#keith stanton

[tomfuston-blog]

tonight, before you fall asleep, i'll run my thumb across your cheek. cry, 'cause i'm here to wipe your eyes. i know i made you feel this way. you gotta breathe, we'll be okay.

[tomfuston-blog]

Fighting to breathe

Four years from now, basically. :) But this isn't going to happen. It's just a drabble.

heartbreak tw btw

The words rung in Liv's mind, playing over and over, and her heart stung once more every time she remembered the words her husband had murmured to her. That was the night that she'd told him she wanted a divorce. Two nights ago, she'd covered her eyes with her hand and whispered the words she'd never imagined she would. She remembered how quiet it was in the kitchen and the pain on his features, and she remembered how she'd begun to cry, desperately wishing she could imagine some other way out of her situation that didn't include the ending of her marriage.

True to his character, Keith had wiped away her tears and kissed her deeply before agreeing to let her have what she wanted. "I'm always going to love you, Olivia. Please remember that." And after that, he'd grabbed his jacket quietly and walked out the front door.

They were both still sleeping in the house, but Keith had moved into the guest room. Elijah and Amelia were none the wiser to the changes occurring in their home, seeing as neither of them had woken up in the night and come to crawl in bed with their mother or father. They seemed to miss every time Keith's eyes would linger sadly on his wife from across the dinner table and every time Olivia's hand would linger too long when she bumped her husband's while reaching for the dishes on the table.

Much of the time, Olivia kept her eyes away from Keith. The pain on his face was too evident, too potent, for her to bare looking at for long without feeling her chest tighten. She locked the bathroom door when she showered now, too -- something she hadn't done in years. The only time she truly spoke with him was when it was required because their two children were interacting with the two of them.

Now, she was walking through the front door, her purse on her shoulder and a large envelope in her arms. Amelia and Elijah streaked by, giggling and yelling after each other. "Slow down, sweet pea!" Olivia called in warning to her four-year-old daughter, who was leading her slightly-older brother on a goose chase through the front rooms of the house.

Her breath was steadier than it had been in days as she found her way into the conservatory, where Keith was staring blankly at his laptop screen, as if he knew what he wanted to convey, but couldn't find words, due to his mind being in another place.

"Keith," she murmured quietly, catching his attention. Olivia held out the envelope for him, and watched as he retrieved the legal divorce papers from inside of it. A long minute passed as he simply stared at the front page, not daring to open it.

Finally, his thumb twitched gently, and he flipped over to the page where he could sign. Unsettlingly, Olivia already had a pen in her hand, offering it to him. It took him longer than normal to accept it before looking back down at the pages.

"You haven't signed them?" he asked quietly, looking up at her. His green eyes stared directly into her own brown eyes, which quickly filled with tears.

"Please sign the papers," she gasped, turning on her heel and escaping the room quickly. She found herself on the back porch, leaning against the wooden railing that overlooked the beach. She felt sick to her stomach as she struggled to control herself, tears slipping down her cheeks.

A tugging on her pants startled her, and she looked down to find her baby boy staring up at her with concern in the eyes he'd inherited from his father. His shaggy hair fell into his face, long mostly because Olivia couldn't bear to cut his hair often. She loved it too much. He looked like his father with his brow furrowed and eyes wide, a small frown on his mouth.

"Mommy, what's wrong?" he asked, his child's voice high and worried. "Why are you crying?"

Olivia turned towards Elijah, getting down on her knees so that she was at a better level. She toyed with his hair gently as she thought, wondering how to explain heartache to a child. Finally, she took in a breath and spoke. "Remember that ouchie you got on your knee a couple weeks ago, baby?" she inquired, tapping his kneecap with her pointer finger.

Elijah nodded, concern still written plainly across his features.

"Mommy got one on her heart today. But don't worry, because it'll heal up and I'll be good as new. Just like you," Olivia smiled, tugging his shirt down absently.

He didn't look pleased with her answer, but he nodded, and after a moment of thinking, he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. Olivia smiled at the kiss and poked her son's belly. "What was that for?" she asked, scrunching up her nose.

"When Daddy does it, it makes you happy and it makes you smile," he explained simply, placing his hands on either side of her face.

Olivia couldn't help the tears that pooled in her eyes at the explanation, and she nodded, fighting to keep her smile in place. "Yes it does, baby," she breathed.

[livskye-blog]

What you don't know (1:02 AM)

"I've told you everything about me," Liv whispered, a laugh passing through her lips. She sniffed and raised her hand to wipe under her eye, removing a tear from her face. "Absolutely everything. You just... don't know that you know it all. But it's all up there. Every detail." Her hand moved to cup her husband's cheek, her thumb barely brushing over the skin across his cheekbone.

Keith's eyelids were closed, his eyes moving slowly behind them as he dreamed. He wasn't consciously taking in what she was saying, and she wasn't sure she wanted him to. "Everything that would make you hate me. Every time I doubted you or me. I told you about it. When we were dating, and you'd fall asleep on the couch. Or lying across my bed in my hotel room. I'd tell you everything. Pretend you were just listening, taking it all in without judging me. I've never told anyone the things I've told you. You know me better than anyone else. My darkest secrets. My most terrifying nightmares. And the d--" Her hand moved up to cover her face as she felt tears collecting again. "The day Mom died. I told you all about it. I cried. And I pressed my face against your chest. And you don't remember. You don't know that you know."

Olivia paused and the room was silent. A tear rolled down her cheek and she sniffed quietly. "Unless you've been awake. And you're a good actor. Maybe you really do hear everything I say." There was no response as she trailed the pad of her thumb across his bottom lip.

"My mom told me once. About being with Daddy. How she'd lay in bed at night and just hold his hand. About how in love they were. But I guess she loved him more. And then he just..." It was quiet for a long time as she fought back tears, biting hard on her lip.

"Keith, please don't decide you don't want me," she begged in a whisper, feeling her tears spill over and trace freely down her face. "Please don't wake up and get so scared that you leave. I'm scared, too. But you're here. And I can't do it without you. I can't be a single mom. Please don't make me be a single mom. Please don't wake up missing Chelsea, Keith. I need you so much."

Keith's brow furrowed in his sleep and Olivia caught her breath, trying to stop her tears. "Hey," she hushed, smoothing her hand over the side of her face. "Shh. It's okay. I'm okay. I'm here. I'm always here. Even if you decide someday that you don't want to be here, I will be. I love you."

With a long sigh, she pressed her lips against his forehead, breathing in his scent. "I love you," she breathed, her fingers moving into his hair.

[florencecommageorgia-blog]

It's Keith's birthday!

Happy birthday, Keith!

[tomfuston-blog]

George: I think you've been with every woman in this town.

Wade: And you've been with the same one for the last eight billion years.

[tomfuston-blog]

Someday, if a Stanton baby comes home from school and says that they were bullied, I imagine this being how it goes:

Baby Stanton: Some kids were picking on me today. Liv: Oh, baby. You know what you do with bullies? Baby Stanton: What?  Liv: You kick 'em right where it hurts, sweetie. Keith: Olivia! Liv: What?!  Keith: Listen, this is one of those rare moments where you disregard everything your mom has said and listen to your dad.  Liv: *raises eyebrow* 

[littleflorencethings-blog]

14. When Keith wins arguments he isn't even a part of.

[kevfialas]

Chris: How terrible is takin’ care of a pregnant woman?

Keith: Mine is facedown in the toilet with disinfectant screaming ‘I CAN DO IT MYSELF, HUNTER KEITH!’

Chris: … Come again?

Keith: She’s uh, cleaning the toilet. To put it bluntly.