#my original posts

The kid isn't necessarily their caretaker (that's too much responsibility for a literal child, and not the kind of responsibility any parent should ever want for their child regardless of age), but is present. They're there.

Maybe the kid was born before the whump happened, and is old enough to remember what their parent was like before. Is old enough to recognize that their parent has noticeably changed. Maybe they're old enough to be told the very basics of what happened --"A bad person took your parent away and hurt them"--, maybe they're old enough to find the records of what happened, maybe they just overhear some of Whumpee's team talking about it.

Or maybe the kid was born before the whump but isn't old enough to remember. They know, logically, that there was a time before their parent was this way, before they flinched at loud sounds and made their kid hold their hand whenever they went anywhere because they wanted to keep them safe. But they've never known that. Maybe one of Whumpee's friends tells them a story --harmless fun, they think-- about something Whumpee did once, something reckless or loud, and the kid doesn't know how to reconcile that version of their parent with the one they know. Maybe the kid doesn't even believe Whumpee's friend, thinks that they're making it up. Maybe they ask their parent about it, and get told that yes, they used to do things like that, but not anymore. Maybe they ask more questions. Maybe they don't. Kids are curious by nature, after all.

Maybe the kid was born after the whump-- well after, when Whumpee was in recovery, or even after. The only version of their parent they've ever known. Maybe, after the whump, Whumpee left wherever they used to live, most of their friends and family, behind, and started a new life. Maybe their kid has never had anyone tell them stories about who their parent used to be.

From fanfic recommendations to miscellaneous posts by yours truly.

Fanfic Recommendations