What is the purpose of a mouth if not to scream?
reverse gatekeeping. I am on my knees begging people to engage with the source material
my depression has led me down this road so…
c/w: stepdad!john x lowselfesteem!reader, step-cest, dead dove, slight mention of reader taking a prescribed medication for unspecified medical condition
john and his ‘loser’ step-daughter, who’s riddled with a winning combination of mommy and daddy issues. john steps up as much as he can to fill the gaps left by your deadbeat dad but your mother digs her claws in deep to rip that warm feeling away from you whenever she can
you’re a sweet thing, haven’t really found your path in life yet. no further education because you’re ‘not really passionate about anything, I guess’. no job, no close friends and no boyfriend, not even a first date
your mother makes no attempts to hide her disappointment in you, shoving your medications to the back of the cabinet when she catches john looking in curiosity. so he tries his hardest to keep her out the house. busy with work, and spa trips, weekends away with her friends. far away so she can’t bother you…
poor thing who just needs a loving, guiding hand. and john is more than happy to provide that. more than happy to pay your way for you. you’re a good girl despite what your mother says. always washing his clothes for him, giving him a portion of whatever you cook yourself, a kiss on his cheek every time you head off to bed
your mother doesn’t like he offers his jacket to you instead of her, that sickly-sweet ‘she’s shivering, love. look at her’ every time. or the way you sleep in his old t-shirts from his recruitment days. you hear them argue about it every once in a while, before your mum storms out and like clockwork, john comes into your room and asks if you want to have a movie night with him
your mum doesn’t need to know how you snuggle up to him on his lap, drooling into his neck when you doze off after the third movie. or the way he sits next to you for a while after he’s carried you off to bed, stroking your hair and thinking about you’ll thrive when it’s just you and him <3