#what does she have if not the expectations of her parents and peers??

[atticfish]

aelwyn abernant healing arc fhjy. i am manifesting so hard

[pathologicalreid]

newly creds | S.R.

in which the BAU team wants to see your newly issued credentials

who? spencer reid x fem!BAU!reader

category: fluff

content warnings: marriage. changing your name. slightly suggestive at the end but nothing explicit.

word count: 498

a/n: first and foremost, thank you so much for 100 followers AND for almost 3k likes i am so astounded by this im just so grateful. i absolutely wrote this while i was supposed to be doing privacy law homework. very proud of the title too. also today is my birthday so legally you have to like and reblog this!!! please enjoy <3

“So, let’s see it,” Derek prodded as he leaned over your desk, obviously searching the surface of it for something.

You peered up at him, “Can I help you?”

Before he could properly answer you, Emily entered the bullpen. Her eyes found you and she hastily piled her things on her desk before joining Morgan next to yours. “Do you have it?” She asked, dark hair shining as she inspected your desk.

Obviously, you had missed some sort of memo about whatever ‘it’ is. “I have uh, half of a bagel?” You offered helplessly, gesturing to your unfinished breakfast that was waiting patiently for you on top of a napkin.

“Y/N!” Penelope called your name from the glass doors she was rushing through, “Did I miss it? I want to see!”

Spencer rounded the corner of your desk, slowly placing a mug of fresh coffee on your desk, next to your abandoned bagel. “What’s going on?” He asked, carefully bringing his cup of coffee to his mouth to take a sip.

You shrugged, “They all want to see something but won’t tell me what ‘it’ is.” You grumbled, holding out your left hand, “Is this it?” The whole team had seen your ring already, Emily, Penelope, and JJ had even helped Spencer pick it out. You wondered if maybe they all wanted to see the engagement ring with your wedding band.

“Y/N,” another voice called, you resisted the urge to bury your face in your hands as you turned to face JJ. “Did you get the envelope that was on your desk? It got delivered to me by mistake, but I kept it safe while you two were honeymooning.”

Your lips parted, “Oh!” Quickly, you realized what everyone was pestering you about. You and Spencer had just gotten back from your weeklong honeymoon. The both of you got to work first, just to find a package on your desk. Rolling your chair back slightly, you rolled your eyes, “You know, you all could’ve just said something.”

You reached into your desk drawer and pulled out your credentials before unclipping your badge from your belt loop. Handing your creds to Derek and your badge to Garcia, who squealed in excitement, you couldn’t help but smile at Spencer. “SSA Y/N Reid,” Derek said, sounding like a proud parent.

Spencer placed a hand on your shoulder, and you beamed, “I wasn’t expecting them so quickly, I don’t even have my new driver’s license yet.”

“Does this mean you’re both going to answer to Reid now?” Emily asked, smiling at the prospect of confusion.

Shaking your head, you took your badge back, “Not unless it’s a prank. Hotch actually specifically asked us not to do that.”

“Welcome back,” Rossi said, walking into the bullpen and passing your desk. “I sure hope the two of you had the same kind of fun I did on my third honeymoon,” he teased, winking as he continued up to his office.

Spencer choked on his coffee.

[steddie-as-they-come]

Eddie's hanging out in Family Video during Steve and Robin's shift, just being a general nuisance, when it begins.

The other two are talking in low voices in the back corner, discussing something Eddie can't hear. Normally he'd get up and go over there, insert himself into the conversation, command their attention, but he's too busy judgmentally rifling through Family Video's paltry horror movie supply to care that much.

He sneaks a glance over, and then he sees it.

Steve presses a kiss to Robin's forehead.

Eddie has to drop the tape he's holding before he does something stupid like break it out of jealousy.

And he knows, okay, he's heard it no less than eight million times, they're platonic with a capital P. That doesn't stop the little green monster in his chest from rearing its head.

It doesn't stop there, either. Eddie starts to see Steve kiss the rest of the Party. Simple little forehead kisses and temple kisses and kisses on the crowns of their heads, like he's their parent, which, well, he is. He does it when Dustin needs comfort. He slings an arm around Lucas and pulls him close for a kiss on the temple when Lucas makes a particularly good shot for basketball. He does it to Max, on one of her bad days. He even does it to Mike absentmindedly, who makes a feral screech like an angry cat before everyone starts to laugh at him. And of course, he and Robin are always all over each other.

But he won't kiss Eddie.

It's stupid that he expects it. They don't know each other. Steve's been with this group, been saving them from monsters and scientists and torturers for forever.

Eddie still wants in on it. If only to indulge his pathetic little crush on the former King of Hawkins High.

One night, Steve hosts a movie night, and Dustin invites Eddie along. He goes, because of course he does, and takes a seat on the end of the couch as Steve puts in the tape.

Eddie immediately forgets what the movie is, because Steve sits down next to him. His entire brain is a fuzzy kind of static that only intensifies when Steve scoots closer.

"Sorry," is the first word Eddie registers out of Steve's mouth, and he hastily tries to collect his thoughts. Steve moves closer, which doesn't help.

He peers around Steve and sees the kids all trying to squish onto the couch. "Scoot over, Eddie!" Mike shouts, and Eddie moves as close as he can to the arm of the couch. Steve follows, arm around him and thighs pressed close together.

Okay, then. Eddie can die happily tonight, apparently.

Something jumps at the screen, and Steve flinches.

Eddie learns a new thing about Steve that night. Apparently, when Steve gets frightened, he pulls everyone within reach towards him, like he's trying to shield them with his body. Eddie finds himself hugged to Steve's chest and has to employ breathing exercises to get rid of his new little...problem.

He somehow makes it through the movie without spontaneously combusting, a feat nothing short of a miracle. The kids run to the kitchen and Eddie can hear Dustin pick up the phone and say, "Hello, Paulie's Pizza?"

Steve sighs and gets up. "I did not say they could order pizza," he grumbles. He extends his hand to Eddie, and after a second of bewildered staring, Eddie manages to grab it and pull himself to standing.

Robin's sitting on the couch still (she had been on the other side of Steve), and she watches this interaction with an unreadable expression on her face.

Well, unreadable to Eddie, anyway. Steve and Robin proceed to have an entire conversation with just facial expressions, and Eddie is left in the dark about it.

Steve finally rolls his eyes and stalks into the kitchen. He distracts Dustin with a kiss on the top of his head, then steals the phone. "Hi, yeah," he says, and Eddie recognizes that voice as his King-Steve-takes-what-he-wants voice. "No, that's right. Two medium pepperoni pizzas and a side of garlic knots, yep."

He listens, then says, "I'll be over to pick it up," then places the phone back on the receiver with a click.

"I'm going to get the food." he announces to the room at large. "Eddie, you coming?"

"Sure?" Eddie slings his leather jacket from the back of one of the kitchen table chairs and slides his sneakers on.

The drive is quiet. Multiple times, it looks like Steve wants to say something, but he never does. When the two of them walk in to get the pizza, Steve grabs both boxes. "Can you get the door, Eds?"

Eddie wants to tease him about the new nickname, but he chooses not to, opting instead to nod and say, "Sure thing, Stevie." He pulls open the glass door and says, with a mock bow and a grand gesture, "Your majesty."

Steve rolls his eyes. "Thanks." He (finally!!) goes to kiss Eddie.

However, Eddie is not as short as the kids (and Robin) who Steve normally does this to. Eddie's pretty sure the kiss is supposed to land on his forehead.

It lands on his mouth.

Pretty shoddy kiss, as it were. Mostly, Steve kisses the corner of Eddie's mouth.

Both of their faces burn red. If not for Steve's sports-playing, monster-killing reflexes, the pizzas would be on the ground right now.

"Sorry!" Steve says, hurrying out to his car and tossing the food in the backseat. "Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking."

Eddie slides into the passenger seat. "Finally!" he says.

"What?"

Eddie rolls his eyes. "Steve, I've been the only one who you haven't been bestowing kisses upon for weeks now. Sorry if I'm excited to be included in the group."

Steve starts the car. "But...those are all platonic kisses."

Eddie scoffs. "What, and kissing me wouldn't be?"

Steve is silent.

"REALLY?" Eddie yells. "Wait, wait-" He leans over the center console. "Steve Harrington, if you wanted a kiss, a romantic kiss, you could have told me before cuddling with me all night!"

Steve sighs. "Fine. Eddie Munson, I'm going to kiss you romantically."

And he leans in.

Eddie's obsessed with the curve and dip of Steve's mouth against his. He greedily cups his hand against Steve's face, his other hand propped up against the center console. Steve tastes like the soda he was drinking earlier, mixed with something richer and deeper that's wholly, entirely Steve.

They break apart at a small crackle from Steve's inner pocket.

"Henderson," Steve says exasperatedly. "That kid is so damn impatient."

"Steve!" Dustin's voice comes from the walkie Steve pulls out. "Have you gotten the pizza yet?"

"Yes, you little shit, we're coming back now." Steve sighs. "Oh! Henderson, find Robin. Tell her it happened."

Eddie shoots Steve a confused look, but Steve just holds up a placating hand, a slight smile on his face.

"OH MY GOD STEVE!" comes Robin's voice on the walkie. "HELL YEAH!"

Steve cackles and leans back in to kiss Eddie, who happily accepts.

[gloomwitchwrites]

Just Like Dad (1 of 4)

Content & Warnings: referenced military career, domestic fluff, some humor, brief mention of pregnancy, canon-typical swearing, Simon is a girl dad

Word Count: 890

A/N: Part of the Imagines & What If Series

Filling out a parent questionnaire leads to Simon having to answer a hard question.

ao3 // taglist // main masterlist // just like dad

“Daddy.”

 A small fist curls around the bottom of Simon’s shirt, tugging. He glances down, finding his daughter there holding out a piece of paper.

“What’s this?” Simon takes it from her, his gaze shifting to the black ink.

“It’s for school.”

It’s a questionnaire. Simons scans over the questions quickly before returning his gaze to his daughter. “Give me a second, love.”

Simon packs up the files he brought home from work. Grabbing a pencil, he strolls out to the living room, his daughter on his heels. Simon takes a seat in the middle of the sofa, placing the paper and pencil on the coffee table. His daughter snags a pillow off the couch, dropping it on the floor next to his legs. Sitting, she stares at him expectantly.

Simon nods toward the paper. “You need to practice your letters.”

She groans. “But it’s about you!”

Simon slowly slides the paper and pencil over to her. She pouts but takes up the pencil, the graphite tip poised above the first line.

“Name,” she says, glancing up at him.

“You know my name.”

She squints at him and looks back at the paper, taking her time to write each letter. She holds it up and Simon smiles. It’s stilted and a bit sideways, but it’s there. She asks several more questions like favorite food and color. Simon doesn’t understand the point to it but they’re likely doing a project on a parent.

“Job,” she says, expectant.

Job. His occupation. That’s a fucking complicated question.

“Military,” he answers.

She frowns. “How do you spell that?”

“Sound it out.”

She does so slowly, elongating each letter as she writes.

Simon glances over her shoulder and chuckles. “That’s an ‘i,’ darling.” He points and she aggressively erases her mistake.

When she finishes, she looks up at him. “Explain.”

Explain. Explain.

Explain…what?

That he kills people? That he negotiates the release of hostages? That he faces violence every day he’s on the job? That he sees some of the worst in people?

How the bloody hell does he explain all that to a six-year-old girl? How does he summarize the violence into a watered-down version that’s digestible enough for her, her teacher, the other students, and her school.

Simon swallows. “I stop bad people from doing bad things.”

She blinks. “Do I have to write all that?”

Simon barks a laugh. “It’s one sentence.”

She silently mimics him, shaking her little body in annoyance as she begins to write. Simon has no idea where the attitude comes from, but it’s likely from Johnny.

“Next question,” prompts Simon once the sentence is written down.

She hesitates and then turns in his direction. “Can I be like you when I grow up?”

Could she? Yes. But the very idea of her in the line of danger frightens him. It twists his stomach, knowing all the things that could befall her if she were to follow in his footsteps. Simon’s gut-instinct is to tell her “No.”

“Why do you want to be like me?” he asks.

She shrugs. “You’re strong. I want to be strong like you.”

“You don’t need to do what I do to be strong.”

“Uh, no,” she says, matter-of-fact, peering at the next question.

Fucking hell, she’s going to be an absolute hellion when she hits puberty. Sighing, Simon rubs at his temple. For some reason, he glances away from his daughter, his gaze landing on you in the hallway. With your hand cradling your slightly swollen belly, you watch on with an amused expression.

Number two. Will this one be like her? Wanting to do what he does?

“Daddy.”

Simon turns back to his daughter. She points at the paper with the tip of her pencil, head tilted slightly to the side.

He leans forward. “What’s the next question?”

“What does your day look like?” She grins up at him, ready for his answer.

Simon hears your soft laugh from the hall, and then your footsteps across the carpet. Your hand reaches out to cradle the back of Simon’s neck. On instinct, he lifts his arm, resting his hand on the small of your back.

“Go on, Simon. Tell her,” you tease, knowing that he’s struggling to form an answer.

“Do you put your mask on first?” The question is innocent but Simon laughs anyway.

“No,” he chuckles, gently taking the paper and pencil from her. “I kiss your mother first.”

Simon drags you in for a kiss.

“Ugh. Gross.” She makes a face, tiny nose scrunching up in disgust.

“Still want my job?” Simon presents the paper and she snatches up in her little fist.

“No thanks,” she sing-songs, stuffing the paper in her backpack, crinkling it up.

You hide your grin in Simon’s shoulder, and Simon tugs you closer. “Good save,” you murmur.

Simon presses his lips to the top of your head. “She has one of my masks.”

“I know,” you giggle. “Found it under her pillow this morning. I put it in your bag.”

“Was it covered in your makeup this time?”

“Had to wash it.”

Simon shakes his head in exasperation. He’s not annoyed. Just perplexed. He doesn’t understand why his daughter wants to be just like him.

It’s because she doesn’t know.

No. She doesn’t know. But one day she will. She might even change her mind.

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[eddiethebrave]

steddie empath soulmate au

When Steve was younger, he had trouble separating what he was feeling from what he wasn’t. A lot of people do at that age. When you can tap into another person’s emotions, it’s hard to know the difference between theirs and your own. 

In school, they give a very quick, very unhelpful lesson on soulmates - only really saying what kids have heard on their own anyway. It’s unspoken that you’re supposed to learn about that kind of thing from your parents - and most of his peers did. 

In his house though, mentioning your soulmate was discouraged. Steve was expected to have a hold over his emotions and just know what it took other kids years and the help of their parents to learn. He was supposed to have a wall. He was supposed to be able to shut the door on his own. He was to know the difference between what he was feeling and what he wasn’t. And for all his parents knew, he did all of that from a young age. 

What Steve had done from a young age was learn how to hide what he was and wasn’t feeling. Like right now. Right now he’s giving his date a ride home from Lucas’ championship game while simultaneously feeling the most scared he both has and hasn’t ever felt. 

He thinks now he understands better what people mean when they say you can just tell when your feelings aren’t your own. For the first time in his life, Steve knows immediately that this emotion doesn’t belong to him. For one, there’s no reason he should be scared to death while driving Brenda home, and he hasn’t felt this scared since July. For two, there is absolutely no way there’s alternate dimension shit happening right now. That shit is supposed to be over with. Then again, that’s what they’ve thought since that first time with the Demogorgon, too. That time also happens to be the first time he felt fear like this. 

It’s such a crash from the high he’s been riding all evening. Everything was exciting and good for a few hours there. 

With shaky hands, he pulls up in front of Brenda’s parent’s house. He can tell that she’s trying to make conversation, maybe expecting more from the end of their night - but he can hardly focus enough to make himself seem at least a little bit like he’s not about to cry. He stumbles his way through a goodbye, not knowing what’s happening and before he knows it he’s alone. 

Usually, Steve would walk her to the door and probably make a move on her. At the very least he’d watch to make sure she got in safe, but right now he drives away the second the passenger door closes. 

He feels an overwhelming urgency to go go go. And he does. Steve drives faster than he ever has - barring the time he saw Billy’s Camaro speeding towards Nancy’s station wagon and t-boned the boy without a second thought. 

He gets home, and for the first time in months, he opens his trunk and takes out his nail-bat. He makes quick work of getting inside his house and locking the door, looking over his shoulder the entire time. He goes around the whole house making sure all the doors and windows are locked. When he’s checking the back door - the one that leads out to the pool, he hesitates, eyes lingering on the woods that line his yard. 

Before ‘83 - before Barb - Steve wasn’t afraid of much. He felt like he was on top of the world and like nothing could bring him down. Now, though, he only goes to the backyard to complete the yard maintenance expected from him by his parents. 

Steve knows that locking the place up won’t fend off a Demogorgan - that thing came right out of the Byers’ wall, no door necessary - but it makes him feel the tiniest bit better, more secure. 

He makes his way upstairs and stumbles through getting ready for bed - as if he’ll be getting any sleep tonight. 

He knows, okay? He knows that these probably aren’t his feelings and that there’s no need to be this revved up, but he can feel it. His heart is pounding and he knows deep in his bones that he isn’t safe. 

It’s not until he lies in bed that an immense sense of grief and guilt flows over him. Steve curls up, pulling his knees to his chest, and tries not to cry.

[woso-dreamzzz]

Boys

Magdalena Eriksson x Child!Reader

Part of The Big Adventures Universe

Summary: Boys are the worst

When kids are little, football teams are usually mixed.

Boys and girls.

Girls and boys.

Magda knows this. She doesn't particularly care that they're not separated. It's not really needed at this point when kids haven't gone through puberty and there's not much of a difference physically between them.

She has no problems with that.

She does have a problem with the parents of boys who think the team shouldn't be mixed.

"Good girl!" She says as you make another save.

It's been nearly a year since the move to Germany and it had taken that amount of time for her and Pernille to find you a little football team to join.

They don't want you at the Bayern academy. In fact, they don't want you at any academy until you're a bit older, when you're absolutely sure that football is what you want to do.

But this is a nice compromise.

You still get to play football but without all the pressure to perform that academies provide.

"Just push her over!" One of the dads from the opposite team yells," Are you really letting a girl beat you?!"

Ordinarily, Magda would have seen red but after the humiliating time she had the last time this happened and was subsequently told to wait in her car, she's not eager for a repeat.

So, Magda just starts clapping louder and yelling out her praise as you pass the ball off to one of the other kids.

This is a kid's football match so she can forgive a few moments of physicality. Kids can get a bit aggressive and it's clear, even to Magda's own biased eyes that you're leagues ahead of all of your peers.

In fact, that makes her puff out her chest a bit in pride.

Of course her little girl is the best one here by miles.

Your talent is obvious and your clear idolisation and perfect listening to the goalkeepers in your life has you more than prepared for a bunch of untrained kids trying to play a game of football.

So, all in all, Magda can forgive a bit of physicality.

What she can't forgive is the little boy who tugs at your hair after you save his weak shot on goal.

"Ow!" You yelp and Magda's hands clench into fists.

"That's got to be a red!" She heckles the ref, who looks to be barely out of puberty and not paid enough to deal with the yelling of parents. "Give him a red!"

"Pull her hair harder, son!" The boy's father says and while Magda can't hit a child, she can definitely hit an adult.

She shoves him back, crossing the field in quick strides to catch him off guard.

He stumbles a little before his face twists into outrage, spitting right at Magda's feet. "Watch it, bitch!"

The resemblance between you and Magda is uncanny so it's clear he knows which child is hers.

"If your kid can't take a bit of hair-pulling then maybe she should stop playing a boy's game and go back to doing her nails."

"Watch it!" Magda snaps back," Or your son is going to watch his dad lose to a girl as well."

"Go back to the kitchen!" He says back and Magda rolls her eyes," Football's a men's game!"

She expected a better insult.

At some point, they've started yelling at each other and the poor teenage referee has to slide between them to make sure no one starts swinging.

"Go to your cars!" He says," You-You can't argue in front of kids!"

So much for Magda not getting sent off again.

"Yeah!" The dad clearly doesn't know how to take a hint. "Come back when you learn how to play the game!"

Magda stalks away, throwing over her shoulder," Come back when you've won a league title!"

Magda stews in her car, arms crossed over her chest. She doesn't even turn on the radio, split between anger and working out how she's going to avoid telling Pernille she got sent to the side-lines again.

You practically skip over to the car, escorted by one of the parents that Magda's yet to learn the name of.

"Hey," She says as you pull yourself into your seat, leaning back so she can buckle your seatbelt up," How was the game?"

"You got told off," You say instead.

"I did."

"You should have punched him in the nose."

"Violence isn't the answer to arguments, princesse."

You frown. "Georgia told me that the only way to deal with mean men is to prove you're better or punch them in the nose. I proved I was better. You should have punched him in the nose."

"Of course Georgia told you that," Magda mutters under her breath before raising her voice again," But how was the match after I was sent away?"

"It was good," You say, rifling through your bag for a snack," I saved a penalty."

"You did?!" A pang of disappointment stirs in Magda's stomach. "I'm sorry I couldn't see it."

"It was the boy that pulled my hair," You say, trying to stab your straw into your juice box," He cried."

"Good."

"Yeah and then before Miss Sophia brought me over to you, he gave me a flower and told me I was cool."

Magda nearly slams on the breaks then and there. "What?"

"Yeah. It was kind of weird because he was still crying. Boys are weird."

"Yes. Yes they are."

"Are you going to get sent off next match too? Because if you are, can Momma come to my matches too? I want someone to be able to watch me."

[itsclydebitches]

Still thinking about "Dot and Bubble."

Specifically, I'm thinking about how the racists of FineTime aren't just written to be cruel and entitled, but downright childish too. Lindy - in a move that dovetails nicely into the episode's commentary on social media - has the attention span of a toddler, going on and on about how boring work is even though, from what we're shown, she doesn't have to do anything other than sit there and socialize, which is presumably what she'd be doing if she didn't have to work, right? But since this is something she has to do per orders of the gross old people, she complains. "You're no fun!" she yells at Gothic Paul, the only one in her group taking a mature stance on this issue (and, notably, the only one with a very small number of subscribers).

Lindy lacks the maturity and critical thinking skills we would expect from someone her age. Again, this is definitely a layer of the social media side of the episode's thesis, but she nevertheless demonstrates a kind of emotional dysregulation that's usually only seen in younger, developing children. Lindy does not think for herself and cannot adapt to changes in routine/the way things are "supposed" to be. When told a fact - the police are unavailable - Lindy repeats, "but I really need the police" over and over as if her need is going to magic up a change in reality. She parrots rules and rejects them in equal measure, driven solely by her current desires: "We don't do that [lower the bubble]."/"I can do whatever I want!" She moves from disgusted to infatuated to angry in the blink of an eye, with her anger characterized by childish outbursts and language: "Now shut up I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" When faced with something life-threatening, Lindy's response is to a) distract herself (by watching Ricky) and b) find a hiding place. Even taking her terror into account, she responds to these situations like someone far younger would. If I cover my eyes the bad thing disappears. If I hide under the bed, I'm safe.

And of course, Lindy's body is monitored in the way you would a child's. She's constantly watched by others, both her peers and, presumably, by the Homeworld. She's told when she needs to use the restroom which for me was VERY evocative of a parent speaking to their potty training child, trying to get them to articulate when they need to go by informing them of when it's most likely. Hell, Lindy literally can't walk without the assistance of this AI parent.

Yes, there are plenty of moments that evoke the very stereotypical, entitled teenager - talk of "partying," bragging about clothes, being obsessed with the guy online - but even more, I think, evoke the child. When Lindy plays the recording of "Mummy," smiling shyly at the praise before throwing out the kind of insults you'd expect to hear on an elementary school playground - "You're stupid" - she reads like she's a kid. Which is a hell of a commentary on her racism. The episode doesn't say that Lindy is literally a child (she's not, she even snaps as much). The episode also doesn't try to claim that being childlike equals harmless (quite the opposite). But equating racism with a childish, dangerously inept, can't-even-walk-or-use-the-bathroom-by-herself white woman... damn if that's not a statement.

[pandorafairy]

Secret Cove (Part 3)

Neteyam x Metkayina (oldest daughter of Tonowari, the chief)

Neteyam is 18

Contains: new character & secrets, Neteyam fluff, Neteyam jealousy

I break the surface of the water with a fish flapping around in my net. The Sully children, all except Neteyam, study the way I hold it. Kiri frowns slightly, like she’s unhappy with the killing of the fish. I paddle up to the ledge where they all sit, their toes brushing against the waves. 

“It’s our dinner Kiri.” I smile at her and pull myself out of the water. A few villagers whisper from a nearby pod, their eyes following my movement. Rumors about Tonowari’s eldest getting in trouble have spread rapidly. I act like I don’t see their stares. 

“Yea, I know,” Kiri replies in annoyance. Tuk stares off into the horizon, lost in her own world. Lo’ak stares at Tsireya and she pretends not to notice. Everyone seems fine but lessons feel wrong without Neteyam here. Lo’ak had said their father took Neteyam out hunting with the other men. Aonung and Rotxo had looked at each other with shared jealousy. I hadn’t said anything but I know it’s more than just a hunting spree. Guess Jake and my father really do want us to stay apart. 

“That’s it for today,” Aonung says. Kiri immediately jumps up and skips off, Tuk hurrying behind her. Lo’ak pats Aonung on the back before following after his sisters. I sigh. I’m not sure when I’ll be able to see Neteyam again. What if he doesn’t return to our lessons? Should I sneak out again? Risk being caught?

“Sister?” Aonung asks. Rotxo peers curiously at me from beside him. “What’s bothering you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine.” I smile at him, it hurts my face to do it but I do. I haven’t told him anything that happened. I just said that our parents freaked out over nothing. That he had nothing to worry about. That I’m fine. I know he didn’t fully believe me but he knew better than to push me. 

Aonung shrugs before challenging Rotxo to a race. They dive in the water and disappear under the waves. I should return to my pod where my parents are expecting me. Eclipse is soon, and after the trouble I got in, I can’t risk being late. But my rebellious streak still burns through me. I keep hearing Neteyam’s voice in my head, We already broke two rules, what’s a few more?

I’m so lost in thought that I don’t realize someone’s walked up beside me until he speaks. 

“Hey.” I whip my head to the side to find Issak standing beside me. He’s tall with light blue skin and a spear in his hand. His black hair curls around his temples. Issak and I were friends as children. Always swimming after each other and exploring. Our parents used to say that we were destined for eachother. Before everything happened. Before– no. I can’t think about that. 

“Issak,” I say, surprise evident in my voice. “What is it?”

He laughs, the sound rumbles from within him. A familiar sound, one I’ve heard many times before. “I’m just saying hello. Can I not say hello?”

I don’t respond and he tilts his head at me. “How is training the forest kids?”

I roll my eyes and start walking towards my pod. That’s what he wants to talk about? A million memories flash through my mind, mostly of things I want to forget. His footsteps vibrate on the path behind me. 

“Wait,” he says as he places a hand on my arm. “I didn’t mean that. I just want to see how you’re doing.”

“You care now?”

“I’m sorry, I’ve been busy and I… well I heard something about you.”  Dread curls in my stomach. I already know what he’s about to say. He keeps his hand on my arm. His four webbed fingers feel so different from Neteyam’s five soft ones.

 “Did you steal the special alcohol? The ones we use for celebration?” 

The whole village really does know. I try not to groan. “No, I didn’t.” I move to push past him but he places his other hand on my shoulder, blocking me. 

“I’m not judging. We did things we shouldn’t have back when…” he shrugs. “Anyway, can you grab some alcohol for me? Who knows when the Tulkun will be back and we can have a celebration.” 

I freeze. Things we shouldn’t have. I can’t deal with Issak right now. I forcefully shove his hands off me. “I can’t and I wouldn’t,” I reply sharply.

He tries to grab me again. “Wait, that not why I wanted to–”

“Don’t touch me!”

Someone clears their throat behind me. Issak’s apologetic face turns into one of concern. Neytiri stands behind me, her eyes narrow on Issak. He gives her a curt nod before turning and leaving me. 

Neytiri watches his retreating back with distaste, as if she can sense his energy, before stepping toward me. Did she seek me out? My mouth goes dry. “Is Neteyam okay?”

Surprise flashes through her eyes. “He is fine. Out with his father.” 

Relief floods through me as Neytiri cocks her head to the side. “Are you alright?” 

I nod. It’s an easy lie– I’ve been telling everyone that I’m okay. That I’m not bothered by the clan spreading rumors and talking about me. And now Issak; is he going to bring up the past? On top of it all, is the deep ache in my heart, my longing to be with Neteyam. Just to speak with him and see his playful smile. Neytiri studies me, her intelligent eyes looking right into me. I’m convinced she can see my every thought. 

“I was looking for you,” she begins and drops her voice to a whisper. “Up on shore where the trees grow taller, three hours after eclipse. A good time for a ride.” 

What? I’m about to ask her a question but she walks away immediately, disappearing into the village as my people get ready for dinnertime. I look at the sky, eclipse has already begun, sending orange rays of light across the ocean. Three hours after? A ride? 

~~~

I feel stupid. I’ve walked further and higher than I ever have before; I went past the mangrove and palm trees until the ground began lifting up, towards the mountain. And there has been no sound other than my own footsteps. Maybe I misunderstood Neytiri. Maybe she was just sharing some random tidbit with me? I mean there is nothing up here to ride. 

Not that I would know, my people never come up here, everything we need is in the ocean and on the shore. I’m starting to get cold, the night sky glistening above me as I stare at the unfamiliar treetops. The ground feels strange between my toes. That’s it, I misunderstood, and I’m going home. 

I’m about to leave when the ground crunches behind me. I whip around, suddenly scared in this unknown territory. Neteyam stands in front of me and pushes a wooden woven headband onto his head.

“Neteyam,” I breathe, feeling the air rushes out of my lungs. He takes two steps towards me and I run at him, throwing my arms around his shoulders. He stumbles backwards at the force of my embrace but quickly recovers. His strong arms encircle me, warming my chilled skin. He buries his face in my neck and inhales. 

All my worries and anxieties disappear, they vanish right from me, as they always do when I’m with him. Neither of us speak, we simply enjoy the other’s presence. After a few moments, we pull out of our embrace. 

Neteyam grabs my hand. “I wasn’t sure she would do it.” 

“Do what?” 

“My mom. I implied that I didn’t want to be alone tonight but I wasn’t sure if she understood. Definitely wasn’t sure if she would tell you.” 

I squeeze his hand. “She told me. Guess there’s one person who supports us.” 

“She likes you.” 

I hold back my surprise. Neytiri, badass warrior, likes me? I laugh in disbelief. “I think she just wants you to be happy.” 

A playful smile grows on Neteyams lips and he nudges my side. “Oh, you think you make me happy, huh?”

“As a matter of fact,” I nudge him back, “I think I do.” 

He laughs, his shoulders jiggle with the motion. It’s a sweet sound, almost addicting, like a perfect melody you just want to capture and listen to over and over. His whole face changes when he laughs, he seems so relaxed. I’m staring at him, I know I am. He notices and smiles at me, no playfulness— just a genuine smile. 

“You make me very happy,” he whispers. I shrug and make a face that says, I knew it. He rolls his eyes and starts rubbing his fingers in small circles on my hand. “But, my mom does like you. She said you have a strong heart.” 

I’ve never heard that expression. “What does it mean?”

“It means…” He leans towards me and kisses me cheek. His soft lips brush my skin as his scent fills my nose; saltwater and something muskier, like the wood of a forest. “You are brave.” He pulls away and moves to my other cheek. “And kind.” He kisses me again, causing heat to rise to my face. He inches his face up to my forehead. “And full of life.” His lips brush my forehead and I lean into him. I close my eyes as his arms wrap around me. He puts his head down so his forehead meets mine. 

Our breath mixes together in front of us. I open my eyes to find him looking at me, drinking in every aspect of my face. “And beautiful. A beautiful soul.” 

My breath catches in my throat. No one has ever said anything like that to me. I stare back into his eyes, feeling my heartbeat ferociously in my chest. I can’t believe how amazing he is. My mind goes quiet when I’m around him, like it’s finally at peace. A million words stumble through my mind but all I can say is, “That’s not me. That’s you.” 

He shakes his head, his forehead rubbing against mine. “It’s us.” 

I grin, my first real smile in awhile. Neteyam’s pupils widen as he looks at me. He pulls his forehead away and tugs my hand. “I want to show you something,” he says before tightening his grip on my hand running deeper into the mountainside. 

We run for a little until we reach a cliff. Palm trees cover the side of it but in the center, is an ikran. I gasp at the sight of it. It’s colorful wings, a strong neck, and beady eyes. The ikran grasps the side of the cliff, its beak beckoning to Neteyam. The ocean glistens from below. 

Neteyam watches me absorb this sight, his hand never leaving mine. After a moment he says, “I want you to meet someone.” 

Neteyam walks up to the ikran and makes a sound. The ikran behinds their head, rubbing against Neteyam’s strong chest. He rubs the ikran’s head lovingly before motioning for me to join him. I walk slowly closer to him, nervousness spreading through my body. I’ve never been so close to an ikran before. 

Neteyam grabs his hair and connects it to his ikran, making tsaheylu. The ikran’s eyes focus on me as they bend their head, inviting me to pet. I reach my hand out steadily and stroke Neteyam’s ikran. His ikran looks at me curiously as I continue to run my hand down his scales. 

Neteyam smoothly jumps onto his ikran’s back, settling his foot into a grove on the side of his saddle. He sticks his hand out to me. “Come on.” 

“No, no,” I say unsurely. “I’ve never flown.”

“It’s amazing. The view is…” 

“You go, I’ll wait here.” 

Neteyam looks at me, a smirk growing on his lips. “Are you scared, ocean girl?” 

I stand up straight. “No, I’m not. I just prefer not to be way up in the sky.” 

He laughs and shakes his outreached hand. “Come with me. I won’t let anything happen to you.” 

I swallow, doubts swarming in my mind. What if someone saw us? Neteyam’s hand glows in the dark, that gorgeous blue. Screw it. I take his hand and he pulls me up onto his ikran with a triumphant gleam in his eyes. I settle in behind him, my legs straddling his hips. 

“Not too high, forest boy,” I begin as Neteyam shoots his ikran straight up into the air. A scream hurdles out of my mouth as I throw my arms around his waist and hold on as tightly as possible. The wind whips against my face, causing my eyes to water. My heart beats wildly. We are flying completely straight up. “Neteyam!” I yell in his ear. 

I think he’s laughing but I can’t hear him over the roar of the wind. His shoulders shake rhythmically, as if he’s really enjoying this. I squeeze my eyes shut. I shouldn’t have agreed to this. His ikran goes flat. It happens in an instant, one moment we are skyrocketing upwards and now we are smoothly flying in a straight line. 

Neteyam pats my thigh. “You can open your eyes,” he says softly. 

I open them slowly and observe the view. The ocean looks like a dark blanket from up here. I can see the surf like white glaze across the sand. Our village looks so small. The night sky seems so close and the glow from it seems to radiate into my soul. I breathe deeply, feeling the beauty and magic of Pandora. 

Then I notice Neteyam staring at me. I take my hand off his waist and smack him in the arm. “You skxawng!” I yell. “You could’ve killed me!” 

“You wouldn’t have died… maybe just fallen in mid-air for a little…”

I smack again causing him to laugh. “I said not too high!” 

“But then you wouldn’t see this,” he replies and motions to the beautiful view beneath us. “Besides, I would’ve caught you.”

“Mhm,” I mumble as I lean my head forward and relax it on his shoulder. He continues to fly his ikran. We circle high above the village, over the cliffs, and past the reefs. His body warms mine against the wind as I absorb the feelings of flying. It feels like true freedom. I’m glad he showed me this. 

“Hey,” I whisper to him. He turns his head over his shoulder and looks at me. “When the Tulkun come, I want to introduce you to my spirit sister.” 

His lips break apart into a wide smile. “I’d like that.” He places a kiss on my forehead. I wrap my arms tighter around him, enjoying the feeling of my body pressed against his. He places his hand on my leg, his fingers wrapping around my thigh. I wish I could stay just like this forever. 

~~~

I sit on my ilu, absorbing the daylight as the ocean water skims my legs. The Sully kids, my siblings, and me, all sit on our ilu’s in a circle. Our lessons had begun early today but I didn’t mind. Neteyam is here. I had a feeling Neytiri said something to Jake about letting him come. I owe her so many thanks.

He’s right next to me, his skin reflecting the light from the water. I try not to stare. We’ve been keeping us a secret, especially from our families. But it’s hard. I find myself always gravitating towards him. He always looks at me from the corner of his eye. Or he’ll playfully try and grab my tail when no one is looking. Except, Lo’ak and Tsireya saw him this morning and they shared a knowing look. 

“What should we do next?” Aonung asks the group as we float on the surface of the water, the village behind us. 

“Let’s keep diving!’ Tuk cries from her ilu next to Kiri. 

“Argh, not again Tuk,” Lo’ak says and rolls his eyes.

“You never want to do what I wanna do,” Tuk pouts. 

“You always want to do lame things. That’s why you always follow us around.” 

“No I don’t!” Tuk says angrily. 

“Lo’ak,” Neteyam’s stern voice comes out. “Don’t start.” 

Lo’ak grumbles something under his breath as the others begin talking about other things to do. I giggle softly. Neteyam’s voice is so much deeper when he is trying to be stern. He looks over at me, hearing my laugh. He narrows his eyes at me like he knows what I’m laughing about. 

His ilu swims into mine causing me to jerk forward. I gasp and look up at him. He shrugs with a look on his face that says, I didn’t do it. I accusingly shake my head at him before telling my ilu to swim into his. Just before our animals connect, he dodges away. 

“Too slow, ocean girl,” he says confidently, an arrogant grin sneaking onto his face.

Oh he’s gonna eat his words. I’m just about to tell my ilu to swim right into his when an all too familiar voice speaks. 

“Hello.” 

My stomach drops. I turn around to see Issak swimming right up to us. Aonung and Tsireya wave at him. If only they knew… 

Kiri and Tuk watch him curiously as he joins our circle in the waves. Lo’ak and Neteyam both assess him, trying to figure him out. Issak greets my siblings before turning his gaze to me. 

“Can I speak to you?” 

“I’m busy.”

He smiles at me, his charmer smile. “It will only be a moment.” Neteyam’s gaze sharpens at Issak’s expression. 

I nod. I can’t turn him down without getting questions from my siblings. Issak motions with his head for me to follow and turns from the group. Neteyam watches me, his eyes guarded. “I’ll be right back,” I say. 

As I swim out of the circle, Lo’ak’s voice floats after me, “Yo, he looks badass. Better watch out, bro.”

“Shut up,” Neteyam responds, an edge in voice. 

I shake my head. Issak is far from badass. He waits for me a little ways from the group, his head bowed down as he pats his ilu. Every nerve in my body is telling me to turn around. Issak is a reminder of too many things. Things I don’t want to remember. He looks up as I reach him, his blue eyes twinkling dangerously. 

“Two visits in one day,” I say flatly. 

“You’re a lucky girl,” he smirks. 

I roll my eyes and look back at the group. Neteyam is watching us. I can see the tension in his shoulders from here. He asks Aonung a question. Aonung turns and looks at Issak before beginning to respond to Neteyam. Great, who knows what he’s telling him. 

“Got a thing for the tree lover?” 

I snap my gaze back to Issak, anger brewing in my gut. “What do you want?” 

Issak sighs and looks at the sky. I bite my tongue to keep from saying something rude. I look back at the group, Aonung is still talking to Neteyam. Lo’ak inches closer to them, straining to hear their conversation. Tsireya watches me worriedly. Neteyam’s eyebrows clench together and his eyes never leave me. 

“I don’t have all day,” I snap at Issak. 

“I miss you.” 

My jaw drops open. Issak reaches his hand out and puts it on my shoulder. I’m completely frozen. I can’t believe the nerve of him. He starts to rub my shoulder, his webbed fingers feeling foreign on my skin. 

He swims closer to me on his ilu so his face is right next to mine. I don’t move. Too many thoughts swirl through my head. He leans forward and says, “There’s things I want to talk to you about. About the Sully’s and the sky people. They—”

“Hey,” a stern voice says. My head snaps up at the familiar sound. Neteyam. He straddles his ilu, leaning forward slightly with a certain sharpness to his features as he stares at Issak’s hand on me. “What’s going on?” 

Oh, no. I shove Issak’s hand off. “Nothing we were–”

“Just chatting about the past,” Issak cuts me off with a smirk. He slowly places his hand back in his lap. “Our history.” He looks at me and winks before saying, “I’ll see you around.”

He leaves, dipping beneath the surface of the water, before I get a chance to respond. Lo’ak and Aonung watch from a distance, surprise coating their faces. Neteyam swims in front of me, his ilu greets mine. He raises a faint eyebrow at me. “So, who’s that?”

“No one,” I reply, not wanting to talk about Issak. 

Neteyam looks at the empty space where Issak had sat. He turns his head towards me, his golden eyes a darker shade than usual. “I don’t like him.” 

I laugh. The sound escapes my lips before I have a chance to stop it. Neteyam’s eyebrows turn downwards. “I’m serious. He has bad energy, ocean girl.” 

“Jealous?” 

Neteyam scoffs before glancing at me shyly. “No.” 

I nudge his shoulder. “Mhm, so if I went to see him–”

“No.” Neyetam closes his eyes like he cannot fathom the thought. 

“You are jealous!” 

“I’m not! I just looked over and saw his hand on you and…” He trails off, a small blush creeping onto his cheeks. I find his hand from beneath the waves and slip my fingers through his. 

“And what?”

“And I wanted to rip his hand off.” 

“Neteyam!” 

He sighs and squeezes my hand. “You can do anything you want. I’m not jealous.” He stares at me, his golden eyes growing darker by the second. “But if he lays a hand on you again, I don’t care who I have to go through or what rules I break, I will make sure it’s the last thing he ever does.” 

My mind goes blank. Neyetam’s gaze is so intense, I know he isn’t kidding. Something flutters in my stomach and spreads throughout my whole body. 

I struggle to find my voice and my words come out in one breath, “Sounds intense.”

He leans into my ear and whispers, “You can’t even begin to imagine.” 

I’m breathless as I stare into his darkening gaze. I’m not even sure what he means but his husky voice repeats over and over in my mind. I want to kiss him, reach out and grab his shoulders. But we’re right in front of the village, anyone could see us. As if he read my thoughts, he says, “Tonight. Same spot, same time.” 

I immediately nod, causing a curly strand of hair to fall in front of my face. He reaches out slowly and twists the hair around his finger before tucking it gently behind my ear. I can’t help but smile softly at the gesture. His fingers slide across my skin longingly. He pulls away and smiles before swimming towards the village. 

I watch his retreating back, how his dark blue skin glistens in the daylight. He’s so beautiful it makes my heart ache and makes my mind go blank. My stomach flutters at the thought of seeing him again, of flying above the ocean, and kissing him. 

Later that night, we went flying. I sit on the back of his ikran and allow myself to get lost in the sky and in his arms. And after hours of flying, we settle into the sand and whisper to each other. We share kisses beneath the night sky. His body keeps me warm and protects me. I feel so safe with him. His shoulder relaxes and my favorite smile of his spreads across his face. It’s a lazy smile, his most relaxed expression. 

He tells me things he’s never told anyone before and I do the same. Our noses touch as we laugh at each other and with each other. I feel like I could let all my walls down. And I almost do. Each time he gives me that smile. Or our lips collide. I want to tell him everything. Even what happened back with Issak. All the things we found out. But each time I open my mouth, ready to spill, nothing ever comes out. 

Neteyam holds me on top of the sandy cliff as we lay on the ground, his ikran settling in beside us. Neteyam’s breathing begins to slow and his eyes drop shut. I watch his calm face, so serene in his sleep. Everything will be okay, I tell myself but each time I close my eyes– I see Issak’s face with a lethal look in his eyes.

Thank you for all the support!!

I tried some different things with this part so let me know what you think. I'm not sure how I feel about it

Part 4 there will be: Tulkun returning, a celebration, and secrets revealed.

Do you guys like fluff or more angsty type scenes with Neteyam? Let me know what you want to read!!!! Also let me know if you like new characters or not (be honest lol) Thanks again<3

[themanfromeire]

Wolfstar's!Child - Mama Raised a Little Bitch

Parents!Sirius Black & Remus Lupin x Teenager!Reader (ft. Jegulily)

Reader's gender and Hogwarts house is unspecified

This is my first work of the series - if you have any suggestions or requests, let me know!

~~~

Fucked was not a strong enough word to describe how totally and utterly screwed you were now.

When you had first gotten your Hogwarts letter, your uncle Regulus had fallen to his knees (metaphorically) to beg you not to be like James, or your papa Sirius. Remus had joined in too, with both of them citing that ‘Sirius and James were bad enough’ as their justification.

With a promise you had intended to adhere to, you departed to Hogwarts. 

In your defence, you believed you would never even come close to breaking it - you had been going strong for four years now, dedicating yourself to academia instead of continuing the Marauders’ legacy, much to the horror of your godfather and papa.

They had made a big deal about ‘disowning you’, opting to name Fred and George Weasley as their heirs, who were more than happy to accept. You believed it to be a joke. For the most part.

However, now there was a blot on your record - a spill of crimson Chardonnet on a white bedsheet if you will.

A blot that came in the form of Hera O’Donnell.

With her snide remarks and condescending attitude, she strutted around Hogwarts like she were the headmaster herself - as a lioness scoured a savanna for a deer to sink its fangs in to, she paroused her peers, searching for the easiest one to prey upon.

You were her chosen doe. 

In her skewed vision, you wore shoes too big for you to fill - the weight of the Lupin-Black left you crushed by expectations and drowning in inadequacy, waves of failure washing over your head and coating the inside of your lungs with a thick layer of incompetence.

But your head remained firmly above water.

Despite her taunts and jibes being fruitless at first, Hera had hunted you down and separated you from your pack, and now, her teeth finally began to pierce your skin.

 Logically, you should have informed someone. You were not alone - your dad and papa were forever on your side, along with your godfather James, godmother Lily, Uncle Regulus and all of your aunts and uncles, composed of your parents’ Hogwarts friends.

But Hera awoke a different part of you. Something more spiteful. Something more primal.

Reporting it would not be as satisfying. As gratifying. But revenge would be.

If anyone asked you about what had happened to Hera O’Donnell, you would simply claim something along the lines of how ‘her appearance had improved with the addition of a skunk tail.’ It amused your peers, undeniably, but the staff not so much.

Even as your head of house sat you down and informed you of the consequences of transfiguring someone like that and the numerous procedures that Hera was undergoing at St. Mongo’s, having been transferred there for more specialist care, you could not find it in yourself to care. 

However, you absolutely did find it in yourself to care when a crimson envelope fell into your bowl of cereal the next morning. 

You had expected your parents to be informed of the incident, naturally. But a howler? That you had not. Staring at the envelope, Hera’s words swarmed your mind. What if your parents now saw you just as Hera had?

With a quiet sigh escaping your lips, and sympathetic glances from your friends, you opened the envelope, hoping to get it over sooner rather than later. The voice of Sirius Black erupted from the envelope, filling the entire Great Hall.

‘MON AMOUR I AM SO PROUD OF YOU! TRANSFIGURING SOMEO- Oi, Rem, get off! I’m jus-’

‘I TOLD YOU OUR KID WOULD BE A FUCKIN’ GOD AT TRANSFIGURATION!’ Came a proud voice of Remus Lupin, cutting your papa off. ‘LOOKS LIKE YOUR PAPA AND GODFATHER NEED TO REINSTATE YOU AS HEIR AFTER ALL, SWEETHEART!’

As Remus declared that, two very loud and audible sighs of disappointment left the lips of Fred and George. The howler continued, and the sound of a door being slammed open was heard before the voice of James Potter joined in the chorus.

‘WERE NONE OF YOU GOING TO TELL ME THAT THEY TRANSFIGURED SOMEONE?!’ James cried out incredulously and overdramatically, however, he quickly forgot his dramatics in favour of the Marauders’ legacy.

‘NOW ALL YOU NEED TO DO, PRIY, IS TO BECOME ANIMAG-’ the sound of skin hitting skin rung out as Lily slapped a hand over James’ mouth to stop him from accidentally revealing that they were illegal animagi, despite the fact that they legally could register, but they all couldn’t be bothered. James and your papa said it was funnier this way.

‘Darling, as impressive as it is, please don’t transfigure anyone else,’ Lily chastised you gently. She had to at least give off the illusion that they were disciplining you, but you could hear the pride underlining her words and the smirk on her lips.

‘Now, I think it’s best we end this now, hm?’ came the still sophisticated voice of your uncle Reg. ‘Unless we want the entire Hogwarts populous to know James’ social security number.’ There was a chuckle from both the howler and the Hogwarts students at that remark.

‘I want you to know that I am proud of you. The family needed something a little more…Slytherin.’ Regulus remarked before the Howler burst into flames and tore itself up.

Silence filled the Great Hall as everyone took a moment to stare at you and process what had just happened. You looked up and your eyes caught Harry’s.

‘Good job,’ he mouthed at you, giving you a bright smile and a thumbs up from the Gryffindor table, beside a very peeved Fred and George.

Maybe you weren’t so alone or fucked after all.

[dukeofdelirium]

????? creepy…? Aang didn’t view Katara as a mother or mother figure within his life, lol. Like, ever. Show me when and where Aang ever thought of her in this way?

Y’all are invalidating the love Aang had for his father Gyatso who actually raised him from the time he was a baby. Aang viewed Gyatso as his parent. He loved Gyatso as his parent. He proudly states to Katara and Sokka that Gyatso “taught me everything I know.” Stop erasing Aang’s bond with his actual parental figure in canon. Aang’s love for Gyatso and grief over losing him is what everything else in the story revolves around. The disrespect you idiots show to this relationship is ridiculous. We need to start gatekeeping this show I’m so serious

The first thing Aang did when he met Katara was to ask her to go play with him as the children they are. He then reminded her that she was still a child, too. Aang always viewed Katara as his peer and equal, his best friend—NEVER his parent.

If Aang viewed Katara as his parent, that means he would view her as having authority over him. Which he doesn’t. That also means he would expect her to care for him, which he very much doesn’t.

In fact, the exact opposite is depicted. Aang actually canonically struggles with and rejects Katara’s affections toward him, multiple times. It is portrayed as difficult for him to allow her to show him love, something he has to get over as the show continues. Aang never asks Katara for anything, and he doesn’t expect her to do things for him. She does all of these things of her own free will. Katara also hates that Toph views her as motherly. The only time Katara even speaks on this is when she is arguing with Sokka and Toph. Guess who isn’t a part of this in regards to viewing Katara as motherly? Aang. He doesn’t speak on any of this and the episode doesn’t focus on his and Katara’s relationship because they don’t treat one another the way Katara treats Toph and Sokka. The only time Katara ever acts “motherly” toward Aang is in that very episode, and it’s played for laughs… because she isn’t his mom lol

Also, the EIP episode wasn’t “insane” 😂 and it definitely wasn’t proof that Katara didn’t love Aang. If anything, she’s verbally affirming she does love him romantically. She just set a boundary, because she was afraid he might die and she would be unable to revive him like she had in the book 2 finale. It’s really not that difficult to understand…

Also.. if Aang getting broken out of the ice is a metaphor for …. Childbirth…. Then did Katara birth Appa too ? 😭😂 help it’s sending me

[nemuro-incinerator]

I don’t know if I’ve made this post before but every time someone mentions Utena awkwardly bringing up that her parents are dead all the time as a haha funny I mentally grip my desk because yeah! Of course she’s going to bring it up, people are talking about things she fundamentally doesn’t relate to and it’s awkward to be the one guy in the room who doesn’t get it! Even if Utena did remember her parents, the relationship between child and parent as a kid and as a teen are markedly different, and Utena has no way of truly understanding that experience as someone who does not have parents. Having a family is this fundamental experience by societal standards, and as such people speak about it with the assumption that everyone in the room knows and understands what it’s like. To lack family is to be an outlier, a variable ignored in general practice because who at a prestigious boarding school wouldn’t have parents, even if they sucked? Utena’s stuck in a room of people speaking Latin phrases to her and expecting her to respond normally, and though the “polite” thing would be to laugh it off, Utena says “hey, I don’t understand Latin” and suddenly everything’s weird to everyone else, but to her it already was weird because she doesn’t understand Latin. And while it’s not as big of a divide as a language barrier, lacking that shared experience is isolating, and having people understand what your situation is at the very least helps a little. In conclusion, I love it when Utena awkwardly cuts in and says “hey my parents are dead” because it shows this disconnect between her and her peers that helps lead to Akio’s control over her and because to me it shows that on some level she’s pleading for people to understand her even if she never says it outright.

[merakiui]

we know and love our breeding obsessed tweels .. but there’s an obvious candidate whom I haven’t seen given much attention.. and it’s our favourite apple <3

back in harveston, it’s been mentioned how there isn’t much youngins around .. apart from epel and his cousin .. but in terms of ppl his age??? 0 … so it’d be easy for his family to talk him into stuffing you full and getting you pregnant when you come visit one day… you don’t know that epel secretly introduced you to his family as his wife .. and that the analytical eyes they give you and your body was bcs they wanted to see just how many kids you could handle birthing naturally at a time… truly terrifying how they put this much thought into the time you need to rest before being full with his baby again .. bcs they don’t do hospitals but instead the women in the family use their knowledge (midwivery) to advise you </3

aa just the thought of epel and his family peer pressuring you into giving them kids and continuing the family line has you feeling all guilty </3 like it doesn’t matter what u want bcs you’d be doing it for the betterment of the village! how they convince u that eventually, when u become a mother, you’d find happiness that comes w it .. (silly reader … your choice and wants never even mattered in the first place! bcs if you showed resistance they’d just drug u and put u to sleep w epel’s unique magic and get u pregnant anyways </3)

truullyyy terrifying! beware of dear grandma’s sad puppy dog eyes knowing u refuse to give her great-grandkids! (lies … she knows what she’d doing </3)

also! can I be epel felmier anon? 🍎💜

OMG THE SOMNO POTENTIAL WITH EPEL'S UM........ how could I have missed it,,, it's literally called Sleep Kiss. T_T uuuwaaaa Epel wanting to practice his UM and you agree to let him practice it on you because surely it won't have any negative impacts, right? But he puts you to sleep and somno ensues...... or he puts you to sleep and the other first years are around as well. >_< you're like a practice pussy for them......

If anyone's going to gaslight and manipulate you into having children, it's all of Harveston. ;;;;; and most of them do it unintentionally. They just think it's so darling Epel has a best friend (read: wifey) like you who is the sweetest thing they've ever met. You and Epel make such a cute couple (of hopefully expecting parents). All of Harveston dotes on you, showering you with affection every time you visit. You're practically part of the village by now. Whenever you come to visit, whether for a holiday or a break, Marja always welcomes you with open arms, as does the rest of Epel's family. But it's Marja who is especially pleased to see you. She checks you over, asks if you've been eating well at NRC, asks if Epel's been looking out for and taking care of you, and so on.

I feel like the entire village would throw such a huge celebration when you finally become pregnant. They make such an event out of it; it startles you at first, but Epel explains this is just because there are so few children around and everyone, especially the elders, are so very excited to finally see the village grow and become more lively with young folks! You'll have everyone's full support before, during, and after your pregnancy! They are just so fond of you and are always encouraging you to eat lots (of foods that improve fertility, but you don't need to know that...).

[paraphwrites]

so obviously the time period a character comes from impacts them. but i adore the analysis of dbda and loneliness so now i want to analyze the characters + their time period + loneliness

edwin. so, edwin is from the 1900s. he was raised with the knowledge that he would join the military, that he would get married. this was an accepted part of life. now, i do not wish to analyze the full scale of edwin's relationship with violence (at least, not here), but i do think it's interesting that edwin goes out of his way not to inflict harm on others. this is potentially because he was raised in such a way where that was the norm, and he always knew he did not fit traditional male standards. he has always preferred knowledge and books to fighting and sport. this would have been incredibly isolating, especially as a young boy in a school for children of military members. additionally, as a queer person, edwin would have been entirely socially isolated from his peers. whether they picked up on it like simon or just thought he was un-manly, the point stands: edwin would not have fit in with his peers and seemingly had no friends when he died. which is very sad. and very lonely.

crystal. crystal's parents neglected her for their work. she lashes out. she lashes out and pushes people away (or in front of traffic). she is volatile and destructive and she is like this because she lives in an age when parents are expected to care for their children, and her parents still actively chose not to. crystal is especially traumatized because even tho she is in upper class which may have a higher rate of willful parental neglect, the expectation is still that parents love their children. moreover crystal is psychic, and that's never really been fun. she'll be completely different from all her peers in a fundamental way which she probably never talks about with any of them! so, like, of course when david, a demon, comes along, she lets him in - she's finally with someone who understands and makes her feel less lonely. someone else who's weird and angry and pretty and supernatural. and then he, too, betrays her. there is also almost certainly a race element, which may further disassociate her from her peers, seeing as the upper class is usually very white.

jenny. so jenny grew up as a lesbian in the 90s. now, i don't know much about washington state, but i do know that they legalized gay marriage in 2012. which means for over half of jenny's life, she was living with the knowledge that she would never get to live the same type of life as her peers; though the white picket fence americana dream may have been less prevalent by the 90s, it still was very ingrained in american society - especially small town society. i wonder if part of jenny's gothic fashion is to distinguish herself from other people - if she cannot have the same lives as them, then no one will make the mistake of assuming she will.

so the night nurse is lonely in a very unique way. she is lonely because she does not have a proper conception of an actual human life. she has no friends or relationships - nor does she want to; she does not know what they are like. and, i think, because she exists so outside of time and removed from society, that it makes her inherently lonely. she is lonely because somehow she was created and somehow someone convinced her that her only purpose in life is to collect lost children and she is satisfied with this but she is also alone. she has no time period to be contextualized in, and that in itself is the context.

niko is lonely because her dad is dead and her mom lives in a different continent. and i think that because she is able to utilize manga and cartoons as a form of escapism, it allows her to fill that void of devastating loneliness a bit more. she lives in a world where if she doesn't want to think she does not have to. she is not obligated to be courageous. however, she also lives in a world where she is able to choose to self-isolate, even if that isn't good for her. so when she is sad she hides away because she can and it's scary and she doesn't want to do it alone but she doesn't want to do it with her mom. i've seen people saying crystal is such a teenage girl but niko? niko wants her mom to comfort her but doesn't want to talk to her mom. niko is horribly lonely and it's only a gay victorian twink who can get her to smile again. niko is lonely because she exists in a world which allows her to be and it takes someone who is not from this time to help her move past this

charles. god, we all know how lonely charles is. biracial, abused by his father, probably bisexual, good with people yet killed via hate crime, morally upstanding. charles is the epitome of loneliness because he grows up in such a particular moment of time. he lives in the 80s. feminism and queer rights have been radically shifting in the past two decades. the 80s have huge amounts conservative pushback from these movements. so, yeah, being gay isn't a crime anymore, but gendered expectations are being reestablished in a new harmful way. so, yeah, charles is growing up in a time of progress, but he's also growing up in a household which will absolutely be anti-progress, and ergo charles is stuck in this dichotomy of he could hypothetically have everything but that would mean losing everything, too. he's lonely because his dad beats him. he's lonely because his mom doesn't say anything. he's lonely because he has a piercing but his dad locked him in his room for three days after it. he's lonely because he attends a boarding school which rich racist pricks. he's lonely because never once in his life has he admitted how the intersection of all his identities puts him in a situation where he is completely alone. and he isn't alone -he's got edwin- but their experiences with loneliness are vastly different.

as i have said a stupid number of times, dead boy detectives is a story about loneliness. and the writers made these characters so damn brilliantly because they all make so much sense in the context they were raised in.

we are all shaped by the context's we're raised in. everyone is raised at a different moment in history in different environments with different families. human experiences are so unique that everyone is inherently lonely. but lonely does not mean alone and lonely does not mean forever. it means when you were fourteen you cried yourself to sleep but now you're twenty and know how to play cricket and your friends come to all of your matches. it means you were raised in a world that was cruel and unforgiving, AND it means that because of that you don't have to be. dead boy detectives teaches us that we're all horribly lonely, and maybe that makes each other a little less lonely

i'll take some of your burden if you'll take some of mine, and whatnot

[readychilledwine]

Hello. Hope u r feeling good. I was wondering if u could write something again. This one is particularly personal to me. Picture it. Reader is daughter of any one of the bat boys. If cass Or az then single dad. She has been bullied since the day she started school as a child because she has a problem when it comes to studying. As she grows it's her looks. The ic, notices her behavior is starnge. Like, snapping at small things, crying when they correct her or raise their voice. She has never told anyone because she doesn't want them to stress out and the bullies said that she was so worthless because she keeps running to her father for everything. Her dad finds out soon. U can decide the ending.

Oh my love 💜 all three of our boys got you.

Head Held High

Summary - After being born with Feyre's looks, but illyrian wings, Rhysand and Feyre's daughter faces challenges wherever she goes.

Warnings - bullying, signs of low self-worth, anger, inferred adhd or other learning issues, older brother coming in to do the older brother thing while protective dad does the dad thing

You had him wrapped around your finger the second you came into the world.

His beautiful baby girl, wide eyed and filled with curiosity and happiness.

You truly were a stunning little thing, but how couldn't you have been with parents like Rhysand and Feyre? He loved you even more for being the small version of your stunning mother. Her nose, her lips, her hair. The only piece of you that screamed you were his were those star flecked eyes.

Your childhood was filled with love and joy. With you constantly praised for your looks, for your smarts, or your imagination. Rhys and Feyre never thought anything of your wild mind. They loved it. They loved how sporadic you were, how one thing was never enough for you to stay focused on. They loved your random outlook on the world.

To Rhys, Feyre, and your significantly older brother Nyx, you were the world. They sheltered and loved you, thick and thin, protecting you from darkness and meaness at every turn.

It wasn't until you began lessons that you truly saw how unkind fae, especially those your own age could be.

You hated school and struggled to focus during lessons. You were busy, you told yourself in your little mind. Busy day dreaming of far away places, daring sword fights, a knight just like daddy or Uncle Az and Cass, mainly Uncle Az if you were honest with yourself, rescuing you from enemies.

Your grades reflected that. As did how your peers treated you.

"Silly y/n," one girl giggled when she thought you couldn't hear. "It's a good thing she's pretty, 'cause she's dumb."

"Her mommy couldn't read either. Maybe that's why."

In class the jabs were subtle enough that your teacher didn't notice, and when they did, nothing was done.

No one at home noticed either. No one noticed when you began to hide away more, when you stopped playing with your big brother after school. No one noticed when you weren't dreaming about being rescued anymore, but instead dreamed of running away.

Things did not get better when you were sent to Illyria, Uncle Cass and Aunt Nesta in tow, to begin training. You knew comments about your intelligence would be coming. You'd never expected comments about your looks, though.

"Imagine looking like your mom and trying to pass as an Illyrian."

"Her mom isn't even that pretty."

"Never said she was either."

You'd hide behind your wings constantly in public. You'd started eating alone. Stopped talking at home.

Cassian had tried asking what was wrong one night. His large hand running up and down your back as he spoke gently enough to you to shatter your aching heart a little more. "Just leave me alone!" You finally screamed at him. "I just want to be alone."

He wrote it off as homesickness, calling for Rhys and asking the High Lord to come visit you.

Rhys noticed it then.

He noticed the way you tucked behind your wings in shame. He noticed you eating alone. He noticed you never had a training partner.

He noticed your loveliness.

"Darling," a soft knock came at your door. "We need to talk." You curled further into your bed, your father refusing to enter or leave without your permission.

"Little love, please," his voice was pleading with you. "Let me in. Let me help you." You felt the gentle claws on your mind and blocked him out harder.

"Y/n, please. Don't shut me out." You'd never heard his voice break like this. The Crack that indicated he was about to cry. "I know what it's like to feel like you're the outsider here. I know what being this lonely feels like and how it eats away at you."

You heard something soft hit the door. "Babygirl, please. Let me come talk to you. Let me settle any feelings you're having. Let me help you. Please don't make me force myself in."

Shadows appeared in the corner, blue reflecting in them every so often. "I have her, Rhys. I'll come get you in a second." Your father yielded then. Yielded you to the arms of the Shadowsinger. "I've been watching for a little while." He admitted, "we've been worried for a few weeks."

He sat down on the bed next to you. "You stopped writing all of us. I know I violated your privacy and independence, but we all know how being out here can be. We all knew there was a risk of you being targeted the way we all were and the way Nyx was."

Azriel placed a hand on your back, rubbing small circles. "Your dad is the most worried. He did not want to send you here. He wants to bring you home."

You sniffled hard, finally lifting your body and shifting to sit next to him. "It's not any better there. I'm stupid in Velaris. I'm ugly here."

Azriel's jaw tightened. "Let me go get Rhys." Your uncle stood, walking to the doorway and leaving it open as he spoke softly down the hall.

Your dad was a mess when he entered. His hair was sticking different directions from how frequently he was running his hands through it. His face was tear stained. His shoulder slumped in defeat as he practically dragged his feet.

Azriel motioned for him to sit next to you, shutting the door so the three of you were alone and pulling a chair from across the room to sit in front of you. "Tell him what you just told me, little bat."

Your breath hitched as your hands began to shake. You could feel your eyes watering as you looked down to your unkept nails. "Taking me home won't make a difference."

Your dad pulled you close to him. "It would make all the difference, darling. We'd just send you back to regular-" Azriel shook his head at his brother, silencing him.

"Tell him the rest of what you said, y/n."

"I get made fun of in Velaris for being stupid, I get made fun of here for being ugly. It wouldn't make a difference."

Your father's world shattered then and there. Azriel stood, leaving the room to allow you to time alone now that the truth was out. Silence hung in the room. Interrupted every so often by your soft sniffles.

"How long," your father's voice broke again. "How long have you been getting picked on?"

You shrugged. "Since you started sending me to lessons."

He nodded, looking up. "I'm sorry I didn't notice, darling."

You didn't respond, only holding yourself tighter. He started. "I learned around your age, that holding my head high and not letting others see how much their cruelty hurt me tended to lead to it ending, but There is no merit in either of those statements"

He pulled you close to him, resting your head on his shoulder. "Are you easily distracted in school? Yes. Uncle Lucien always pushed us to teach you outdoors in a less formal environment with private help. You would have thrived in that setting. That is on me, y/n. I picked a public lesson setting so you could socialize." He paused. His jaw twitching. "You are not stupid in any sense, though, y/n." He motioned to the countless books stacked on your dresser. "Those are all educational texts or intense world building fantasies that you have taken the time to notate in a color system with separate journals filled with notes. That is not the action of someone who is stupid."

He tilted your face to him. "And you are not ugly. There is not a single court or location in this world where you do not meet or exceed their beauty standards. Anyone who says otherwise is either in denial of their attraction to you or blind. I never want to hear you say you are ugly ever again, darling."

A loud slam interrupted the heartfelt talk as your other brother entered the room followed by your cousins. "This is nice and all pops, really it is. Touching." Nyx walked to you, getting on his knees in front of you. "Their names, sis."

Rhys hid his smirk. "I never said your uncles and I weren't also going to do this, Nyx."

The heir rolled his eyes. "You can have their piece of shit fathers. I get the ones my age." Nyx grabbed your chin forcing you to look into his eyes. "Their names, y/n."

You gave them to him without hesitation. "Be nice," you said softly.

Nyx froze in the doorway. "You have mom's heart, y/n. I have dad's. You handle it with kindness and grace, I'm going to handle it with my fists and intimidation."

Your father pulled you close to him again. "Never change anything about you, little love." He stood moving in front of you and tilting your head up by your chin. "Just hold your head high, y/n. Hold your head high, walk away, and let dad and Nyx take care of the rest." He placed a kiss on your forehead. "Now, if you excuse me, I have a camp leader to beat the shit out of."

He paused at the doorway, turning to you. "I'll be right back. I promise. Maybe you could make us some hot chocolate and we can have a cuddle date like we used to?"

Your eyes lit up for the first time in years, making him smile and laugh. "There you are, darling. My beautiful girl."

[starryinkart]

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Hey guys!!! I said I would work on a Uzi human version to match with my N human version, so here it is!!! I decided to make her a mix of Japanese and Middle Eastern, since Nori means seaweed in Japanese and I’ve have a friend named Khan who was Middle Eastern irl!

Since you guys like the headcannons last time, have some about Uzi:

Uzi was born with blue eyes and black hair, like her parents had, though Khans eyes were a more icy blue. When Khan started to neglect Uzi, she decided to mimick the appearance of her mother instead, seeing her as a role model after everything cool she heard about her around the colony, dying her hair purple like her.

In this AU, Uzi knew her mother before she died for a short time as an infant. Of course, she doesn’t remember much, but she does remember the play dates she used to have with her cousin Doll anytime her aunt Yeva would come over.

Nori and Yeva were sisters, both genetically modified to have the solver inside of them, making Doll and Uzi cousins. Nori and Yeva knew the consequences of having offspring with the solver in their veins but were actively working on a cure before Noris demise.

Uzi, Doll, Lizzy and Thad used to be childhood friends, but after Nori died and Yeva began to pull Doll away from her cousin to protect her from any trace of the solver, Doll and Lizzy began to bully Uzi.

Uzi came out short, like her father Khan, whereas Nori was tall, partially due to the effects of the solver.

Uzi's favorite foods are Philadelphia Sushi Rolls, Shrimp Tempura Rolls, Shoyu Ramen, and Khan Plov (suprisingly)

Uzi's favorite dessert is Apple Cheesecake!

Khan and Uzi used to have a pretty wholesome father daughter bond, but when Nori passed, he distanced himself from his daughter around the time Doll and Lizzy started bullying her, due to fear the solver may have developed in his daughter. Unfortunately we all know what eventually happens in the series and how Khan picked the worst time in her life to try and rekindle a bond with her.

Uzi has a scar on her left shoulder from N stabbing her with his wing in the Pilot, but honestly she doesn't care if people see it, unlike N who's self concious about his scars, and she thinks it looks cool.

Once she begins to be taken over by the solver, her thirst for oil is uncontrollable, though she HATES the taste of it.

Uzi's favorite anime is Chainsaw Man, though N thinks it's to gorey.

N taught Uzi to fly with her wings, and it went...as well as you could expect the first few times, but eventually she learned.

Sometimes Uzi has moments where she doesn't remember certain events in the day like what she ate for breakfeast or what she did that day in school, and her mind sort of blips all over the place ever since her solver powers were activated. She doesn't know this, but whenever that happens the solver is slowly getting acustomed to her body, putting her conciousness to "rest" while it tries out her body.

N and Uzi's favorite activity is to watch the sun rise together from inside an abandoned building they have made their "treehouse" of sorts. V doesn't know about it, and it's filled to the brim with comfort items, furniture and decorations for whenever they decide to stay out too late and no make it back home to risk burning up.

Uzi's favorite animal is cows!

Uzi and N spoon each other often, even when they were just friends, because the warmth of their bodies makes them feel safe and loved.

Uzi's favorite subject is Science and anything to do with being hands on. She likes learning and school, but just "dislikes" likes and doesn't know how to speak to them without being bullied her peers with a passion.

Uzi can be very motherly and protective, and is actually very nuturing and kind underneath her edginess.

She'll NEVER tell V this to her face, but she's grown to love V as a big sister of sorts and cares about her as much as N.

Her favorite color purple. She thinks it makes her and N match look cool but you didnt hear that from her.

She likes alot of metal and hardstyle types of music, but acutally enjoy's N's upbeat and pop music from the late 1900's and early 2000's human era more than she lets on.

She doesn't like when N uses his deeper voice and whispers in her ear...it makes her feel...weird. But in a good way- wait what?

She loves to draw and totally doesn't have sketches of her, N and V as superhero anime characters, her and N building a neural network together in her sketchbook. EW. GROSS.

>> PS. This is part of my Murder Drones Skin and Bones AU!

I didn't know how to end this, but I will say Im totally doing the other characters! Next is V!

____________________________________________________________

ALSOOOOO…

THANKYOU ALL FOR 1,000 FOLLOWERS GUYS!!!

IM WORKING ON A BUNCH OF STUFF LIKE ANIMATIONS ON YOUTUBE, MORE AU THINGS, AND WORKING ON MY ABSOLUTELY FANFIC! I'm hoping to expand more on my comics on Tumblr like my @thedarknessyouhold and the Murder Drones universe as a whole, so stick around for some awesome stuff coming soon!

My commisions are also open! You can find them on my KO-FI HERE and HERE !

You can ALSO find updates and sneak peeks sometimes as well!

AND my LINKTREE HERE!

[upat4amwiththemoon]

I’m not sure if you’re taking requests, but if you are…Reader is the child of Maya and Carina. R is feeling a bit neglected by their moms. Missing events, pulling crazy hours at work, not really being there for Reader. R tries to confront Maya and Carina, but they don’t know what to do about crazy schedules. They work really hard to make reader feel more secure and loved by them. If you’re not taking requests, then please ignore this.

Time management

Summary: Showing up matters.

Pairing: Marina x daughter!reader

Warnings: a pinch of angst

Word count: 2075

a/n: what do you mean some of these are based on my experiences?? You can’t prove that!

masterlists | guidelines

Y/N takes a few deep breaths as she waits for her turn in the backstage area. She’s going through her lines in her head, making sure she won’t forget anything once she steps on the small stage, even though this isn’t the opening night.

She has been part of a youth theatre group for over two years now, and this is the first time she has gotten the lead role. Her nerves are high, but so is her excitement. This is a big moment for her, she is proud of herself, and she really hopes her moms will be proud of her too.

As her costar finishes their line, Y/N rolls her shoulders back, straightens her posture, and walks out to the stage. She starts speaking her lines to the audience, not yet acknowledging the other actor on the stage, this is her character’s inner monologue.

Her eyes scan over the crowd of people as discreetly as possible. There isn’t one empty chair in the room. This play became fairly popular after getting a spot in the local newspaper. She showed the page to her moms, practically glowing with pride. Her face isn’t showing any changes, but her mind is turning blue. Her mothers aren’t here. It is the last show, and her mothers aren’t here.

Still, she continues on. And she does wonderfully. All the teens come up to the stage at the end and take a bow as they listen to the applause with wide smiles. Someone’s parent brought everyone flowers, and it makes Y/N bitter, but she smiles and thanks them, her grip tight on the bouquet.

After changing out of her costume and packing her things, Y/N walks back home. It’s only a fifteen minute walk, so she is unlocking the front door by no time.

“I’m home!” She yells out, shutting the door and throwing her keys on the table in the hallway. “Anybody here?” Kicking off her shoes, she walks deeper into the house, only to find it empty.

Y/N sighs and walks into her room. She should’ve expected this. Both of her moms have demanding jobs, they won’t be able to attend to all of her achievements..or any of them.

This is just how it is.

Y/N’s hand shakes as she holds onto a piece of paper. It’s already crumbled by her grip, but she makes sure the text in it is still readable. Her body continues moving slightly, either from nerves or the uncomfortable feeling of the hard plastic chair she is sitting on.

She lets out a quiet sigh. Her turn is coming up. Soon, she will have to get up in front of all her peers and their parents, and give a speech that she wrote. Of course, Y/N accepted this responsibility when her teacher came up to her and said they believe her to be the best person for the job. And who is Y/N to say no to that? An adult figure comes to her and gives her a compliment, basically telling her they’re proud of her. She craves that. She needs it.

A round of applause brings her back to the moment. The teacher in front of the microphone is looking at her with a smile on their face, they’re signaling it’s her turn next.

Taking a deep breath, she straightens her posture and listens to the teacher’s introduction of her. After it, she stands up and walks in front of the microphone, thanking them for this opportunity.

Her eyes glance over everyone in the room. She doesn’t see her moms, but Y/N doesn’t panic. They have to be in the back, maybe they got in late, she reminded them of this event too many times for them to not show up.

She unwraps her paper and places it on the stand. “Good morning, students and parents. I’m thankful to be up here today, especially when knowing my school days are minimal.” She smiles. “The last months of school are scary, I’m sure many of my peers agree, there’s so much uncertainty in change. What am I supposed to do after? Where do I go? Who am I?”

Y/N takes a deep breath, “I don’t know what I want to do with my future. The fear of not being or doing something great debilitates me, because wouldn’t it be a waste of a life if I never did something memorable.” Her eyes stay on the audience, only occasionally glancing down at her paper. She has memorized this speech. “My moms change lives everyday, one of them is a firefighter and the other is an OB-GYN, she literally brings new life into this world.” She giggles quietly, though her worries are growing by the minute. Her moms are nowhere to be seen.

“You’d think that with parents like that, my need to change the world would be bigger. But they’re actually the reason why they shrink every day. They tell me that life isn’t about doing something big and great that future generations will remember you for. It’s about love, friends, family, the goodness of your heart, it’s about making yourself proud.” Y/N turns the page around. “My mother Maya tells me to imagine being with little me and telling her about my life. Would she be happy? Would her eyes shine in wonder because she knows I haven’t forgotten her?”

Swallowing, her eyes cast down. She’s gripping the sides of the paper tighter now. Her moms aren’t here. “I would like to say yes. Because even though I haven’t always done the right thing, she would still hug me and tell me it’s okay, because I’m still me, no matter what. You know why?” She looks at the audience with a lopsided smile, “because even though I can’t always recognize my reflection in the mirror, my laugh is still the same horrible cackle I had as a kid.” There are some laughs in the audience, especially from her friends, who have heard her laugh before.

“So, change is scary and you’ll probably never figure out who you truly are. But that’s okay, the little kid you imagine sitting next to you knows, and they think you’re pretty great.” Y/N folds her paper and gives the audience a bright smile. “Thank you again for giving me this opportunity, I hope you all have a great day, and remember to stay true to yourself.” The audience starts clapping and Y/N walks back to her seat.

“That was awesome!” One of her friends whispers, holding her arm with so much excitement.

“My moms aren’t here.” Is the only thing Y/N whispers back.

“Oh shit,” her friend frowns, “I’m sorry.”

She shrugs and gives her a small smile. “It doesn’t matter.” With that, she turns back to the teacher who has gone back to the microphone.

It’s already two in the night and Y/N is still up. She is sitting on the couch, watching the television while she waits for her moms to come back home from work. They wouldn’t like her being awake this late, but she doesn’t care. She is angry, and sad, and she needs to yell to someone, preferably her moms.

The front door opens quietly after twenty minutes, it’s her moms trying to come in without waking up sleeping Y/N. Their steps sound slow and sluggish, but they’re still giggling together. Somehow it angers Y/N even more.

“What are you still doing up?” Maya is the first one to come to the living room, though Carina is right behind her. “Is everything okay?” She drops her bag down to the floor before sitting on the other couch.

“Where were you?”

Carina looks confused, “we were at work, mia cara.”

Y/N scoffs, “my school event was today.” She states, glaring at her mothers. “You know, the one where I held a speech that I wrote. I reminded you about it like a million times!”

“Oh, honey,” Maya sighs, “we told you we’d try to get out of work for it, but you know how our jobs are.” She looks genuinely remorseful, but none of that matters to Y/N at this moment.

“It doesn’t look like you tried hard enough. I first told you about it months ago! They couldn’t give you one day off with that much notice?”

“Do you think we wanted to miss it?”

“Well it sure looks like you didn’t care about it, or me for that matter.”

“Y/N-“

Carina tries to speak up, but Y/N doesn’t let her speak, “no! I do think you wanted to miss this, I think you’ve wanted to miss every single event I’m in. You know why?” Her brows are raised as she stands up. “I don’t remember what the last important event of mine was where you actually showed up. You’ve missed all of my plays, my school events, sports games, everything. You’re never there! Nor are you ever here. You guys never have time to talk to me, or, or help me with my homework.” Her speech is starting to get faster and tears are starting to gather in her eyes. “I doubt you even know what’s going on with my life anymore!”

Maya and Carina try to defend themselves, but nothing comes out of their mouths. Y/N is right. Even they can’t remember the last time they spent proper quality time with their daughter.

“So what’s your excuse, huh? You don’t care about me anymore? You don’t want me anymore?” She shrugs, sniffling quietly. “I’d rather know than wonder why my moms don’t make time for me anymore.”

The hurt and vulnerability in her voice breaks Maya and Carina’s heart. Their daughter should never have to doubt their love for her. “I’m so sorry, love.” Maya stands up, taking a few steps forward. “We’re both so sorry. We just- I guess we didn’t realize how much time we were spending at work.”

Carina stands up and pulls Y/N into an embrace, which she resist at first, but gives up and leans in right after. “I’m sorry, mia cara, I’m sorry. You’re my baby and I love you more than anything else in the world.” Carina whispers, tears falling down her cheeks. “You’re right, we haven’t been very good moms lately, but I promise you that will change, okay? We will do better.” She pulls away, setting her palms on both of Y/N’s cheeks to look at her face. She can’t stand seeing it with such a painful expression, especially one that she caused.

“You’re just saying that.” Y/N’s voice is more quiet now, her anger having turned to sadness.

“We’re not.” Maya states with a firm tone, setting her hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “We will start taking days off work, you’re more important. Do you think you could hold your speech for us now?”

Y/N shakes her head, looking down. “I don’t think I want to, not today at least.”

“Okay,” Maya frowns but she understands, “some other day then.”

“Yeah,” biting the inside of her cheek, Y/N wipes the wetness off of her cheeks, “do you think I could sleep in your bed this night?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Carina wraps one of her arms around Y/N as the three of them start walking towards the master bedroom.

They change into their pajamas and do the rest of their evening routine in silence. Y/N is the first one to climb onto the bed, already getting under the covers while her mothers whisper in the bathroom. She’s already half asleep when they turn off the lights and limb onto the bed, sandwiching her.

Carina starts playing with Y/N’s hair while Maya wraps her arms around her. “We love you so so much, you know that, right?” Her voice is quiet, not wanting to disturb her.

“Usually,” Y/N’s eyes are already closed, “but sometimes I doubt it. I really love you guys too.” She whispers.

Maya tightens her hold at the words. They pain her, but she doesn’t have anyone else to blame but herself. “We’ll make sure to remind you everyday.” The two women kiss Y/N’s forehead, saying their goodnights when they notice their daughter’s tiredness.

In their heads, they both vow to make Y/N feel more loved and cared for than she ever has.