WOW!! BABY'S FIRST TUMBLR ONESHOT!! I hope you guys enjoy this as i enjoyed writing it!! ENJOY !!
( Thank you to @lizzostolenskittles for letting me use Kaitlyn!!)
Kaitlyn is the Gaster brothers' sister
Dottie is Latte and Alphonse's daughter for clarification :))
It was a rare quiet night in the Gaster household. No baby crying, no shouting from the brothers from who won what ( Alphonse and Anthony being the loudest ), no dishes clattering in the kitchen, and no bitching whatsoever. It was just quiet. Aside from the tv blaring from the living room, it was quiet. Well it should be, for starters. But not for Latte. Ever since Dottie was born, the house had been filled with constant crying. Latte loved being a mother more than anything, but there were days she felt utterly helpless. Itâs not like Alphonse wasn't helping, he was helping! Just..work was consuming for him. Enzo was just up his ass about certain projects, which Alphonse didnât want to do. Especially since he had a literal baby to take care of now. But nonetheless, he was finally here to take care of his wife and child..and sister.
Latte was downstairs with Alphonse, cuddled up on the couch with a wine-red silk robe on her body, topped with a matching silk bonnet. On the side of her was Alphonse, wearing an unbuttoned black dress shirt with matching slacks, red suspenders hanging low as well. He was yapping about how another deal with Don Dee and how it wouldnât work out as an old western movie was blaring in the background.
âAnd do ya wanna know what this fucker said ta me?â
âWhat? Some usual racist bullshit?â Latte asked, shifting her body more towards him on the couch.
âHe said âtalkinâ to you is above my pay grade.â He had the fuckinâ GALL ta say that ta me!â
Latte scoffed. âWhatâs stoppinâ you from killinâ this bastard, hm? Is he because youâre gettinâ money from him or..?â
âThat and I need certain areas of Ebbot..â
âYikes..Double whammy, huh?â
âYeah.. âDouble whammyâ, as you say.â
Latte giggled and hummed. âYouâre a funny guy.â
âTell me somethinâ I donât know.â
A loud BANG! Came from upstairs, making the couple look up towards the ceiling. The two looked at each other. â..Iâll take care of it, honey. Iâm gonna need you to watch the baby for me. Itâs technically your turn to watch the baby.â Alphonse waved her along. âYeah, yeah. Go check on Kaitlyn.â
Latte got up from the couch and stretched for five seconds then headed upstairs in a hurry. Once she got in front of Kaitlynâs door, she did 3 soft knocks on the door. There was no answer, so she twisted the knob to see Kaitlyn sobbing at her vanity with a pair of scissors in her hand. Some locs of hair being cut and on the ground, scattered.
âStarlight..what are you gonna do with those..?â Latte said softly, walking in slowly and closing the door. Kaitlyn was still sobbing at her vanity, her tears streaming down her rosy cheeks. Latte finally got to the vanity and sat on the side of her, slowly taking the scissors from her hands. âStarlight..baby..you wanna tell me whatâs wrong? You know you can tell me anything , right?â She softly said as she wiped her tears.
Kaitlyn sat there for a moment, sniffling and aggressively wiping her tears with her palms. She slowly turned to Latte with bloodshot eyes.
â..I..I donât feel like me anymore. Every time I look into the mirror, I see someone else.â
Latte wiped her hair from Kaitlynâs face. âWhat do you mean, honey? Are you having an identity crisis?â Kaitlyn knew English but she kinda struggled putting sentences together at times. âI guess so.â Latte gently put her hand on her back, rubbing it softly. âWhat started this thought, honey?â Kaitlyn stayed quiet for a bit, fiddling with her hands until she spoke. âJust looking at other kids..I donât look like them.â Latte furrowed her brows. "Sweetheart... looking different doesn't mean something's wrong with you." Kaitlyn didnât speak. âLet me tell you somethinâ. Baby, you can be who you wanna be. Just because you were born a certain way doesn't mean youâve had to be that person. You can be whatever you wanna be. If youâre not comfortable in your body, itâs up to you to make yourself comfortable. Youâre still beautiful in my eyes. In your brothersâ eyes too but they may not tell you that. They gotta stay nonchalant.â She said with a small giggle.
Kaitlyn let out a huff that couldâve been a laugh. â...Iâm really glad youâre here, Latte.â
âMe too, starlight. You wanna come downstairs with me and Al?â
Kaitlyn pondered on it then shook her head. âIâll be okay. Thank you.â
âWell, let me tuck you in first before I go back downstairs, okay?â
âYou donât have to, auntie. Iâll be okay.â
Latte let a small exhale out her nose, worry written all over her face. âOkay starlight.â She kissed her forehead. âGoodnight.â
âGoodnight, Auntie.â Kaitlynn said, giving her a small smile.
Latte walked towards the door and slowly closed it behind her. She descended her way down the stairs, Alphonse seeing how she came down much slower than she'd gone up. He immediately saw the mood change and got up and walked towards her.
She tried to walk past him until he stopped her. â..Oh god..â Latte shook her head and pursed her lips together. As soon as she felt tears form in her eyes, she put her head in her hands as she kept shaking her head.
âHey hey hey. Doll. Look at me.â Alphonse took her in his big bony arms, rubbing her back in small circles. âTalk to me baby. What happened up âere, huh?â Latte sniffled and quickly wiped her tears, not being able to speak. Alphonse led her to the couch, sitting them both down to assess the situation. He looked to the side to see a tissue box but he remembered that he had a handkerchief in his right pocket. He took his hand and dug in his pocket to find it. âWhereâs that fuckinâ thingâ got it.â He took a velvety red handkerchief from his pocket and gave it to her. She took it and patted her face down with it. âIt smells like your cuban cigars and dijon mustard.â Alphonse scoffed and rolled his eyelights. âYou can keep that one. Thereâs more where that came from. Now..â His hand brushed a hair coil from her face. âWhatâs wrong wit âer, hm?â
Latte looked down and stared a hole into the handkerchief. The old western was still playing in the background, its gunfire and laughter suddenly sounding distant. âKaitlyn..she doesnât feel like herself. Every time she looks in the mirror, she doesnât see herself.â Alphonse lifted one of his browbones. âWhat are ya talkinâ abo-â âShe cut her hair, Al. Her hair was all over the floor. Itâs shorter than before.â For the first time that Latte could remember, Alphonse had no comeback. He simply stared at her. â..No.â Latte covered her mouth with the handkerchief, another sob escaping before she could stop it. âI just feel so helpless, Al. I feel like everything Iâve said or done for her hasnât been helping.â Alphonse shook his head. âDonât say that. Youâve done everythinâ you can for that girl. Sheâs an angsty teen. Let her feelings..and hormones..settle.â
Latte let out a watery laugh that died almost as soon as it came. âWhat if they donât?â she whispered. âWhat if she grows up thinking I never understood her? What if one day she decides she doesnât need me anymore?â
The questions hung in the air.
Alphonse stared at the floor for a long moment. He searched for something smart to sayâsomething Gaster wouldâve said, something that would magically make the hurt disappear. He found nothing.
ââŠI ainât good at this,â he admitted quietly.
He scooted closer anyway.
His large hand rested awkwardly against her back, rubbing slow circles between her shoulder blades. It wasnât graceful. It wasnât poetic. But it was honest.
âListen ta me.â His voice softened. âThat kid loves you more than sheâs capable of showinâ right now. Teenagers⊠they push. They yell. They make ya think yer the enemy.â He sighed through his nasal bone ( or wtv the fuck). âDoesnât mean you are.â
He glanced towards the staircase where Kaitlyn's room sat in silence.
âOne day sheâll look back and realize who stayed. Who kept showinâ up even when she made it hard.â
His thumb gently brushed away another tear before it could fall.
ââŠAnd thatâs been you.â
She shook her head, her cheek still cradled in his hand. âDonât say that, Al..â She murmured. âYouâve been there too.â
He gave a small shrug. âI have. But yer the one carryin' the weight every day. Yer the one stayin' up when she can't sleep. Yer the one wonderin' if every little thing you say is the wrong thing." A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, flashing his gold tooth. "I'm just tryin' to keep the ship from sinkin'. You're the one steerin' it."
Latte's lips trembled. "You're gonna give me a big head..." She chuckled wetly, wiping at her cheeks.
Alphonse couldn't help but smile.
He watched her for a long moment, letting the quiet settle between them. There wasn't anything left to fix. No clever joke. No speech that would make the hurt disappear. He simply squeezed her hand.
"And I know ya don't believe it..." He murmured. "...but you're a damn good aunt."
MY ASKS ARE ALWAYS OPEN!!! THANKS FOR READING!