Mother issues. Something you always tried to ignore. You never wanted to admit just how affected you were by your relationship with your mother. Always wanting to see the good and not the bad.

But the signs were there. You had such a low self esteem, often talking negatively about yourself. You always had a tendency to fawn when in difficult situations. You had huge issues with abandonment and rejection. To be blunt you weren’t a mentally stable person.

And god forbid you ever have to talk to your mother. Many conversations you’ve had over the years with your mom have ended in tears. She always seems to know what to say to bring you down, to break you.

You thought getting away from her would help. You joined the military, ended up being stationed far far away from her. And for a bit the distance did help, your relationship with your mother got better.

But then something changed. She started getting meaner over the phone, her old personality slipping through. So you tried to give her space. You tried to be understanding. You were desperately clinging on to the good parts of your relationship with her.

But you have to face things eventually, don’t you?

One day you were hanging out with Soap, the two of you watching a movie and eating some snacks on a down day. Your peaceful moment however was interrupted by a phone call. Your heart sinking as you look at who’s calling. Your mom.

You quickly excuse yourself from Soap, stepping into a side room to talk to her. Not wanting Soap to hear your conversation with your mother. You don’t know what she will say.

Soap, however, pays more attention to the phone call than the movie you were watching. He can hear very quiet sniffles, the way your voice wavers. There may be a wall separating the two but he knows how that phone call affected you.

So when you come back in the room and sit on the opposite end of the couch, he’s not letting you wallow. He stretches his arm out, grabbing onto your wrist. Gently he pulls you into his lap, laying your head where you can hear his heartbeat.

Maybe you’ll finally talk to him, maybe you won’t. For now he’s content to offer you comfort.