From Turquisea: "Are you still doing requests? If you are… could you do one on Soos' grandma? Y'know, like a back story? You don't have to do it if you don't wanna!"

I like this idea, actually! I won't do a full backstory but I can try to see where this takes me. I've never really thought about this before, truthfully. This one-shot is set a day or two after Blendin's Game.

Days Gone By

Soos wasn't one for snooping about, especially in his abuelita's house. So when he was cleaning up her room (she was messier than he was, which was a little funny considering how disorganized his floor alone looked) and came across a shiny red fabric sticking out of a crack between the dresser and the wall, he was surprised by the feeling of curiosity beginning to churn in his gut.

He could just leave it be and go back to sweeping the floor...

But what was the fun in that?

Soos gently and carefully tugged it out, hoping he didn't rip it in case his abuelita still knew where this red cloth was and checked up on it. He held it up, frowning and cocking his head in confusion. Well, this was odd...

It was not merely a piece of fabric; the cloth was only one part of a wrinkled polo with a faded mixture of navy green, red, and white stripes stretching across the shirt diagonally. A small emblem in gold was sewn by the right shoulder and he squinted to read it, but was unable to as most of the words were ripped off. What was something like this doing in his abuelita's room? It looked rather like a uniform...

"Soos?"

He jumped and hid the polo behind his back as said woman entered the room, seeming confused to find him in there. "Uh, yeah, Abuelita?"

"What are you doing in my room?"

"It's cleaning day, remember?" He picked up the broom from where it rested on the dresser and brandished it lamely. "I - I was just sweeping your floor!"

Her expression relaxed. "Oh, I see. I was going to tell you that dinner is ready. I can put the broom away for now, and we can finish cleaning tomorrow."

"Alright!" Soos handed her the broom and left with his chest facing her, still gripping the multi-colored polo behind his back out of sight. He hurriedly went to his room and stuffed the shirt under his pillow before sitting at the kitchen table. He'd have to figure out the mystery behind that shirt later.

DAYSGONEBYDAYSGONEBYDAYSGONEBYDAYSGONEBYDAYSGONEBY

He puzzled over that shirt for two days, trying to figure out what that emblem said and what this suspiciously nice polo (once he ironed it, it actually looked fairly clean again - of course, he managed to burn his hands at least three times with the iron doing so, but it still looked good) was doing in his abuelita's bedroom. Was it a uniform like he thought? Why was it so old? Why was it stuffed behind her dresser instead of in an actual drawer? Should he ask her about it or would she be angry that Soos had snooped in her room?

It didn't feel right to keep a secret from Abuelita. Soos had never hidden anything from her before, so it was awkward and nerve-racking to encounter her around the house without blurting out questions about the odd polo. She didn't seem to notice anything was off, or if she did she didn't say anything, but this didn't calm his nerves much.

The evening of the second night after the discovery in Abuelita's room, he couldn't stand it anymore. After dinner he retrieved the polo shirt and held it out to her with a nervous expression.

"So... You know how you tell me not to snoop? Well, here's the funny thing... So, I may or may not have snooped in your room while I was cleaning and I found this behind your dresser, but I don't know what it is or why it's hiding. Sorry for snooping, but this has been bugging me for a few days now, so what exactly is this?" Soos spat all of this out in one breath, gasping for air once he was done.

To his astonishment, his abuelita merely laughed and took the polo from his hands. "Oh, Soos, it is natural to be curious. I forgot about this old thing! This was my uniform for the Middle-Aged Hispanic Ladies' Bowling Tournament. It has been so long since I've gone bowling... Where did you say you found this?"

"Uh, behind your dresser."

She laughed to herself again. "Oh, I am so silly sometimes. My room is a mess."

Soos ignored her comments and focused instead on her previous explanation. "Wait, so you were on a bowling team? That's so cool, Abuelita! Were you really good?"

"Oh, Soos! I was definitely one of the best!" She smiled the way older folk do as they reminisce on good times. "I used to get such high scores... But I threw my back out a few years before you were born, so I don't think I could play as good if I tried now. Besides, I take care of you, and you are more important to me than any bowling tournament."

Soos found himself smiling widely at her words. "Aw, Abuelita. So, do you have any pictures from your tournaments?"

"Absolutely! Go fetch my photograph book!"

This turned out way fluffier than I planned, but I regret nothing. I just really love the idea of Abuelita being on a Hispanic bowling team (the tournament named is pure crack, I'm so sorry) way back when Soos was not yet born. Also, if she can snoop in his diary, why can't Soos snoop in her room, eh? Like grandson, like grandma.