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#so I told my therapist I’m way cool with telling people I have mental health issues
floral-hex · 10 months
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I’m fucking disabled
#I had this conversation with my therapist last week. I’ll give you the secret HIPAA breaking rundown#I HATE calling myself disabled#I don’t know why. there’s no shame in it. it’s just ya know it’s just what I am#but I still can’t get it into my head that yes I’m kinda fucking disabled#because here I am sitting on this creaky futon unable to understand anything anyone is saying to me bc my hearing is so bad#it’s a bad hearing day! it happens! some days are good! today is very much not so good!#so I told my therapist I’m way cool with telling people I have mental health issues#but when it comes to hearing it’s ‘oh no I’m not REALLY disabled. I just uhhhhh can’t uhhh fuckin hear sometimes 🤷🏻‍♂️ that’s normal right?’#and he’s like no my sweet boy you are disabled you need to own that shit#okay… he didn’t say it like that but this is my flashback please let me have this#let me be a sweetie boy in my own mind#he said it’s usually the reverse: people don’t like to admit mental health issues but will mention physical disabilities#I just… I spent 30 something years with great hearing and then it all just got taken from me out of the blue and no one knows why#and I hate that. I’m so angry. I’m so fucking angry and scared and alone#and I hate admitting that yes I am disabled. like really disabled. it feels like defeat.#and it shouldn’t. like I said it’s just kinda what I am now. It’s like saying I breathe or I’m allergic to birds. it just is me.#sorry I’m just having a rough day#I got about an hour of sleep and now I’m holding down the fort while a home inspector and the new buyer look through the house#and I can’t talk to either of them. I can’t understand them talking to each other. it’s isolating.#I have therapy later and I’m hoping I’ll be able to communicate and hear during it. I really just need someone to talk to#I miss talking to people in person. I can still do that it just can take a bit of work and I hate subjecting people to putting up with me#I feel so needy. I just want some human connection. I want to know I can still make this work.#gosh this is whiny. sorry about that. just needed a quick vent to get me through the next few hours#anyway I love you. probably. maybe… ehhh#you can ignore this#text
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briamichellewrites · 2 years
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24
Elliot was back home and had gone through an extensive mental health evaluation. After an hour and a half of medical and psychological tests, she was diagnosed with bipolar, PTSD, and Dissociative Amnesia. Since she was feeling feminine, she was using female pronouns. She learned that she had the symptoms of Dissociative Identity Disorder but the psychologist was hesitant about diagnosing her, especially since her mind was still developing.
She also had the symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder due to her trauma and alcohol use, but she didn’t qualify for a diagnosis. After the appointment, she was exhausted – mentally and physically. Phoenix had invited her to join the band in the studio but she had to take a nap first. She didn’t want to risk getting into an accident and hurting herself or someone else.
Not a problem. Rest as long as you need to. – Phoenix
Was Elliot coming? Yeah, she just had to take a nap first. She had told the boys about getting tested, so they were anxious to hear what happened. Two and a half hours later, they got their answers. She had crashed when she got home because she was that tired. Why was she so tired? The testing required a lot of psychological strength and endless questions. It was only ninety minutes but it felt like hours.
“I was diagnosed with PTSD, bipolar disorder, and Dissociative Amnesia. On top of my preexisting ADHD and anxiety. I’m on a new treatment plan and medication.”
“What’s Dissociative Amnesia”, Rob asked.
“It means that I can’t remember a lot of my trauma. I have random flashbacks and I have triggers. Those are part of my PTSD, but if you were to ask me about certain details of the abuse, I couldn’t tell you. My mind blocked that out. My therapist thinks that’s why my trauma doesn’t affect me the way it would for other people going through the same thing.”
What were her triggers? The smell of black coffee and Born In The USA by Bruce Springsteen, oddly enough. Her mother used to play the album over and over while getting her ready for auditions or going on set. So, it remained her of her mother. She had nothing against Bruce Springsteen. It was just that specific album. One of the symptoms of her PTSD diagnosis was trouble remembering traumatic experiences.
Her bipolar disorder was genetic since her mother had the disorder. She also had Narcissistic Personality Disorder and Histrionic Personality Disorder. Anyway, it was making her tired just thinking about it. How was Vegas? It was just as amazing as the last time she had been there. They laughed. It was different because the first time she was there, she was thirteen years old. It was familiar but it was also a new experience. Did that make sense? Yeah, it did.
Brad suggested that she had seen the city through the eyes of a child. This time, she was seeing it through the eyes of an adult. Yeah. It was also cool because she got to go to the casino. Did she gamble? No, but she was going to go back on her twenty-first birthday and have the true Vegas experience. Complete with an Elvis impersonator doing her wedding, too much alcohol, and some guy she met at the casino.
They laughed. How To Give Her Father A Heart Attack 101. Phoenix asked her about the puppy play date. Did he and Chester get puppies? Yeah, he got a Rottweiler and Chester got a French bulldog. Then they just had to wait for Mike. She was going to scoop out the dog park by her house just because she was curious. Speaking of, when was she going to pick up Bruce? Could she do it when they were done for the day? Yeah, Chester would meet her at his place.
Mike was excited about getting a dog. His therapist thought it was a great idea to help him heal. A dog would provide unconditional companionship and help keep him active. Did he know what breed he was going to get? A French bulldog. He had always wanted one but never had the chance to get one. The breed was known for being calm and cool. Well, now he had something to look forward to.
He mentioned that his band had visited him for an afternoon. That was the happiest he had been in a long time. Why was that? Because they were his brothers and best friends. They had known each since high school or college. Except for Chester. He was hired after a successful audition. Together, they were brothers first and a band second. They had their arguments and disagreements but they always came back together.
Good for him! He had checked into rehab mentally exhausted. Now, he was smiling and he had his energy back. He agreed. It was a complete on-eighty. He needed the help and he was so happy he decided to get it. It taught him about who was going to be there for him. It also taught him that he was not what the voices in his head were telling him. Could he forgive his ex-girlfriend? Maybe in the future.
He wasn’t as angry but, it would take a lot before he could forgive her. Brad? He had forgiven him. Why? Because even though he knew that she was in a relationship with him, he was not the one who cheated on him. Anna did. He was past his anger with him. Maybe someday he would find another woman and he would try being in a relationship with her. He wanted to be completely ready for that, instead of jumping in because he was lonely.
That was a great idea. How was he going to combat his loneliness? Maybe he could join an art class or an art group. Maybe there was a group for people of Japanese culture. Was he Japanese? Yeah, he was half-Japanese and half-European. His father was a second-generation Japanese American. They were very proud of their heritage and culture.
Brad learned from Anna that their daughter was developing the way she was supposed to. She wanted to send him the ultrasound pictures but didn’t know how. He would see them when he got home. Six months pregnant. He was getting anxious about being a father to a newborn baby. It was a lot different than being a father to Elliot. Both girls would be his entire world. He hoped that someday Elliot would be a part of her sister’s life.
From: Mike Shinoda
To: William Pitt
Subject: Meeting up
Hey. I know you’re probably not expecting an email from me. I just wanted to let you know that I’m not angry with you anymore. I’m past that. I was hoping you would like to meet up when you’re back in LA. Ellie said you’re working on a new movie? Please let me know. – Mike
From: William Pitt
To: Mike Shinoda
Subject: Re: Meeting up
Mike, thank you. I am truly sorry for hurting you and the emotional distress I caused. I deserved your anger. Yeah, I’m in Vegas working on Oceans Twelve but I will be back in a couple of weeks. I would love to meet up with you. Ellie said you’re in rehab. Would it be okay if I visited you there? If not, that’s perfectly okay. Maybe you can help me understand this gender thing. - Brad
@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless
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where did the pop culture trope of kids hating their parents come from? the like, commercial dad says something about when I was your age and it’s innocuous or mildly funny at worst but the kid is like “seriously??” in this voice dripping with sarcasm and gall and like.... it’s always either a joke or if it’s played straight at all it’s like oh noooo my evil teenagers do not love me, their good straight-laced normal father, despite my best efforts. and. I simply do not understand it? 
Like my dad didn’t talk much but I loved everything he mentioned about his own childhood. It was funny to imagine him on a dirtbike because that’s so unlike how he is now and he almost never brought it up but I loved to hear anything he’d tell me. I want to know who used to live in the old dilapidated house on the property and which war they fought in, we don’t really talk now and I’m already forgetting. My mom had the opposite problem, she talked too much, but I didn’t react with disgust that she was talking to me at all I was just overwhelmed that she was putting massive emotional burdens on me when I was way too young to deal with them. Like, the “mother treats eldest (or only) daughter (or afab offspring) as therapist instead of child, fucks up both of them in the process” is its own issue. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to hear anything about her to begin with but she told me in detail about these massive traumas she’d experienced when I was wayyyy too young to deal with them. And I did end up resenting her, but that happened as an adult and after years and years of emotional abuse and me repeatedly trying to reach out and fix our relationship and being pushed away. 
And I don’t think I’ve seen this parent-hatred among other young people either. Generally kids look up to their parents and honestly think they’re cool and interesting. It’s natural for kids to want to please their parents. So where the hell has this “aw kids are awful and mean and hate parents all the time” idea come from and why is it so popular? Like maybe if your kids don’t want to hang out with you, you’ve previously indicated that it’s not going to happen or will be an unpleasant experience, I don’t think kids will usually naturally just decide to hate their parents, who does that? Like I had one kind of distant parent and one emotionally abusive parent and I loved my parents right up until the breaking point when I was 23 (edit: misremembered my own age oops) years old--actually, I still love them, I’ve just realized I can’t be around them without sacrificing my own mental health, which sucks--so how is it considered “normal” for kids to hate their parents? why is it a joke? it’s not funny, it’s an indication that something is wrong. Because of my own background I’m just generally very biased in favor of the kids and suspicious of parents but seriously. “oh no my kids hate me lolll how did that happen” isn’t a joke. that isn’t something that just happens. It shouldn’t be funny or considered normal. If your kids actually hate you something is seriously wrong, boomer, and it’s probably your fault, because they don’t come out of the womb hating the people who hold and care for and feed and love them. You have to do something pretty bad to override the reverence most kids naturally feel for their primary caregivers. You teach them to walk, to speak, to eat, why would you expect them to hate you? Why would you act like that’s just a normal thing that happens?? I am getting so angry about this idk if this is coherent might do a follow up later but damn. 
I’m so tired of “teenagers” or even just “kids” or “young people” being a punchline and a joke and severely distressed behavior being laughed off as normal and funny and. stop. 
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deelitefulsimmer · 2 years
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I would like to share with you all what it was like to grow up with autism in the 1980s. Spoiler alert: it was awful.
It started in about 2nd grade, when kids start to understand social construct. I was the weird kid. I said things that were inappropriate, but I didn’t understand why they were inappropriate, and no one explained it to me. The other kids couldn’t, and adults wouldn’t. All they would tell me was it was wrong to say those things. Sometimes it was ok to say them, but no one explained when it was appropriate and when it was not. I think they just expected me to understand.
I remember one time in 4th grade I was at a friends house, and he all of a sudden told me to leave and never come back. I’m sure I said or did something that wasn’t ok, but I was so confused and embarrassed, that I just said I was sorry and left. I had learned not to ask questions, and just to say sorry and then try my hardest to figure out what I did wrong. 
Middle school was pure hell. Not only was I the weird kid, but I was also a large girl. I wasn’t fat, but I was super muscular because I was a figure skater most my childhood. I was also just a big kid due to having a large frame. I was teased mercilessly about my giant Polish nose, and being fat (although I wasn’t. I was slightly chubby, but mostly just pure muscle). I didn’t understand why people hated me so much. Even the nerdiest of nerds hated me. No one told me why. Not the kids, not the teachers, not my parents. It was so frustrating not knowing why I was so unlikable! 
I was a very empathetic child, and animals flocked to me. I could look animals in the eye without getting overwhelmed. They accepted me no matter how weird I was, and loved me unconditionally. I had cats growing up, and they were my best friends. So I sought solace in them, and spent a lot of my free time hanging out alone with my cats.
I was a hypersexual teenager. I sought out acceptance through sex, which made things so much worse. I didn’t understand why sex didn’t equal love in the other person’s eyes. I didn’t understand why giving myself to someone didn’t fulfill me like it was supposed to. I thought sex was the perfect way to find someone who would finally except me the way I was.
When I met my husband via an internet dating site which was basically ads that people could put up on a forum, I was dealing with severe anxiety and depression, and had severe agoraphobia. Leaving the house was impossible for me. I was terrified that I would do something stupid, or say something wrong that I just couldn’t interact with society. Back then, they still didn’t know that autism was a spectrum. I was still just weird. Anyway, he accepted me right away. He loved my weirdness, and that I was blunt and expressed my feelings. He thought I was so cool lol! I thought he was the love of my life. He was handsome and kind. He took the time to ask me questions, and let me ask whatever I wanted no matter how “inappropriate” it was. I had finally met someone who loved me like animals did. Unconditionally. 
Back then, therapists wouldn’t take me on as a client because I couldn’t leave my house to get there, so I was stuck in that constant fear for 12 years. I finally decided to take my anxiety by the horns, and slowly started going out in the world without mental health help or medications. It took 5 years. I still have anxiety when I leave the house, but not nearly as much as I did before.
I did a lot of reading and researching during that time. I was determined to figure this shit out. That’s when I read it: Asperger’s Syndrome. It described me completely! I finally had an answer! It was so fucking empowering to finally have an answer to all my questions of why I was the way I was. That day was one of the best days of my life.
Since then, I’ve come to the conclusion that despite my weirdness, and despite making an idiot out of myself all the time, it’s not me. I am not autism. Autism does not define who I am, just that I’m different from neurotypical people, and that’s ok.
At 44, I still struggle. I still say shit that isn’t appropriate, I still do things that no one understands, but at least I know why now. At least I can work on my skills and try to become a better person, and how to do it. 
Thanks for reading, if you’ve come this far!
Dee
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sevendeadlymorons · 3 years
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Hey I’m that one anon from a while back that sent those long ass paragraphs about Lilith and Simeon, remember me? Anyway I know I’m very late to the party, but some of the boys are either getting to much hate or too much love over here (in my opinion) so I made a pros and cons list for all of them, I’m sorry- (I’m warning you now this will be long but I’ll put it in bullet points so it’s a bit easier to read, just read it whenever your mentally ready lol)
Lucifer (I hate this man.)
Pros
He’d help a lot with getting your life together wether that be finding a job, choosing the right college or other shit like that
He’d make sure your working hard and getting everything done, which is both a blessing and a curse tbh
He would be the one to take the most care of you whenever your ill psychically
Cons
He would probably overwork you
Doesnt have much time to spend on you and doesn’t make a effort to find more time unless your getting really sad about it
Probably wouldn’t be the best of help through issues with mental illness (he just doesn’t strike me as that type, feel free to disagree)
His pride would cause some serious problems in relationships :/
Mammon (I love this man.)
Pros
He’s the “if your sad, I’m sad” kind of guy so he does whatever he can to put a smile on your face
Makes his affection towards you known once he’s comfortable enough, mostly through things like hugs and head pats tho
He shows off anything you make, and I mean anything (you gave him a drawing? After showing it to everyone he puts it on the fridge. You wrote something? He reads it to everyone then puts it in his notebook to reread later, I think you get where I’m going with this)
Cons
There would probably be some communication issues due to his tsundere nature and habit of ignoring you when he’s mad
He’d get super mad at you when your trying to help him financially, maybe it’s a ego thing or maybe he’s just tired of hearing it
While his possessiveness is cute at times he’d definitely get way to overbearing if you don’t force him to cool it
Levi (I kin this man.)
Pros
He’d try to set up designated hangout times (like Friday is movie night, Tuesday is for RPGs etc)
Wanna spend time with him but aren’t very into what he’s into? While it will be harder to bond with him because of this I think if you REALLY wanted to hang with him he’d at least try to meet you in the middle (like if you like sports he’ll offer to play wii sports lol)
Insecurities getting you down again? Well never fear, levi is here! He’d find characters with flaws similar to those you see in yourself to prove that they don’t really matter (and since he struggles with insecurity himself he’d know how you feel and be one of the best at helping you through them)
Cons
Even if he makes an effort to meet you in the middle if you have different interests he’d refuse to get into “normie” stuff
He’ll guilt trip you constantly, even if it’s not on purpose (“Oh your hanging out with Asmo today? I get it, of course you’d wanna hang out with somebody cool and perfect like Asmo and not a gross yucky otaku like me”)
You have to initiate almost everything Hugs? You hug first. Handholding? You reach out to him. Confessions? You seriously thought he’d be the one to confess first??
Satan
Pros
Similar to Lucifer he’d be good at helping you get your life together and putting you on the right track
Unlike Lucifer, he’d actively make time for date nights and/or hangouts multiple times a week wether your going out for dinner or reading in front of the fireplace
While he himself might not be best at helping with comfort in the moment, he’d be great to turn to if you needed a long time treatment (you need a therapist? He’s got the best three in your area that you can afford and he found some helpful things you can do in this book)
Cons
As stated previously, he’s not the best with comfort, which can be an issue if you need a friend/partner who can be your biggest source of comfort (I’m not saying he’ll do nothing, it’ll just be kinda awkward ig)
If you vent to him about something he’ll always offer advice and while that can be good, sometimes all you want is someone to listen to you and getting advice can be annoying in the moment
I feel like hanging out with him you’d rarely ever get to talk about pointless things, everything would be serious you know? And while serious and deep conversations are good for bonding, some people (myself included) need to be able to talk about dumb things without having it turn philosophical
Asmo
Pros
He’s the best at boosting your confidence, there’s no competition
He’s more into spontaneous outings (he suddenly got the urge to go shopping, your coming with right?)
You can talk about just about anything with him, no judgment and he’ll never speak a word of it to anyone else if you don’t want him to (although he may brag to his brothers that you told him your secrets)
High emotional IQ
Cons
He has set things of things he’s interested in and his idea of trying the things your into is doing whatever it is for about 5 seconds then deciding it’s not for him
He cares a lot about looks, I don’t mean he’ll hate you or insult you cause he thinks your ugly, I mean he’ll constantly try to do your makeup, hair, and nails and he’ll always say things like “Your hair is a bit messy today, did you brush it? Yes? Well not good enough, let me do it” and “your wearing that out? There’s nothing wrong with it, I just think you’d look a lot cuter in this” and if your anything like me, that’ll get on your nerves a lot
While he’s great with emotional issues, if it’s a problem with anything like school or your job he’ll have no solution to offer, all you’ll get is a “You can do it!” and a good luck kiss
Narcissistic, need I say more?
Beel
Pros
He’s the best person to vent to, no judgment and tons of hugs and comfort food
He’s a mom friend, no explanation needed
Very supportive and always concerned for your health
Your in trouble? Call beel, he’ll help you and make sure your home safe before questioning you and will only lecture you out of love (unlike a certain older brother that will lecture you because “Your tarnishing Diavlo’s reputation by acting out like this. Your an exchange student, you must abide by the rules and behave yourself.”)
Cons
Food is his answer to everything (Sad?Food. Injured? Food. School’s stressful? Food plus a little help studying) and while food can be good for comfort, sometimes you need him to provide more than a snack
He’s the opposite of Satan in the sense that he’ll almost never offer advice when you rant to him, he just assumes getting it all out is help enough and won’t offer much more then a hug and food
Not getting along with one of his brothers? “They can be a handful, but they’re great people once you learn to handle the chaos” yeah he rarely thinks what his brothers did is a big deal so he gives you advice on how to apologize and get past it and he’ll give you food
Belphie (he really does attract the mentally ill people huh-)
Cons
I feel like he’d be good for certain people with social anxiety and people who have issues with always being scared about being a bad person (“you think your a bad person and are becoming more and more toxic by the day? Well your a better person than Lucifer that’s for sure, wether or not your toxic were going to cuddle now get in bed” or “your worried everyone is constantly staring and judging you for everything you do? Well I don’t really care about what your wearing or the way you walk so I doubt they do either, can we go home now?” ((Side note, I experience both of these issues and his uncaring personality would calm me, which is why I think this one of his pros))
He just wouldn’t care about whatever type of life style you lead and as someone who’s constantly scared of being judged for their lifestyle this would be amazing (“you sleep all the time? Same let’s nap together” “You don’t eat very healthy? Whatever, it’s fine, can we sleep now?” ((although it is a double edged sword))
He gets a burst of energy and just does the most random things (you see that tree? He’s already climbed half way up it. That petting zoo? He’s already feeding the lambs. That store? He’s already spent 30 grim)
Cons
Just like his twin he thinks every problem has one solution, but instead of food he thinks the solution is sleep (your sick? Sleep is the best medicine. A lot of homework? If you sleep you don’t have to think about it.)
At some point he just doesn’t care enough, if you come to him with a serious issue he’ll half listen to you rant then pull you down to sleep
He teases you a lot, which is fine teasing is fun, but he takes it too far. Maybe he touched on something your insecure about or he was too merciless, whatever it was, he won’t apologize for it, he just thinks your being sensitive. If he brought up some bad memories he’ll consider it, but his way of apologizing is cuddling
He doesn’t wanna do something? You guys aren’t gonna do it. You don’t wanna do something? Too bad, he wants to so your gonna.
I’m sorry this is so long- I tried to shorten it I swear- but anyway if you disagree I’m with anything, I wanna hear what you think
And even tho Beel doesn’t get much screen time and more serious moments, I think his character is way more then hunger
Random but I wanna add that other then Levi I kin Tamaki from mha and Ranpo from bsd
Dude do you just like torturing poor college students? This is so much to read, I’m about to cry 😭
I agree with the Lucifer part actually! Tho I do kinda thing he’s be good emotion support in some ways, for me, anyway. I feel like he may lack empathy that is needed in a stable relationship. Yes, he may be able to tell you with shit and honestly, he’d book my doctors appointments when I’m too anxious too so yknow. But yeah
Also agree with mammon. He’s a jackass when he wants to be, and I know he may not mean it, but his words are still hurtful in a lot of ways and he just can’t convey those emotions that’re needed in a loving relationship. But he’s so sweet and will show you off so it’s all good~
As much as I love Levi, I agree. He manipulates and guilt trips you throughout the entire game. It can’t be healthy in relationships but that don’t stop me from loving that sweet otaku boy 😔🖤
I agree with Satan too. I don’t have much to say but he’s avatar of wrath for a reason, for a start, and he honestly looks like he’d prefer talking about books than that funny thing that happened in class that made you laugh earlier
Agreed with Asmo too. Sometimes he may just get overbearing and the narcissism and the constant need to make you look better and improve you may get irritating
I agree with Beel. I don’t think he can comprehend that food isn’t an answer to everything and as a person who doesn’t cope with food and relatively hates it, he won’t be any help to me emotionally. He’s so sweet but he just won’t give you that proper support
I love Belphie so so much but I absolutely agree. He’s one of the most unbothered brothers who won’t care what you look like, yes, but that also means compliments may come rarely and like his twin, “sleep is the answer to everything” I can admit I like to sleep but I have a manic side that comes with insomnia and if he’s dragging me down and not letting me move and I just cannot sleep, I’m gonna get irritated and pissed off.
This got a bit long on my end too. I just really liked how you worded this and it was fun to see pros and cons of the ‘perfect’ brothers
I think Beel is more than food too, but I just don’t particularly like him either way cuz I’m not really a foodie so I can’t relate with him lmao
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destinationtoast · 3 years
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In case it helps anyone to know -- if you struggle, you are not alone.
I think many people who who've followed me or known me for a long time probably think I have my shit pretty together. And in a lot of ways, my life is great, and I have done some cool stuff. But despite that, I struggle with mental health, and my brain is sometimes a terrible place to live. I've spent a bunch of time recently:
Feeling incompetent and like a complete imposter
Feeling like a failure and a disappointment
Feeling like I'll never be able to do any job well and will end up penniless and without healthcare (but still with chronic pain) and an enormous burden to everyone
Feeling like a waste of resources -- "I have so much privilege, and so many advantages, and I squander them by being useless and by not even enjoying my life"
Feeling like I'll never enjoy anything again
Feeling like life will never be anything except stress and despair
Lying awake feeling all my muscles clenched and my heart racing
Having a tremendously hard time getting out of bed
Having an even harder time attending work meetings or doing work
Not being able to eat much and experiencing nausea and digestive issues (where usually I tend to eat larger amounts than usual in response to stress, occasionally it flips and I have to force myself to eat)
Crying unpredictably, e.g. while doing dishes, and having to awkwardly explain to housemates
Feeling numb and impatient and distracted while trying to read/watch TV/browse Tumblr
Feeling So. Much. Guilt. And. Shame. Just constantly.
This is all in spite of the fact that (a) I have substantial and even recent evidence to the contrary about a lot of this stuff (e.g. I got feedback at work not that long ago that I was doing really well and could consider going up for promotion soon). And (b) I've had intense episodes of anxiety in the past and then gotten better, so I have plenty of examples of how these intense feelings don't necessarily predict the future.
Despite all this data, and despite my loved ones telling me wonderful, helpful things, I have spent a lot of time feeling viscerally quite horrible over the past few weeks (as well as for much longer stretches, at times in the past). And parts of my brain have compellingly argued that this will probably last forever.
I've dug myself partially out by talking to a doctor (though I realize healthcare is a privilege not everyone has, though we all should) and getting a short term Rx to help me relax at night enough to sleep. And signing up for therapy again. And discussing longer term possible changes to my meds (I'm on an antidepressant that had been working well till recently). And doing simple breathing exercises. And forcing myself to go do some small amount of work -- especially to make progress on a couple of the things i was most dreading, or to ask others for help with them. And forcing myself to eat and go for walks. And spending time petting kitties. And admitting to my closest peeps that I am struggling, and getting them to say that they'll still like me even if I lose my job. And remembering all those past episodes of anxiety and depression (as well as panicky bad drug trips) that I was sure would last forever at the time, but didn't. And realizing that life is long, and there are many ways to survive and find joy in this world -- and even if I thoroughly fuck up one path, there are other things to try.
I also had to do a big hard thing at work this week that was very stressful (definitely the dread of this has been one contributing factor in my recent spiral). Afterwards, I immediately felt drenched in relief, and feelings of interest and joy and hunger have started to flood back into my life again. "HAHA JUST KIDDING," the unhelpful parts of my brain suddenly said. I still would like to get to a much more stable place mentally, and I'm going to continue to work toward that, and to develop my toolbox for coping. But the sudden easing of some of the terrible sensations feels miraculous, and I'm grateful, and amazed at how fast my internal state can change. And even if maybe it turns out I feel worse again tomorrow, I'm going to enjoy today and try to remember that I did so.
So. If you're struggling, I empathize so much. And it's worth trying to keep in mind that:
Strong feelings of incompetence and/or certainty that the future will suck don't stem from reality. Our brains+bodies sometimes make us feel these things strongly even when actual evidence says otherwise.
That means anxiety/depression is like a bad drug trip. It feels very real, but you're likely to feel at least somewhat differently -- and sometimes substantially better -- if you can hang in there a while.
Just because your brain may be lying to you doesn't mean the resulting struggle isn't real. It's legit hard sometimes to do the basics of survival -- Eat. Sleep. Move the minimal amount needed to get food & water, go to the bathroom, etc. When you're finding those things hard, you're ill. And you deserve time off and self care and a trip to the doctor, if you can manage any of that. If you can't? If you're taking care of others/working or going to school/doing anything else on top of being ill? You're a superhero. I hope you can get others to help take some of your duties for a bit, or to help you book a doctor's/therapist's appointment, or to at least listen and sympathize and send you cute animal pics or memes.
Other people who may appear to have their shit together may not. Many of them are going through big struggles of their own.
The pandemic & state of the world right now are making things much harder for so many people. My doctor (general practitioner) told me that nobody she's seen in the past year is doing that great mentally, and the number of people having acute mental health issues has skyrocketed. Be as kind and forgiving toward yourself as you can manage (in general, and even more so now).
Good luck. Hang in there as best you can. I'm rooting for you. 💗
(Feel free to reblog or to reply, but I may not have energy to respond to comments... responding is hard right now.)
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reid-me-a-story · 3 years
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Just Stay With Me, Please
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Synopsis: Angst fic based on #10 and #11 from this list!  
A/N: I plan to write through most if not all of this list but please bear with me while I recover from a wrist injury from work! This Fic is written based on my own experiences while struggling with my own mental health problems. If anyone out there is struggling, please know that not only am I here to listen to whatever you need me to but there are also lots of great resources that may help you! Check them out here!
Couple: Spencer Reid x Gender Neutral! reader insert
Category: mainly Angst/ a little bit of fluff
Content warning: mentions of depression, mention of eating and implied skipping meals
Word count: 1.1k
“Hi Sandra,” My voice is barely above a whisper. “I won’t be coming in today.” I catch myself wincing at the sheer volume that my manager decided to reply in.  
“Oh! No problem, Hun! You feel better, okay?”
“Thanks Sandra” I whisper back. I quickly hang up before she can respond and I turn over in bed, flipping my pillow to the cool side before pulling the blankets up to my chin. It's not every day I call in sick because I feel down. I only ever do it on my worst days. Today, however, is my worst mental health day I've had since moving in with Spencer. Since moving in with him 4 months ago things had been looking up.  I had been seeing a therapist, and my doctors had finally found a medication that worked. Then I woke up today with the nagging feeling of hopelessness and the feeling of loneliness sitting on my chest and neglecting to give me space to breathe.  
Over the last few months whenever I felt that way I would turn to Spencer. He was the first person in my life that not only told me that I could go to him whenever I was feeling depressed, but proved it each and every time I turned to him for comfort. He always made an effort to give me what I needed in those scenarios without bombarding me. He never forced me to feel better just because he was taking care of me.
Today I woke up to my alarm clock waking me up feeling fuzzy, only for me to turn over and feel the bed cold beside me. The longer I lay there trying to remember where Spencer is the longer the feeling of abandonment took its claim in my chest – causing me to remember the hurt and pain of previous people leaving me. Which in turn left space for the crushing feeling of hopelessness for my future to set in.
I tried for a while to do the things my therapist taught me to help me get out of that funk. First, I wrote down what I was feeling and what could have possibly triggered that feeling. That left me more depressed. I tried to go into my routine for the day, but the thoughts of getting out of the house left me more exhausted then a 20-mile run would have. All I did this morning was get up to use the washroom and brush my hair. After the last pass of my comb, I turned on my heal and padded back into the bedroom and plopped into bed, pressing my face against Spencer's pillow. The smell of him gave me a small comfort but not enough to get my shit together and get to work. That made me feel worse.
Hours had passed since I had called into work. I still had not eaten, or changed and despite not feeling like it, my brain knew I had to do one of them. I just couldn’t move from where I was. The thought of getting up seemed so unnecessary.... So, I didn’t. I didn’t get up to eat. I didn’t get up to change. I didn’t even turn around to answer my cellphone that just started ringing. I just snuggled deeper into Spencer's pillow and closed my eyes, hoping that when I woke up id feel like a different person.
---
When I woke up a few hours later to the door slamming shut, I didn’t move. I stayed where I was hoping that whoever it was would just turn around and leave. It wasn’t until I heard the sound of Spencer's voice that I moved. “Baby? What are you doing home? Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I called in this morning” I grumbled back. Spencer shuffled over to where I was lying down, pulled the covers back slightly against my protests and whines.  
“Is everything okay? How come you didn’t answer your phone?” Spencer sat there petting my hair slightly.
I was going to lie but the look in his eye seemed to pull me out of my funk for a little bit. I sat up before replying, “It was just too hard.” Spencer seemed to understand what I meant. He just nodded and kissed my forehead. “Spence, baby? Can you just lie with me a little? I'm not ready to get up yet” I whisper through tears that are threatening to fall over.
“Oh, of course darling.” He kicks off his shoes while I slide over a little bit. He throws the covers back and slides in, pulling me close and into his chest. His slow rhythmic beating of his heart helps calm me down a little bit more. “Can you tell me what you’re feeling sweetheart?”.  
I tense slightly before shaking my head. It's not that I don’t want to tell him, I just can't get the words past my lips. He hums in understanding before asking “what did you do today?”
At that point I can't stop the tears. I shake my head and say through the sobs, “I didn’t do anything. I got up to use the bathroom and I brushed my hair before I decided to call in but that’s it”
He looks at me puzzled. “What do you mean you didn’t do anything? You got up, went to the bathroom and brushed your hair. You did what you could, and for that I am so proud of you.” Hearing those last 6 words cause me to break down even further into breath wrenching sobs that shake my whole body. “Sometimes,” he starts, “When we're struggling with our mental health our brain shuts down, and to protect itself it limits the number of tasks or decisions we can make in a day. Today your brain decided to allow you three tasks or decisions. You used your quota today and that’s okay. I am so proud of you for doing what you could” I nodded against his chest while he pressed a kiss to the top of my head.
“Did you eat yet today?” I shook my head. “I'll order something. I know you probably don’t feel hungry but I need you to get a little bit of food into your system, okay?” I nod “okay, is it okay if I get up to go do that? Or do you want me to lay with you for a little longer?”
“Please,” I whisper “just a little bit longer. I need to know you’re here” I hold onto him tighter.
“Always”
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fakeloveaskblog · 3 years
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Yay Loceit! (Ignore me, I have Loceit brainrot.) Can we see the zoo date? I would love to see the zoo date! (Is there a possibility of encountering Remus and make it a conjoined date? But, like, we don't tell him that's what it is? Because we don't wanna overwhelm the guy.)
(Words: 2712)
Janus: "Don't worry dear fiend. I have Loceit brainrot as well.....ALSo yes!! I totally haven't been waiting to tell someone all about the date. Pff totally not...So basically..."
When Janus arrived by the entrance of the zoo Logan was already waiting outside. They excitedly waved at each other before running up and clashing in a loving hug.
"So how is my one and only still not poisoned boyfriend doing?" Janus asked with a slight giggle in his voice.
“Very well now when I am with you”
Logan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. His boyfriend already had a big grin on his lips but it only grew with the kiss.
He had on a blue suspenders, jeans and a t-shirt with some dude printed on it. The snake had tried to dress extra nice for his first ever date (!!) so he had his long black skirt and his finest purple shirt.
“That is...Jean-luc Picard..right?” He pointed at Logan’s t-shirt.
He flapped his hands around “Correct! I see that the star trek watching is teaching you a lot!”
“Well I do have a good teacher so of course”
The compliment left rosy blush on Logan’s cheeks. He took his boyfriend’s hand and intertwined their fingers before walking into the zoo. It had a big outside area for different larger animals and then a bulding to the west filled with frogs, fish, snakes, etc, etc.
Neither of them were that interested in the large animals. Though Janus did snark about how he looked like a seal and Logan stopped to take photos of the bears so he could show them to Patty later.
It wasn't until they passed a sign Logan suddenly let up into happy stims. He pointed to a house with big look through windows.
"Birds!"
He dragged Janus along with him to one of the windows. kestrels, subirds and kingfishers were flying around and vibing among trees and hung out fruit treats. A small crowd around them was also looking at the different birds.
Logan pointed between his boyfriend and the birds as if Jan hadn’t already seen them. He kept stimming his arm back and forth.
"Their aerodynamics are so fascinating don’t you think. Aside from humans they are the animal that are consistently closest to space and all because of their biology. They are like natural born astronauts”
“I respect any creature who can leave any and all social situations by flying away. Big dick move as some” Remus “says” Janus replied.
“If birds had too big dicks I think it would disturb their flying but yes I get your point” He let out a dreamy sigh “Oh what I would do to be able to inspect bird teeth, not to even talk about their wings!”
Logan squeezed his hand and smiled at him before dragging him over to the next bird. It was several big secretary birds. They were walking instead of flying.
"These ones are known for eating snakes" Lo commented "Are you feeling frightened?"
"Ah yes darling, I am already close to death from fear" He replied in as much of a monotone he could muster. They both chuckled.
Logan went on a long ramble about how the different biology of the species made the flying look and work different. His voice went a bit louder than it usually was, it always got like that when he was excited. Janus wouldn’t have minded it if there weren’t other people there.
He nodded along to his boyfriend’s rant but kept glancing to the people around them. Some of them were looking at Logan. Janus gulped. Suddenly holding his boyfriends hand hurt.
Janus quietly moved his hand away. His throat tightened. The people weren’t looking anymore but it felt like they did, like ants crawling up his skin. It had probably been a stupid idea to wear the skirt.
Obviously Logan noticed but he didnt say anyrhing about it. He finished his rant and asked "Do you want to reunite with your relatives- I mean look at the snakes now?"
"I uh “ He forced a confident smirk “Of course darling. It it prime time to return to my people!!”
They walked away from the birds and went down the sunny path towards the house that stored snakes among other things. It was lined by neatly cut trees and homes for mammals. They didn’t hold hands.
Janus kept fiddling with his gloves to the point of not even looking where he was walking. He bit the inside of his cheek until it was bleeding.
“Are you feeling alright?” Logan asked.
“Never been better!”
“If it is about the hand holding feeling nervous is nothing to be embarrassed about. When I first held hands with Patty I got so flustered I proceeded to walk into a swing and break my glasses”
Janus glanced around to the people around them “Ah yes that is definitely why I’m acting this way. Spot on dear” 
His boyfriend looked in the same direction he did “Oh alright I understand now” He patted him on the shoulder “Well I will have you know I have taken part in multiple physical fights to protect Patty from harassement, I did win most of them. I will of course do the same thing for you”
He said it so casually Janus nearly lost it “Exscuse me wHAT?”
Logan leaned down so they were eye to eye and put his hands on his boyfriend’s shoulders “Sweetheart I can and will break someone’s nose for you”
“That’s the most romantic thing someone has ever said to me”
“I would go for their kneecaps as well”
Janus clasped his hand over his heart and gasped in an overly dramatic tone “Oh such erotiscism you’re showing today!”
“I am legally obliged to show it off every now and then”
He straightened his back and continued to walk down the path. Janus hesitantly reached out to take his hand. Shame tugged at his heart but he buried his face against his boyfriend’s arm to try and ignore it. Logan gently moved his thumb up and down his skin in response.
“....I do still advise that you talk to Picani about it. I am aware it’s hard but if what you’ve told me about your mental health is true I believe it would be beneficial. I could help! I know Picani! Very intimately!”
“Darling please you don’t have to keep reminding me you’ve fucked my fake therapist” Janus sighed “I don’t know if I deserve to take up his time, I’m not That bad”
“Sweetie that is first degree bullshit” Logan replied very gently “There is scientifically no way to accurately compare two people’s mental healths to conclude which is worse. Trust me I did a study on it in college! Do I need to brag about my degree more?”
Janus let out a half hearted chuckle “I’ll think about it. Let’s focus on the snakes for now”
“Thinking about it is good enough for me” He pressed a kiss to his forehead.
They entered the building. The first room was lit in a calming blue because of the giant windows showing off octopuses and rays swimming around. A sign was pointing over to the frog and snake rooms.
Janus looked around the room in awe and- HOLY HELL REMUS WAS THERE. He sat crosslegged on a bench in front of the octopuses. He had headphones on and was focusing on the sketchbook in his hands. 
In a panic Janus started to drag his boyfriend with him to the frogs. Logan saw how flustered his boyfriend had suddenly become and looked around. He saw Remus as well and stopped in his tracks which forced his boyfriend to also stop.
“Does that happen to be the other guy you have a romantic interest in?”
“We’re here to look at snakes not at men Loganson!”
"Aww" Logan flapped his free hand "There are few things i like more than getting to see my partner being loved by someone else they love! We must talk to him"
"Oh- Oh god-" Janus let out while being tugged along.
Remus flinched when Logan shoved his ready to be shaken hand almost into his face. His whole body tensed to an uncomfortable degree.
"Greetings! I have no idea who you are!" Lo exclaimed.
He took off his headphones and looked up at him with panic in his eyes "Uh yeah" He saw Jan and immediately let out a breathe of relief. His shoulders relaxed slightly. "Hiya snakey~ Is This dude your snack?"
Janus was dying. He was dead. This was hell.
"NO! He's my sworn enemy! I'm here to use one of the sharks to kill him!"
Logan gasped "You are? How rude. Such a waste of the shark’s time when a bullet would do"
"Yeah!” Remus added “Anus! If that even is your real name-”
“It’s not”
“-I thought you would be much better at murder! Shark murder is sooo the 70's. Where's the orchestrated acrobatic dance knife throwing???"
Janus let out a dramatic huff "You simply don’t understand how hard it is to be a strong independent complete idiot and a serial murderer at the same time"
Logan nodded in sumpathy "Stranger would you like to accompany us on the rest of our zoo experience?"
He closed his sketchbook. Pages had been filled with doodles of the octopuses "Sure! I'm Remus by the way"
"Ah yes" They began to walk down the hallways lined by animal habitats. He held onto Janus’ hand "You were killed by your twin according to Roman mythology"
"I know!! That's why I chose it"
"Fascinating. I'm Logan. My parents chose it because of the X-man" His parents were also huge nerds.
“Hah dorks!” Remus said while skipping alongside them “Why are you holding hands? Is that a rule at zoos? Oh shit have I been doing zoos wrong???”
“I don’t think so. We are only doing it” Lo glanced at his still flustered boyfriend “.....to aggravate homophobes....yes...”
“COol!! Can I join?”
Logan nodded. Remus proceeded to take Janus’ free hand and happily tugged at it while skipping along. Jan had been wrong. NOW he was dying. His face was so hot from blushing he swore he could melt chocolate on it. The only way this could get ‘worse’ was if he suddenly grew a third arm and Remy appeared to hold it.
“Murder frogs!!” Remus exclaimed while stopping outside a window.
Inside sat several poison dart frogs in a pond surronded by leaves. They were in pretty neon colors and small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. Remus jumped up and down from excitement before pressing his entire face up against the glass.
“They’re the most poisonous animal in the world!!! Snakey you should murder Lo with this one!! These bitches can kill like 10 people with 1 poison thingie!!! it’s so cool!!”
“I have read that they can live to up to 15 years so they have ample time to kill hundreds of people in their lifetime” Logan replied.
“!!!! You are SO right!!! That’s my life goal as well!” Remus turned to look around the room and his eyes turned as big as a cat’s “Fucking hell. Look at how THICK that lizard is!!!”
Janus kept being dragged around between the two while they explored the animals. The saw toads stacked on top of each other, insects swarming around and exactly 1 incredibly friendly chameleon who climbed across a tree to get as close to the glass as it could.
Just holding both of their hands was so much to take in but hearing them rant facts to each other while looking so so happy made his heart feel things he didn’t know it could feel. He wanted to kiss them both and beg them to please never ever shut up.
The zoo melted away as he daydreamed about living as a poly relationship. Getting to see them both be this close and happy every day. Getting to hold them both like this every day. Getting to fall asleep next to them. Oh he was so-
“Hey Snakey you’ve been pretty quiet” Remus interrupted “Whatcha think?”
“dfshkjskj” Janus very eloquently let out. He buried his flushed pink face in the fabric of Logan’s shirt.
“Huh. Exactly what I was thinking! Onwards to the snakes!!”
The snake room was oval shaped. The walls were made up of windows into different giant vivariums decorated with branches, warm rocks and food. In the biggest vivarium several big samar cobras were lazing about. They were both big enough and venomous enough to kill a man.
Janus let go of his crushes to press his palms against the glass and wave at the snakes. He looked back at his boyfriend with a big goofy grin “Look at these babies!!”
“They are indeed very pretty”
“They eat rats! Their venom is able to destroy tissue so if you get the venom in your eyes it can create total blindness!! They-” He stopped himself. Stopped his stimming as well “Sorry. I’m rambling”
Remus patted his shoulder “No. Go on. I wanna hear, about the other snakes as well. I promise” Logan nodded along.
Janus hesitated, but they both looked at him with such loving looks he quietly continued “Okay well what I was going to say was...”
They went around and looked at every snake. The other two happily listened to him infodump about every species there. Sometimes they held hands. Sometimes they all stimmed together. Janus was smiling so much his cheeks hurt.
They stayed sitting by the snakes. Janus leaned his head against the glass to bop his nose to the snakes while Remus and Logan ranted to each other about their favorite obscure sci-fi movies (they also exchanged numbers). 
The three of them had a sudden realization that they all loved murder mysteries and decided they had to have some sort of murder mustery movie night some time in the future.
(Logan also saw a poster about how around Christmas snake petting spots overseered by snake experts would be open. He didn’t tell the other two. He figured he would use it as a surprise Christmas gift)
Eventually the zoo got close to closing. It was Logan who had to drag them both away from the snakes and octopuses. The 2 drama kings acted like Lo was dragging them away from their children.
Once they stood on the street outside the zoo Remus said goodbye. For a moment it looked like he was moving in to hug Janus but he decided not to. He disappeared down the street to catch the bus.
“So” Logan turned to his boyfriend “Was it a satisfactory first date?”
Janus rolled his eyes before wrapping his arms around his boyfriend’s waist and moving up on his toes to kiss him on his nose “It was absolutely horrible darling! I hated every second of it!”
“Glad to hear it” His voice softened “I’m proud of you honey”
“It was just a date. It’s nothing. Nothing if it’s with you”
“Well I shall still be proud, because you can not stop me, and I shall still be percentage wise incredibly in love with you” He pressed a loving kiss to his forehead “I will see you at work then”
“Not if I’ve gotten my invisibility spell to work by then muhahah” Janus slowly let go of him “Love you!”
Janus stood by the entrance watching as his boyfriend (it still made him giddy to think that) went to his car. He gulped and tensed his shoulders once he was all alone. He walked over to a more desolate spot and sat down on the side of the payment.
He scrolled through the contacts on his phone while the image of Logan’s smile repeated in his brain. He let out a shaky breathe as he moved the phone up to his ear and listened to the signals.
“Hiya Janister!” The cheery voice of Dr. Picani rang out.
“Hello...I.....I would....I’m just looking to ask if there’s a chance I could book a time for solo therapy? I’m...I’m...honestly not so sure if I’m completely okay...or if my childhood was okay either, but I’m sure I want to get better”
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writethelifeyouwant · 3 years
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Weird personal post
- cw: mental health
Okay so, this is sort of weird and I’m usually one to believe that coincidences happen and there’s no big patter to the universe, we just exist in a pile of confusion BUT this doesn’t feel like a coincidence it just feels like - more - idk.
TLDR:  I don’t know, essentially, this whole thing is to say, wtf, how freaky is it that the #AKF anniversary is today, of all fucking days, when I just spent half of my therapy session describing how Jared can help me feel better.
Background, I’ve been in therapy for the past 5 or 6 months (for the god-knows-th time since I was diagnosed with my ilnesses about 6 years ago). This therapist is the first one that I have honest to god gotten along with, he’s taken my cyncism towards counselling in stride and has been the most understanding and helpful person I’ve worked with, ever, really. I’m relatively open with him about everything but I still get ashamed and embarrassed discussing certain things, like how obsessed I am with certain tv shows and actors. 
Now, today, we took the first step towards helping me to develop a ‘nurturing other’ (a kind of inner persona of warmth and encouragement rather than criticism and guilt). This technique involves doing some breathing exercises then drawing postitive emotions to you through imagery (#gotoyourhappyplace). He was guiding me through building my ‘happy place’, to bring myself feelings that I would define as ‘warm emotions’, a safe place - “an inner sunshine”, he called it. 
So I go about putting things in and I have some of your standards - flowers, sun, trees, soft breeze, clean air - then he asks me to describe it out loud. Cool, no sweat, I tell him. He picks at different bits for more details and asks what the sunshine looks like, and I clam up, because now, standing on the path in my happy place is Jared, and the sun is glowing around his outline, and he’s wearing that cream and black stripe shirt from that one photoshoot and he just looks so soft, and like pure sunshine. But I don’t want to descibe this to my therapist because how lame is that? A random actor I’ve never met is hanging out in my happy place, weirdo. 
But with a lot of grimacing, and a preface that he better not laught at me, I tell him that Jared’s there. I tell him that looking at him, standing there and smiling, feels warm, and calm, and safe. It doesn’t just feel like I can feel the sun on my skin like I could at the start of my description, now it feels like the sun is inside me. He asks me if I want anything from Jared, if he can do anything for me - and now I’m recalling this I’m surprised I didn’t burst out laughing and make a sex joke, honestly - but at the time I was pretty entrenched in this exercise and all I wanted was a hug. So I admitted that, and he told me to go get my hug, and had me describe it, and how it made me feel, and then when I was ready to go he brought me out of the happy place and back to the real world, and I genuinely felt a little tripped out. 
And he didn’t laugh at me, and he told me I’d done really well to be honest with him about everything I saw and acknowledged how difficult it had been for me to admit out loud that something like that makes me feel genuinely happier and safer. We chit chat, we close the session. Cool beans. 
THEN (here’s the spooky this can’t just be a coicidence part) I get on tumblr and see @aborddelimpala ‘s posts about it being the 6 year anniversary of Jared’s #AlwaysKeepFighting campaign and I was like 👀👀👀 what freaky-ass witch crap is being pulled on me right now?? But then it also made me like, more at ease I guess, with the idea of having Jared be a part of my ‘nurturing other’ because that’s what he’s always telling people. He’s in your corner, you’ve gotta be too. So it feels right that my happy place involves him in some way I guess. 
Peace Out homeskillets. #AlwaysKeepFighting 
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melody-ofstars · 3 years
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hiii, congrats for 100 followersss!!!! I love your writing and I’d like to request a mha matchup please.
My gender’s female, 18 years old, my mbti is ISFJ (The Protector), I’m a scorpio ♏️, my love languages are words of affirmation and physical touch, I am attracted to any gender, I’m assexual and for my likes/deslikes:
❤️: cats, picnics, soft music, studying, playing the bass, fruits, meditating and mostly calm stuff like nature.
💔: anything rushed or rude, frogs (sorry atsui it’s a phobia), loud environments, poor mental health people and depending on others
My past relationships went on me trying to desperately going out of my way to help my partner grow and acting like a therapist/mother, I want someone who is already good, you know? Someone that doesn’t face constant problems for me to fix (not talking about mental illness, I’m ok with comforting if you can’t control it), just a calm and pure love like the song Sunkissed by Khai Dreams.
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Okay, aaahhhh the person who I thought of as soon as I read this, turns out to be the perfect match for you because like your zodiacs are the most compatible with each other, and uh he is CUTE and very very SWEET and you deserve someone like him.
And omg the song that you gave is sooooooooo beautiful!! Like the lyricssss, it was really fun writing this and the song inspired me a lot.
Don't worry about it, I found the perfect character for you!!
And uh I just realized the pic of the match up is perfectly fit for the song's name... Like look at the pic, he is so beautiful in sunlight I stg...
Also you have to stay hydrated too!! Take care of yourself bb 💖
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I match you with...
☽︎ Mirio Togata ☾︎
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Broo this dude will do anything to protect you and I hope you know that.
You won't have to be his mom, he will never let you burden yourself with him.
He will always take you on picnics. At different places that he found while on his way to school or anywhere.
It's a personal hc of mine that he plays guitar, the acoustic one and he especially learns your favorite songs to play them for you.
He will never take you anywhere loud because he knows how much you hate that,
You both love to spend your afternoons together, conversation is less and you both are simply enjoying each other's presence.
He absolutely will bring Aizawa's cat for you to pet, because he knows you love cats, (ps don't tell him I told you, he is adopting a rescue pet for you, and it happens to be a cat)
This guy is already good and if anything, he will be the mother, he will always take care of you even when he knows that you are fully capable of taking care of yourself.
He will never rush you for.any decision, he will always tell you to take your time and however much you need.
You both sometimes wake up when the sun rises and take long walks in the green parts of the city, he always picks flowers for you along the way and gives them to you, you secretly keep them in books and now you have a collection of them which you cherish.
You both have joint study sessions, where he teaches you the stuff you don't know and you teach him the stuff he doesn't, it's a really nice way to study and it help you strengthen your knowledge.
He will never force you to do anything, you are an ace and he will respect that for him, the.love that you share is bigger than any other thing.
He will always make you feel loved and comfortable and never let any doubt take its place in your head and his.
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The room glowed golden as the first ray of sunlight filtered through the blinds of the room.
The room was pleasantly cool and the blanket along with the soft rays of the sun were making it more and more comfortable.
Mirio stirred as the rays poked his eyes, waking him up. He stretched looking at the time and smiled softly as he felt an arm wrapped gently around him,
He turned around as slowly as he could to come face to face with your sleeping form,
Your face was glowing from the rays of the sun making you look ethereal, if he was asked what was the most beautiful moment in his life, it would be this. The simplicity of the moment was blissful and euphoric and he wished that he would just stay frozen in time.
He wanted nothing more than to stay in this quiet haven of his with nothing but you and the comfortable silence you shared and him giving you all of his time.
He wanted to be the constant in your life, the permanent that never goes away.
He wanted to be just like the sun in your life, illuminating and rejuvenating you, making you feel warm and softly cradling you.
He loved how just your presence was enough to comfort him, to just know that you are right there by his side, even in the darkest of times.
He wanted to tell you that you could leave it all to him, to unburden yourself onto him because he would be there, to carry it all as he knew that at any given time you would do the same thing for him.
Right now, looking at you, peacefully sleeping he knew he was in love, he had been since he had met you.
"Good Morning," you mumbled with a smile on your face as your eyes landed on his.
"Good Morning darling, sleep well?" He answered, fully aware of the fact that he bad yet again, fallen more in love.
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little-silly-bear · 3 years
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Hello Cookie!! Can you explain autism symptoms for me?
Hi dear! Well it’s a very big argument and I want to talk about my experience that is different from others on the spectrum since every person is unique. I was diagnosed the last year and it was a shock since I’m 23 and I lived my whole life thinking “what is wrong with me? Why I just can’t get friends or having a conversation like the others?” Tumblr literally saved me, I saw a lot of post of regressors that are on the autism spectrum and I was like “Wait..that isn’t normal? I mean not everyone do that?”. So I did a loooot and I mean a looooot of researches on this argument, I tried to study more that I could and I found myself at home.
I can try to summarise the big symptoms for you (I’m not an expert I’m just a kiddo pls don’t be mean if I say or spell something wrong it’s also 5 am here) :
Sensory issues-it means that you have one or more senses very high, you’re sensitive to touch, smells, tastes, sounds or sights and they are more but I don’t remember those ahah! You can have all of them or a mix of them, usually they are more that one. You can’t stand having targets on your shirt, some kind of fabrics drives you crazy and you just really need that blanket to live a regular life and can’t understand why? Yeah me too. Most of the time they are bad, like some sounds literally makes me crazy, in high school I spent a terrible time because no one believed that I felt pain for certain sounds or lights. But I try my best to concentrate on what makes me happy like the fluffy blankets, not having socks, sleeping with a weight blanket, walking with my cancelling headphones and the taste of a cheesy pizza. You just need to listen to your brain if that light is too much please, when possible turning off, your health comes first! I tried to suppress this feelings my whole life to make other people “comfortable” aroun me but not anymore! If a room is too crowded and I literally hear every person talking, I usually feel very sick and need to recharge in another room. When I was a kid and my parents used to take me to the mall I literally fainted, they thought it was something that makes me unique but now we now it was my body reacting to overstimulation.
Having trouble socialising and in building relationships. This was the first criteria that convinced my therapist that I needed a test. As I told before I never get other people, they seemed like a different species to me and if I wanted a friend I needed to work really hard on acting and behaving like them. Obviously I failed every single time because I couldn’t resist more than few weeks? Also this was around elementary/middle school when in my head I needed friends like a task to do 😂 when I realised that I was way more happier by myself I didn’t try it again! But for me, like a lot of us is difficult because everything is built in a way that isn’t ours, every single conversation is based on a neurotypical way. The small talks, the chit chat, I never get this things, why we need to talk about the weather when we can talk about how cool is the Pokémon Go game? Do you know what I mean? I think you does. Also big tip try to talk with a person on the autism spectrum and see if you’re more comfortable and tuned with them, I had three friends irl ,we’re all on the spectrum and let me tell you that is so much easier talk and keeping a relationship when you both understand each other.
Special interests!! Omg! Pls don’t get me started I will never end this post 😂 they literally saved my life, I didn’t know they were special interest until my therapist told me but let me tell you that I have a lot of them!!! Special interests are one or more subjects that you have a deep, almost professional, passion about. They can be simple, scholastic or very complex topic. And you don’t need to be an encyclopaedia to prove that is your special interest, the same fact that you have something that you reaaaaaally love talking about and can’t stop learning more and more about it makes it valid. Let me tell you that at the age 10 I learned Japanese because I fell in love with Japan culture, I didn’t have internet I studied from books and old movies/animes. I never thought that was a special interest because for me it was just my way of loving something.
Stimming. This is something that our dear cousins with ADHD have in common with us. Most of the times someone in the autism spectrum have also adhd and viceversa but it isn’t always the case. Stimming is a natural process to express our emotions, it comes naturally and it’s like an electric feelings (for me) it’s something that you can’t stop and if you tried to suppress it will grow and make you feel worst (not like in a tic or ocd way more in a mental state). Everyone stim, people stimming to music is very acceptable and well viewed by the society but people like us need to stim to express our emotional state. I personally suppressed my stims for so many years because of bad teachers that im still trying to relearn most of them. It’s a common thing to having your diagnosis or starting to accept your autistic traits and then see your stims grow like never before! Most are gestures like flappy hands or jumping when you’re happy or if you ate a good food but they could be everything like chewing, singing, humming, bouncing legs, hair wrapping, scratching, eating nails, watching aesthetic photos, listening a song on repeat or clapping hands.
They’re more and more things to add in this list but I already did a long post and I got so excited for this question that I forgot to take my meds 😂 I tried to summarise with the points that my therapist told me were the most relevant for my diagnosis. Let me know if you need more advices, my dms are always open for you little beans that need help or tips from your big sibling! Have a good day and happy stimming to everyone 💕
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ssajj · 4 years
Text
Francis Forever
Five years ago, you ran away from Spencer. When a case brings him back into your life, you both realize how unfinished you left things. 
3.4k, fem!reader
Warnings for the past death of Y/N’s family, mental health struggles
It’s stupidly hard to breathe, even more difficult to not start cursing out your therapist, who had been the one to recommend this trip. Go home, she’d said. Tie up the loose ends that keep threatening to strangle you. Well, you’re here now and everything feels worse. But you’re sick of running, so you push your shoulders back and walk into the dingy check-in room at the motel you picked. Five minutes later, you walk back out, key digging into the palm of your hand. 
It’s been almost five years since the last time you were here. You’d held out as long as you could, hesitant to leave him, even if it was killing you. He’d noticed, of course he had. He was too smart and caring not to, and so he’d been the one to buy you the train ticket. 
You’d promised to call. 
You hadn’t. 
The last time you’d met up with her, your therapist had brought up the idea of calling him. You’d promptly gone into a panic attack, whimpering that you couldn’t see him, not after you’d run away from him, ignoring that his worst fear was abandonment, stomping on his fragile heart in an attempt to save yours. Once she’d settled you enough that the tears were drying, she agreed that you wouldn’t have to see him if you didn’t want to. 
You miss him, though. You do. You think about him more often than you want to admit, wondering how he’s doing, if he’s eating enough, if he’s still in the same job, if he thinks about you, if he’s happy, if he’s moved on in a way you haven’t managed yet. There isn’t a good point in wondering all of those things, especially considering you have no plans on seeing him while you’re here. In fact, you’re aiming to leave the motel room as little as you possibly can. 
In your sleep, you dream about him. 
“Y/N!” Spencer laughs, grabbing you at the waist and sweeping you off your feet. He spins you around like you’re a princess. This has quickly become a habit: he’s gone for a long case and then smothers you in affection when he comes back. You’ve already told him that he doesn’t need to feel guilty for being gone for so long. So far, he hasn’t been listening. 
Taking advantage of your sudden height, you kiss the top of his nose, liking the blush that spreads across his cheeks. He puts you down after another second. You stay close to him. Even if you don’t like it when he feels bad, you really did miss him. 
“How was the case?” You ask. 
Now that he isn’t touching you, he fiddles with the end of your scarf. Throughout your relationship, you’ve noticed that he likes being close. Some days he’s okay with physical touch and some days he isn’t; regardless, he’s always either hovering near you or playing with an item of your clothing when you’re together. It should be stifling, would be if it was anyone else, but it’s terribly endearing when it’s him. There’s a gentle air to everything he does, the love evident throughout his words and actions. You don’t know if you deserve it. Hell, one of your worst fights ever with him was about that exact topic. Even if you don’t deserve it though, it makes you feel safe. He makes you feel safe. 
He pulls a little at the scarf. “Good. We got him before he could kill his last victim.”
You don’t know how Spencer sees the things he does at work. Every once in awhile, you’ll watch the press conferences the team does, look up the cases they’re on or they solved previously. Bile always rises in your throat. You love him, you love his team, but you hate his job. You hate that he’s in danger, that he could end up like your family did, dead and alone. He knows this. He also knows that you’d never ask him to quit. 
He doesn’t seem to be aware that you’re thinking too hard, since he keeps talking. “Rossi’s having a family dinner at his house tomorrow night. He said I’m legally obligated to bring you.”
You snort. “Legally obligated?”
“The logic wasn’t very sound,” he agrees, letting go of your scarf to brush the hair that was falling into your face. “I agree with his premise, though. You should come. They all miss you.”
“Alright,” you say, burying your face in the crook of his shoulder. “I miss them too.”
Three days after you get to the city, you leave the motel room for the first time, bundled up in an oversized sweatshirt and jeans. Normally, you try to dress up a little more, although you weren’t one to make yourself uncomfortable to look cute. You respect the hell out of those girls, though. They always look bomb. 
Walking around the city was nicer than you thought it was going to be. The weather was just as you remembered, crisp but not cold enough to make you shiver. You end up at a park, feet swinging back and forth. The bench isn’t terribly comfortable. You don’t mind, though. It’s been near impossible for you to relax, so sitting here is the closest you’ve been able to get. It looks like it’ll start raining soon and other people start clearing out of the area. You don’t move, though. Once it falls, you let it hit your skin, let it cool the burning panic that’s been lying dormant since you arrived. 
The second week in, the person in the room next to you gets murdered. You wake up to a scream, can hear something banging around. An idiot would join in on the chaos, would get themselves killed. That isn’t you, though, so you wait quietly, grab the knife you keep at your nightstand. Five minutes after you hear a door slam, you figure you’re safe enough to make a phone call. Red and blue lights come not long after, making you kiss any opportunity of a good night’s sleep goodbye. 
After they interview you, you can hear whispers about this turning serial. You know where you used to live, you know the area, you know who they’re going to call. You bow your head and do your best to mentally prepare for this. 
The BAU is there within an hour. Hotch sees you first. His eyes widen, only for a second. He’s too much of a professional for your presence to throw him off your game, even if you do see him glance back. When he approaches you, only JJ is with him. She has a stronger reaction to seeing you. 
“Y/N?” She asks, frowning. “What are you doing here?”
“Reid isn’t here,” Hotch tells you before you can answer. “He’s at another crime scene.”
You don’t know how you feel about that. Every emotion within you is at war. You wring your hands together, looking down in your lap. “My therapist suggested that I visit,” you shrug. “Exposure therapy or something.” They ask you the same questions that the officers ask you. You’ve never seen them mid investigation before, but they’re nothing like how they were back when you were still dating Spencer. Or maybe this was just because they hated you now. 
Hotch walks off first, phone held tightly against his ear. That leaves you awkwardly hovering near JJ, who hasn’t taken her eyes off of you this entire time. 
“What do you want to say?” 
She flattens her lips, an expression Spencer told you a lot about. It was her angry face. “He’s going to find out that you’re back.”
“I know.”
“Were you going to tell him that you’re back?”
You shake your head. “I’m not staying, JJ. Like I said, this was my therapist’s idea.”
The disappointed look she gives you makes you want to rip your heart out and let her stomp on it. 
“You need to talk to me!” Spencer is trying not to shout. You can tell by his posture, the way his voice catches at the end. “I can’t help you if I don’t know what’s going on!”
You’re angry. You’re angrier than you have any right to be. You know he’s just doing the best he can. Instead of saying any of that, you just keep yelling. “It’s none of your business!”
“You’re my girlfriend. I love you.”
The words make you flinch. You see him go completely still, like he just lost against Medusa. He probably thought Medusa was preferable to you right now. He’s hurt, you know he is. You’d never flinched away from him before, never had a reason to. You still don’t. Not a good one, anyway. 
“I need to go,” you choke out. He lets you go without protest. 
It takes eight hours for Spencer to show up outside your hotel room. Either Hotch and JJ kept your return a secret until the team was done for the night, or he knew and wasn’t allowed to leave. 
He knocks on your door. You hesitate for a beat too long before answering, opening it just enough to let him inside. 
“Y/N,” he breathes. You don’t look at him. You can’t. Earlier, you’d promised yourself that you wouldn’t run from this or cry over it. Your therapist better be god damn proud of you for this one. “You’re here.”
“Yeah.“ 
Out of the corner of your eye, you can see him start to reach for you. He stops himself, his hand falling back to his side. “When did you get here?”
“The beginning of the month,” you tell him. “I don’t know if JJ or Hotch mentioned, but it’s a part of my therapy. Coming back for a little bit.”
He finally finds the nerve to touch you, tugging at your sleeve. “Why won’t you look at me?”
You take a deep breath before forcing your gaze up. He’s just as beautiful as you remember, almost angelic. It makes you want to crumble on the spot, especially once you register the heartbroken look on his face. 
“Why are you here?” You finally ask. 
When you were eight, your entire family was murdered. It’s something you wait months to tell Spencer, once he starts bringing up taking you to meet his mother. 
“Oh, god,” he says after a moment. He gathers you in his arms, holds you as you cry into him, wipes away your tears when you finally pull away, kisses your cheeks, shushes you when you try to apologize. 
“Thank you for trusting me.”
Spencer is sitting on your bed, legs curled underneath him. He tries to get you to sit with him, but you refuse. Something about standing during this makes you feel less like you’ve lost any and all control. 
“You never called.”
You close your eyes. “I know.”
“I wanted to let you have your space, I just didn’t-” he cuts himself off momentarily. “I didn’t think you were going to leave me.”
“I’m sorry.” It’s not enough. It isn’t close to enough. “I wasn’t strong enough to come back. I’m a coward. And selfish. I shouldn’t have run like that.”
When you open your eyes, he’s blurry. You belatedly realize that you’re starting to cry, notice that he is too. 
“It’s okay to run. I just wanted you to talk to me, or come back, or something. I don’t know what I did wrong.”
You start to say that he did nothing, but he shakes his head. 
“No,” he protests. “Not nothing. I didn’t help you. I knew you were struggling, I knew your PTSD was flaring up again, and I did the wrong things. I let you pull away, I didn’t fight hard enough for you to go back to therapy.” He takes a few deep breaths. “When the love of your life is struggling to stand upright, you let her lean against you. And I was too busy with work to be there for you.”
You sit down on the bed. 
It’s incredibly obvious how much Spencer loves his mother. He talks about her constantly, updates you on her life, and worries endlessly in the periods where she isn’t doing well. So before you ever meet her, you know that her opinion matters enough to him that it could end your relationship. 
“Y/N?” You hear him call for you, poking his head into the room. “Are you ready? Oh, you look really nice.”
It’s about time to leave. You’re in the hotel room, having just gotten ready to go meet Diana. It took you an embarrassingly long time to pick your outfit, since you really wanted to impress her. If she doesn’t like you, you’re fully prepared to start freaking out.
“I’m ready,” you say with almost no confidence. 
He must hear the nerves in your voice, since he comes fully into the room, approaching you and putting his arms around your waist. “She’ll love you.”
You’re not sure if you believe him. You go with him anyway, watching him chatting with all the nurses as you waved awkwardly at them. After a few minutes of this, you’re finally standing in front of Diana Reid. 
She pulls you into a hug before you can say anything. “Y/N!”
“Mom, don’t smother her,” Spencer chides gently, pulling you away from her. You smile a little when you can see a blush growing across his face. 
“Sorry, sorry,” Diana says, grinning. “It’s just so nice to finally meet you. He talks about you all the time, you know?”
You smirk, looking back at your boyfriend. “Oh, really?”
“Shut up,” he mutters, but there’s no heat behind it. 
Before long, Spencer has to leave the two of you alone so he can go talk to one of Diana’s doctors. You can tell he’s hesitant about it, but he kisses both of you on the top of your heads before he leaves. 
“He’s happy,” she tells you. “He’s really happy with you.” Now you’re the one blushing. “I really love him,” you confess. “I don’t know what I did to deserve someone as amazing as your son, but I feel incredibly lucky.”
She grabs your hand and squeezes it. “Thank you for looking after him.”
Spencer gets called back to work before you two can finish talking. 
“Please stay here until the case is over,” he takes your hand, squeezing it tight. “I’m not letting you slip away again, okay? If you don’t want me anymore, you’re going to have to say it to my face.”
You don’t say anything. A small smile tugs at Spencer’s lips. He kisses your forehead before he runs off. 
“You know, I never pictured Reid settling down,” Morgan tells you. 
You’re all at JJ’s house for Henry’s birthday. The two of you had snatched up a table early in the afternoon, lounging as you watch everyone. So far, you’ve seen Will give JJ a piggyback ride, Penelope down two jello shots before declaring that a life of crime and alcohol just wasn’t for her, Emily and Rossi fight over who has more money, Hotch finger painting with Jack, and Henry chase Spencer around the yard. Morgan’s drinking a beer, you’re drinking a juice box. 
You hum. “Do you think he’s happy?”
“Who?” Morgan looks over at you. “Reid? Duh. He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him.”
“We’ve been fighting lately.”
“It happens,” Morgan shrugs. “You should see Will and JJ go at it. That is not a woman I’d want to piss off. It’ll be fine, Y/N.”
You nod, even as this feels like the beginning of the end. 
The BAU doesn’t think you’re in any danger, although that doesn’t do much to soothe you. All you can picture is your family, how were all supposed to be safe, how you came home on a Thursday after school and found your entire world bleeding and lifeless on the floor. You think Spencer’s aware of this. He messages you constantly, sending updates on the case as well as cute animal pictures. The latter makes you laugh, even though it’s a little wet. He’s trying to be here for you.
You know the second the case ends. Twenty minutes later, Spencer is back at your door. 
“I didn’t know if you’d still be here,” he says breathlessly, and you realize he must have rushed over as fast as possible. 
“We have stuff to talk about,” you shrug. 
The two of you sit on the bed and face each other. It’s silent for a long beat before either of you speak. 
“I miss you.” Spencer talks first. “Y/N. I think- I think you’re it for me. And it’s okay if you don’t want to be with me. I’ll respect it. But I want to try again.”
You make yourself keep looking at him. “I hurt you.”
He nods. “We hurt each other, I think. I’m not saying we don’t have things to work on. We do. But I’m not ready to let you go again.”
The day after you leave Spencer, your phone never stops ringing. He’s usually the one calling, but there’s a few from Morgan and Garcia, too. You don’t answer any of them, choosing instead to sit alone and cry so hard you throw up. 
When he kisses you for the first time in years, it feels familiar in the best possible way. He always kisses with his entire body, pressing up against you and framing your face with his hands. He holds you like you’re something special, like you’re a priceless treasure he’s protecting with his life. Tonight, you aren’t going to do anymore more than kiss. You’re both feeling vulnerable and uncertain, your second chance at a relationship newly established. You don’t need it to go any further, though. You already feel happy enough to burst at the seems. 
Now that you’re back together, you promise each other to be better about working through bad days together. Needless to say, you’re both prone to bad days. 
You haven’t officially moved back to the area yet, but you’ve been spending a lot of time there, thankful that you’re able to do a large portion of your job on your computer. 
“Y/N!” You hear him shout when he comes into his apartment. You suck in a breath, taking note of the panic that’s laced through his voice. You put your computer down, rushing out into the living room. He practically slams into you, pulling you into a hug and picking you up. Instinctively, you wrap your legs around him to keep your balance.
“Hey, hey,” you soothe. “What’s going on?”
“Family annihilator. I couldn’t…I couldn’t stop thinking about you and I just-”
Your blood chills and you both hold onto each other a little tighter. “I know, sweetheart.”
He carries you to the bed, where he gently lays you down before settling his body on top of yours. You press kisses to the skin you can reach until he relaxes. 
You fall asleep in each other’s arms. 
“I’m having a bad day,” you whisper into the phone. It’s a weekend that you’re home, even if its been feeling less like home lately. 
“What’s wrong, love?”
It’s hard to keep your voice from rising to a wail. “I don’t know.”
He tries to comfort you over the phone, but it’s only somewhat effective. When you two hang up, you’re still feeling weird and empty. He texts you periodically, making sure that you aren’t spiriling again and calling you the time you don’t answer him. 
The next morning, he surprises you by showing up at your apartment. He sweeps you into a hug, closing the door behind him and resting his chin on the top of your head. You feel yourself melt into his arms. “What are you doing here?” “You needed me,” he says, like it’s that simple. Maybe it is. “So I’m here.”
Two months later, you wake up next to him, running your fingers through his hair. It’s a fluffy disaster, making it a bit of a task to not get your hand tangled up in it. You’d hardly want him to wake up because you were yanking his hair out accidentally. 
He wakes up not long after you do, a smile already playing on his lips. “Morning,” he mumbles. 
“Hey.”
“I love you,” he whispers, taking your hand out of his hair and holding it. 
“Love you more,” you tell him, smiling when he shakes his head. 
“Impossible.”
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rockandroobuckaroll · 3 years
Text
Shyan Mafia AU - Chapter One
This is the first chapter of my first Shyan fic, so any comments/notes would be helpful. I'm currently waiting on an email from A03 to make a new account, so when it's up I'll start uploading this there too.
A couple people asked about this too being @watcher-savage and @celestial-e I apologise in advance for my inability to write chapters less than 5000 words haha
This is a mafia AU where Ryan is a newbie in the mob, looking to gain protection. He’s sent after a guy known only as ‘Legs’ to take care of business... only things aren’t so simple as that. Ryan must lure this ‘Legs’ guy out to some place quiet... but he’s not the only guy in town who’s after him.
Life hadn't been easy for Ryan Bergara. He'd been on his own most of his life, not many friends and he had no family that he was particularly close with. Ryan didn't know what had happened to his parents or younger brother, only that they were six feet under and not by natural causes. It had happened one night when he wasn't home, instead he was out partying with his old friends from college. He'd come home to a sight that caused many sleepless nights, a sight decorated with shades of red that he could never wash out of his clothes.
Ryan had been a paranoid man from that night onwards, afraid he was next on the list and he would be murdered some day soon. It lead him to lead a sheltered life, shut away from friends and remaining family. If he was on his own maybe people would forget he existed entirely. Being alone kept him alive, despite the loneliness it brought him.
It was this loneliness that eventually brought Ryan to a decision that would change his life forever.
Ryan needed protection and he craved a family like the one he used to know and love, and there was a way to kill two birds with one stone;  he did have to admit he must have been crazy to come to the conclusion however. His dad was a wealthy, powerful man, he and his wife had ties to higher ups that they kept secret. Ryan knew they weren't just rumours made up by people in the street, after all he'd been at family dinners where strangers in sharp suits were invited, he'd overheard meetings and phone calls. It was certainly no secret to him that his family were part of the Californian Mafia.
During the day his dad was a humble dentist but by night he was out in a tailored suit, attending meetings and 'taking care of business'. Ryan's mom always joked that his dad was part of the men in black and that he used to go out and hunt aliens and as a child he had believed her. As he grew older and pieced together the truth Ryan thought it was pretty cool what his dad did, although that novelty came to an abrupt end the night they lost their lives.
It was a longshot, but he hoped that the men who used to come round his house for dinner would take him in, train him up, and give him the protection that he needed to sleep at night. He could be brave if he was in the mob, he had to be, and maybe he could finally get some sleep at night. If he couldn't all those years of shutting himself away would have been pointless and Ryan didn't ever want to admit that to himself.
That was how he found himself sat in a leather armchair in a small office, sat opposite a man he recognised from his youth. The man was much older now, hair grey and he wore glasses that weren't previously needed, but he still had the same believable kindness behind his eyes - though Ryan knew better than to trust that kindness.
"I'm glad you came to us Ricky, we can give you the protection you need." The elderly man sat behind the desk spoke, his voice smooth and soothing. He may not look it, but the man in front of him was the big boss of the Californian Mafia, overseeing the ins and outs of the entire organisation; he was known only as Father Thomas. He was a man no one wanted to cross.
"Um, my name is Ryan, sir." Ryan corrected him, realising afterwards that he probably should have known better. If the movies were anything to go off he shouldn't talk back to these kinds of people.
"Ryan, my child, you don't want to give out your identity to men who are going to use it against you. From now on if someone asks for your name, you tell them its Ricky: Ricky Goldsworth." The Father had a point, although Ryan assumed it would take him a while to get used to that alias - he would probably have to write it down. "You're new here and you want our protection... but not everything is free, Ricky."
"I'll do anything, sir." He was honest when he said 'anything'. Ryan wouldn't have resorted to the mafia if he wasn't willing to leave his old miserable life behind him.
Father Thomas leaned forward, elbows resting on the dark oak desk and his chin atop his interlaced fingers. "Anything?" He looked Ryan in his eyes, peering deep into his very soul. "Here's the thing, Ricky. I believe you when you say you'll do anything, I do... but I don't know if my good friends will be willing to back you up. So I've got a little job for you. It's a risky job, you'll be tested for sure, but if you pull it off I can make you very wealthy very quickly... and throw in a couple of trained assistants of mine to keep you safe at night." The Father leaned back again much to Ryan's relief and opened up one of the heavy looking drawers on the desk, pulling out a large, beige binder and flipping through before taking a page out.
The paper had a personal file, a photo attached with a paperclip at the top. There wasn't much known about him, no name to call him; only an alias was written down. "This here guy is a bit of a troublemaker for us. We've lost many good men to him, he's cunning and has a perfect record when it comes to his work."
"And you want me to..."
"To take care of business, yes." Ryan suddenly wasn't so sure. He picked up the photo of the man. He had dark hair slicked back and had a slender build. He was wearing a navy suit with a white shirt only half buttoned up and sunglasses covering his eyes. "We don't know all that much about this guy, only that he goes by the nickname 'Legs' and that he's extremely hard to catch. If you go after him your loyalty and dedication to us will be tested, naturally, as well as your skill and methods. I can't promise you'll ever come back though... so what's it going to be, Ricky?"
Ryan thought over carefully. He couldn't deny his heart was pounding so loud in his ears that Father Thomas could probably hear it, nor that his hands shook slightly as he held the photo. He was terrified of what this 'Legs' could do to him, or what he had done to others. He was also terrified of his own desperation. He was scared of how tired of being paranoid he was, how tired he was of being scared and alone. If things didn't work out and he ended up getting killed... would that really be so bad?
A snarky voice in the back of Ryan's mind told him he should have probably gone back to his therapist instead of paying the mob a visit, but it was far too late to listen to logic and reasoning now.
"Where was he last sighted?" Ryan bravely spoke up, gaining a small smile from the man in front of him. Ryan knew whichever way things went it would be a win-win for him - though deep down he had a feeling things were more realistically lose-lose, it wouldn't hurt to at least try.
"Yesterday in New Orleans, that's when that photo was taken." Ryan placed the photo down on the desk and looked over the rather empty file, he'd be going into this practically blind. "We've got an unused hotel in that area you can use to take care of him, one of my boys will give you the keys. We can get you a flight too, private of course."
"New Orleans..." It was a long way from home, although Ryan was almost glad of that. He'd only left his home state of California a few times and only ever as a child, on holidays and such. Hopefully leaving the state would do his mental health some good. "When's the flight?"
"We can get you in the air by six in the morning, you'll have all day to get your bearings and get to work." Ryan hadn't expected it to be so soon, although he supposed he didn't have to make up any excuses to anyone about where he was going. His job at the local theatre realistically wouldn't get him anywhere anyway and they could easily replace him in an instant. He had hoped one day to be making his own movies, or at the very least work on big productions, but it was a difficult industry to crack.
"Six AM..." He nodded to himself. "Okay... I'll do it."
Ryan was restless that evening, barely touching his bland microwave meal and constantly reorganising his suitcase, filling it with only the essentials and his best sneakers. He showered and sat on the edge of his bed beside his opened suitcase until early hours in the morning, going over what he had to do. The plan was relatively simple: find this 'Legs' guy, take him to the hotel and... it was the last step Ryan was having trouble coming to terms with.  He knew he would have to kill some guy he had never met. He probably had a family, maybe a wife or a child - at the very least he probably lived alone with a cat. Could he really do that? Could he really take someone's life?
He had opened his laptop and looked at Google Maps for a solid hour, trying his best to memorise the streets of New Orleans, the routes he would have to take to get to the old hotel the mafia had given him the key for. He didn't know how he was even find 'Legs', New Orleans is a big city after all, though he had been tipped about a diner that the man had been seen frequenting over the past few weeks so hopefully that was a start. Part of him hoped he never ran into him and that he would just have to live a quiet life in Louisiana, surely the deep south couldn't be all bad.
Hoping that he had everything memorised, Ryan decided that there was no point in getting any sleep now, he could just hopefully sleep during the three hour flight. He changed into something that would make him look like he was going on a business trip, something the guys at the office had informed him would be his cover up. If anyone asked him he was taking care of the hotel to prepare it for new ownership, that was all they needed to know. He settled on a silver suit and with a black tie, hoping he didn't look too affiliated with any gang; he didn't want to go over the top and wear a fedora with sunglasses, that was way too cliché.
By four in the morning there was a knock on his door and before he knew it he was on a private jet making his way to New Orleans. Ryan watched as the sleepy city slowly awoke, the sun slowly making it's way above the horizon. It didn't take long for his lack of sleep to catch up with him and a few minutes of resting his eyes managed to turn into him sleeping through his short flight. The next thing he knew was that he was being prodded awake by the pilot.
The pilot in front of him was a, quite frankly, dodgy looking, slender individual. His dark hair was greasy and slicked back and his eyes were just as dark as his hair. His skin was tan with little blemishes on his sunken face and his nose was crooked, his teeth matching the nature of his nose and were in desperate need of a dentist. He wore a pinstripe suit, black with thin cream stripes, over-polished shiny black dress shoes and a cufflink shaped like a red dice adorned the white shirt that peaked out from his slightly short sleeves. He was almost the complete opposite of Father Thomas.
"We're here." He sounded just as slimy as he looked, Ryan couldn't believe he actually fell asleep knowing it was only the two of them on the plane; he would be sure to check for any scars when he was alone later on to see if he had any missing kidneys. "You know what you're doing, right?"
"Yeah." A simple yet effective lie.
"Good. Then get off my jet." He ushered Ryan and his luggage out, the poor man still half asleep and aching from sitting in one spot for three hours. "If you by some miracle get the job done give Father Thomas a call, I'll come back and fetch you. Good luck."
With that hurried goodbye, Ryan was left on his own in a city he didn't know. He knew he should have been nervous, probably terrified given what he was supposed to be doing there, yet the only thing he felt was hungry. He'd skipped breakfast and barely ate any of his dinner the night before. He decided the best thing to do was find somewhere to get a bite to eat and ask around for any clues where to find this 'Legs' guy; Father Thomas had informed him of the perfect place.
Diners were always a hit and miss experience, although the small building that had been recommended by Father Thomas seemed to house a semi-decent establishment. It had a pleasant scent of coffee and bacon, mixed with a hint of pine from the décor. It was cosy, welcoming and much to Ryan's relief: empty. Not to mention, apparently 'Legs' had been sighted coming in and out of there all week. It was the perfect spot to start looking.
He sat at one of the barstools and looked up at the menu, mouth already beginning to salivate at just the stock photos of the food they served. "Hiya, hon, what can I get you?" A young, blonde waitress appeared from the beaded curtains, a smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes; a symptom of an early shift in the quieter outskirts of the city.
"Hi, can I get a black coffee and some pancakes please." At this point Ryan would eat anything, even if it came out of the trash.
"Sure thing, hon." She scribbled down the order and took the payment before pouring Ryan his coffee from the glass pot. The first sip burned his tongue but it helped wake him up a little. A few minutes later the waitress returned with a plate of pancakes drizzled in maple syrup with bacon placed on top: it looked picturesque.
"Thank you." Ryan remembered the manners his mom had taught him many years ago before shoving far too much into his mouth, closing his eyes as he savoured his first mouthful. Before he could ask the woman about places of interest that may attract mob guys or murderers (or both) the bell on the door rang, meaning another customer had walked in. Ryan didn't turn around to meet them, instead taking another sip of his coffee.
The customer sat two seats away from him, the waitress smiling at him the same way she had at Ryan. "Hiya hon, the usual?"
"Yes please." The man spoke in a quiet but kind voice, although his accent stuck out to Ryan. It wasn't that it was a strong accent, quite the opposite actually. It certainly wasn't from around here. "Thank you."
The waitress disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving the two men in silence. Ryan took another sip of his coffee as the man tried to start up a conversation. "Pancakes? Now that's in poor taste. It's waffles all the way." Ryan almost spit out his coffee - not at the comment but at the man's appearance.
This was the guy from the photo: this was 'Legs'.
"You alright? Don't choke." He laughed at Ryan, his eyes crinkling up at the corners as he did. Ryan had to fight every instinct not to bolt out of the diner there and then. Here he was, trying to enjoy his breakfast and now all of a sudden he was having a conversation with a murderer... well, he would have to respond in order to have a conversation.
"Uh..." Ryan struggled to find the words to say. "Pancakes are way better." He settled on, 'Legs' shaking his head and turning back to the waitress as she brought him a plate of waffles before disappearing back into the kitchen. "Is that how you like to talk to strangers?"
"Oh, sorry..." He seemed to become shy all of a sudden as he realised his conversation starter had been a bit rude. "You don't sound like you're from around here. You here on business?" It was a fair question to someone who was dressed in a suit although Ryan could feel beads of sweat forming at the back of his neck. Did he know? Could this guy sniff out someone in the mob at a glance? He was a professional from what Ryan had heard, for all he knew the guy had spotted the plane landing and followed him there, planning to kill him behind the diner.
"Yeah... something like that." Ryan cleared his throat and steadied his hands on his coffee cup. They had begun to shake, betraying him when he needed to remain calm.
'Legs' hummed a response and begun digging into his waffles. Ryan needed to think quick. He needed a reason to keep him around, not let him out of his sight. The hotel key Father Thomas had given him felt like it was burning into his leg like a beating heart under the floorboards, reminding him of all his troubles. He was starting to panic already. He really wasn't cut out for this despite his efforts to try and convince himself otherwise. "Hey, don't mean to sound rude but are you alright? You don't look well all of a sudden."
"I'm fine." Ryan's voice shook. Shit. He couldn't afford a panic attack. "I just need some air." Ryan stood from his seat and rushed out the door, his knees feeling like jelly. He took in a few deep breaths as he leaned against the wall, hoping he was just far enough outside that 'Legs' couldn't see him. Fuck. If Ryan couldn't even sit next to the guy and have breakfast and a friendly chat how the hell was he supposed to lure the guy to some abandoned hotel and murder him in cold blood?
"You want me to ask the waitress for some water or something?" 'Legs' poked his head around the door, "You gonna hurl, dude?" 'Oh great', Ryan thought begrudgingly: 'of course he's a nice guy'. No, no he isn't, Ryan had to remind himself. This guy has killed people.
"I'm okay." Ryan kept lying to himself, lowering himself so he was crouching down, his back against the wall. 'Legs' crouched down next to him, his hand on his back to try and comfort him.
"Just breathe, yeah? You're alright." 'Legs' seemed to recognise the signs of an oncoming panic attack. "What's your name? Have you got someone I can call?" 'Stop being so fucking nice', Ryan internally groaned. He shook his head, closing his eyes and just focusing on his breathing. "Okay, I'll stay here with you. Talk you out of it... uh, well shit I can't think of anything to say." He chuckled in such a nonchalant way that made Ryan want to punch the guy.
"Pancakes are better." Ryan managed to mutter in between breaths, deciding to just say anything to change the subject and take his mind off his paranoia. 'Legs' wheezed at that, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You believe what you wanna believe, man." He adjusted his position so that he was sat down properly, legs crossed in front of him. "You're wrong, but hey, opinions and all that baloney."
Once Ryan felt like he was going to be okay, that he wasn't going to have a complete breakdown in front of his future murder victim he looked up to the sky, still avoiding looking at 'Legs'. "My name's Ricky by the way... Ricky Goldsworth." Ryan needed to try and make acquaintances with him while he could; it would hopefully make the upcoming murderous meet and greets less awkward.
"Goldsworth?" He seemed intrigued by that. "Cool name." Ryan was glad he hadn't just seen straight through him immediately. "Nice to meet you Ricky." He held out his hand to shake, Ryan took it and tried to keep his grip firm despite his hands still shaking. He also had to play it off like he hadn't noticed that 'Legs' had completely avoided telling him his name.
"Your breakfast is gonna go cold." Ryan told him to try and change the subject. "Mine too... let's go back inside."
"You alright to stand? You looked a bit wobbly on your feet just now." Ryan was tempted to just put a bullet in the guys head there and then and get his suffering over with. Of course he ended up with the crazed murderer who just happened to be a total sweetheart.
"I'm fine. Come on." Ryan pushed himself up and lead 'Legs' back inside, the two taking the seats they were previously in. Ryan's coffee was still pretty warm and his pancakes hadn't quite turned to soggy mush yet.
"Sorry if I said something to set you off, by the way. I didn't mean to freak you out." 'Legs' spoke in a hushed voice, as though he was trying not to induce more panic into Ryan.
"It's alright... it's been a long night. I'm just on edge I guess." Ryan took a bite of his breakfast, he wasn't that hungry anymore but he also knew he would regret it later if he didn't finish it. "It's not your fault." Ryan took another sip of coffee to wash it down.
"Well, I don't know if you're free sometime soon but there's a nice bar in town, I was planning on going out tonight if you wanted to join me." That was the second time 'Legs' had made him choke on his coffee. He hadn't expected to be asked out by the guy he was supposed to kill. "Uh, well, you don't have to if you don't want to!" He quickly gave Ryan the option to turn him down, his cheeks bright red and he couldn't meet his eyes.
This was perfect. 'Legs' had practically signed his own death warrant... granted that Ryan could actually pull the job off. Everything had fallen into place however, he would be an idiot to turn it down.
"That sounds... that sounds great actually." Ryan tried not to sound so relieved that he didn't have to make up some bullshit excuse to stalk this guy without it being weird.
"Really?" God, Ryan felt like such an asshole. He wasn't stupid, he knew what was happening. 'Legs' was showing interest, he was inviting him out and was shy when he asked the question. Now 'Legs' was feeling immense relief that Ryan had offered to spend the night getting to know him. He was leading him on and wouldn't even get the chance to let him down gently. "Shit, I didn't actually expect you to say yes! I mean, on my part even I can say this is bad timing!" He was giddy like a child, not helping the sinking feeling in Ryan's stomach.
"I'm always up for a good time." Ryan played along to the best of his ability. This guy was digging his own grave without Ryan even having to try, he didn't want to let the opportunity go to waste. "I've got to... there's this hotel I'm looking after at the moment. It's gonna be refurbished and I've got this job to basically check in and make sure none of the shit gets stolen. I can meet you after work if you want?"
"You're looking after a hotel? You're not gonna go all Jack Torrance on me and come after me with an axe, are you?" Even if it was a great movie he was referencing Ryan couldn't help but nervously chuckle at the irony.
"Wouldn't dream of it." 'Just drink your coffee and don't make eye contact Ryan', he thought to himself in desperation. He picked up his napkin and took a pen out of his blazer pocket. He'd childishly put it there in case he needed to go all spy-movie-action-scene and use the pen as a weapon, but he supposed using it for it's intended purpose would do for now. "Here's the address." Ryan had memorised it off by heart after fretting over his plans the night before. "Meet me about seven-ish?"
"Seven-ish." 'Legs' spoke aloud his mental note as he took the napkin and glanced at the address. "This isn't that far from the bar actually." That was lucky for Ryan, he wouldn't have to bring 'Legs' half way across the city just to kill him.
Ryan's plan was pretty simple, if not slightly manipulative - though he decided that if he was plotting to kill someone he would have to put his morals on the back bench for the time being. He would go out for a few drinks with 'Legs', get him to loosen up, bring him back to the hotel, lock the door so no one would accidentally wander in on his murder scene and then take care of him in the basement. One flaw he found with his plan was that he realised he still hadn't been told a name for his victim, not a nickname or initials: nothing. Ryan was starting to wonder if he was the one manipulating the situation, that he was the one in control... he had a feeling 'Legs' had his own ulterior motives behind inviting him out.
By the time seven rolled around Ryan almost felt sick with nerves. After preparing everything he needed in the hotel he was sat on the steps at the front door, staring at his blank phone screen in front of him to seem less conspicuous when he heard a call for his name - well, the name he had given out as a cover.
"Ricky?" Ryan looked up and smiled at the man before him. 'Legs' had changed out of the striped hoodie and jeans he wore that morning, he was wearing a dark blue shirt with red Hawaiian flowers on it which caught Ryan's attention. He'd never actually seen someone pull off a flower shirt like that and not look like a dad on vacation.
"Hey." Ryan stood up and climbed down the stairs, feeling slightly intimidated by the guy. He found it strange that he was wary of a paper thin guy in a flower shirt, but when put into the context that said guy towered over him in height he found himself feeling strangely inferior - that and he was a fucking murderer, Ryan had to keep reminding himself of that fact.
With a nervous breath 'Legs' gave a smile, "Shall we get going? The bar's down this way." Ryan smiled and nodded, following the taller man down the street
'Time to act your heart out' Ryan thought to himself, 'Play it cool, don't be suspicious'.
The bar was starting to fill with patrons though it didn't seem to be as busy as some of the others, Ryan was glad of that. The less people that saw him there the better. 'Legs' took the gentlemanly approach and offered to buy the first round, Ryan watching closely to make sure his drink hadn't been spiked before taking his first sip.
It had been a while since Ryan had been out like this, he had missed it if he was honest. The last time he was out drinking he... Ryan shook away the thought with a frown. He wouldn't think about that tonight, not now that he was about to cause someone else to find their family member brutally murdered.
'Legs' had noticed Ryan's frown and looked nervous, as though he was calculating the right thing to say. This night must have been important to him, he was trying so hard not to mess it up. Ryan felt immense guilt but knew he couldn't wallow in it all night. He needed the night to go well too, given that he needed to get him back to the hotel. He hoped it would be willing and not Ryan dragging him back kicking and screaming.
"Thanks for coming out tonight." 'Legs' started, talking over the music with his best efforts. "I mean, I really thought you were gonna turn me down."
"I needed something like this, I should be the one thanking you." Ryan wished he meant that, he wished he was just out on what felt like a date - it probably would have been considered one in Ryan's mind but 'Legs' still had neglected to give him a name. It was a sobering reminder that the man in front of him could very well have his own plans of murder. His nice guy act was so cliché anyway, serial killers were always known like that. It was the whole Norman Bates schtick, the type of guy who wouldn't hurt a fly, socially awkward yet charming. Ryan hoped he wouldn't get stabbed to death by this guy dressed as his mother later on, though it would certainly be an unexpected twist to his evening.
"Is it a tough life, looking after hotels I mean?" He asked, taking a sip of his drink, "Must get pretty lonely having all those rooms to yourself."
"Yeah... it can be." Ryan was used to loneliness, it was just part of his daily life by this point. He supposed if the whole hotel business was his real job he wouldn't think it any different to how he felt when he was sat at home on a Friday night watching movies all on his own rather than reuniting with his college friends and going out to get completely shitfaced. "What do you do, I don't think I asked?" Ryan hoped that question wouldn't scare him off.
"I, uh... I'm actually unemployed at the moment." He was avoiding eye contact again, Ryan knew he was lying anyway. "I'm here on a sort of midlife crisis, trying to see if I can make it on my own sorta thing... it's not going well." He laughed it off and took another, longer sip of his drink.
"You're on your own out here?" Interesting, that meant there would be no one around to search for him if he suddenly went missing. Ryan had interpreted him saying he was unemployed as he wasn't out on a job for the mob in New Orleans. He was just as alone out here as Ryan was. This whole situation just seemed so perfect, though he was wary of how careless it was on 'Legs' part.
"Yeah." Was his only response.
"You must be pretty lonely too then." Ryan didn't like to empathise with a killer, though he knew in just a few short hours he would be one himself. "Guess we can be lonely together." Ryan raised his glass, 'Legs' picking his own up and tapping it on Ryan's, the sound of the clink breaking through the music with ease.
Ryan had anticipated the night to go poorly. He had assumed he would be too nervous to drink or talk for half the night or perhaps for his date to figure out his true identity through some offhanded comment and ditch him or put a bullet between his eyes. What he hadn't expected however was to actually have a good time with him.
The two of them seemed to get along just fine, conversing in topics such as old shitty horror movies that were just charming enough to be enjoyable - or the ones that had practical effects so terrible they were actually hilarious to watch. 'Legs' had listened to Ryan ramble on about how much he loved Disneyland and hadn't been in years, in return Ryan tried his best to pay attention to some anecdotes 'Legs' had from an old D&D game he had played with his friends back in his hometown.
As the number of drinks piled up Ryan actually started to let his guard down, relaxing in his seat and laughing along at the dumb jokes 'Legs' cracked every other minute. He had to hand it to the guy: he was pretty funny. With his guard down he hadn't quite expected 'Legs' to smoothly place his hand over Ryan's as he was fidgeting with his glass, nor had he expected himself not to pull away quickly.
This was his chance.
"Hey... how about we drink up and get out of here, yeah?" Ryan suggested, 'Legs' quirking an eyebrow at him and downing the rest of his drink. "We can go back to the hotel I'm looking after, it's completely empty. It'll be just you and me."
"Lead the way."
The two of them headed out of the bar and into the cool night air, Ryan holding his hand and pulling him along through the crowd as to not lose him. The streets were bustling with the city's nightlife, the people passing them were either already drunk and loud or on their way to join in. Ryan really had missed this, the buzz of it all, but that wasn't what he was here to do, as much as he was hoping that maybe he could spend a couple nights with this guy, go out partying and make stupid decisions together. At the same time however, the last thing Ryan wanted to do was form an attachment; he was already getting dangerously close to that.
"Here we are." Ryan struggled to fit the key into the front door ten minutes later, mentally cursing to his past self for having one round too many. He hated that he'd actually had a good time with 'Legs' tonight. He hated how now it was over, now was the time where 'Legs' whole life was over. The price Ryan was paying to have protection didn't seem worth it all of a sudden, but he'd come this far... giving up now wouldn't sit right with him.
"Give me a room with a view, Goldsworth." 'Legs' put his hand on Ryan's hip, leaning into him and breathing against the back of his ear. It sent shivers down his spine. It took all he had not to throw his plans out the window and lead him to one of the rooms upstairs.
"Got a better idea." Ryan turned around to him. "You said you didn't want me to for obvious reasons... but what if I did go all 'Jack Torrance'? What I'm trying to say is I bet the basement is romantic as fuck." 'Legs' burst out laugh at that, his head dipping and eyes crinkling into thin lines as they had done many times that night.
"You know what? You've won me over." He let Ryan take him by the hand and guide him towards the heavy metal door that lead down a flight of stairs to a mostly empty room, just a boiler and some electronics  that Ryan had no idea the purpose for - probably a fuse box or something. The only light in the room was a simple bulb hanging from a chord on the ceiling, fitting for a room that was soon to house a murder.
The second the door was closed behind 'Legs' Ryan struck out, grabbing the pole he had set out earlier when he was rehearsing this moment over and over again like some crazed fanatic and striking the taller man on the side of the head. It knocked him out in an instant, 'Legs' dropping like a sack of bricks and tumbling down the stairs. Ryan winced, it looked like it hurt. 'Forget your fucking morals, man, you're trying to kill him'. Ryan stared down at his unmoving body from atop the stairs, his breathing heavy in his chest. It was terrifying to him just how easy that was, how simple it had all been. This poor guy was just looking to have a good time and now he was getting murdered for it.
Acting quickly, just in case 'Legs' woke up half way through, Ryan rushed down the stairs and grabbed the chair and the rope had set aside, hauling up the man's deadweight and tying him to the chair. He inspected the wound on his head, blood pooling around the edges but not gushing down like he had imagined it would in his rehearsals.
"Okay... okay, right... what now?" Ryan frantically looked around the room as if looking for clues. "Oh, gun, right." Ryan took the gun he had concealed under the boiler, dusting it off and checking to see if it was loaded. "Right... now wait for him to wake up I guess."
Ryan took the spare chair he had previously placed in the basement just in case things escalated and he had to knock him out with a chair instead of the pole, lucky the craftwork had stayed in one piece. He sat opposite 'legs', hunching over slightly and looking at the gun in his hand. It rattled slightly as his hand shook, looking out of place in his grip. Ryan knew this wasn't right, he knew deep down that this was only going to make his life worse but he was in far too deep now for retrospective analysis.
"Stop shaking." He whispered to himself, using his free hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. He was panicking again. "Fuck..." He couldn't help but think about the last time he was panicking, crouched down outside the diner this morning. 'Legs' had been there for him then, a comforting presence that had managed to calm him down despite being the reason he was panicking in the first place. He felt like he needed that now.
As if on cue 'Legs' stirred, a faint groan escaping his lips as he struggled to find consciousness. He tilted his head up slowly with a wince, eyes squinting as he looked directly at Ryan. "Huh?" He struggled against the ropes he was tied to, looking at them in confusion as if he couldn't understand why he was now tied up. He seemed to wake up a little more after his brain tried to piece together what was going on, the tall man looking around with a pained expression before his eyes settled back on Ryan.
"Hey sleepyhead." Ryan stood up, putting his acting chops to best use. 'Whatever you say just make it intimidating' he repeated in his head like a mantra. "Have a nice nap?"
"Ricky?" 'Legs' sounded woozy, "What's going on... is this a kink thing or something? I'm not one to judge or anything but some consent would have been nice."
"Wha-" Ryan was baffled by the stupidity that had just come from this guy's mouth. A kink thing? This guy was a well known member of the mob who'd just been knocked out and tied to a chair in a basement like some sort of thriller movie cliché... and then he thought it was just that Ryan had a fucking kink? Not quite what Ryan had been expecting. "No, you idiot! I'm here to kill you!"
"Oh?" 'Legs' seemed to think that over for a minute before the somewhat humoured smile that had previously been on his face was wiped completely. "Oh."
"Yeah, 'oh'." Ryan mimicked as he pinched the bridge of his nose. "I thought this was going to be a lot harder but you just walked right into this... you didn't even question me wanting to take you into the basement! Are you really that dense?"
"In my defence you hit me on the head pretty fuckin' hard." He groaned, almost as if he was trying to get sympathy. Ryan wouldn't take the bait, even if he did sort of feel guilty about it.
"That was after I lured you all the way out here!" Ryan's voice rose in both volume and pitch, holding the gun out and aiming it at 'Legs' head. "I thought mob guys were supposed to be fuckin' smart!"
"Mob guys?" Everything slowly clicked into place for him, he looked almost disappointed, but what he was disappointed about Ryan wasn't so sure. Maybe in himself for being so naïve or perhaps in Ryan for leading him on the way he did to turn out to just be another in a long line of guys that had come after him. "Right, so you're here to kill me then?"
"Yeah, I said that already." Ryan was trying his very best to be patient and take into account the guy had only just woken up after he bashed him round the head with a metal pole. "You're a ballsy guy, I'll give you that. I mean, just going out and partying in New Orleans knowing the Californian mob is after you? I can't tell if it's bold or insane!"
"Well I'm not in California right now, am I? I didn't think they'd be dumb enough to come around here with how high the tensions are between them and the gangs here in Orleans." So he did have a bit of common sense, even if his logic had been flawed. "That and I wasn't expecting the good looking guy in the diner to be some fucking mafia hitman or whatever."
"You think I'm good looking- wait, no. You're not going to flirt your way out of this!" Ryan jabbed the gun in his direction as if to threaten him into shutting up but 'Legs' didn't seem all that phased that his life was in danger. 'Definitely insane' Ryan thought to himself as he glared down at him. Who the hell stays so calm in a situation like this? This guy really is Norman Bates reincarnate. "And I'm not a hitman, I'm part of the Cali mob!"
"You are, are you?" 'Legs' seemed sceptical. "You don't look the part. I mean, you're way too short for one and that tough guy act is fooling no one."
"Man, fuck you! Just because you're as tall as a fucking sasquatch doesn't mean I'm short! Oh my god I cannot believe I was actually considering throwing everything I worked for away and just fucking you instead!" Ryan was aware he was trying to rile him up on purpose, but god dammit it was working like a charm. "Are you forgetting I'm holding a fucking gun here? I'm going to kill you! You should be begging for your life right now!"
"Oh, no, please don't kill me Mr Goldsworth." His voice was dripping with sarcasm. "Although, I mean, if you untie me I could pretend none of this even happened and we could just go upstairs and, y'know." He gave a conspicuous whistle rather than being as blunt as Ryan had been.
"You're insufferable." Ryan couldn't believe this was the same guy he went drinking with, the same guy he was starting to regret luring to the edge of town to kill. He was filled with enough aggression and adrenaline not to feel that regret anymore, but he still couldn't help noticing that his hand still shook slightly as he pointed the gun in 'Legs' face.
"I always thought you mobsters were supposed to be tough guys. You're shaking like a leaf."  'Legs' pointed out which only infuriated Ryan even more. "You really should work on controlling your emotions more, just shut 'em off, y'know?"
"Stop giving me fucking criticism!" Ryan growled, his fist balled at his side before he used it to steady his shaking hand. "I'm literally about to shoot you!"
"Well hurry up with it then, you're starting to look like some incompetent movie villain!" 'Legs' almost sounded bored, impatient even. Ryan figured the guy must be on some next level of crazy if he was practically begging the guy holding a gun to shoot him.
"Don't rush me!" Ryan clicked the safety off on his gun and held it against 'Legs' forehead, the taller man closed his mouth very quickly and his eyes opened wider. Ryan couldn't help but smirk at how quickly he turned his act around.
"Uh, Ricky?" 'Legs' sounded worried all of a sudden, a complete juxtaposition from how he was mere seconds ago.
"Oh, now you're afraid. Didn't take much for that tough guy act to fall through, did it?" Ryan felt proud in a way, proud that he'd actually succeeded in intimidating the guy. Maybe he had it in him after all? Maybe this whole time he had just been overreacting, overthinking. He had the guts to do this, all he had to do now was pull the trigger (after saying something badass like they did in the movies, of course) and it would be over.
"Ricky!" 'Legs' called out, an unmistakeable fear in his tone. "Look out, behind you!"
"Yeah, how stupid do you think I am?" Ryan scoffed, though his tune soon changed when he heard the sound of metal scraping along the floor behind him, something he imagined 'Legs' had heard before Ryan knocked him out earlier. He gasped, eyes widening as he remembered he forgot one crucial step in his plan: he forgot to lock the front door.
Before Ryan could even turn around and defend himself he felt something connect with his temple and the world turned to black in a terrifyingly quick instant.
So much for everything being too easy...
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kickingitwithkirk · 3 years
Text
Greetings From Austin
Pairing: Alpha!Jensen Ackles x Alpha!Jared Padalecki x Omega!OFC
Summary: Jensen and Jared are at odds over a monumental decision that changes their lives in a way they couldn’t have envisioned.
Word Count: 2616
Warnings: a/b/o, homophobia, bisexuality, biphobia, angst, cursing, self doubt, depression/anxiety, medical stuff, sexual dysfunction, infertility
*additional warnings to be added in future parts.
A/N: Here we go again with one my weird as hell dreams, series Inspired by this art.
A/N II: There is no intentional hate or malevolence intended towards any of the Ackles or Padalecki families. This is a purely fictional piece containing real and created persons/names/events set in the fictional A/B/O verse. Some dates/events altered to fit story.
*no beta-all mistakes are mine
*divider by @writeyourmindaway​​​​​​​
*images found online
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Prologue
Austin, TX
Mid July
“Babe,” Jensen softly says in a low voice to the person seated next to him in the waiting room, “Babe,” he says a bit louder, still getting no response. Leaning close, he blows into their ear.
Jared starts, his “what” muffled by the finger he’s been chewing on.
“You know you can’t do that, don’t want you getting sick.” Taking his hand Jensen pulls it away from his pretty pink lips, gently caressing the finger. Jared had finally stopped chewing on his hands when Covid-19 became widespread.
“Where’s your gum?” Jared bite his lip not answering.
Sighing, Jensen shifts retrieving his pack and hands a piece to him. “What’s got you masticating again?” He inquires as Jared pops the stick in his mouth.
Jared chews the gum nervously weighing how to answer the question knowing Jensen won’t accept anything less than the whole truth. “What if something goes wrong again because of me.”
Jensen’s brow furrowed. He learned years ago that while their relationship is one of equals, he had to be lead Alpha when Jared’s mental state overwhelmed him as it had the last few weeks.
***
After the public announcement in March 2019 that season fifteen would be Supernaturals last, they had agreed when finished with the pickups they would take an extended break, return to Austin and concentrate on their marriage.
Jared intended to stop acting indefinitely, pursuing other interests and Jensen wanted to concentrate on his music.
Of course, things didn’t quite end up how they planned.
Jared entered negotiations to star in the Walker, Texas Ranger reboot, along with being an executive producer. Jensen got a call from Kripke wanting him for the role of Soldier Boy in The Boys third season.
But by March of 2020, everything came to a halt thanks to the Corona-virus.
The shutdowns left Supernaturals final two episodes with no definitive filming date and their seemingly never ending last season put their other projects on hold.
For the first time in years they had the luxury of a leisurely schedule, not having to be somewhere on a timetable, they could communicate with friends and family uninterrupted, deal with their other businesses, charities, etc, leaving most days free to enjoy being together without constraint.
But even amazing, awesome, vigorous sex on every horizontal/vertical surface that could support the two big Alphas only filled so many hours and like many couples, they started getting each others nerves and looked for other ways to stay occupied.
By late May, Jared was unable to sleep or eat, even going out of the house became a chore. When he hit a consecutive fourth day in bed, Jensen bodily dragged him into the bath for a desperately needed shower and loaded him in his truck driving to his doctor's.
Upon checking in they were told patients only allowed in the facility. Jared started panicking, saying he was having chest pains and couldn’t breath. He was rushed in with Jensen hot on their heels after morphing into an overprotective Alpha mate no one was stopping.
Jared’s doctor deduced with the lock-downs prohibiting him from his routine checkups and periodic adjustments needed to his medications triggered this episode.
The first step was to wean him off his current prescriptions and change to a newly approved, alternative regime. He was checked in a facility for ten days under observation while detoxing off his meds.
His therapist switched his twice weekly tele-counseling sessions to daily for the foreseeable future and Kodas certification as an emotional support animal was approved. His progress was slow but he was returning back to his sweet natured, big hearted, exceptionally tactical, overgrown puppy self.
When the surprise call from the clinic came a few days ago about an appointment opening, Jensen initially didn’t want it, still in his overly excessive protective Alpha mode. Jared’s outburst made him relent, fearing they were on a collision course for a major setback if he didn’t.
And Jensen, being Jensen, went overboard to ensure the appointment was absolutely private.
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Part I
Jared was about to speak when a woman in scrubs called out, “Mr. Bonham and Mr. Page.” they got up crossing over to her, “Hello, I’m Sissy, Dr. Rodgers nurse, please follow me.”
They pass through the doorway leading through a maze of halls like that of any other medical clinic except this one specialized in a very specific service.
The nurse opens a door near the back of the clinic gesturing for them to enter the spacious office, “Please have a seat, the doctor will be with you shortly.” She closed the door and they sat down in the pair of chairs directly in front of the large, dark mahogany desk.
Jensen, scenting Jared’s nervousness, lifts his right hand kissing his palm, making him chuckle at the tickle of Jen’s soft beard before twining their fingers together and setting them on his left thigh, smiling reassuringly.
There was a brief knock before the door opened and an older, silver haired Beta entered. “Hello, I’m Dr. Rodgers, how are we doing today?” He asks, moving to his chair behind the desk.
Jared gave him a tight smile and Jensen remained placid.
The doctor raises an eyebrow, “Relax Mr. Page, this is just a visit to go over the paperwork before deciding about how we proceed, not the Spanish Inquisition.” Jared releases his held breath but couldn’t completely calm himself.
“I know the process can be overwhelming but I must ask, is there something we’ve done to make you uncomfortable?” Dr. Rodgers inquires.
“No, everyone’s been really nice, very professional. It’s just we..we had issues the first time we attempted to do this.” Jared finished his sentence quietly, in the recess of his mind; something bad is gonna happen and it’ll be my fault.
Jensen squeezes his hand tighter, instinctively sensing Jared’s mind was trying to spiral again, “When tried this before someone leaked our plans to the media. It wasn't ever proven the clinic was involved but...”
“We do everything possible to keep our clients anonymity protected here. All of our staff have been thoroughly vetted and sign NDA, given your professions, you're familiar with how they work. Your real identities will remain completely confidential, even if you choose to not proceed. It is why you chose this particular clinic, yes?”
“Yes, it is.” Jensen replied.
“How about we get this bit of paperwork out of the way, then we can have a more relaxed visit. I’ve gone over the applications you both submitted and have noted a few discrepancies in the medical section that need clarification before we proceed,” He opens the top file, “Mr. Bonham, why did you omit Genu Varum from your medical history?”
Jensen kept his expression neutral as he felt his stomach automatically clench. He had been mercilessly teased throughout his childhood about his bowed legs by his older brother Josh and later his buddies from school when they’d come over to hang out. By the time he was in high school Jensen’s extraordinary looks and personality were what got people’s attention first. Nowadays, many a fanfic waxed poetic about those bowed legs.
“The questionnaire inquired about inherited genetic medical conditions and since mine isn’t, I didn’t think it was necessarily applicable.” Jared hears an edge creeping into Jensen’s voice and gives their tangled fingers a quick squeeze.
“Did you see an orthopedist and were they able to determine what caused the condition? Did they suggest any surgical procedures or therapies to straighten your legs?”
“I was born a preemie, the orthopedists my parents consulted decided my condition was attributable to that.” Jensen replies tersely, dropping his vocal range. Jared gripped his hand harder, telling him to cool the attitude. “The doctor didn’t recommend surgery but sent me to physical therapy, thought it would help them straighten as I grew.”
“So no others in your immediate family have this issue?”
“Everyone my family has straight legs, including my three children.”
Jared piped in, “He hates it but he does have an exercise regimen; stretching, strength training. Oh, he also takes several different vitamins, omega oils, turmeric and extra vitamin D to support his joints.” They watched the doctor scribble a few more notes in the file before closing it.
“Mr. Page,” Jared sits up straighter in his chair, “I appreciate that you went into detail about your mental health status. I see you’ve recently been hospitalized, your medications have been changed to an alternative regiment and you’ve also increased your therapy sessions?”
Jared’s interview continued for another twenty minutes as Dr. Rodgers questioned him in depth about his depression and anxiety, feeling said anxiety ratcheting up so he focused on Jensen’s thumb rhythmically moving over his hand and used every ounce of his acting skills to appear confident and in control.
Dr. Rodgers closed his file, “I only have a few general questions left then we can discuss how you wish to proceed.”
After a more relaxed, genial conversation with the doctor, Sissy took them to a couple private rooms with paraphernalia to help stimulate them into producing a couple semen samples.
Jensen was getting close to finishing with his favorite spank-bank fantasy when he felt Jared’s frustration across their bond.
~~~
Jared couldn’t get aroused.
He felt as useless as his flaccid cock.
His doctor warned him that loss of sex drive could be a possible side effect of his new regiment until his body adjusted to it. He had struggled with temporary impotence a few times on his old meds, always fearful Jensen would finally see him as undesirable, no longer a satisfactory mate.
Rationally, he knew it was his illness causing these exceptionally hard to deal thoughts recently and the nagging idea this wasn’t the right thing for them to attempt again continually kept creeping in.
Jensen’s unspoken reluctance about having more children at his age was also weighing on his conscience, warring against his own biological longings.
They had a humongous argument when he told Jensen about taking the appointment. Jen thought this was the wrong time to attempt it again, pointing out he was just getting his equilibrium back setting Jared went off on a rant about how he no longer wanted him and would leave him like Genevieve had because he was too broken to deal with anymore.
Unmitigated anguish was written across Jensen’s beautiful features, the very notion that Jared could conceivably believe that he’d ever abandon him made his soul hurt in such a way no verbal language on earth could ever express his devastated feelings traveling across their bond.
***
Everything they’d been through; from that bar fight solidifying their friendship, Jared’s first breakdown, the years of living as roommates while secretly a couple to finding wives who understood their unique relationship and still married them both in 2010.
The joyous arrival of JJ three years later that unfortunately exacerbated Genevieve's frustration of not being able to conceive coming out with a vengeance at Jared. His unexpected breakdown in Switzerland was the final nail in their marriage. Gen was there for him but in the end it was all too much and she filed for divorce.
Shortly after, Jared’s iCloud account was hacked. It was believed, but never conclusively proven, that Gen was behind it since her lawyer was trying to break their prenuptial agreement, the videos documenting his private and explicit sexual relationship with Jensen were legally considered adulterous. In the end, the court upheld the legal document but the ramifications...
They were summoned to L.A. for the meeting from hell with WB executives, both convinced it was the end of Supernatural and their careers.
After the reaming out, they each received a weeks pay suspension to cover some of what it was gonna cost PR in time and money to deal with the inevitable repercussions and placate the show's sponsors.
How would the show’s fans react? Would they still be able to accept them as brothers only on TV while in real life they were involved in a highly stigmatized relationship?
When they returned to work there was an atmosphere of tension that hadn’t existed before. It was an open secret that all shows had their share of bitchiness and backstabbing behind the scenes. Jensen may have the thicker skin, keeping tighter control on his emotions, but Jared knew it hurt him just as deeply the loss of some of their friends because of prejudicial, social beliefs that two Alpha males shouldn’t be involved.
Jensen’s parents showed up unexpectedly in Vancouver a few weeks later. What started out as a not quite comfortable visit quickly deteriorated with his religiously conservative parents. They had not raised him like this and blamed Jared, saying he had corrupted him, leading him into a sinful lifestyle. He needed to repent and return to his wife to whom he had made a commitment before god.
Jensen blew up, replying it was none of their business, it was between them and oh, yeah, Danneel knew about them before marrying him and they better not say anything to her. Without another word his parents left. When he later called them to make amends, his mother coolly stated that he was no longer part of their family and to never contact them again.
Three months after the twins were born in 2016 came the finalization of Jensen’s divorce from Danneel, painful but congenial. They easily agreed on joint custody and still spent most holidays together. Jensen gave Dani financial security in their settlement, he wanted to make sure she didn’t have to worry about working again unless she wanted to.
All these years later, Jared continually has nagging thoughts that they had let everybody down. They received support when they publicly came out as bisexual then lost some of it when they married, being mocked for not coming out as gay.
***
There was another knock at the door and Jared ignored it, it was that nurse checking on his lack of progress again. The knock turned into pounding, “Jared, open this door now dammit!” He flinched realizing Jensen knew what was going on with him. Releasing the privacy latch and opening the door a crack he saw concerned green eyes only.
“Sorry, I thought you were that nurse,” he stepped away and sat back down as Jensen came in and re-latching it behind him. “She came to get me when you stopped answering,” Jensen said, walking over to him and started running his thick fingers through his husband’s long hair, “what’s going on babe?”
He glances up knowing that Jensen already knew, “It’s okay Jay, take as long as you need.” He paused at the unpleasant scent wafting around him. “If you’d be more comfortable we could do this at home…” Jared shakes his head, “There’s the risk of damage, contamination and or not able to get it back in time that could make the semen unusable.” Jared quotes from a website.
Jensen softly chuckled, “Nerd.”
Jared notices the bulge in his jeans, “You didn’t...”
“Drain the snake..choke the chicken..spank the monkey.”
“Fuck, okay, you didn’t! Stop using old man slang.” He shook his head smiling  at Jensen intentionally goading him.
Jared reached up for the hand playing in his hair, grasping it to draw Jensen down next to him.
“Jack, I don’t want to wait any longer on doing this. I love JJ and the twins, you know I do, but they'll always be yours and Danneels. I know the timing could be better... but I'm almost thirty-eight and I want my..our own pups running around the house driving us crazy.”
“For the next eighteen years?”
“Minimum.”
tbc
Part II
SPN: @donnaintx​​​​​​​​​​​​ @lyarr24
GFA: @babypink224221 @waywardjoy @let-me-luve-you @all-4-wincest
Sam/Jared @idreamofplaid
Dean/Jensen: @flamencodiva
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taikanyohou · 3 years
Note
Hey faiza I hope you dont mind sharing, but if you do you can ignore this ask, I wouldnt mind.
I have a younger sister who's recently diagnosed with autistism and I've tried to do research regarding it but I still feel helpless and that somehow I'll mess up. She's still growing and I want her to call home a safe place cause she has trouble with the outside world since there isnt a lot of awareness about autism here. Can you please guide me a bit? How you guys handle stuff at home? Any reading material that helped you. Thank you
hiiii anon!!! that's fine! honestly it was hard. bc my brother is the only boy from us all, and we're 4 siblings. there's me as the eldest, then my sister, then my brother and then my youngest sister. so at first, my parents just thought that bc was my brother was the only boy, that he might be developing a lot slower than me and my sister did as girls, but that eventually at the age of 2 or 3, he'd catch up. he didnt.
and my mum was the first one to sorta catch on that something didnt feel right. so after the health visitor inspected my brother and he got assessed, my brother got diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. my dad was a little reluctant at first to accept it, bc no one in my family history (either from my mum or dad's side) have autism or any type of special educational needs or disabilities, so my parents didnt really Know how to handle this all. but then my dad, after some time, came round.
and its not easy at all. it still isnt even though he's 23 now. but we've had a lot of support from different professionals, who are a whole team that have stuck with my brother at various points in his life, like his speech and language therapist or his educational psychologist or his medical staff or his teachers or his social worker etc. so they've always supported us and given us guidance and sent my parents to various courses - like triple p, something i hiiiiiiighly recommend. as a teacher, i also look into team teach, but i'd recommend even that too tbh, as a way to help and learn about de-escalation, and how you can positively help your sister in her education and broader sense of learning. another thing we also use is PECS - its honestly v v v useful for most children with autism as it helps them visualise their routine/timetable for the day/planned activities, but it also helps in allowing them to express what or how they feel, like hunger or fatigue, and helps them communicate their needs to you, if you help them understand what the visual cards represent.
for my brother, we've always had him have his own bedroom, and thats his private space to cool off and calm down that we rarely go in. my brother's non verbal, so he really has struggled with communication. we know a bit of BSL (sign language) and that helped when he was a kid, but as he grew, his school and his teachers slowly got him to begin speaking. he now only speaks in 3 or 4 word strings, not full sentences, but its a huge development!
my brother's really into disney, so he has a collection of disney books and films in his bedroom. what i'm saying is that get the time to explore what your sister's interests and hobbies are, and make her safe space one that holds her interests to help her feel secure. my brother isnt very into sensory textured things, so food isn't a huge issue with him, but for your sister, explore what textures she likes and what she doesnt. we dont ever force my brother into something he doesnt want to do, and sometimes that can mean cancelling plans last minute as a whole family too, which can be quite upsetting. so sometimes what helps is telling my brother well in advance that we're planning to do xyz on such a day, so that on that day, he isnt overcome with anxiety, bc most children with autism need a set routine, and if that gets disrupted, then they will behave anxiously. so now, when we have to go to a wedding or go out to eat, we tell my brother a week or so in advance, and he's okay with that.
but also, build some independence and decision making in them! let them choose what clothes they want to wear, what food they want to eat, whether they want to do english or maths today etc. sometimes things can become overwhelming and they do hit or bite or pinch or throw things. thats the moment where you just say a firm No and step away. let them cool off, and that will give you a chance to cool off too.
and always make sure YOU are okay too. if it gets too much, speak to your family. make sure different people are with your sister, because it can be physically difficult and mentally emotional. if you want to rest one day and have that day for yourself, tell someone in your family in advance and have some me time, and that will give a different family member a chance to spend time with your sister. that will help your sister build more relationships too! some days, my brother doesnt even wanna see my face, and thats ok! he spends that day with my other sisters or my parents or he'll go out with my cousin or sometimes, just by himself, bc they need that too.
and if you just tell someone, if you are going out somewhere, that you have a family member that has autism, you'll be surprised with how accommodating people are, and that helps so so much as opposed to not telling and then you'll get stressed and anxious too. like, sometimes, crowds and big spaces stress my brother out, even now, for example at a wedding we recently went to. but we told the person who invited us about my brother, and they said its absolutely no problem whatsoever if my brother needs to step out for a bit to get some fresh air or if he needs to be fed first etc. and in the same vein, i'd say to keep your conversations with you and your sister's "team" (her school teachers etc) ongoing, so that everyone is on the same page. for example, if you were to go on holiday or implement a new habit or try something new with your sister, if your sister's whole "team" knows about this, then you are all on the same page, and will help build that new change for your sister.
its honestly a learning experience that will never end, if i were to be honest. and some days its so .... hard. and other days its the most heartwarming thing you'll ever experience. make sure you take care of yourself, including speaking to someone if gets too much, so you can take care of your sister. and soon enough you yourself with just ... develop a sixth sense for who and what your sister wants or doesnt want and who or what she does or doesnt need.
🧡
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greedkinggreaser · 3 years
Text
What it feels like to be a failure: An essay about my mental health.
This won't be fancy, nor well written, it's about me and all my imperfections. Don't worry this isn't a suicide note. Entire "essay" under the cut.
Hello, My name is Adonis Randall. I think it's a nice name I chose for myself, I've gone through a lot of names and I always pick 4 letter names, it's not important but I like it. Adonis is the name of someone supposedly amazing, I want to be amazing. I never have felt amazing, no matter how much I gloat and laugh about how great I am and how cool I am, I don't think I'll ever amount to being an actual Adonis. That'd be pretty amazing if I could be though.
I'm 24, almost 25! I like to consider myself part of the trans community, and I like to think I can be a voice for people like me in this community, I'm not.
For as long as I can remember I've struggled with my mental health. In and out of therapists, doctors, and in and out of hospitals and on the end of the rope, bottle, or barrel that I put there with my own hands. I've attempted a few times and only almost succeeded last year, I masked it up as having an anxiety attack (it started off as one) but in reality, I did attempt to overdose on my painkillers I had been using for my cramps. I failed. I failed badly, like at everything else I've been doing.
I feel like I've failed at everything, being an artist, a friend, and a role model. I have a platform and all I ever talk about is how bad I'm constantly feeling, at least for a few months I felt great, I had started taking meds that were actually helping combat my anxiety and depression. and what seemed to be helping with my mood swings! Little did I know that it'd make me hallucinate, so bad that I felt like I was dying, they were so bad, that it brought back such intense mood swings, it was near the end of December too. That was the second time I almost succeeded in taking my own life. I had relapsed into cutting again, the scars are fading quickly thanks to ointment and skincare treatments I know. Thank god for that or my family would have found out and made fun of me for being weak again.
This battle has been my own fight, my own best friends don't actually comfort me, I'm sorry if you're reading you guys, but none of you have helped me that much and I'm not bothered by it, it's nothing new. I'm used to just dealing with it. I know it's hard to deal with someone who seems fine one second and moments later is crying about how they don't want to be alive. It's okay, I'm failing on the actually taking my own life part, partially due to me wanting to be around for people I enjoy talking to (those best friends who aren't too helpful but I love them a lot, they help in other ways, I'm still here.)
Recently I broke up with my girlfriend (they/them), I took it well, I wasn't mad I understood they have their own problems to deal with. This is where I also failed, I was a terrible boyfriend, I couldn't find my way out of my own emotional turmoil to see them having a hard time, they said they need to figure themself out before trying to date again, but I know, well I feel, that it was my fault too for not being emotionally available for them when they needed me.
I'm working on myself, I have been since I figured out there was something wrong, I was 15 when I figured it out, I had to start going to therapy on my own privately through my high school, I didn't tell my family, they thought I was fine and often were part of the problem, and would humiliate me in front of the therapist about all the problems I had, making it out like I was a problem child. Now I'm not in therapy, it's taking a lot to find the right therapist in Indiana that isn't gonna try to recommend Jesus to me as a cure to my problems.
I feel like I failed my family too, I feel like with my younger sister already having severe mental health issues, that me having them too was just a hassle, I wasn't cute, nor was I an outgoing person, my problems didn't seem like a big deal, so with that came with abuse, hitting, screaming and degrading, and even starving me. This is still happening, it's not as bad as it used to be, I mostly ignore them now, and deal with it when it pops up.
I feel that makes me a failure too, my friends have to hear about all the problems my family brings to me, what new trauma will this bring to the PTSD table, what will Adon complain about today. I have a roof over my head and I can buy food, not often but I can buy it. I have 2 dogs, they're my brothers but the dogs love me too. My followers have to hear about this too, I talk about it from time to time on my blog. I told a friend once about my sister, how she has attempted to kill me, how I got into a fight with her once Christmas, where she said I deserved to be raped and I liked it, I remember too, I snapped real bad. It was a month or so after I was discharged from the military, so I'm feeling with that sense of failure, now this chucklefuck is getting in my face. I barely remember that night, I just remember the oldest brother separating us, and the second oldest brother trying to calm me down. My sister didn't talk to me for a few days after that. Which is fine. I kinda hate her guts.
Regardless, my life was a rollercoaster. I always feel like a failure, this doesn't scratch the surface of it all, but I hope that if this isn't too bad of a thing to read, that I'll be allowed to talk about it in a later post.
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