off?” He asked you, “please do say if I am.”

“Not at all, it’s nice to know I can turn to you.”

Jun:

The time of the week when Junhui called his family was always the most important to him, hanging onto their every word. “I don’t suppose Y/N is there, is she?” His mother suddenly asked midway through their conversation.

Junhui stared back at her on the screen in disbelief, “you’re supposed to be talking to me right now, Y/N’s in the other room.”

“Please,” she cooed, “I just want to see how she’s getting on. I’m still talking to you, it would just be nice to check in with Y/N as well, see how you’re doing as a couple.”

“You’re just digging a bigger hole,” Junhui called out.

As he walked into your office, you were surprised to see him stood in the doorway, telling you what was going on. “Are you sure she wants to see me?”

“She’s practically begging me to come and get you,” he huffed, “either she really hates talking to me, or she loves talking to you.”

“I hope it’s the first,” you teased, “I guess I’ve got five minutes to spare.”

“You’re a lifesaver, thank you for doing this.”

Hoshi:

When the mention of a family photo came, you quickly stood to one side, offering to take the camera and the photo of Soonyoung and his family. “No way,” a voice called out from the back, “Y/N, you are part of our family too.”

Your head shook as Soonyoung stared across at you, “I’m alright just taking the photo, I’m not really family just yet.”

“Yes, you are,” his uncle called out, stepping out from the family, “now, come on, we can’t take a photo without the whole family. Stand by Soonyoung and he’ll show you the way.”

“As long as you’re sure,” you timidly responded to him.

Soonyoung held his hand out to pull you into his side, “now do you believe me when I tell you that my family see you as one of our own?”

“I do,” you shyly laughed, “I never imagined that they’d be so quick to jump in and make me feel so welcome in your family though.”

“They adore you,” Soonyoung smiled, “which makes me adore you so much more too.”

“I’m just relieved they all like me too.”

Wonwoo:

As soon as he walked through the front door of his parent’s home alone, he could feel the stares of several members of his family darting across to him. “Is Y/N not coming?” His aunt called out in disappointment.

Wonwoo looked across the room at her, “she had something come up, so she wasn’t able to make dinner this time around.”

“The poor thing,” his other aunt added, sharing her sympathies. “I was really looking forward to catching up with her again tonight, you’ve found yourself someone great in Y/N too.”

“You can still catch up with me,” he tried to remind them.

Both of them nodded at his suggestion, “and we will catch up with you, don’t worry, but it would be nice to see the two of you, not just one of you.”

“Sometimes I really do feel as if I’m second best to Y/N,” he laughed as he walked further into the room, “do all of you wish that Y/N was here?”

“It would’ve been nice,” his mum smiled, “but we’re grateful to see you at least.”

“Grateful? I guess that does the job.”

Woozi:

Your attention was caught as soon as you walked through the front door by a delicious smell that came from the kitchen. “Hi,” Jihoon smiled as he spotted you walking through to see what was going on in the kitchen.

You peered past his shoulder to see what he was doing, “something must be seriously wrong for you to be baking here.”

“Blame my parents,” he smirked, “you shouldn’t have enjoyed my mother’s dessert so much because she’s sent me the recipe so that I can make it myself, just for you.”

“Well, that was really kind of her,” you noted.

Jihoon’s head shook in rejection to your comment, “she knows that I can’t bake, there’s no way that I can make it as well as she did for you.”

“Can I help you then?” You asked, reaching past him to place one of the aprons around your neck, “together we can replicate it, can’t we?”

“I’m supposed to do this by myself,” he sighed, “she’ll just tell me that I failed.”

“She doesn’t have to know we made it together, does she?”

DK:

You could tell that something was wrong as Seokmin pulled you to one side at the family dinner, letting go of a heavy sigh. “What’s going on?” You quizzed as soon as the two of you had found some space with no one else around.

He frowned across at you, rolling his eyes at himself. “I just feel like everyone is ignoring me and talking to you a lot.”

“That’s not true,” you assured him, “they’re just making the effort to get to know me, I’m sure that they’re not intentionally ignoring you, they’re your family Seokmin.”

“Which is why they should be talking to me,” he grumbled.

You reached forwards and took a hold of his hand, “you’re overthinking all of this, they’re doing nothing wrong, and neither are you, it’s all fine.”

“I know I probably sound stupid,” he admitted in a quiet tone, “I guess I just didn’t think they’d get on with you as well as they do.”

“Is it a good thing?” You asked, “that they get on with me so well.”

“Of course, it makes me very happy to see.”

Mingyu:

He’d heard murmurs of your name around the table for most of the night as he attended his usual family dinner. “Where is she?” His mother asked once he eventually asked why you were such a hot topic for the evening.

He frowned back across at her, “she wasn’t able to make it, I didn’t realise it would be such a big deal for you all.”

“We like her,” his mother defended, trying to keep Mingyu calm, “we like seeing the two of you together, it’s been a while if I’m honest since I last saw you alone.”

“I know that you’re all big fans of her,” he frowned.

Several heads around the table nodded, “you’ve done well for yourself Mingyu, you should be pleased that we’ve all taken such a liking to Y/N.”

“I am glad you all like her, but you all seem more disappointed that she’s not here than excited that I am her,” he informed them all.

“Don’t be silly,” his mum laughed, “we’re all thrilled to see you.”

“It’s about time you told your faces that.”

The8:

Minghao was unable to hide his smile as he passed you the card that had come through the front door a few moments prior. “What is it?” You questioned, unfolding the card to see that it was a wedding invitation.

He sat down beside you, “my cousin has invited us both to her wedding and written your name in massive letters too.”

“She must really want me to come,” you joked, “I have to admit your cousin was one of my favourites when I met them all. It means a lot that my name is even on the invite.”

“My family adore you; they want you to go,” he hummed.

You closed the invite back up, turning to face him with a smile. “Well, I can’t be letting them down, if you want me to go with you that is.”

“Absolutely, my family would kill me if I showed up to the wedding without you anyway,” he laughed, “I should probably send the RSVP.”

“I’m meeting her tomorrow,” you replied, “I’ll give it to her then.”

“I swear you see my family more than me sometimes.”

Seungkwan:

As you unwrapped the present that his parents had bought you for your birthday, you couldn’t help but stare down at it speechless. “It’s better than what I’ve got,” Seungkwan sighed as you lifted the jewellery from the box.

Your head shook. “That’s not true, I love what you bought me,” you quickly tried to assure him, “both presents are great.”

“They’ve never even spent that much on me for my birthday before,” he sighed, “my parents really must like you to spoil you as much as they have done.”

“Am I sensing a bit of jealousy in you?” You asked him.

His head shook, trying to keep himself together, “I just feel like my parents have even outdone me, I’m your boyfriend, I should buy you the best presents.”

“None of the presents matter to me,” you promised to him, “what matters to me is that I get to spend my birthday with you, and not the things you’ve bought.”

“You don’t have to make me feel any better,” he smiled, “I understand.”

“I’m being honest, I promise you, don’t stress.”

Vernon:

As you walked into his parent’s house, you were surprised when you saw a huge photo of you and Vernon up on the wall. “It’s big,” you whispered, taken aback by the large canvas you had no idea to expect.

“You’re not wrong,” Vernon whispered, equally confused as you were by the large print that was hung for all to see.

“You’ve seen it then,” his mother smiled, wondering where the two of you had gotten to, “what do you think? I just had to get the photo framed, it’s such a lovely one.”

“I’m sure all the visitors will definitely see it,” Vernon frowned.

His mother’s smile continued to grow beside the two of you, “I just wanted everyone to see how in love our son is and how great Y/N is too.”

“No one is able to miss when they walk into the house,” Vernon sighed, struggling to take it all in, “it really sends out a clear message.”

“That’s what I wanted,” she cheered, “people can see how happy the two of you are.”

“They’ll definitely be able to see that by the size of it.”

Dino:

When his father pulled him to one side, Chan knew he was in trouble, but he never quite imagined the trouble that it would be. “Your mother is gutted that Y/N couldn’t make it tonight,” he sternly told his son.

Chan could only shrug back at him, “I’m not really sure what you want me to do about that, Y/N’s just been busy.”

“She thinks you’ve fallen out,” his dad sighed, “maybe just go back in there and give her a bit of reassurance that things between you and Y/N are alright.”

“But they are, she doesn’t need assuring,” Chan groaned.

His father sighed, tapping his hand against Chan’s shoulder. “You know what she can be like sometimes, just humour me and calm her nerves.”

“Even if anything had happened between Y/N and I, it would be none of her business,” Chan fumed, turning back to walk into the living room.

“She loves her,” his father whispered, “it would break her heart if you separated.”

“It’s a good job that we’re not separating then.”

---

Masterlist

[seriouslysam8]

Legerdemain Sneak Peek

Chapter Thirty-Two: The One with the Extractor

Lily stood at the foot of Teddy’s hospital bed with Dora sitting happily on her big baby bump. She held onto the little girl’s arms and bounced her up and down, Dora’s head thrown back as she laughed. Remus sat curled up against Teddy’s side, looking uncharacteristically sad and withdrawn. Victoire sat beside the bed, a soft smile on her face as she watched Dora laugh. 

“Oh! Dora! Baby Emilia is kicking your bum,” Lily teased the little girl as she felt one of the twins press where Dora sat. “She’s saying, Oi! That’s my mum!”

“My Lee Lee!” Dora squealed. “My Lee Lee!”

Lily leaned forward and brushed her nose against Dora’s, causing the little girl to melt into a fit of giggles once more. “I am your Auntie Lily and I’m your godmother and favorite person in the entire world.”

“My Lee Lee,” Dora said once more as she cuddled against Lily’s chest. 

She snaked her arm under Dora’s bum to lift her off her belly bump as her weight had started to cause her stomach to hurt. Lily rounded the bed to sit in a chair next to Victoire and get off her swollen feet. She had been doomed to wearing flats instead of her heels, but the flats didn’t feel much better. Her feet were swollen so badly that some mornings she worried she wouldn’t be able to even put shoes on and she’d pathetically have to seek out her grandmother’s help to charm her shoes wider.

Lily winced as she plopped Dora to the front of her belly and onto her thighs. Dora crossed her arms and rested them on Lily’s belly, her chin resting on her hands as she stared up at Lily with her wide cerulean blue eyes. Wincing, Lily kicked up her feet onto Teddy’s bed.

“Lils, you can go home, you know,” Teddy told her, his face soft and affectionate. 

Lily made a smooch face at Dora and the little girl bounced on her lap before kissing her aunt. “I know, but I am enjoying my Dora cuddles. Besides, Koko won’t let me leave by myself.”

Victoire arched an eyebrow. “He won’t let you leave?”

Lily sighed, her fingers running through Dora’s fine hair. “Not like that. It’s just… well, I asked Ko to stay with Albus when we found out Teddy was in the hospital. He said he would for a bit but he had a meeting with his dad about the Youth Quidditch League’s finances or something. He said he’d swing by the hospital to help me home afterward. He wanted to be there in case, well, you know. He’s just nervous ever since the penthouse incident. He barely leaves the house and I can see he bites his tongue when I leave to go to work every morning like he thinks I should just quit or take a leave of absence.”

“Dominique told me some of the stuff that Nolan has told her and, well, I don’t blame him for having anxiety over everything,” Victoire said. “I mean, it’s sickening the things they were forced to do and the way… the way they were forced to hurt you.”

Teddy’s head snapped towards Lily. “They hurt you?”

Lily rolled her eyes. “No! They didn’t harm me. They just… held me still while… you know, it doesn’t matter.”

“Jamie said you were pretty shook up but you seemed fine,” Teddy pressed.

“Well, I wasn’t going to tell James anything that happened,” Lily retorted. “He’d blab to the entire family.”

“Did you talk to someone?” Teddy asked. “I mean, does Dad know what happened?”

“Teddy, your sister is a grown woman who doesn’t need her dad or big brothers going primal when someone so much as looks at her wrong,” Victoire explained.

Teddy’s jaw tightened. “This wasn’t just a look, Vic, if someone laid hands on my baby sister-”

“Merlin, Ted, I’m fine! I told Albus everything. He was murderous enough for the lot of you,” Lily explained. “And I told him because he can’t leave the bloody house and overreact.”

Teddy sighed. “Have you met Albus? He’s a mini-Dad who wouldn’t bloody care if he went to jail if it meant protecting someone he loves.” 

“You better watch yourself because Albus will literally murder you for calling him a mini-Dad,” Lily replied as she looked down at her niece. “Dora, darling, my legs are going numb. Can you sit beside me?”

“Well, Ted’s not wrong,” Victoire commented as she leaned over to haul Dora off Lily’s lap. “Albus is a lot like your dad in more than just the looks department.”

“LEE LEE!” Dora cried as she stretched her arms out for Lily.

“Auntie Lee Lee has a baby in her belly and it’s very uncomfortable and your bony little bum hurts after a while,” Victoire explained gently as she cuddled an angry Dora to her chest.

“Yes, Albus is a lot like Dad but that doesn’t make him like it,” Lily explained, feeling slightly bad that Dora was so upset but she was just so bloody uncomfortable. “I would say Albus takes his grumpy sassiness to a level that Dad could never achieve.”

“I’ve seen Uncle Harry have quite a few sassy comebacks before,” Victoire replied as she rocked Dora in her lap.

“Dad can be really grumpy, especially when he’s in the hospital or in pain,” Teddy added. “Remember that time he was stung by a jellyfish on that Muggle beach?”

Lily laughed. “That little old lady told Mum to pee on Dad! That it would help with the pain! Dad just yelled at you and Albus to help him back to the house so Mum could perform some healing charms. I think that was the first time I actually heard Dad yell.”

“I thought she did pee on him,” Victoire interrupted. “Uncle George always said that’s what happened.”

“Nobody knows,” Teddy replied. “Mum was trying to heal it but it wasn’t working. Then she just closed the bathroom door and they placed some Silencing Charms and… they won’t admit what happened that day.”

“She so did,” Lily said, her face scrunched up. “I don’t think I’d want Koko to pee on me.”

“It depends on how much pain I was in,” Victoire admitted with a shrug. “And where I was stung. I mean, if I was stung on my face or something then that’s a hard no. A foot…” Victoire bounced her head back and forth. “I’d debate on it.”

“Ew, Vic!” Lily replied, her tongue sticking out as she made a gagging sound.

[mindofharry]

Forever | Chapter two

Harry is a gang leader — but he’s also a single dad. What does he need? A nanny. His 4 year old daughter, Harlow, is the only thing he cares about. The gang doesn’t even come close to his love for his baby girl. But when he meets Pyper Yara, his life flips upside down. And for the better.

Harry Styles x OC | masterlist | WARNINGS: guns and violence mentioned!

✧ ✧ ✧

“Can we watch Frozen now?”

Harlow asked and Pyper nodded, “Wanna know a fun fact?” Pyper asked and Harlow nodded excitedly.

“Elsa is based on the snow queen, it’s a book by Hans Christian Andersen.” Pyper said putting away the toys.

Harlow stayed silent, “Maybe we can read that?” Harlow asked, expecting a no. But Pyper grinned going to her bag and pulling out her own copy of the snow queen. Her grandmother used to mind her and they would read fairy tales together — the one Pyper liked most was the snow queen. Even now she likes to read it sometimes. She’s happy she gets to pass it down to someone else.

“Why are you out of breath?” Harlow asked and Pyper tutted. “I am not!” She said and Harlow giggled.

“Are too!” Harlow cackled and Pyper just shook her head opening up the book.

“Are too!” Harlow cackled and Pyper just shook her head opening up the book.

Pyper read the book, for thirty minutes and saw that Harlow was getting tired so she closed the book and placed her on the couch where she dozed off immediately. This is the time she would usually make lunch, she really loves this time. Pyper loves cooking and baking, so this part of the job is extra enjoyable for her.

“Smells good.” A voice said, Pyper looked behind her and saw Mr Styles leaning against the kitchen door.

Pyper had been working for him for two weeks now and this is the first time she’s seen him in those two weeks.

Pyper isn’t one to judge, but a simple hello or goodbye would suffice.

“Thanks. My grandmothers recipe.” Pyper said. “Wanna know a fun fact?” She asked and Harry blinked walking towards the kitchen island. He’s enamoured by her. Her beauty, her knowledge and how good she is with Harlow. That could all change when she learns about Harry’s profession though. Pyper doesn’t seem like she’s into that sort of thing.

“Sure, I guess.” Harry said leaning against the counter.

“Bowing was invented, so that the claps of people don’t hit you and make your ego big. So when you would bow, the claps would go over your head.” Pyper said, as she emptied the sauce into a bowl.

Harry opened his mouth and then closed it again, not knowing how to respond.

“I mean, cool? I think?”

Pyper giggled and stirred the sauce, “You’re very odd, Mr Styles.”

Harry’s cock twitched in his pants and he cleared his throat, taking his phone out of his pocket.

“You know, I like you.” Harry said and Pyper grinned at him.

“Well, if I knew you a little better I would say I liked you too.” Pyper replied and Harry laughed. Pyper wanted to make him laugh all the time. His dimple is exactly like Harlow’s.

“Maybe we should get to know each other then…” Harry said with a smirk, Pyper blushed and bit her lip.

“Daddy?” Harlow said in her sleeping voice. Harry’s whole demeanour changed and he picked up his girl. Pyper could tell he loved Harlow with everything he had. Niall had told Pyper about what happened with Harlow’s mum and with the amount of work Harry does all she can feel is the upmost respect for him.

“Hello, my baby love.” Harry said placing a kiss on her head, as Harlow cuddled into him.

“Missed you, daddy.” Harlow said and Harry sighed, rocking her.

“Missed you more.”

Pyper smiled at the two and placed down three bowls of her grandmothers meal.

“Yay! I love this!” Harlow squealed, wiggling down and getting into her chair.

“I’m eating with you guys?”

“Yes, no arguments!” Pyper said and Harlow nodded a mouth full food.

“Yeah! No arguments.” Harlow mimicked, Harry smiled and sat down in front of Pyper.

“Hey, why isn’t Harlow in pre school?” Pyper asked.

“I’m planning to home school her for a bit until I get a better plan of the future. I’ve got a lot of enemies.” Harry said, not lying one bit. Pyper narrowed her eyes and nodded.

“Well, I’m happy to stay here as long as you need me. I love it here and I love Harlow.”

“What about me?”

Pyper tilted her head, “What about you?”

“Do you love me? Like me even?”

Pyper nearly choked on her food.

“Mr Styles—“

“Harry.”

“Harry, sorry. I know absolutely nothing about you.” Pyper said with an apologetic look. “But you like my grandmothers food, so I guess that’s a start.” Pyper added, Harry smiled.

He is going to win her over one way or another.

It was the end of the day now, Harlow was showered and ready for bed. They had read a little more of The Snow queen, before Harlow passed out.

Pyper went to her room, that was bigger than her apartment. She still had a few things to do, but for the most part it was starting to feel and look like home.

A knock on her door startled her, she went over and pulled the door open.

Harry Styles was at her bedroom door.

“Wanna get to know each other now?” He asked holding up two beers.

Pyper smiled and nodded, “That would be nice, Harry.”

They sat on her bed and opened up the beers, getting comfortable.

“I don’t know why, but I feel like I could spill all my secrets to you.” Pyper said and Harry chuckled.

“Is that such a bad thing?”

“I don’t know yet.” Pyper said and leaned against a pillow.

“I’ll start. My name is Harry. I have a daughter. I run a gang—“

Pyper choked on her beer, “Hold the fuck up. Gang? Harry, that’s a good joke.” She giggled and Harry sat there with a straight face.

“I’m not joking, Pyper.”

“Fuck off, Harry. I’m not an idiot.”

“I’m not joking! I literally run a gang! Did Niall not tell you why he was rarely home?” Harry asked and Pyper pursed her lips.

“I mean, he would come home in bruises sometimes. I always had an inkling, but he’s such a good guy! I could never see him in that sort of business!” Pyper said, talking animatedly, her hands moving around as she spoke.

“Well he is. And I run it. I just thought I should tell you, now. Better now, than later.” Harry shrugged sipping his beer.

“Fuck me sideways.” Pyper mumbled and downed the rest of her beer.

“I would love to.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Your turn.” Harry said and Pyper nodded.

“I’m 23. Scorpio, but like not a mysterious one. I have a weird amount of knowledge on stuff and my grandma is my best friend.” She said and Harry smiled softly, listening to her intently.

“My grandma is like my mother and sister rolled into one. She’s never truly felt like a grandmother.” Pyper said and Harry nodded.

“Her food is pretty damn good.” Harry said making Pyper smile.

“She was a chef in France! She moved here when my Mum was born.”

“Can you speak french?”

“Tu es mignon.” (You’re cute.)

“What does it mean?”

Pyper smiled, biting her lip.

“Nothing important.”

TAGLIST 🏷

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