#awl x reader

[awlimagines]

How they respond to hearing you have a crush on them.

CELIA/CECILIA

Cecilia overhears Marlin grumbling to Vesta one morning about you. Though she knows it's wrong, she pauses on the stairs to listen in. He is complaining about how obvious you are in having a crush on Ceci. Marlin doesn’t think you’re a good fit for her. You distract her from work and aren’t good enough with nothing but a run-down farm to your name. Vesta laughs and says she likes your sincerity and determination. She thinks you’d be a perfect fit for Cecilia with how much progress you made on the farm in such a short time. Ceci’s face flushes at the thought; it feels like an impossible dream to think you would like her. Why would you choose her? You were close with the glamorous, outgoing Molly and accomplished young Lumina. Not to mention the last time you met, Cecilia had unloaded about an arranged marriage and her misgivings. The next time you see Cecilia, she seems hesitant to speak with you and avoids meeting your eyes. Cecilia nervously laughs when you ask what’s wrong and confesses what she overheard this morning between Marlin and Vesta. You confirm that you do have feelings for her. You were doing your best to be discreet since Cecilia had the arranged marriage date coming up, and you wanted the best for her. She quickly assures you that she has the same feelings and would always choose you over anyone else.

CODY/GORDY

Gordy is surprised when Gustafa lets slip you have a crush on him. Gustafa quickly backtracks and asks that Gordy doesn’t let you know. He was told the secret in confidence, but Gustafa thought Gordy and you would be great together. Gordy gives the thought serious consideration over the next couple of days. His work has always consumed his mind rather than love. As he worked on sorting through his feelings on this information, Gordy naturally became more attentive to observing you when you spoke with him. You didn’t seem unaware of this new focus. You blushed as the large man’s purple eyes bore into your own. Gordy realizes he has had more inspiration and motivation since you arrived in the valley. The sculpture outside his house is improving as Gordy spends time with you, and he enjoys your moments together. Is this the love that Gustafa sings about? Gordy decides to explore where these feelings lead. He starts to prolong conversations with you when he sees you. Gordy doesn’t want to rush through his feelings for you, so he can one day express them adequately with his art.

DARYL

He overhears Rock complaining to Lumina about why anyone, especially you, would have a crush on Daryl. He just doesn’t get it. Daryl had heard the term throughout his school years but never paid it much thought. He couldn’t understand why people were so wrapped in liking someone and made a note to research a ‘crush’ in more detail at the lab. A crush was a bit more than just liking someone Daryl discovered. Instead, it is an intense and usually passive infatuation. All valuable and reliable information ended with the dictionary’s definition. Daryl’s interest peeked. He wasted no time in confronting you about your crush and that he wished to observe the physiological systems at play. You blinked in surprise, shocked by the sudden request but agreed. He quickly identified that blushing and sweaty hands occurred alongside dilated pupils. You had an increased heart rate, but he could not get an accurate baseline read as it spiked each time he tried. Daryl noticed you tripped over your words with him and not with others in the valley. Daryl only needed to discover why his lab felt warmer and his stomach tight when you were around.

FLORA

Flora is flattered when she hears you have a crush on her. She had never given much thought to matters of infatuation or love. Flora likes the idea of one day getting married and having children, but her career seemed more pressing after school. Your crush helped explain how you made so much time to help at the site with a farm to run. Flora spends a few weeks working through her feelings. The last thing she wants to do is act rashly on impulse. She is uncertain if she feels love or infatuation for you. Flora enjoys your company. She wonders where you are and if you’re okay when you are late or don’t arrive at the dig site. Could this be the start of affection? She had many crushes of her own when she was a young girl. They seemed so long ago Flora wasn’t sure of her feelings, and all the pondering hadn’t helped. She would like to focus on you and see what caused her indecision. Flora soon invites you to dinner at the cafe to spend time together outside work.

GUSTAFA

You were sitting by his yurt, humming along to the chords Gustafa strummed. You reflected on how close you had gotten to Gustafa. You never expected it from the brief pointing out Takakura did. After all, Gustafa was a traveling musician. Who knew how long he would stick around here? His playing felt so relaxing to stop and listen to as you struggled. The melodies he played were like a spell to lift your troubles for snatches of time before resuming your responsibilities once more. 

“What’d you think?” Gustafa’s voice roused you from thought. 

“I like you.” 

You watched his eyebrows shoot up in surprise from behind his glasses as you froze in wide-eyed horror. That was not what you meant to say. Mortified, you hurriedly tried to explain. You had a sinking feeling as he tugged the wide brim of his pointed hat down to hide his face further. Gustafa softly explained that your confession made things easier for him. He’s had a crush on you for a while but was worried about you not feeling the same. Gustafa asked if you’d like to meet with him for a drink at the bar that evening.

LUMINA

Lumina felt frustrated when she discovered you had a crush on her. She was obvious in dropping hints of her crush on you. At least, she thought she had been. How could she make it more clear? Lumina was scared to confess. What if she was wrong and you only thought of her as a friend? Or worse, like a sister. No, she would much rather you confess first. It needed to be before Aunt Romana found out you were who she was pining for and got involved. But how? Lumina’s eyes widened as she had a brilliant idea. You said something interesting the other day that could help move things along. The next time you came by, Lumina mentioned she had been thinking of how you didn’t know how to play an instrument. It was one of the reasons you liked to listen to her play. Lumina gazed off to the side and shuffled her feet as she offered to teach you. She was thrilled when you enthusiastically agreed to lessons. Lumina found chances to ‘accidentally’ brush hands or correct your placement as you sat squeezed together on the piano bench. Each of your blushes felt like she was inching closer to one of you admitting your feelings.

MARLIN/MATTHEW

Marlin returns to the house after speaking to you about Cecilia turning into Vesta in his most recent dream. Ceci greets him at the door with a huge grin and a sparkle in her eyes. Marlin froze in shock as she asked what you talked about. He mumbled something about hybrid crops. Marlin had barely told you and certainly didn’t want to share his dream with either of them. Cecilia let out a disappointed sigh in response. She was so sure you had confessed. Nonplussed, Marlin asked what she was talking about. Vesta says it's because you obviously like him a great deal when Ceci hesitates to answer. He grumbles that they must be mistaken; you’re that nice to everyone. His sister shakes her head, telling him he should watch you closer if he thinks that. Marlin watches you more as you pass by their farm. He doesn’t see anything different at all as you wave towards them. Marlin headed to the cafe with his hands shoved in his pockets. He had foolishly gotten his hopes up listening to Cecilia and Vesta. Marlin hoped a drink would help. He didn’t expect to see you selling from a stall. It stung to see you smile at Gordy as you passed over some flowers. He was about to turn and leave when your eyes met. Your radiant smile when you met his eyes made him realize Vesta was right. You didn’t give a smile like that to everyone.

MUFFY/MOLLY

She’s heard this before about prior guys, and nothing ever came of it. So, Molly does her best not to get her hopes up. She will not confront you but continues to act the same as before. Molly’s teasing and flirting are not limited to you as Molly continues the occasional date with city boys. She comes to you for support and a shoulder to cry on with each disastrous result. Eventually, you’re frustrated enough to tell her to stop. Molly shouldn’t keep entertaining guys that aren’t good enough for her. YOU like her and have for a while now and would treat her like the goddess she is. You avoid looking at Molly while trying to get your blush under control from such a confession. When the silence drags on, you peek at Molly to see her reaction. The tears in her green eyes cause you to panic as you fumble to comfort her and apologize. Molly brushes you off as she smiles through her tears. She was just surprised you had such strong feelings for her. Molly was scared to get her hopes up, but to hear you confess made her so happy she couldn’t stop the tears of relief. Her eyes crinkle with a giant smile as you promise this is the first and last time you’ll make her cry.

NAMI

Nami realizes she has a crush on you long before she finds out it goes both ways. At first, Nami couldn’t figure out her feelings. She traveled around so much that she didn’t usually make close connections with others. The valley had been different, and she’d stayed too long to leave at this point. Nami should have left the first day you arrived. She was proud of how great she had hidden her growing feelings or thought she was. Nami felt a bit disappointed when you left to continue your day.  After watching her parents' relationship fall apart as a child, she had trouble trusting there were good ones. Galen and Nina had shown her that love could easily carry on for years. Nami wanted that. However, each time she thought to confess, her doubts would overwhelm her. When you admitted your feelings, Nami felt she could be honest too.

ROCK

“Are you sure you’re not tired? You’ve been running through my-”

“Yeah, I am tired. Your dog is such a sore loser when he loses races to me. I’m glad someone understands how taxing that is.” Rock cut off your cheesy pickup line rattling about his day on your farm. You thought this would be the easiest way to say you liked him. You could brush it off as a joke at the worst. You never expected he would interrupt you before you could finish. At least he was happy you sympathized with him, so it wasn’t a complete miss. 

“Do you know CPR? Because-”

“Nah, Dr. Baddoch tried to tell me, but it seemed like a lot to remember. And he said you’d have to do compressions until a professional arrived. Do you know how far off he lives? I think it’s better left to someone else.” 

Rock was driving you to frustration. Was he being this difficult on purpose? You seriously doubted it, but he foiled each pickup line. 

“I bet you dinner that-”

“Dinner sounds great. We can skip the bet and just to you winning. What did you plan on-” You cut him off by pressing your lips to his. If he wouldn’t stay quiet, then you’d make sure he found out another way.

[myunghology]

࿐ i thought i had you figured out.

— ✦ leo tsukinaga x gn! reader. angst-ishh i don't know. it wasn't meant for angst but it's kinda sad. set before reader and leo graduates, readers family is mentioned to be living abroad; leo confesses to reader.

“what about you? what are you planning to do in the future?” leo asks [name], a good distance between the two sitting on a bench; turning his head to look at them, only to see that they were looking at the moon while they were also looking for an answer.

the wind softly blows their hair, making the ginger look at them with awe, if anyone saw how he was looking at [name], they would instantly know that he had something for them.

“im.. im not sure yet.” they say hesitantly, still not turning their head back at the male, he smiles at the view of their side profile, but then he speaks up yet again. “you're beautiful, you know that, [name]?”

they scoff, but before they could even reply to leo's comment, he starts yet again. “can i say what i want us to be in our future?”

“go for it.” they say, finally turning back to leo, while he smiles, looking away from them. “don't look at me. it's embarrassing.” he says, right before clearing his throat.

“i know i can't force you to do anything, but even after we graduate, i want you to stay with me, by my side. i don't want us to go our seperate ways just because we graduated. you've seen me before when i was at my lowest, it's hard to be alone.

and no— im not trying to use that as blackmail to make you stay. honestly..? i guess it's to say it's uncool of me, or even shameless. i don't want you to feel like you have to be with me just because i asked you to, or because you're worried about me. you shouldn't have to stay just for that.

you could quit doing the shit you're doing here in yumenosaki if you want to take care of your family, since they live abroad. no one would criticize you for a choice like that.

but maybe i will admit that there's a small part of myself wanting you to stay, even if it's for a selfish reason. it's funny to say because we only met like what.. in our first year? but i got attached to you quickly. you and sena were one of the first people i got to be friends with.

but i guess you just stuck out to me. i love both you and sena— but yours is somewhat in a different way. i don't love you like a sibling, i don't love you like a friend, nor like parent or child, but it's true that i do love you.

it's funny, no? i caught feelings for you so easily. and now we're about to graduate.. and im only confessing now. we even adopted a cat together we found on the streets on our first year.

everytime i saw you a struck of inspiration came to me, it made me want to write everywhere, but knowing you'd get mad, i didn't. there was one thing i noticed they all had in common; that they were all love songs. embarrassing.. right?

im sorry this confession was so sudden. it's selfish and i don't want to get in the way of your future. but i just.. hope you know id wait for you, no matter how long it takes. that's just my pride talking though.

if you don't love me back, then it's fine. even if i look stupid for believing all of the signs you sent me, thinking that you liked me. but you can't blame me, right? you know im gullible.”

[name] starts to tear up, but then shakes their head, sighing and giving out a smile. “and i thought you had me figured out, leo. maybe you are stupid, but you're stupid for even doubting that i didn't like you— no, that's not the word. you're stupid to even doubt that i don't love you.”

they wipe the tears on their face while leo turns back to face them; “hey.. don't cry.” he laughs, wiping their tears off their face for them, while they start to laugh as well.

“how are you not in tears right now?” they ask through laughter, sniffling. “im just built different.” he shrugs it off, taken aback when [name] pulls him into a hug, burying their head in his neck.

the moon was silently shining down on the pair, illuminating their little moment.

[ ©myunghology ; ok guys bye. *cries myself to sleep* ]

[barbieaemond]

And all the roses turn to black

Pairing: Aemond Targaryen x reader

Warnings: angst, implied smut, fingering

Author’s note: I have no idea what this is. It just came to me like this lol

Word count: 686

taglist: @zae5 @multyfangirl @chompchompluke

The coin twists and turns, and you with it, waiting to see if you will go to bed with regret or remorse. They have been merging for some time; it is hard to draw the boundaries between one or the other, between what is right and what is wrong.

The anarchy of your heart dictates different laws. All it takes is a fresh bouquet of roses on your bedside table to get you over the boundaries. White roses, precisely, not blue, not to be too obvious.

"I hate to break it to you, but any kind of rose is…quite plain."

“Precisely how my intentions shall be: plain.”

“They’re orders, not intentions. I shouldn’t owe you anything more than my loyalty.”

“That is loyalty.”

“The Gods may beg to differ.”

“I don’t think I care.“ he had swallowed your useless grievances with a kiss that dug into you like a claw, and you had let him cut you openly, you let him carve his law like an awl in stone, welcoming each groove, blowing your obedience into his mouth, swearing on his name again and again as you came undone beneath him.

With each rose found in your rooms, a new oath muffled on sweaty sheets and on his ruthless mouth. Ruthless in words and bites, in kisses, in the way his tongue draws arabesques on the swollen skin between your legs, in how he slips inside your drenched flesh as if slipping a ring on his finger. Just like the one he wears, proudly displaying the seal of his noble house.

The same one you had seen twirling between his fingers that morning when you were walking in the gardens with your husband. He had seen you and fucked you from that distance. You felt it.

Inside, you had bent over on the grass, in front of your husband, with the sun beating hard on your naked limbs as the Prince grabbed your hips and thrust harder, spilling another sacred oath from your throat.

“I thought of making love to you this morning.”

“Where? In the garden? With your husband watching?”

“Yes.

“And then what?”

“And then it was all I could think about.”

“‘Tis not what I asked.”

“I did not do it.”

“Good.”

“I hate someone else touching me. Including myself.” hunger clouded his eye and then you were panting, arching your back as he slipped two fingers between your wet lips. “Do you see what you did to me?” you panted next to his ear, feeling his hot cheek against yours and the low groan hissed through his teeth as he bit your jaw. “I loathe my own body when you’re not inside me.” you said, cursing his name as he slid a third finger “You turned me into a vestige.”

You spin the coin one last time and you’re out of your room. He’s sitting by the fire, unbothered as you step in front of him. The only sign that tells you he’s not transmuted into stone is the light raising of his chest.

“No roses?”

No answer. Only a glance up before returning to the flames.

“I know what happened. Lucerys is dead.”

Aemond looks up, his eye is peaceful. A malignant peace the Gods will curse him for.

“Why are you hiding in here?”

“I am not.” he says “I’m sparing my family.”

“Of what?”

“My lack of regret.” the words do not come out of his mouth, but from some haunted place where a maimed child swore revenge on and on, screamed it so much that he’d lost his voice, so he carved it into his flesh and the retribution had finally come, mangling his nephew in bits of bones swallowed by the sea.

“Don’t spare me.” You say sitting on his lap, as at the altar of your own.

“This means war.” he says tilting his chin until he’s breathing through your lips “Your husband shall be willing to go back to the West and call his banners.”

“Indeed.”

“And where will you be?”

“Where my loyalty lies. Until all the roses turn to black.”

PART II

[eyeheartboobiez]

manifesting that gojo dies in a car fire🤞🏿

Sundered 2: EMBERS

Pairing: Gojo x reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | ...+

Genre: Angst

tags/cw: angst, mean!gojo(kinda), babydaddy!gojo, babymomma!reader, motherhood, insecurities, arguments, implied pregnancy, mentions of abortion

word count: 5.4k

a/n: it's not sad.

Pining so intensely for something you never had to the point where you physically ache.

Each step that you take away from Satoru’s house feels like a stomp to your already broken heart. Your eyebrows furrowed, feeling the waterlines of your eyes start to get hot and itch. You recalled the noises and laughs that you heard from them while you walked out of their door. 

They have no idea how much you want to get down on your knees and beg them not to take away the only thing you have left. 

Your feet feel heavy with each stride you make toward your car. You could taste blood inside your mouth as you bit your inner lip to channel the pain away from your heart and to your body instead. You found yourself looking for answers on why all of this has to happen to you. As if being replaced by the man you love so easily and having to see how he treats someone else a thousand times better than you were not enough, you also have to witness your own flesh and blood turn away from you. Am I really that far behind that woman?

Is she that much better that even my own child prefers her over me?

You placed your hands on the steering wheel, looking down at your lap as you let the tears fall. You kept glancing over at the gate, hoping that Satoru would come out, running with your baby in his arms. Yet, you don’t want him to see you crying miserably. You swallowed thickly, letting out a large breath in an attempt to get rid of the painfully heavy feeling in your chest.

Driving away was numbing, and all sorts of thoughts ran inside your mind. But above all of them, your eyes were focused on the toy store as it got bigger in your view. You wondered about what you could get your little love to at least make her smile when she comes home. You remembered how your gift to her, her favorite bear that she used to hug as she sleeps ever since she was an infant, was cast aside as she clings to her new ones. 

Is that a foreshadowing of how you’d end up being in her life? It scared you.

Reaching the parking lot of the store, you looked at yourself in the car mirror, noticing your bloodshot eyes. You inhaled and let a big breath out slowly, puffing your cheeks as you assured yourself that it’ll be fine when she comes home later. Your head hurts so much but you can’t afford to care, stepping out of your car and heading to the front door of the store. The first thing you saw was a pregnant, young lady checking baby books. 

She reminded you of yourself when you were still pregnant with Yui; curious about everything, eager to learn, and all was about the baby. You admit that it wasn’t like that at first, given that you were young and had to drop out of college at that time. You were anxious, torn between decisions, and terrified of what life would be like for you from that point in time. During that period, you and Satoru were ignorant but trying hard to figure everything out.

You met Satoru at a nightclub where you worked as a bartender. He was flashy, and women just flock to him as if it was the most natural thing to do around him but that night, his eyes were on you. What with persistent offers of buying you drinks and talking to your manager to let you off early for the night, you ended up in a luxurious hotel suite with him. 

He even wrote his number on the price tag of the fancy lingerie set that he bought you after he ruined the one you were wearing the previous night. He was joking that you’ll never get enough so he’s providing you his contact for next time. You thought that would be the end of it. You didn’t think that it was just fate giving you a helping hand in advance because you’d end up with a child together. 

You consider it a dumb mistake. You know that Plan Bs exist. But with a working student like you who couldn’t even have time to get a proper boyfriend, it slipped your mind. The first thing you did after you got the results was call Satoru. You thanked the heavens that he wasn’t seeing anyone, and that he remembers you. It was a tense meeting, what with you asking if he wants you to abort the fetus. Next thing you know, you two were already dealing with your mood swings. 

“Look, I really want to work this out with you, Y/N. For the baby.” Satoru sighed, slamming the door behind him as he watched you sit on your old couch. You lean your elbows on your knees as you covered your face with your hands, harshly running them down your cheeks to wipe away the big, fat tears that fell from your eyes. There are just so many things going on with your life. 

“I’m only 21, Satoru. I got my whole life ahead of me.” You looked up at his tall figure, frustration was evident in your eyes. You can tell that he was also distressed. His hair was messy, his jaw was clenched tightly, and even if you cannot see behind his tinted glasses, you can tell that he hasn’t been getting enough sleep. The dark half-circles under his eyes and the redness in them show just how exhausted and disquieted he has been in the past few days.

Satoru’s five years older than you. He was born to a rich family of politicians who don't and probably will never need support from him or the other younger generations in their household. He has a stable source of income, he could probably make life investments that could cover your yearly living expenses. He has nothing to worry about, he won’t be dropping anything if he decides to take in another mouth to feed. But you…

You’re basically your mother’s retirement plan and now you got pregnant with a kid of a man you barely know. “Y/N, listen to me.” He got down on his knees in front of you, trying to take your hands off of your face as you sob, struggling to catch your breath. What’s going to happen to you now? You didn’t even get to finish the degree that your mother was working her ass off day and night for.

“You won’t have to worry about anything, you know? I’ll handle everything you need—” He trailed, trying to calm you down as he gently grabbed your forearms. “You don’t understand!” You cut him off, snatching your hands away, aggravated that he’s not thinking about how it could affect everything in your life. “Then, what the fuck do you want to do?!” You flinched as he raised his voice at you, breathing hard as he backed away.

“You think you’re the only one who’s going to be affected by this? You think you’re the only one who’s being robbed of another future! Open your fucking eyes, stop being selfish!” Satoru snapped back, harshly taking his glasses off before throwing it across the room. You started to cry, whimpering as you used the collar of your shirt to wipe your tears away.

“I’m scared, Satoru. I’m just so scared. I can’t even take care of myself, how am I supposed to raise a child…” You broke down, turning your body away from him. There was a long pause, a moment of pure silence, save from your sniffs and Satoru’s ragged breathing. 

You felt the couch dip as he sat down before pulling you to him, letting you cry on his chest.  “I know, I know. I’m sorry.” You would be lying if you said that the back rub, the temple kisses, and his whispers of reassurance didn’t calm you down. Those thoughts were recurring in your head and now that you finally let it all out and got answers from him, you were soothed.

You blinked hard, shaking your head to get out of your trance. You went straight to the dolls section. You can’t believe you just had a flashback of Satoru comforting you in the warmth of his chest. Your mouth started to twitch, wishing that he held you like that earlier when his girlfriend was slapping into your face that they’re gonna give your child siblings. It shouldn’t hurt you, but it still did. You realized that this girl, this woman is gonna have everything you wish you had with Satoru.

You walked past the kiddie pools and trampoline section, stopping when you saw a playpen, almost similar to the one Satoru bought for your little girl but smaller. The size doesn’t really matter though, because you know that you don’t have enough space in your place for something so big, anyway. 

Going closer to check the prices, you bit your lip as your eyebrows bumped together. You were calculating your monthly expenses along with the money for your savings in case of emergency. It’s expensive but you’re determined to cut back just to buy it. You kept your eyes on the tag as you took half a step away from it but your back was met by something, or rather someone behind you.

“It’s not cheap, is it?” A man’s deep voice boomed as you turned around, but your eyes were met by a broad chest. He’s big, you thought. He’s literally blocking your view. It didn’t help that you were short enough to have to look up to see his face. He was also staring at the playpen as he held the pushcart beside him.

“Y-yeah…” You answered, a bit awkward as you found yourself admiring the guy. You admired fathers who are active when it comes to their children. You didn’t grow up with a father so, you just found it endearing. You looked away from the man, gritting your teeth as an image of Satoru and his girlfriend shopping for baby things appeared before your eyes for a split second.

“Excuse me, sir. I still have to buy my daughter a gift.” You bowed slightly before turning away. He just nodded his head, too occupied to even look at you. You proceeded to check out the little dolls, hoping that you’d find something that’ll really catch your daughter’s eye. Picking up a dark-haired baby doll with big blue eyes sitting on a stroller, you smiled as you remembered how it has the same eyes as your baby.

You went to pay for the doll, and your heart was filled with joy despite the throbbing pain in your skull and the hot feeling behind your eyes. You reminded yourself not to forget to take your medicine. Thinking about getting sick and having to leave your child for a couple of days with them again makes you anxious, afraid that she’ll never want to go home to you again. 

You hurriedly went home, driving in the midst of the rain. You put the little doll on the chair, ready to surprise your baby girl when she comes back. You had to bear with the time, constantly checking your phone if your little girl and her dad are on the way to you. Your heart swelled at the thought. 

Though, you know that you’ll never be the one he comes home to, it’s still nice to think about. 

—--------------------------------

“She really called me Mama.” Naomi giggled as she kissed his daughter’s cheek. Satoru smiled, watching them play together warms his heart. It made him feel like he was staring at his family even if he knows that his daughter isn’t hers. He pursed his lips, remembering the look in your eyes at what you heard the child say.

He felt conflicted, not knowing how to react to all of it. He doesn’t want to embarrass his girlfriend by correcting her in front of you. But he also felt bad that he just watched you walk out that door on the verge of tears. Satoru had you memorized after all this time, it wasn’t a long time but he used to watch everything you do.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea, though.” Satoru sighed, shaking his head as he pushed a bit of Naomi’s hair away from her face. Her expression dropped as she adjusted the toddler in her arms. Satoru pulled her close to his side, hugging her waist as he thought about how to explain it to her without making her feel disheartened.

“I’m worried about how Y/N will feel about it, to be honest. I don’t know but it may worry her.” He kissed the side of her forehead before stepping away as he watches his daughter’s eyes look at them. He knows that she’s still too young but he feared that she’ll get confused by all of this. 

Like why is her father not with her mother, and why is he holding someone else?

He wondered if she’ll grow to hate him for giving up on their family. “Oh, Is that so…I thought we were fine already.” Naomi’s voice was quiet as she bit her lip, making Satoru rethink. “It’s not that, I just think that maybe that’s how she might feel.” Satoru took one of her hands, kissing it before rubbing his thumb on her soft skin. “No, I understand, I got too comfortable. I’m just a girlfriend, I shouldn’t have done that.” 

Satoru doesn’t want to make her feel like this, she’s just really attached to his baby. He knows that Naomi adores kids, they often joke around about it, so he could see why she’s excited about his daughter calling her Mama. Thinking about it now, maybe this shouldn’t be so bad. After all, she’s not gonna be just a girlfriend to him forever, right? Naomi is a great person, and Satoru thinks that it’s not impossible to have a future with her.

“Don’t say that. That’s just my assumption. She’ll tell if it’s not alright, I know. We’re co-parenting so we have to talk about those stuff.” Three squeezes to her hands made Naomi smile sweetly at him, her eyes as kind as the stars. “Yeah, discussions are important. I don’t want her to feel like I’m trying to keep her away from us.” The calmness in her voice comforted Satoru.

—-------------------------------------

After receiving a text from Satoru, you found yourself staring at the mirror, retouching your makeup like it’s gonna make him fall for you. Hopeless. Not long after, the doorbell rang and you dashed to the door. There, Satoru stood with Yui asleep on his shoulders. You took her bags, along with the teddy bear that she was hugging to her chest. Seeing her holding it again made you feel relieved.

“Are you feeling better now?” Satoru inquired, walking past you to put your kid in her little bed. You hummed in response, “She’s full, don’t give her any more milk. Naomi fed her before she fell asleep.” Her again. You thought as the small smile on your face dissipated. You’re just thankful that he didn’t take her with them here.

There was a moment of silence as the two of you watched your daughter sleep peacefully. A sigh escaped Satoru’s lips before he turned to you. He was about to say something, but closed his mouth, thinking. You took a deep breath, pursing your lips as you collected your thoughts. You started to rub your hands together, trying to get rid of the cold feeling on your fingertips.

Your communication issues with Satoru only worsened when he got a girlfriend. Seeing how he is with her made you doubt the importance of your words to him. It’s like if you get stuck in a room together with her and something happens, you’re almost certain that he’d accuse you first. You wouldn’t admit it but you yearn for him. You yearn for the way he acts towards her. You yearn for the things he does for her. 

You yearn for the things he so easily, willingly offer to her; things you had to beg for when you were still together.

“Satoru, I just want to ask…Since when did Yui start to call Naomi Mama?” You looked at the ground, somewhat embarrassed of your question but can’t pinpoint why. It just made you feel…weak and insecure. And you are that. But you can’t let Satoru see it. You don’t want him to feel even more sorry for you. You can see it in his and his girlfriend’s eyes whenever they look at you. They probably pity you and the state you are in. 

Alone. With no one to hold your pieces together but you.

“I don’t really remember. Look, I was going to mention that…” Satoru trailed, looking everywhere but you. He probably noticed your discomfort earlier. “I know it doesn’t seem right to you because she’s just my girlfriend but…” Here’s the “but” again. How come he can always find the good when it comes to her, even when she literally did you so wrong by letting your daughter call her Mama and even acting like one in front of you?

Ever since Satoru got a girlfriend, arguing with him started to feel like fighting in a war without any type of armor in your body. How are supposed to stand strong, when the fact that he’ll always be on her side was your weakness? There were times when you wanted to fight for yourself but you couldn’t bear to because you know that he was shielding her from everything, heedlessly deserting you.

“I didn’t really appreciate it. I mean… I-I just think she’s not in the place to—” You thought the words you chose to describe the situation were too risky when you were cut off by Satoru, taking his glasses off. You can’t read him but he’s looking at you with that apologetic gaze again. His face was filled with contrite and you can’t quite understand why. But like a mouse sensing danger, you wanted to run away.

“I…I’m thinking about proposing to Naomi.” It shouldn’t hurt. You told yourself again. You don’t have the right to feel hurt. This man disrespected you, hurt you, and made you feel so incredibly small yet here you are, wishing you were the one he wants to spend the rest of his life with. “I know she’s just my girlfriend now, but it’s bound to change.” You suddenly just wanted him to leave. “She…she’d like to ask for permission to let our daughter call her Mom. You know she treats Yui like she’s her—” 

“I don’t want to.” You whispered firmly through gritted teeth, cutting Satoru off. You don’t wanna hear it anymore. You can’t go through that again and you can’t let that happen again. “Yui is my daughter, and I don’t want her calling anyone else Mama.” You looked up at him with glassy eyes before turning away to walk out of the room, not wanting to startle the toddler from her slumber. Satoru was instantly on your tail, calling your name.

“She’s my daughter, too. Y/n, what is wrong? I know that you have your limitations and that’s why I’m here to talk about it with you, but why are you acting like this?” He walked closer to you, trying to catch your eyes. “I know it’s not just about this, I know you’ve been having problems with her but give a reason, at least. She’s been nothing but good to our kid. ” It’s getting hard for you to breathe as you tried to process your emotions and his questions.

You proceeded to the kitchen, hurrying to grab yourself a bottle of water before you collapse, but failing terribly when Satoru spoke the next sentence “Y/N, we all have to adjust, don’t be unfair to her, she doesn’t deserve it.” 

“And I do?!” You shouted at him, taking him by surprise and making him take a step back. 

“You think she doesn’t deserve any of that shit but I DO?!” You lamented, shaking your head in pain and disbelief. There were tears streaming down your face and no pattern of breathing can help you control it. You were able to keep it in when he shoved his new girlfriend in your face several months ago, but now it’s taking its toll.

You were about to get the clothes that he bought for your daughter on your way home from work but were met with a woman snuggled up to him on his couch. You hated him for allowing you to see them like that when he knows that you haven’t even processed your split yet because a month before that, he was saying that he could fix his shortcomings for you and his daughter. 

You remember how sick you felt in your stomach when he introduced her, saying that you weren’t supposed to see them like that. It’s revolting; how he thought that you were upset because of what you saw and not because he just went back on his words. Naomi kept her head down, standing in front of you as she muttered an apology before scurrying to Satoru’s room. 

Naomi was his father’s new assistant and unlike you, she got to finish her studies. Despite being classmates in high school, she was three years older than you due to the frequent relocation of her family. Regardless of her tough childhood, she was known to be a smart kid. No wonder his mother approved of her in such a short amount of time. 

You and Satoru were never perfect but it doesn’t mean that you were never happy with each other before. The issues overpowered your interest in each other, making it hard for the two of you to bounce back. You admit that you’ve been negligent of Satoru at a certain point of your relationship but it was only because you got tired of his ways.

He would come home late, making you stay up all night because he failed to reply when you texted him, asking him his whereabouts. He’d be out drinking with friends, and it wasn’t a problem but you just wanted him to at least let you know so wouldn’t be worrying to the point that you can’t even sleep.

His mother was overbearing. You got pregnant by someone’s son in a one-night stand and that’s all she paints you with. You were belittled and told that you can’t even take care of the child properly. Hell, was she so eager for Satoru to leave you and find someone better who achieved something in life.

Consequently, this negligence led to fits of jealousy from Satoru. This drove you to quit the job you used to have after a coworker of yours who only wanted to help became the subject of his suspicions. His mother saw you getting dropped off by your friend while she was babysitting your daughter. 

It was only because your car broke down and you don’t want to bother Satoru at work. You couldn’t really blame him for thinking that way because you know that he’s been feeling invisible to you which wasn’t true. You just don’t know how to deal with it anymore and you started to pull yourself away.

It got to the point where you couldn’t even communicate how you truly feel about him because it was overshadowed by your problems. You were arrogant enough to tell him that someone could treat you right and do much better and now, look at you; standing before him and his girl. Longing for him and eating the words you spitefully told him.

Pining so intensely for something you never had to the point where you physically ache.

The memory was tormenting, heart-rending, and traumatic to you. And now you get to watch them write their happy ending while you are here, left in the dust, drowning in the feelings that will never ever get recognized and will never ever be relevant. 

It hasn’t even been a year, and he’s already planning to marry her. He’s been nothing but better to her, yet, he couldn’t even change his ways for you and your child? Couldn’t he learn to truly love you after everything you endured just to be with him? You know that you have flaws, and chose some wrong steps and paths in your relationship. 

But you can’t bear to lose him like this. You know that you could have fought more for your relationship. He’d always say that you’d work things out. So, why did he stop? How could he stop choosing you so easily?

“How could you give her the world, yet refuse me the tiny bit of what I have left?” 

Your voice was small as you backed away, defeated. Satoru couldn’t move. From everything that has happened that morning, he could tell that you’ve been on edge. To Satoru, the only thing that connects you to him is his daughter. He refuses to believe that after all of that, you can still make it work.

At least, that’s the realization he came about when he met Naomi. She taught him that love isn’t supposed to be strenuous, it isn’t always about fighting. Within his tumultuous relationship with you, she came around and showed him that he’s seen. That his feelings are valid. He came to the conclusion that maybe he just wanted to love you because you have a child together. 

“Tiny bit?” He asked, frustrated that you just won’t let this go easily, irked that you always think you’re the only one having a hard time. If Satoru’s being honest, he’s just tired of it all. He just wants you to understand his point and get it over with. But now you’re crying in front of him and again, he doesn’t know what to do. He can’t even think of the right things to say or the right decisions to make. It’s like it’s all back to square one with you.

“You call it ‘tiny bit’ when I couldn’t even live my life because of you?! I’ve given everything, Y/N! I just want to be at peace with everything and I’m obviously not having it with you!” You couldn’t even breathe through the piercing ache in your chest from the daggers that are coming out of his mouth. Your hand reached over to your chest, grasping your shirt as his every word irreversibly pulverized your already wounded heart.

“I wish I never met you that night and I wish I never had Yui with you. You’re a thorn in my side, Y/N!” By the time he finished screaming at you, you were shaking like a leaf, grabbing a chair beside your table as your wide eyes stared at him in shock. Grief, mortification, and agony were plastered on your face, and only then did Satoru’s words sink into him.

“Y/N, I—” Before he could even form a proper phrase, a loud cry erupted from the other room. Yui. He watched as you quickly wiped away your tears, seeing the emotions mix inside your eyes until they turned into a weeping void with all the tears pooling inside them.

“I…I loved you, Satoru. And I hate that even now when you’re kicking me while I’m down for the sake of someone else, I still love you.” The crack in your voice had Satoru subconsciously moving closer to you, opening his arms to pull you into him but you were quick to flinch away, sniveling.

“Please, just-just go. Do whatever you want, just d-don’t take Yui away. I’m fine with it now, Satoru.” It’s almost as though something in you died when he spoke those words to you. You don’t know if he heard because you couldn’t even hear yourself. You could feel the beat of your heart in your chest and each one of them sends a burning ache to your body. “Just go, please.” You whimpered as you bit your upper lip, looking down on the floor. 

Satoru can’t take his eyes off of your fragile figure as you leaned on the kitchen counter, slowly walking back to your daughter’s room. He remained unmoving until you exited the kitchen area. It was only after a few minutes that he decided to go, not bothering to wipe away the tears that rolled down his face as he listened to your muffled cries behind the closed door.

Each sob was filled with anguish that Satoru knows he’ll never be able to erase.

—------------------------------------------------------

A few weeks later have passed yet Satoru still doesn’t know what to make of himself. He couldn’t focus on anything that he works on. He couldn’t even workout properly, he always ends up getting angry. It was a good thing that both he and Naomi were swarmed with tasks; they didn’t have time to interact any more than what their jobs would allow. If they did, Satoru isn’t sure if he’ll be able to focus on her. She still has time to visit every week, though. During those days, she spends her time with Satoru and sometimes, Yui.

He makes sure to free his time and himself completely when he’s with his daughter so he can give his full attention to her. Satoru picks her up from your house, same schedule as before. Sometimes it’s you, but other times, it was your mother. “All I asked of you was to never break her, Gojo.” were the first words she spoke to him. Satoru can’t look her in the eyes. Your mother was a kind woman, humble and unjudging. And to have her talking to him like that, Satoru was beyond ashamed.

He couldn’t give her a reason, or an answer. All he did was apologize. Like he should. Naomi was unaware of it all and the proposal that Satoru was planning for her was set aside due to all that had happened. He just doesn’t think it’s the right time to plan about it when his relationship with you is strained. Yes, you’re not together anymore but you’re still the mother of his child and he wants to be civil with you, at least.

Yui kept asking for you even when she was with him as if sensing that her Mama was hurting. She’s always carrying the new doll that you bought for her. Satoru once asked her if you cry and she would simply shake her head. He gets nothing out of it, of course, she’s just a kid. But who else could he ask?

Satoru has no idea what you have been doing. He knows that you go to work, but other than that, he’s clueless about the places you go to and why your mother started babysitting his daughter more during the past few days. Satoru thought that maybe you just can’t stand seeing him anymore and is refusing to face him whenever he picks his daughter up. You have every right and reason to despise him, after all.

So, now he stands on the other side of your door, wondering if he’ll get to see your face this time or be welcomed with the frowning face of your mother. He knocked three times, like he always does, adjusting the collar of his shirt. To his surprise, it wasn’t any of the two women he was expecting holding the door open for him. 

“Who are you?” A shirtless man with a muscular build stood before Satoru, a curious yet accusatory gaze scanned him like he was an intruder in his own woman’s home. He leaned on his tattooed arm against the doorframe, blocking the tiny view he has of the inside. It pissed him off, clenching his jaw for a few seconds before speaking.

“Who are you?” Satoru bit back, raising his brows in an attempt to intimidate the guy. He’s only a couple of centimeters taller than the stranger but he’s bigger. It wasn’t a big deal to him until the man opened the door wider. A short, deep chuckle escaped his lips before a smug smirk appeared on his face. 

Tilting his head, the man gave Satoru a clear look at the scratches adorning his nape and the purple and maroon marks on his jaw. It made Satoru’s blood boil, unreasonably so.

“Think you know who I am now?” 

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a/n: just send an ask if u want to be removed <33

[awlimagines]

art by @kinokoshoujoart

Day Three- Celia/Cecilia

Cecilia hummed to herself as she followed the cleared path. Those between Mineral Town and Forget-Me-Not Valley did an excellent job clearing the mountain trails. The constant traffic and the warm sun on such a clear day also helped wonders. It wasn’t until she veered from the gravel that she touched snow. Cecilia finally came to a halt at the lake’s edge. She took a seat on a felled tree to lace her skates on. Cecilia timed her arrival perfectly; she was pleased to note as she observed you exit the mine.  

You had mentioned coming here last week to investigate the newly accessible mine. Upon hearing your plans, Cecilia immediately enlisted help for her own. Takakura discretely helped ensure the ice skates would fit you while Vesta, with Gotz's help, checked the thickness of the ice early this morning. Everything was in place, and she eagerly skated across to join you. 

“Hi, Y/N! Would you like to join me?” Ceci warmly greeted you, holding a pair of skates for you aloft. Her heart fluttered to a stop as you frowned and avoided her gaze. 

“I would love to, but I don’t know how to skate,” you mumbled. 

“Oh, that’s no trouble! I’d love to teach you!” 

Cecilia gently explained the basics as she helped you lace the skates properly. You took a deep breath before wobbling onto your feet. Ceci fought a smile at the sight. You reminded her of a calf, new to the world and trying to find its footing. Her hands shot out to catch you as your first step forward tilted your balance. You clung to Cecilia, questioning if this was a great idea. 

“Here, I’ll support you,” she said, holding your hand tightly in hers to pull you along behind her. You couldn’t help but think her bright smile would melt the ice before you learned the hang of ice skating.

[spacecadet-ticklesinspace]

hi, can you write a platonic ler!Marc x lee!reader where Marc and the reader are playing a game and Marc accidentally finds out the reader is ticklish? and can the reader's weak spot be the armpits and hips?

Marc and Reader

Summary: See prompt above :)

hi! can you write a platonic ler!Marc x lee!reader where Marc accidentally finds out the reader is ticklish?

(I think these were sent in by the same Anon so I'm just putting them together ❤️ I'm sorry this took so long Anon ❤️ Thank you for your patience, I'm slowly starting to get better and I'm hoping to catch up on all of the prompts you guys have sent in ❤️ Have a great weekend you guys 👋 Enjoy! ❤️)

"Ha!" Marc threw his last card on the pile. "I win!"

"No fair!" You whined as you threw down all the cards in your hand.

"Sorry Y/N, I'm just too good at this game."

"You're a cheater, that's what!" You replied before sticking your tongue out at your friend.

Marc smirked. "Aww, don't be such a sour puss Y/N."

"I can't help it." You kicked at Marc. "I'm playing with a cheater!"

"Come on Y/N. Let's try again." Marc reshuffled the cards.

You whined. "What's the use?"

"It takes practice to get good. With a little practice you might---."

To be reassuring, Marc had reached over and squeezed your knee. However, Marc did not know one very important thing. You were extremely ticklish.

You let out a loud squeak and immediately pulled your knees away from his touch. Then your eyes widened when you realized what you had done. After witnessing the tag teaming Marc and Jake did on Steven, you kept the secret of your ticklishness under tight lock and key.

The smirk on Marc's face showed you wouldn't be able to talk your way out of this one. "Oh Y/N."

You gulped. "Y-yehes?"

"Have you been keeping a secret from us?"

You blushed darkly. "N-no!"

"I think you have." Marc sat up. "I think you've been keeping a special little secret from us."

You backed even farther away. "Nuh-uh y-you gohoose!"

The older knight scoffed. "Goose? Serihiously?"

"I'm nervohous!"

"Aww." Marc began to crawl toward you. "Why would you be nervous if you have nothing to hide hmm?"

You squeaked. "Get bahack! Evihil!"

"It's tohoo late Y/N. The monster is coming to get you!"

You felt your back hit a wall. "Wh-whahat monster?"

"The tickle monster!"

Then Marc pounced.

You were yanked forward until you were lying on your back. "Eep! Marc!"

The older knight began to spider his hand along the soles of your feet. "Aww, what's wrong?"

"Yohou're ticklihing mehe!"

"I'm not tickling you." Marc playfully pinched each of your toes. "The tickle monster is."

While not the most ticklish spot on your body, Marc's playful pinches managed to find all the squeaky giggles you had to offer. "Maharc!"

Then that hand began to spider up your leg. "How many times must I tell you Y/N? That's not my name."

"Wehell tehell Mister Tihickle Mohonster hehe suhucks!"

A loud gasp left Marc's mouth. "How dare you!"

Through your giggles, you managed to stick your tongue out at your friend. "Wehell he dohoes!"

That same hand began to crawl up to your thighs. "Now you're in big trouble Y/N."

Your eyes widened as your nervous giggles picked up. That hand was getting awfully close to one of your sweet spots.

"Oh?" Marc smirked. "Am I getting close?"

"Noho! N-nohot ahat all!"

"But what if I . . ." The older knight placed his hand on your hip. "Try here?"

You immediately froze. Just the feeling of his hand on your hip was enough to make you squirm.

"Hmm, this looks promising." To emphasize the word promising, Marc gave your hip a gentle squeeze.

Immediately, you squealed and bucked.

With an evil chuckle, Marc placed his other hand on your other hip. "This should be interesting."

"Maharc, Ihim beggihing yOOOOU! NAAAAH!"

The older knight grinned as he watched you be reduced to a squirming mess from only a few hip squeezes. "Awww, wittwe Y/N is awl wiggwy."

Now the blush on your face flamed even darker. "NOT AHA BABYHY!"

"But youwr awl wiggwy wike wone. Yes youw awre! Yes youw awre!"

Marc usually reserved those teases for when he tickled Steven. Now you knew exactly how he felt."

Finally, Marc's hands spidered onto your sides. "So Y/N, are there any other 'secrets' you wish to share?"

"Nohot ohon your lihife!" You exclaimed. You were keeping your other ticklish spot a secret because your life may depend on it.

"Come on Y/N, you can tell me."

You shook your head. "Yohou'll tickle mehe thehere!"

By now the older knight's hands were already crawling along your tummy. "What do you think I'll do when I find it on my own?"

That was code for he was going to tickle you more when he found it so you stayed quiet and giggled in anticipation.

The older knight chuckled as he moved up to your ribs. "Or are you hoping I'll find it on my own?"

"Sh-shuhu--."

"Awww." Those wiggling fingers climbed higher up your ribs. "You're so flustered."

You tried to subtly press your arms closer to your sides so he couldn't get to your armpits. Yet, you weren't subtle enough.

Marc wiggled his fingers into the ribs just below your armpits. "Did I find the spot you were trying to hide?"

"N-no!"

"I think I did." The older knight lifted your arms above your head and pinned them with one hand. "I think I found your tickle spot."

You bit your lip and shook your head.

Marc's free hand slowly wiggled toward your armpit. "I'll be the judge of that."

All of your protests turned to helpless babbling as you kept your eyes on that hand.

"Gootchie gootchie goo Y/N."

When those fingers dug in, the loudest squeal yet erupted from your mouth. Your whole entire body squirmed as ticklish shocks shot through your entire body.

But they couldn't keep the giant happy grin off of your face.

"Now that's the most precious things I've seen in a while," Marc teased.

It took a bit of effort, but you managed to slap Marc's arm.

The older knight paused his tickles. "All tickled out?"

"Yehes!"

"Aww, alright." Marc let your arms go. "But I'm definitely getting you again in the future."

As you rubbed the remaining ghost tickles away, you kicked a foot in the older knight's direction. "Shut uhup."

Marc smirked. "You never told me to stop."

The blush on your face darkened even more at Marc's observation so you covered your face to hide it. "Shuuush!"

"For nohow." Marc nudged your leg. "I want to beat you in another game ohof Uno."

You scrambled up to grab the cards. "Loser gets tickleheled!"

"You're on!"

Once the cards were reshuffled, the two of you got ready for another intense game of Uno.

[potatoplace]

On my roster for writing this week:

✨definitely happening✨

Omega Needs C6: it should cover the rest of Feyre's first week at the Night Court

💞hopefully happening💞

Control III: daddy!az smut, if I'm feeling brave

Timeless Prologue/Chapter 1: If I choose to do a prologue, it will probably give backstory on the town (Harvest Moon AWL inspired AU!!) and on Feyre and Rhys's friendship. Chapter 1 will cover Rhys's homecoming after a few years away at war, returning to his family farm to become the patriarch after his father past in the war (that includes taking a wifeyyyy)

💔if I'm feeling angsty💔

Elain's POV of loml/my tears ricochet: covers Elain's version of events plus some extra scenes of fucked up shit she and Az did cause they're terribleeeee

Easy or Red Flags: Az x Reader angst, based off Chelsea Cutler songs, basically would just be Az being a piece of shit agaaaain (highly recommend listening to her oml I love heeer I got to see her in concert and she played both it was truly magical)

I'm definitely most excited about Omega Needs and Timeless. In Omega Needs there will be a bit of spiciness so long as everything goes according to plan when I write. Just remember it's going to be as slow of a burn as I can manage to make it (I am also excited for the spice).

But yeah! I'm hoping to get a lot out this week, but for right now I'm gonna play some minecraft and try to make a cute house.

[jwirecs]

ok hi hello um there was a joshua smut ff and basically the reader got fed up with the lack of acknowledgement from joshua in public because theyre fwbs so joshua makes it up to her by eating the reader out .. it was really well-written & i can't find it at awl 😭😭😭

helloo!!

so i tried to look for it using what i can with google (ie. joshua x reader friends with benefits, no acknowledgment tumblr) and it didnt really work out, unless its under his like korean name and its not a tumblr fic.... but

if anyone happens to know this fic, please do let us know!🥺

these fic findings are literally lowkey recs for me to read too.

[tteokdoroki]

I honestly couldn't figure out whether or not requests are open so I apologize in advance if they aren't.

I wanted to request an Izuku x Reader where he's dating Ochako and she wants to have their first time but he's nervous so he goes to his best friend (reader) to practice 🙊

i don’t do requests at awl bestie !! sorry <3

[awlimagines]

@dedtoot I hope this is okay, but I felt inspired.

Why they're covered in blood. (SFW)

CELIA/CECILIA 

You woke gazing at the blue sky and confused about your whereabouts. Dr. Hardy, Takakura, and Cecilia’s faces soon swam into focus, hovering above you. Cecilia frowned at you as the doctor moved away to speak with Takakura. The sight worried you. She only ever smiled. As she helped you to slowly sit upright, you noticed her apron stained with red. You quickly questioned her on what happened, worried she was injured. Instead, Cecilia informed you about your injury. As the brunette explained, your hand traveled to the bandages around your head. Cecilia was headed to the Goddess Pond when she saw you collapse harvesting fodder. Her explanation shifted quickly to a lecture: you could have been seriously hurt! What if she and Takakura weren’t around?  You meekly hung your head, promising her to be more careful in the future. 

CODY/GORDY 

You felt responsible despite his assurances. Gordy wouldn't have misplaced his next punch if it wasn’t for you jumping out to surprise him. Instead, his hand caught the sharp edge of metal, ripping the flesh across his knuckles. His amethyst eyes widened as much as your own when the blood began to gush from his hand. You scrambled, retrieving your basic first aid kit from your rucksack. Bumps, bruises, and cuts were too uncommon on the farm. You were familiar enough with first aid to assist. It wasn’t until you had the wound clean and worried over the possibility of stitches that you noticed his gaze fixated on the manor in the distance. Gordy softly explained he couldn’t stand the sight of blood. It made him feel faint, and it seemed like a lot. Your heart fluttered at his vulnerability as you delicately wrapped his hand. 

DARYL

He was frustrated. You could tell from his muttering and the furious glances he cast at you. For your part, you sat as still as possible, ignoring the stinging as Daryl patched you up. It was an innocent mistake. You had planned to surprise him. He would come home from his daily walk to find you waiting with dinner to share. Instead, he walked into the lab to find you surrounded by shattered glass. Daryl’s eyes almost instantly widened, and his face turned red when he saw you. You quickly tried to apologize for the damage and explained that you accidentally bumped into the shelf. It was soon clear that the scientist didn’t care about the mess or damage to his lab. No, Daryl was upset you got hurt. As he delicately removed another shard of glass from your hand, you focused on his sleeves. The poor lab coat was stained with your blood by this point. Would he let you buy him a new one? Maybe Sebastian knew how to get the stains out if you could get the coat off Daryl long enough to clean it.   

FLORA

It was a pleasant day until you found Vesta, Matthew, and Cecilia gathered in the back corner of their fields. You listened as Cecilia urgently told you Dr. Hardy had just gone to the dig site. As the older woman saw your confusion with the words, Vesta calmly attempted to tell you about the cave-in. At the mention of the dig site’s collapse, you rushed up the path. When you arrived to find the damage, your heart dropped to your stomach. Flora’s usual blonde locks were half-dyed red with blood. She quickly tried to reassure you everything was fine as she spotted you from under the doctor’s care. Despite her reassurances of head wounds bleeding a lot and their measures to prevent cave-ins, Flora did not protest too much when you insisted on her staying under your watchful eye for the evening. 

GUSTAFA 

You cried in frustration rather than pain as you cradled your hand. The sound of a familiar voice calling a greeting soon had you jumping to your feet. You hesitated at the door, unsure how to hide your injury, before shoving your hand in a pocket. The door swung open to reveal the green-hatted musician. While he smiled seeing you, you could tell he knew something was up. A concerned eyebrow rose higher above his shaded frames as Gustafa asked if everything was okay. You shuffled your feet in shame before sliding your hand out to show him. Your hand trembled, the still bleeding wounds now holding bits of fuzz from the pocket lining. He wasted no time in cradling your injured fingers in his hands and tending to them. As he left to wash the blood from his hands, you fidgeted, wondering if he was going to ask what happened. Gustafa returned to your side with the poorly hidden guitar you borrowed from Gavin to learn how to play. 

“Hey,” the softness of his voice made you jump. “I appreciate you learning for me, but you’ve got to listen to your body. I hate seeing you hurt.” 

LUMINA  

Lumina insisted on learning to ride your horse. The young woman had quickly broken from her shell of expectations after your engagement. While you typically supported her exploration, you hesitated on this particular one. Horseback riding could be dangerous. Your inexperienced fiancé was excited to jump fences like you did. Lumina’s pouts as you instead walked them around the pasture were very clear. You hadn’t expected her to take matters into her own hands. So, when you returned to the farm from foraging at the Goddess Spring, you were shocked to see Takakura tending to Lumina. The young woman refused to cry despite the moisture forming at the corners of her eyes. You learned Lumina had tried to surprise you, but a sudden hare sprinting from the back of the property startled her and your horse, sending her to crash. The numerous scrapes and scratches from her trip to the earth while drawing blood looked superficial. Lumina did cry when you mentioned having Dr. Hardy look over her. She didn’t want Aunt Romana to find out what happened. 

MARLIN/MATTHEW 

The typhoon that swept through only created minimal damage in Forget-Me-Not Valley. Thankfully, your farm was spared the worst of it. Due to your luck, you were helping out at Vesta’s after you finished work. As Vesta and Cecilia tended their fields, you helped Matthew repair a broken fence. The two of you had managed to remove the damaged parts. Matthew insisted on replacing the post, leaving you to gather the slats to attach. The boards fell from your hands as a sickening crack caught your attention. The post driver had slipped from the post, smacking Matthew in the head. He gruffly tried telling the group gathered around him that he was fine. Until a trickle of blood ran down his face. Matthew reluctantly let you and Vesta help him sit inside as Cecilia ran for the doctor. Even after being treated and cleared by Dr. Hardy, Vesta refused to allow Matthew to resume work. 

MUFFY/MOLLY 

When you arrived for lunch at the Bluebird, you were surprised to find out-of-towners filling the seats. The rowdy bunch was traveling and managed to stop here. You tried to ignore the noise and enjoy your lunch. It wasn’t until an argument broke out between two of the patrons and a glass whistled by to strike the shelves that you acted. After helping Gavin remove the party, you returned to help clean the mess and saw Molly with tears. A thin red line ran across her cheek from the bottles exploding. You hurriedly sat the shaken blonde on a barstool to clean the cut. At Gavin’s insistence, Molly soon followed you back to the farm to take the day off. Tears formed again in her green eyes when you gave her a cream to help ensure there wasn’t a scar. 

NAMI

Honestly, it was a terrible idea from the beginning. You were bragging to Rock about learning fencing from Nami. The two of you had the brilliant thought of sharing what you learned. Unfortunately, all you could find were the foils and not the protective gear Nami always insisted on wearing. It didn’t take long before both you and Rock recognized the purpose of the suits. Nami arrived outside the inn from the beach to see you both cut open, the fencing foils lying forgotten in the dirt. She hopped into action, instructing you to apply pressure as she focused on a hysterical Rock first. You were ready to cry and beg Nami to not be angry as well, but you followed her commands. Later once Rock and you were both treated and Nami sporting stained clothing, you sat in the inn’s lobby enduring a safety lecture from the angry redhead. 

ROCK

The blonde had arrived at your farm to rechallenge your dog to a race. You hid a smile as you rolled your eyes and let Rock play with the pup. Screaming minutes later startled you and the livestock you attempted to care for in the pasture. You clambered over the fence to hurry to Rock’s side as he rolled in the dirt. Takakura soon joined you as you tried to settle the young man down to discover what happened. From his cries, you worried over a broken bone. Relief and annoyance swept through you as you learned Rock’s shoe slipped off, causing him to trip. His palms were scratched from catching himself on the gravel, droplets of blood dotting the scrapes. You thought the shaken man had calmed down from the injury and his ruined pants when you helped him to a seat inside your home. Fresh wails came from him as Rock saw the hydrogen peroxide in your hands. 

“I’d rather Dr. Hardy just cut them off! That stuff stings!”

Tier list on how high is the chance of awl characters to be covered in blood

[love-bokumono-fics]

Fresh Crops! October 9 - October 15, 2023

This week's newest stories and chapter updates for Harvest Moon and Story of Seasons on AO3!

The Wall Between Us - by Skullygal610; WIP, 17/25, 18k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Trio of Towns Relationships: Female Farmer/Wayne, Female Farmer/Ex-boyfriend; Characters: Wayne, Female Farmer Additional Tags: Adopted, farmer, Hurt, Love, Unrequited Love, relationships, Denial of Feelings, Fanfiction, Parents, friends, Guilt Summary: It all started with a rejection. Scarlett can't seem to get over the loss of her best friend since she rejected his confession of love. Already dealing with her own self-worth and feelings while keeping up with daily life, things soon become difficult when a familiar face from the past comes back to haunt her. Wayne struggles to let go of the only girl he loved. However, things never go the way he plans. His parents are across the world without him. Friends are constantly concerned about his well-being. He wants to change, yet she keeps pulling him back. Can they ever hope to rekindle their long-lost friendship, or will it become something more?

The Village’s Flower: Fun With Crops - by WonderBun; WIP, 2/3, 3.6k

Rating: Explicit; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandom: Magical Melody Relationships: Amanda/Alex, Amanda/Blue, Amanda/Carl, Amanda/Bob; Characters: Amanda, Carl, Bob, Blue, Ellen, Alex, Basil Additional Tags: Sex with plants, Using plants as dildos, Flirting, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Humor, farming, Jealousy, Imagination, Masturbation Summary: Amanda was happy to join the village’s farm project. She was happy to make new friends, and the work was simple enough. But then something strange started to happen to her crops.

Tumblr Posts for A Wonderful Life Characters - by actaeoncross; WIP, 32/?, 33k

Rating: Not Rated; Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings; Categories: F/F, F/M, M/M, Multi Fandoms: A Wonderful Life Relationship: Multiple Characters x Reader; Characters: Celia | Seperia | Cecilia, Cody | Gordy, Daryl, Flora, Gustafa, Lumina, Marlin | Mash | Matthew, Muffy | Molly, Nami, Rock, Reader Summary: A collection of Tumblr posts for A Wonderful Life Characters x Reader prompts. The blog is an offshoot of my main and should be found under AWL Imagines.

Festivities - by TwinklingCupcake; Complete, 1/1, 1.9k

Rating: General Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Categories: F/M, Gen Fandoms: Friends of Mineral Town Relationships: Claire the Farmer & Won | Huang, Claire the Farmer/Won | Huang, the romance is soooorta there; platonic in-fic but will def lead to more; Characters: Claire, Won | Huang, Zack, guest appearance by Saibara Additional Tags: Holidays, Cultural Differences Summary: Huang never participated in Mineral Town's festivals or holidays. Whatever he celebrated, he celebrated alone. That is, until a certain moon-viewing night.

The Strong Willed Gwen - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 70/100, 6.9k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: Gen Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Magical Melody, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Bob | Kazan/Gwen | Sara; Character: Gwen Additional Tags: Animal Death, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Angst, Romance, Character Study, Character Development Summary: She was aware that she was a violent girl from time to time; it was no surprise to any of the townsfolk. That was just who she was. The strong-willed, horse loving, Inn cooking Gwen—and nothing more.

Of Arabians and Friesian Appaloosas - by SymphonicFantasia; WIP, 14/50, 2.1k

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences; Archive Warning: No Archive Warnings Apply; Category: F/M Fandoms: Save the Homeland, Magical Melody, Hero of Leaf Valley Relationship: Bob | Kazan/Gwen | Sara; Characters: Bob, Gwen Additional Tags: Hurt/Comfort, Angst, Fluff and Angst, Fluff, Fluffy Ending Summary: Bob has always loved Gwen. She was his life and his sunshine. His day wasn't the same if he couldn't see her smile. Ever since they were kids it has been this way and Bob wouldn't trade it for the world. And the descendant through their relationship was never an easy one.

[shelbystales]

Time Off - One shot

Tommy Shelby x Reader - Masterlist

Requested by An: Hii! I hope I'm not bothering you. I really like the way you write. I was gonna ask If you can do one when the reader is sick and he just take cares of her like a child. Maybe you can do a scene when the reader is throwing up and Tommy rubs her back and hold her hair. I will be so thankful If you do it.

Summary: Tommy gets home after a long day at work and you are not waiting for him like you normally do and finds you sick in bed.

Warning: Swearing, fluff

English is my second language so I apologize in advance for the grammar mistakes.

︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿︵‿

The days that Tommy managed to get home early were not many. It was 7pm and it might not be early, but at least it was not late.

But no matter the hour he came home, you were always waiting for him to either join him for dinner or simply make him company before bed.

He never told you but he loved to come home to you, to hug you and smell your perfume, or to feel your soft skin on his... but let's be honest, he didn't have to tell you that because you already knew. You knew him.

To his surprise he opened the door and you weren't sitting on the couch reading your book noor were you helping Francis out with the dinner table.

He took off his overcoat as he walked in looking for you. At the dining room, he spotted Francis.

"Oh, Hello Mister Shelby, you are home early" she spoke as she saw you

"Yea, yea. Where is me wife?" he asked and Francis looked surprised for a minute

"She's in bed Sr" she answered

"In bed?" he frowned

"Yes, she was feeling sick all day. I thought she had told you or called" Francis answered but during the mid of her words, he had already turned his back and was walking to the bedroom.

As he made his way to the bedroom he kept asking himself why he didn't call. He cared about your wellbeing, he would have come home to take care of you or at least call a doctor to check on you.

He opened the door slowly and faced a dark room with only one lamp on.

He looked over to the bed and you weren't there, looking around he saw the bathroom light on.

Opening the bathroom dor he saw you sitting right next to the toilet all curled up, your knees to your chest and your arms hugging your legs, your head resting on top of your knees.

As you heard him come in you raised your head to look at him. He looked at you with tenderness.

"Hi" you spoke with a tinny smile on your lips, feeling nausea take over you once again.

"Hey" he kneeled in front of you he caressed your cheek with his thumb and asked. You looked sick, your skin at least two-toned clearer, eye bags under your eyes, hair messy, lips pale, the sight of you like that made his heart clench.

"what are you feeling, hm?" he asked truly worried

"Sick and my head hurts" you answered "I think it was that shrimp we ate yesterday"

"yeah?" you nodded "have you been feeling like this all day?" you nodded again "hm, why didn't you call me? I could've come home, take care of you, ey" he continued caressing your cheek

"Didn't want to bother you... honestly, I am ok" you answered "just feeling nauseous"

"Are you sure it's the food?" he asked and you already knew what he meant. You weren't trying to get pregnant but you weren't doing anything to avoid it either.

"I feel like it is... the awlful taste that's in my mouth is the fucking shrimps" you made a disgusted face and he smiled. You loved when he smiled.

"Well, let's get you to bed, ey" he said and you quickly shook your head

"No no, it's coming. I can feel it preparing itself in my stomach... at any moment it will come out" you said

"Alright. I'll get you some water" he stood up and quickly walked to the kitchen seeing Francis again he pointed at her and spoke "the next time she's sick like that, you call me"

"Yes, Sir." she nodded watching as he got a cup of water feeling like the whole scene was a bit strange "do you want me to set the table sr.?"

"No. Make some soup, something light, ya? Maybe some tea. Bring it to my bedroom when it's ready" he answered and left the kitchen with your glass of water

As soon as he entered the bedroom he could hear you vomiting.

He rushed over to the bathroom, putting the glass of water over the sink before kneeling next to you.

With one hand he got a hold of your hair and with the other, he caressed your back.

"That's it. That's it, let it out" he encouraged

"Oh I hate this..." you mumbled between one wave of vomit and another "I'm never... eating shrimp again".

When you finished he closed the toilet lid and flushed.

"Feeling better?" he asked handing you a piece of toilet paper to clean your lips

"A little" you answered after you cleaned yourself, throwing away the paper

"Good" he caressed your face and stood up. You raised your arms and he helped you up and hugged you tight. "I want you to call me and tell me when you're not feeling good, ok?" He asked and you nodded

"I just thought you already had too much in your head. Didn't want to bother you" you explained yourself

"You kidding me?" he pushed you a little further away from him so he could look in your eyes "you will never bother me, especially when you are sick. Got it?" You nodded "good, here" he handed you the glass of water

"Thanks" you used the first sip to rinse out your mouth and followed to brush your teeth.

While you cleaned, Thomas walked back inside the bedroom and changed into his pajamas.

When you finished you went straight to bed.

"I asked Francis to make some soup" Thomas announced as you curled up on the duvet closing your eyes.

"Not hungry" you growled

"You have to eat something" he statted

"All the things I put inside came out minutes later, so no thanks" you answered annoyed

You heard his footsteps approaching and then his body weight on the bed. You opened your eyes to look at him.

"You have to try and eat a little" he said caressing you over de duvet

"No, I don't"

"Why are you such a stubborn?" he asked amused "I've been spoiling you too much" you smiled

"I don't feel like eating Tommy, my stomach hurts. I just want to sleep, my head is exploding... I promise you I'll eat propper tomorrow" you said with a tired tone.

"Ok" he mumbled and gave you a peck "I'll take some time off tomorrow to take care of you. The entire day if it's necessary" he caressed your face taking the hair out of it.

You nodded, enjoying the idea of having him all to yourself tomorrow.

[serzhantkris]

Haunted- 15

Summary: He knew, from the moment he found her there, bathed in the glow of fire, that she would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Damon Salvatore x Reader

Masterlist

Taglist Open

Word Count: 2589

Author's Note: This chapter contains sensitive content. Reader discretion advised. (Contains references to menstruation and depictions of blood.)

1883

Lilian was thirteen the first time her heart was broken. It would not be the last, though it was certainly the first.

Damon had taught her many things in the years she had known him, between his yearly visits to the convent and the two years they spent huddled in a small house that did not belong to them. He’d taught her how to properly sew using an awl, a skill he’d picked up during his short lived time in the Confederacy; he’d taught her how to bargain with vendors at the farmers market and how to dance the waltz and the meaning of the word titillating.

He taught her that sometimes, the right thing to do is also the hardest.

They’d spent the day at a traveling circus, with Damon guiding Lilian from one tent to another. She had never seen anything quite like it before, and never would again, and was captivated by the bright colors, the cacophony of music, and the sheer thrills of each act. More than once she had begged Damon to get closer, which he obliged, and had tugged on his arm to get through the crowds. Sometimes the pink dress, a recent gift and easily the nicest article of clothing she’s ever had, was all he could see when she slipped between onlookers, curious and amazed. They had seen tigers, elephants, acrobats, jugglers, and clowns; Lilian had clung to Damon’s arm in fear when a man put his head in a lion’s mouth, and he promised not to tease her when she covered her eyes as the trapeze artist walked precariously on a high rope.

It had been the best day of her life. Lilian told him as much.

Now that they were home, the exhaustion had begun to settle in. Even though she prattled on, reminiscing the entirety of their day, she was yawning as she brushed her hair, and once she was in bedclothes, promptly came down the steps to tell Damon goodnight. He could hear her snoring only moments later.

He’d gone out, locking the door behind him, and fed, and when he returned, the house was silent and dark. The quiet crept into his bones as he moved through the living room and up the stairs, pausing at Lilian’s door to hear the low, steady beat of her heart before slipping into the opposite bedroom, exchanging his tailored pants and shirt for something comfortable. He, too, was worn out from their day, and it took only a handful of minutes before he slipped into unconsciousness.

Whimpers of pain tugged at Damon’s subconscious, his eyelashes fluttering in the darkness. He rolled over, imagining that it was a cat outside, or an active imagination, until he heard the unmistakable sound of rustling sheets from across the hall.

“Damon!”

He wasted no time in turning on the lights, the sleepiness in his eyes gone in a blink. He crossed the bedroom and the hall, and threw open Lilian’s door just as quickly, the doorknob smacking the wall with the force he’d thrown it open. Her light was on, casting long shadows over the floor, but he didn’t need to see to realize what was wrong.

The smell of blood, thick with iron and something unfamiliar, reached Damon’s nose before he’d even torn the door open. Fear gripped his heart, threatened to pull it from his very chest, as he moved closer. The smell was not enticing, the way it usually was, but it was unmistakable.

Lilian was sitting up in bed. Her face drained of color, her lips trembling with fear and pain. Her hands gripped her stomach, bunching the blanket at her waist, and she leaned forward as though she were trying to hold closed a wound on her abdomen.

Between her legs, the thick quilt she had wrapped herself in for two years was stained with blood. Not as much as he had feared, not enough to suggest she had been in any way mortally wounded, but enough that Damon understood right away what had happened.

“Damon-“ she hiccupped, her palm digging into her cheek, “Som-something’s wrong-“

“Lilian-“ Their voices overlapped, his attempts to be soothing washed by her shrill cries of despair.

“Am I dying-“

“No, Lilian-“

“There’s so much blood-“

“It’s alright-“

“Please,” she continued, ignoring his attempts to quiet her tears and pleas. “It hurts!”

He dropped onto the bed beside her, the wooden frame protesting, and seized her face in his hands. “Calm down.”

He hadn’t meant to do it. But her tears stopped immediately, the wrinkles of pain smoothing her expression until her face was placid. Compliant.

He let go, hands hovering but not touching, and swallowed thickly. Instead, he gently pulled her grip from the blanket, brushing her hands with his thumb, feeling the thin scar on her knuckles.

“You’re okay,” he smoothed her hair back, the way he always did when she was upset, his voice hushed. “It’s alright, Lilian.”

“What’s happening to me?”

Damon licked his lips and shook his head. “It’s okay, you’re not hurt. Stay here,” he said. “I’m going to run you a bath, we’ll talk once you’ve cleaned up.”

“You promise?”

“Promise.”

Damon went to the bathroom, starting the water, and dug through the cabinets, searching for something, anything, that would help. Surely the mother had been a fertile woman— there. He found what she’d need, and placed it, along with a towel and clean clothes, beside the tub. He explained, as well as he could, what to do with the bandages and belt he’d found. As the bathroom door closed behind Lilian, Damon quickly removed her sheets, and tossed the soiled quilt with the rest of the clothes that needed washing. He brewed hot water, and made a compress to ease her pain.

He was putting fresh sheets on the bed when she came back into the room, her hair still dripping, hands clinging to the front of her nightdress. He sat on the bed, and rolled back the new quilt so she could slide under it.

“I was afraid,” she said. She had scrubbed at her face, her eyes red, but not brushed her hair, and Damon did his best to comb through it with his fingers without tangling them in knots. “What’s wrong with me?”

“There’s nothing wrong with you,” he mumbled, carefully picking apart a tangle in her hair. “It’s normal, flower.”

“Normal?” She scoffed at the absurdity. Damon had not considered that she was so unaware of something like menstruation, though he suspected that the young girls of Sisters of Quiet Mercy were left in the dark on quite a few aspects of life, particularly those that the church considered to be… Sinful, or dirty.

“It happens to all girls, eventually,” he said. “Most, anyway.”

“What does it mean?”

Damon frowned, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “It means you’re a woman, now,” he said thoughtfully, dropping his hand to his lap. “You can… Have children, if you… Fall in love, and want to be a mother.”

Lilian stared hard at the quilt between them. Damon knew very little about women, in terms of their anatomy and especially menstruation, and even less about young girls. “I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t feel like a grown up.”

Damon studied her face. It was less round than it had been the first time he saw her, her features becoming more defined, though her youth shone brightly in her eyes. “You should sleep.”

“Will you stay? Just- just until I fall asleep?”

He nodded as she laid back in the bed, and he stood to tuck the quilt around her. She held the compress against her abdomen with both hands, still looking unsure, but Damon made himself comfortable on the edge of the bed, one foot on the floor.

Eventually, she was asleep once more, and Damon watched her torso rise and fall in deep breaths.

The smell of blood was faint, but still present, and Damon closed his eyes, batting it away. He’d never once considered drinking from Lilian. She trusted him, and he’d sworn to take care of them both, and that did not include causing her any number of pain.

She was no longer a little flower. She had blossomed, become something between woman and child, and Damon was disconcerted to think what might have happened if he’d been out of the house. Perhaps she’d have panicked, perhaps she’d have gone running into the street and gotten hurt. Perhaps he would have come home to bloodsoaked sheets and an empty house.

What would happen, if she cut herself on a kitchen knife, or pricked her finger with a needle? That was different from what had happened tonight. That blood would be rich and tempting. He had always been confident that she would never be one of his victims, but now he was unsure.

And, what would he do, as she made her way through her teenage years? If a young man wanted to court her, if she wanted to have friends or go to school or work? How would he handle not knowing where she was or if she was safe? Who she was with?

Furthermore, how long could he stay, here, in Chicago, unaging and unchanging as she continued to grow into a woman? People would certainly notice, and he couldn’t afford to draw attention, especially not suspicion. Not if it would put her at risk.

Damon left Lilian alone in the darkness of her bedroom, moving quietly toward his own, as he made up his mind. He eased himself back into the cold bed, trying to find some semblance of comfort. He did not sleep.

They went to breakfast first thing the following morning. Damon had picked out a dining establishment that neither of them had entertained before, one where they could sit outside, under the sun. Lilian had been wide-eyed when they brought food to the table, an array of egg fritters, waffles, bacon, and fruits that would’ve been sizable for an entire family, and Damon watched with amusement as she tried bits and pieces of everything, not bothering to take her time as she ate and ate. Damon leaned back in the weather worn chair, eyeing the surrounding company, while Lilian gave not a care in the world and indulged in her gluttony.

Two tables away, a pair of burley men, no doubt factory workers, conversed over a table that was almost comical compared to their size. “I’ll be back,” Damon said, buttoning his jacket as he made his way over to them. Lilian paid no mind, reaching for her cup. He spoke to them only briefly, but they were looking at him in a way Lilian had never seen anyone look at Damon before- as though he were the only thing around for miles- and Damon returned by the time her plate had cleared.

“Come on, flower,” he said, finishing the coffee that had gone cold. Lilian rose from her seat and followed him. He led her through the cobblestone streets, passing by flower shops and bakeries, places they had passed a thousand times and never been inside, and he answered as many of her questions about womanhood as he could, assuring her that the answers would come as she continued to grow, until she had exhausted the subject and become much more interested in what caused flowers to bloom and what make bread smell so heavenly, until she realized they had stepped onto a street that no longer smelled of roses and vanilla. Instead, the street became less smooth and the sun less bright, the crowd thinned, and as they passed beneath a bridge, the hairs on her arms stood on end.

“Damon?”

He kept walking, holding her hand in his, and her steps became weary. He pulled her forward still, even when she stopped walking all together and tried to pull her hand away.

“Where are we going?” Her voice shook, and suddenly the insurmountable trust and faith she had placed in Damon wavered for the first time in years. “Where are you taking me? Damon?”

Damon stopped then, still holding tightly to her hand, not crushing it but unrelenting. He softened, turned toward her, and knelt down. Being at eye level often meant only one thing: that he was about to say something she would not like.

“I’m sorry.” His voice was quiet as he smoothed her hair back. It was his way of calming her, when she was afraid of the dark, when she cried because she touched the hot stove. It was not working, however, because she heard the two burly men approaching from behind, feeling silly for not having noticed them following before. “I’m sorry, flower.”

The long shadow of Sisters of Quiet Mercy hovered ominously over them. Lilian’s eyes widened, and she yanked hard on her hand, but Damon grabbed her arm with his free hand and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her in a hug as she began to sob into his coat. She kept trying to pull away, though Damon suspected if she broke free, she would not run.

He could compel her. Tell her to do as he said without a fight. Make her say goodbye and relent. But the idea made his stomach churn, and when he had done it last night, completely by accident, he had felt as though he’d committed a terrible act. Compulsion was something Dracula would do, and he loathed to think that he would leave Lilian feeling as though he were a monster. Somehow, this way was better. At least this way, she would see him as a man, not a beast.

The two men had reached them, and Damon held up a hand to give them pause.

“Please,” she begged. Her resistance turned heel, and she clung to him the way she did when she woke from a bad dream in the dead of night. “Please, don’t- I want to stay, why can’t I stay? Did I do something bad?”

Damon forced himself to peel her away, holding her at arm’s length. “This will be better, in the end. You’ll see. I’m sorry,” he said, cupping her cheek. A tear rolled under his thumb. “I can’t keep you.”

“Damon, no!” At his nod, one of the men grabbed Lilian’s arm, and Damon let go as the other pulled her to her feet. “No, please! I’ll be good! Damon!”

He rose to his feet as the men tugged Lilian toward the building, her body flailing as she tried to hit them with her fists, kicked at them, even bit one of them on the hand, but they didn’t let go, no matter how hard she cried. Of course they wouldn’t, he had told them, you’ll take her inside, no matter what. Damon’s resolve shook, bent, cracked, as they half-dragged, half-carried Lilian to the doors of the convent. She was screaming his name, garbled by her pleas, her crying so severe that even her nose wept. One of them pulled open the door, and he caught sight of Sister Mary Eunace, waiting, looking at him as though he were the devil.

“Damon!”

The sound of his name echoed through the empty street. The wind carried the sound of it as it scattered leaves over his shoes. He held his breath, holding back apologies and stop, bring her back until the door slammed closed, and once more, as it always seemed to be, he was alone.

@navs-bhat @allinhishands @hereforsumbucky @lordofthunderthr

@suspiciousmuffin

[awlimagines]

art by @kinokoshoujoart

Day Four - Lumina

“Are you sure? We could have a coach take you there,” Aunt Romana asked for the hundredth time that morning. 

Lumina's golden-brown eyes glanced from buttoning her jacket to her grandmother. Sebastian hovered behind the bent older woman, their faces lined with worry. She reassuringly smiled at the two before gently telling them again that you would accompany her to the city. Some part of her felt like it was a harsh rebellion against the care they had provided, but she wanted to do this herself, especially since Aunt Romana would not approve of her plans. 

She did her best to push the thoughts from her mind as she traveled with you. Although she was interested in your farm, it became harder to track the conversation as her nerves built. She started like a spooked rabbit as your hand grabbed her outside the dress shop. Lumina gave you a weak grin as you lightly squeezed her hand in encouragement. She hesitated before the mirror, observing the black dress. Panic swelled in her at the choice as she stepped from the dressing room, and your jaw dropped. 

“Y-you look amazing!” you stuttered, fighting not to ogle Lumina as your face grew warm. 

A flush rose in Lumina’s cheeks, pleased to hear your exclamation. Your apparent approval diminished her second thoughts. Lumina protested as you paid for the dress before carefully following your guidance to the theatre. She fought to ignore the butterflies in her stomach as she entered through the stage door. Aunt Romana disliked jaunty Christmas music. She particularly detested The Nutcracker which Lumina now prepared to play. Her fingers ran lightly across the surface of the piano’s keys as she steadied her nerves. 

Lumina hoped you wouldn’t regret an orchestra seat. You had assured her that you’d rather see her play than the ballet. She had trouble believing your sincerity. The Nutcracker used to consume Lumina’s thoughts each year around Starry Night. After her mother’s death, she wished a prince would sweep her away to a magical land. Lumina glanced toward your seat to see your eyes glued to her with an excited grin. 

She hid her smile as you gave a huge thumbs-up before the lights dimmed. Lumina began to play, enjoying the music swelling around her. She hadn’t realized it until now, but her prince had already come. You had entered her life and freed her from the manor's walls, promising new adventures.

[morceid]

Thomas Edison Can Kiss My Ass

Dad!Spencer x Fem!Reader

Summary: The power goes out in your house, and Spencer knows how to kill the time with your kids.

Word Count: 939

Category: fluff. very much fluff.

Content Warnings: implied smut, some swearing, pregnancy mentions, implied character death

A/N: inspired by recent asks and concepts on @subspencer​ ! i love talking about dad spencer over there lol

You woke up to an empty bed. It was normal after Didi was born but she was now 2 years old and could go through a whole night on her own. It was just something you would have to get used to with another baby in the house. 

You walked into Ollie’s nursery and saw Spencer sitting in the rocking chair, cradling the baby on his chest. You wanted to stare at the sight for hours.

“Hey. I heard him crying about an hour ago, so I came in and he kind of just fell asleep in my arms. I was able to make breakfast though. Eggs are on the counter.” He whispered as he rocked back and forth.

“I love you so much. I have to run to the store after I eat, are you gonna be okay here?”

Even though Spencer was still on call, he guest lectured online for the community college on Saturdays.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Didi will probably want to sit in with me anyways.” He smirked.

You woke up Didi and made sure she ate before heading out. The thunderstorm outside surprised you and you had to take the car instead of walking to the dollar general on the corner like normal. You only needed to get a couple of things like cereal and fruit snacks for Didi, so you were back before Spencer’s classes started to take Ollie from him.

Ollie was playing with his teething ring in his crib and you were sitting in the rocking chair next to him when the power went out. You heard a scream from Spencer’s office and picked up Ollie, holding him to your chest as you walked through the darkness and into the room you knew your distressed child was in.

Didi was sitting in Spencer’s lap, face red and wet with tears. He bounced his leg up and down, shushing her.

“Where did awl my fwends go?” the toddler whined.

“The power went out, Didi. They’ll be back later. It’s okay.” Spencer said, repeatedly kissing her forehead.

“What now?” You asked.

“Well, I’ll email my students with my phone, and Didi over here can finally dig into the rainy day box I have hidden in the closet! Come on, Didi!”

She leaped off of his lap and ran to your shared bedroom, Spencer in front of her. You sat on the couch in the living room, still holding Ollie. A moment later Spencer walked in holding quite possibly one of the largest boxes you had ever seen.

“Seriously? All of that just for a small power outage?”

“What? Power outages are fun!” He said, pulling out multiple candles and flashlights from the box.

Ollie started to fuss in your arms so you pulled your shirt down to reveal your breast and letting him latch on. It was easier to not wear a bra when Ollie was nursing instead of hassling with an extra clothing item. God, Spencer’s kids were just like him.

Didi had climbed onto the couch next to you, Spencer on the other side of her. He pulled a scrapbook out of the box and started flipping through it.

“This used to belong to your grandma, Miss Diana Reid. It has pictures of me when I was as little as you.”

“Really? Daddy, why were you so tiny?” Spencer chuckled at his daughter.

“Because, everyone is a baby at one time or another.”

“A baby? Like Ollie?”

“Yep. Exactly like Ollie. Momma was even a baby once. I can show you those pictures.”

“Oh absolutely not, Spencer. I love you but if you show our daughter that I might have to cover Ollie’s ears and have a talk with you.” You burst into laughter with the family around you.

“I can handle that.” He closed the leatherbound scrapbook and placed it back in the box, taking out a smaller, newer one, “Do you wanna see you as a baby, Didi?”

The four of you sat there, occasionally laughing at the pictures of before and afters of your pregnancies. 

“I think that’s all we have so far. How about a puzzle?” Spencer dug back into the box.

You watched as Didi picked out a puzzle that would show the image of a butterfly when completed. Your family was so perfect. It was everything you had ever wanted.

Eventually you presumed you had fallen asleep, because when you woke up you were back in the bed you started your day in. Spencer had taken Ollie back to his room and put him to sleep. The exhaustion from the new baby had finally subsided for just a little bit when you realized that the bedside clock read 10:12 and that you had probably slept all day. Spencer climbed into bed behind you.

“So, Spencer, what did you do with Didi after I fell asleep?” You asked, rolling over to look at him.

“Well, we finished the puzzle, and then smelled something weird from the fridge. It was a super old take-out box. Probably from before she was even born. It was a good opportunity to teach her about mold though. I threw it out and then we read practically every book on her shelves. I ordered pizza for lunch and dinner.” Spencer had never been one to like cooking.

“Is the power still out?” You noticed the lights still weren't on, and a candle had been placed on the bedside table.

“Yep.” Spencer confirmed.

“Good. We shouldn’t have power more often.”

“And what? Go back in time and kill Thomas Edison?”

“Thomas Edison can kiss my ass.”

“Not if I do first!”

[fairykimseok]

Drowsy nights and the white wolf

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Original Character (Kaitlyn)

Summary: Being an avenger is one thing, being an Avenger with Bucky Barnes is another. A little story of how Kaitlyn met Bucky

Gender: would say fluff with a little action, oneshot

Warnings: a mention of blood

This is written with the intention of being Bucky x reader but I just had to name the character. Time wise it is set along the events of TFATWS

Disclaimer: Marvel owns Avengers, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier and all its characters

Before I tell you my story maybe I need to introduce myself. My name is Kaitlyn, I am short of special as my mom liked to say and…I might be an Avenger.

All started in the battle of New York, I was in one of the buildings Loki had taken over, with my mom and a few other people. I don’t really remember what happened, I only know Loki had touched me with his Scepter. I woke up the following day at the hospital, the building we were in had collapsed killing everyone but me. I was 16 back then and that was when I first met Natasha. She was the one who had pulled me out of that building and she kept visiting me in the hospital, she sort of became my family when everyone was gone. Short after when my powers started showing up, powers that were the legacy of Loki and the infinity stone, our sessions started. She would train me in hand in hand combat and I would try to master my powers.

She wanted me to go to the avengers’ compound and I had visited a few times, I had a room next to Wanda whom I had met on a few occasions. But that was when the Civil War between the Avengers started, and Nat went hiding. We would still meet sometimes with Cap and occasionally Sam.

And then the snap happened, and I blipped and when I came back, she was gone. My only family was gone. I called Sam as soon as I found out. He told me I could still join the team just as Nat wanted, that they had a new building as the old one was destroyed.

And that is where I am right now, in the new Avengers compound with whom is left here. Mostly me, Rodney, and Banner. Sam comes and goes, Dr. Strange, Clint, and Scot has stopped by sometimes and they frequently video call with others that are far away.

It is sort of lonely here, but I try to focus on my training. It is not easy being the only one with my kind of powers. Dr. Strange has helped me some with that and Banner had run some tests on me to see how they could progress. I get my “military” training with Rodney and when Clint is here, I get the “spy” training.

Oh right, my powers. Well you could say I have a thing with ice. Provided that there is water around I can create ice in whatever form I want and use it accordingly. I am still very sloppy and most of the time it is only a thin layer, but I am getting better.

It was a typical day, I woke up, got breakfast in the shared kitchen, visited Banner in his lab and went to the gym for my training. One of the first things Nat had told me was that I need to be agile, to be able to move fast even in the most difficult situations, so my morning routine had a variety of ballet, yoga or pilates.

“Looking good”, I heard someone at the door. As I turned, I realized it was no other than Sam.

“Hey Sam, what’s up? It’s been a while”, I said, going to my bug to drink some water.

“Thought I would stop by to see how you all here are and also to drop a friend who I think would help you a lot with your training”, he said.

As on cue Rodney entered the room with one more man, he looked around the room before his eyes landed on me. I knew who he was of course, who doesn’t.

“Bucky this is Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn this is Bucky. Don’t worry he is not dangerous just very old”, Sam joked which led to him getting a punch in the arm.

“Nice to me you”, Bucky said with a slight nod of his head.

“Nice to meet you too”, I managed to say in a stake of a mild shock. No, I wasn’t scared of him, I never had been. Cap had told me enough of his stories with bucky back in their days to know that this man is not dangerous even if he had been brainwashed most of his life.

“Bucky can help you with close up combat. If you are going to learn, better learn from the best.”, Sam offered. “We gonna let you at it and come back later with Rods. You gonna be ok old man?”, he asked before leaving, closing the door behind them.

Bucky only eye rolled as he properly entered the room. He unzipped his jacket leaving it at the bench, his vibranium arm echoing in the empty room. “Alright, let’s see what you got. Try to hit me” he said positioning himself in the middle of the room.

“Hit you?”, I asked confused, approaching him.

“Kick me, punch me, hit me. Whatever”, he shrugged.

Whatever, I thought. How? How do you hit the winter soldier? I took a few more steps, going closer all while I was thinking which could be the best approach, how could I attack him. At first, I just tried to punch as naïve as it looked. Of course, he just stopped my hand midair with his. I tried more complex moves, some of those Nat used to do, wrapping my legs around his neck and trying to elbow him on the head, I found myself pinned to the nearest wall his metal arm in my neck. His grip tight. He got flustered for a moment and for a moment there I really saw the assassin he used to be. He loosened his grip and let me down, mumbling an apology.

“How old are you again?”, I asked out of breath.

“Physical or mental age? Actual or birth wise? Kinda difficult question to ask”, he said with a faint of smile but maybe it was my imagination because it lasted for too short.

“Current?”, I offered.

“Something around the early 30s. Or 106, who counts?” he shrugged. “Again”

We went on and on, each time finding me in a helpless situation. I was pretty sure Ι was covered with bruises in every place possible.

I don’t even know how many times we had done the same thing when I got the idea that hey, I got powers. I let him tackle me into a headlock and when he was about to loosen his hold, I touched the metal arm, ice spreading all over it. I took the mere seconds it took him to realize what was going on as a chance to elbow him in the ribs and punch his jaw. He took a step back and smiled not even fazed by my hits.

“Good, but next time count on your strength and not your powers yet”, he said.

“Do you even feel anything?”, I asked defeated, nothing seemed to hurt him.

“It takes a lot more to make me feel anything”, he grinned. “And ice is not one of them”

“I left you here to learn from him and you go and freeze my man?”, Sam exclaimed entering in the room.

“I am fine”, Bucky said waving his metal arm twice before the ice broke and fell on the floor.

“Once a popsicle always a popsicle,” Sam joked earning a death stare from the older man. “How did it go?”, he asked looking at me

“No broken bones, so I guess good”, I shrugged.

“We have a long way ahead of us”, Bucky said getting dressed. “I am out”, he nodded before disappearing.

“So how was it really?”, Sam asked again, examining me.

“I think I barely touched him. My whole body is sore, and my pride is wounded.”

Sam laughed. “That’s why I brought him here to you. The people we are going up against out there are not easy, they will try to kill you without a second thought. You can always use your powers, but you told Nat you wanted to be like her. If you still up for the close combat, he will be here from now on. You may train with him whenever you want. If not, you are still free to stay here and train on your powers.”

I looked at him with realization. Maybe I wasn’t trying hard enough. I was feeling so lost without her. “No, I want to try”, I promised with determination.

“Good. Now go, get ready we will all get dinner together before I leave”, Sam left too, and I was left alone in the room.

I sighed heavily, trying to get up I felt the pain running through my body. I was going to be so sore tomorrow.

  -----------------------

Days were passing by and I hadn’t seen him anywhere which on one hand was good because I don’t think I had improved since our first encounter and on the other it made me wonder where the heck he might be? It is not like the compound is huge for me to lose him. I reasoned that he could be on a mission with Sam and that is why I hadn’t seen him, after all Rodney wasn’t here either.

Apart from the hours of training I did through the day, I had started running some laps in the late hours. It is when the humidity in the air is the highest here, so it makes me feel more at ease with my powers. I was running again today, just a few laps around the compound, when I stopped at a clean spot.

I breathed in the humid air allowing my body to absorb as much water as it could from the atmosphere. I tried to catch my breath as I heard a bike running down the entrance of the compound towards the building. For a moment, I was perplexed as who it could be before I realized it was him, returning from somewhere. He headed to the garage. I didn’t even know he had a bike, but I decided to return at my task no point on focusing on him.

I closed my eyes again, opened my arms in an L shape and tried to focus, focus on my surroundings, on the water in the air. I took a deep breath as I tried to expand the cold emanating from me. I tried to crystalize as many water particles as I could around me, turning the humid air into a frozen one.

And I tried to expand it as much as I could. That’s when I felt it, the other presence close to me, in between all the cold a warmer figure. I turned at once defensively, ice-like awls flying towards the direction of the intruder only to stop a few centimeters away.

“I am sorry”, I said as I made them disappear. “I didn’t know it was you”, my body relaxing a bit.

He stared at me unfazed, as if he wasn’t even scared, I had almost pierced him throughout his body. He stared at me dead in the eyes and I couldn’t really understand what his look meant. It was like he was studying me. “It’s late, you should better go in,” he said before turning and heading back to the building.

“How long have you been standing here?”, I yelled at his retreating figure.

“Enough,” he yelled back without even turning.

I followed him with my eyes until he disappeared behind the doors. I took another deep breath as I headed back myself. There was something about this man, so mysterious, so distant yet I felt being drawn to him.

  --------------------

Wednesdays are usually gun days, I would do the training with Clint, trying different guns and basically learning how about anything could be a weapon if you use it correctly. Hell, one day Clint decided I had to try the bow, but it went terribly. In my defense my eyesight sucks so how was I supposed to do well?

Clint hadn’t been here for a while, so I went to the training room alone, picked a gun, set the target, wore the protective gear, and started shooting. Surprisingly I wasn’t that bad at shooting, I give myself credit, even though I still lack on technique and consistency.

I was halfway through when I felt eyes on me again. I turned to face the room and sure enough I saw him leaning on the door frame. “Not bad,” he commented as I removed the protective headphones.

“Thanks”, I said feeling self-aware, I don’t know why I was getting so nervous around him.

“Need to relax your shoulders a bit” he continued as he walked to pick a gun and went to a nearby booth. “You are going to dislocate it otherwise”.

I nodded as I watched him go, he didn’t miss one, switching between hands and meters away from the target. I was impressed but don’t tell him.

“So, guns are your thing”, I said as he stopped.

“I wouldn’t say I have a thing, just too many years of experience, but if I had a thing, I guess it would be knives”, he said thoughtfully.

“Show me”, I challenged without even thinking.

He gave me a funny look as he picked one, moved back to the booth and while still looking at me threw the knife head on to the target. He didn’t even blink.

He shrugged and I think I saw a hint of smugness there. “Practice makes perfect”, he said as he turned to leave the room. “Keep on practicing”.

“Good to see you too”, I mumbled to the empty room. Cause it was good to see him, wasn’t it? I did want to see him. I had found myself almost searching for him in the days that he was nowhere to be found. I had seen photos of him in the news and back in those years he did seem dangerous but now, with the haircut and his general stance he seemed more like the Bucky Cap was describing in his stories albeit still very distant. Would I entertain myself with the thought that he was hot? I mean, the beard, the toned muscles, the mystery, the eyes, oh those eyes. Nah, I shouldn’t think of that.

“Focus”, I murmured to myself as I started shooting again.

 -------------------

I was back in the gym where we first met, doing my flexibility exercises as he entered the room. He walked straight to me, his eyes never leaving mine. I got up from the floor I was sitting. I was so drawn to him; I couldn’t take my eyes of him. We were too close now, bodies almost touching. He looked down on me and I felt my body shiver. He brought his hand to my cheek and caress it, and I melted to the touch. I raised mine to touch his hand as I followed the muscles all the away till his shoulder and then his face. He used his metal arm to guide me closer to him by my waist. And then he started leaning, our breaths coming as one, lips almost touching…

I woke up with a start, my heart racing a like an f1 car in Q3. I was sweating. “It was just a dream”, I said as I tried to catch my breath. “A very vivid one”.

I looked at the clock on the night stand it was still 3 in the morning, but my glass was empty. I got up, sighing, intending to go get some water from the kitchen. As I left my room, I heard some soft, almost incoherent, music coming from the end of the corridor. I walked towards it, recognized the tune as something from the 30s or 40s maybe, I turned at the end of the corridor and there was faint light coming from a crick of the door of the room in the right.

I wondered who could be up this late at night and I picked in the room. It was luminated by a small lamp on the desk. A pickup next to it and a few records stacked in the bookshelf behind. He then moved into my line of vision. Drink at hand, shirtless, only his bottom pajamas on. I gulped at the sight of his bare torso, not a good combination with the dream I just had. I noticed the scars on his body and those where the metal was fusing with his torso.

He was sipping his drink, occasionally humming to the tune. This must have been the most human I had ever seen him and then it hit me that this is a very private moment for someone like him, with the kind of life he had, and I was intruding. I turned to go to the kitchen as I originally intended, unbeknownst to me at the time that he had noticed my presence.

  -------------------

“Your favoritism is showing”, Sam commented as he followed Bucky’s look.

It was one of those days that we had visitors in the compound. I was just outside the building on the front yard, with Hope and in the middle of the very tiring martial arts session.

Bucky was leaning of the living room windows that had just the perfect view of the front where me and Hope were.

“I don’t get what you mean,” Bucky said to Sam, his eyes still on us.

Sam laughed. “Come on don’t play dumb. It is not so subtle when you mention her while on missions neither how you look at her when she doesn’t.”

“How do I look at her?”, Bucky asked finally turning to look at Sam.

“Well, intently the least. There is some longing, some what if in there”, Sam explained.

“You know it’s true,” Rodney added coming into the room.

“Where the hell did you come from?” Bucky exclaimed finally leaving his spot from the window and sitting on the couch. Anyone could see he was started to get annoyed.

“You know if Steve was here, he would tell you to go for it”, Sam pointed.

Bucky glared at him before hissing “I hate you both”.

Sam laughed loudly.

 -----------------

I had just finished my session with Hope when Sam approached us.

“How you doing ladies?” he chirped.

“Good”, Hope beamed, “It went pretty good”.

“That’s always great to hear”, Sam approved and they both smiled at me making me blush.

“I am gonna head back in”, Hope said, “Is Scot here yet?”

“Yeah he just came with Cassie. You all gonna stay here for lunch?” he wondered.

“Sure thing”, she nodded before heading in.

“So how is it going with you? How it’s going with my boy Bucky?” Sam asked shifting his attention back to me.

“Uuhm, good, I guess. We haven’t talked much but he has offered a few advices here and there which helped me for sure. I was pretty sure he hated me at the beginning”, I laughed.

“I am telling you he hates everyone, but I think it might be far from true in your case”, Sam winked. “But anyway, keep up the good work and who knows you might come with us in a mission soon.”

I looked at him perplexed but didn’t comment on it.

Later during lunch, I tried to pay more attention to Bucky and it did seem that he wasn’t so comfortable in a room full of people but I did notice that there were times he was looking at me for no reason.

 -------------------

True to his words, Sam did invite me to a mission about a month after he said so. They were happy with my progress which gave me the confidence I needed to try more. There were still a lot I needed to learn, and they thought that if I was part of a simple mission it would also give me the experience of handling difficult situations.

I had a fitting with Banner who provided me with a suit, he had coordinated with Shuri for this. It was a black one with blue details, small lines in the shoulders, abdomen, and wrists. My palms and fingers were free so that I would be able to use my powers easily and of course it had parts of vibranium protecting the vital organs of my torso. The part I liked the most was the neck as there was extra fabric which I could use to cover my face up till my nose. I braided my hair in a French style, took the gun and in ear com that Sam had left for me and I was ready to go.

“Nervous?”, I heard Bucky asking me as he joined me at the front yard. We were waiting for Sam to come with the Quinjet and get us. He was also dressed in his suit, with an one-sleeved jacket, leaving his metal arm exposed.

“More than I would like to admit”, I replied.

“It will be fine, we got you”, he assured me.

Up in the Quinjet, I spend most of my time in awe with how it was. I had never been into one and I was marveled.

“So, the mission is to get to the convoy and get the asset out. The asset is a scientist. We plan on ambushing them based on the route they are supposed to follow. I will stop them, and we attack. Bucky and I will take care of the guards and all you need to do is take the guy and go away of the rest of us”, Sam started explaining the plan, showing a map on the screen. “If everything goes according to plan, we will be there way earlier to map the area. Clear?”

“Hmm, how are we going to go there? I wouldn’t assume there is a place to land there”, I pondered.

“Parachutes”, Sam simply offered, studying the map. “We plan on landing around here. And as soon as we get the asset, we have this place here as an exit point. Just a few km away.”

“For us, he would be flying”, Bucky accused him.

“Not wanting to be that person, but I have never used a parachute”, my stress levels were increasing by the second. Not only I was in charge of another person making it out alive, but I had to jump of a plane, not to mention my fear of heights. Maybe this was a bad idea.

“Don’t worry we will jump together”, Bucky offered which unknowingly to me earned a playful wiggle of eyebrows and a look of approval from Sam. Bucky on the other hand only glared at him.

When it was almost time for us to jump, we started getting ready. Sam left first, flying to the place to make sure we didn’t have any company. It was the first time I had seen him with Cap’s shield, and it was not as weird as I expected it to be.

“You ready?” I heard him ask.

“As ready as I can be”, I smiled nervously.

“Look it is your first time and it is reasonable to be nervous. But it won’t help you down there. You are ready just believe in yourself. We will be there, and we won’t let anything to happen to you. Ok?” he comforted me giving me a pat on the back. And there was something there in his eyes, a bit of worry, of determination, I couldn’t really tell but I believed him.

“Ok”, I said with confidence. “So how do we jump?”

“Well, since you have no experience, we will do this together. Here tie this in your belt and around your waist and clip it to my belt”, he proceeded with wearing the parachute and fixing the ties and held as together. This was the closest we had been since the first day that we trained together. I had made the mistake of looking up at him as he checked the equipment. We don’t have that much of height difference which has as a result my eyes to be at the same level with his lips. Which was a great distraction for my nervousness. “You can put your hand here to be steadier”, he said as he guided my hand to get in between the ties of the parachute at the front of his chest. “And the other should probably go behind my back”, he suggested.

“Ok”, I said as I did what he proposed. I did feel steady like this, but it was super close. I could smell his cologne from this distance.

He took a step behind and an agent opened the airplane door for us. “Want to count to 3?”, he asked, wrapping his hand around my waist holding me closed.

I did make the mistake to look at him in the eyes which created a new kind of tension, but I nodded. “One..Two….AAAAAAhh”,  I screamed as the jerk jumped of the plane without a notice. I hid my face in the crook of his neck as we were falling, letting him take care of the rest. The one instruction they had given me was to stay as still as I could so that he could guide as without problems.

And somehow miraculously I felt my feet touching the ground and him starting to untie as from the parachute. “See we made it”, he remarked with a rare smile.

I let a loud breath. “I can’t believe we did. Now what?”

“Sam you copy? We are moving to the meet up point”, he talked to his in-ear com as he gestured me to follow.

“Copy”, I heard Sam replying.

We walked carefully to the place we were supposed to ambush them. Sam informed us that he could see the convoy coming. The asset being in the 3rd of the 4 cars.

We had positioned ourselves as we saw the cars turning towards our direction. As they were passing by us, Sam shoot the first one causing a collision and the rest came to a stop. “Go go go”, I heard him over the radio.

Sam was already flying towards our direction eliminating as many guards as he could. A lot more people than I expected came out of the vehicles. I saw Bucky running easily taking out the first 3-4 guards that came out of the last car as stealthy as possible. Sam threw him the shield and with a jump Bucky swiftly caught it and landed on top of the Jeep that was supposed to have the asset, starting to shoot.

I run behind him going to the other side of the car where I could see an man trying to hide. With the guards of the car gone I was able to take him “Follow me”, I shouted taking him by the shoulder and leading him to the forest in the direction of the exit point.

But as I turned to go that way, I saw another vehicle coming to us, probably a backup. They were driving fast directly at us. “We got company!”, I yelled in the com getting the others attention. I tried to shoot at the driver, but the windshield was bullet proof.

Sam flew past by and shoot at the tyres. Even though the van crashed to the side a bunch of guards came out and started shooting at us. “Kaitlyn, go!” Bucky yelled moving past me.

I took the asset and started running in the forest unfortunately though a few guards saw us and started following. The first bullet flew right past me and I stopped abruptly. “Get behind me”, I demanded as I tried to shield him. I created an ice shield as thick as I could to shield us both. The guards kept shooting as I tried to take steps backwards. I drew my gun and tried to shoot back getting one of them on the leg. My shield had started thinning as bullets kept coming to our direction. One passed through and I felt like it hit me, but I didn’t have the time to think of this.

I looked up on the trees to see how heavy they were with snow and I got an idea. I lifted my hand and closed my fist as the snow fell heavy on the guard. I lowered my shield to see if the danger had passed and thankfully there was no one else. Sam flew next to me and Bucky came behind running. “We are clear”, Sam confirmed. I looked back at the man hiding behind me, he wasn’t hurt which was the point so that meant I had done a good job.

We took him to the exit point where the Quinjet was waiting. I sat down at a sit to catch my breath. I had never used my powers for so long and I felt drained now the adrenaline levels were falling.

“You are bleeding”, Bucky exclaimed as he run towards me, kneeling in front of me and taking my arm in his. There was a hole in my suit, and there was a scratch on my upper arm I hadn’t even notice. There was some blood there, but it had mostly dried. “How did this happen?” he asked.

“Hmm, I am not sure I didn’t really feel it, but I think there was a bullet that passed the shield I had made”, I flinched into the touch.

“We need to clean this”, he answered with worry as he went to take the medical kit. He kneeled again and cleaned my wound, patching it.

“Thank you”, I whispered as he sat next to me. I took in his state, eyes closed, sweat dripping from his temple. There was something raw in him like this yet so beautiful.

“Good work Kaitlyn”, Sam patted me in the back. “We are proud of you”.

“Thanks Sam”, I smiled.

We left the asset to a safe place where some agency they didn’t care to tell me, would take him and put him into some kind of protection. We flew back to the compound.

“Are you staying?” I asked Sam.

“No, I got something to do. See you guys in a few days”, he waved before flying away.

I turned to look at Bucky “Come, let’s get in”, he responded.

I followed him in, each going to our respective rooms. I took a bath washing away the blood and tiredness. It was long into the am hours and I couldn’t get myself to sleep after all this. I headed back to the living room, gazing out at the night sky. A few stars visible.

“Here, I made you this”, Bucky said, and I jumped in shock.

“I didn’t hear you coming”, I faltered taking the mug he offered. It had some hot tea.

Bucky grinned. “It’s linden and chamomile. Will help soothing your nerves”.

“Thank you”, I smiled bringing the mug to my lips.

We stayed silently for a few moments, sipping our drinks, and looking out as night shifted.

“I am sorry I didn’t protect you”, he started.

I turned to look at him “Bucky, I- there is no need to be sorry. I…I didn’t expect you to. You had to fight so many people and protect yourself. I was just clumsy, and you were there the whole time. Hell, we jumped of a plane and walked out alive,” I laughed to show him that I was just fine.

“Still I told you that I wouldn’t let you get hurt and you did”, he countered meeting my eyes. There was dare I say hurt in there.

I took a step closer, taking his hand to mine, which took him by surprise, his eye fixating there for a moment. “Don’t worry, I am really fine. I am glad we are all ok”, I said squeezing his hand lightly.

He cleared his throat as he removed his hand. “It’s time for some sleep. Good night”, he said.

“Goodnight Bucky,” I responded as he turned to leave, and turned my attention back outside.

“Kaitlyn?”

“Yeah?”

“You can call me Buck”, he encouraged and with a small smile he left.

I was left standing there with my mouth open, not knowing what to do. Ι bit my lips not knowing how to handle the new emotion of excitement I was feeling for no apparent reason. I went to my room and slept a peaceful sleep.

  ----------------

 There had been a month since our mission, I was still training daily, each day feeling more confident with my skills and powers.

Sam and Bucky were in another mission for almost a month now, we didn’t really have news of them. Last time we had checked they were in Prague. Ι was worried, I didn’t want to admit it to anyone else but I was listening to the news everyday wondering if they would be mentioned.

“Hey Bruce”, I greeted as I entered the lab. “How is it going?”

“Hey kiddo”, he greeted back, leaving whatever weird thing he was working on.

I walked around the lab indifferently, “Any news from the guys in the field?”

“I spoke with Sam yesterday, they somehow ended in Madripoor. I personally haven’t been there, but I hear it is an interesting place. They met Sharon in the way”.

“Who is Sharon?”, I perked up.

“Oh, you probably haven’t met her. I only met her once briefly a few years ago. She was a friend of Steve’s and an old agent of Shield”, he explained.

“I see”, I said thoughtful, for some reason the idea of a woman travelling with them in troublesome situations didn’t make me feel very at ease. I mean if she was a friend of Steve’s, was she also a friend of Bucky’s?

I tried to shake away any unwelcome thoughts that came to my mind.

“Thank you, Bruce. Want to try the new blasters?”, I asked trying to channel my energy to something else.

  --------------------

 It was a Saturday evening; it was raining, and it was relatively cold. I was in my room, listening to some music and absentmindedly looking out the window. My tea still warm in the mug.

I heard a knock on the door that shook me out of my trance. “Yes”.

“Hey”, I barely saw a head behind the semi closed door. “May I come in?”

“Please, come”, I smiled to the familiar face. “When did you return?”

He got in closing the door behind him. “Half an hour ago probably. I just wanted to check up on you”, Bucky said scratching the back of his neck.

“I am good”, I offered going closer, my eyes try to take all his features. “Is this a bruise? Were you hurt?” I tried to reach with my hand right below his eye where I could see some shades of purple and yellow, but he stopped me midair.

“Yeah but it is nothing. Don’t worry. I ‘ve been worse”, he gently lowered my hand not completely leaving it though as our fingertips were still touching.

“That doesn’t really make me feel better about it. Neither should you. You shouldn’t get hurt”, I shook my head in disagreement.

He snorted. “It’s nothing. Don’t worry”, he smiled and for moment I think – I THINK – my legs turned to jelly. A bit my bottom lip and his eyes darted there directly.

I opened my mouth to say something, but words weren’t really there.

“It’s late”, he said. “I ‘ll see you tomorrow”. He opened the door and left with a last smile.

  ---------------

A few days had passed, we had shared some training sessions. I had run into him in the kitchen a few times in the morning where I would go to make breakfast and he would usually drink coffee with Rodney before they both left for a meeting they did with the rest of the team that was spread around the world.

Sam stopped by occasionally and they could train together or go on a mission together. I was worried why they hadn’t asked me to go with them again. I had been to a few simple ones with Rodney but never again with Bucky and Sam.

That day, it was late at night and I had just come back from my evening run. I took a shower and after drying up I endeavored to the kitchen to find something to munch on. He was sitting at the living room, the only light coming from the full moon outside. Soft music was playing and he appeared to be playing with a knife. He was throwing it in the air and catching it again and again.

At first, I thought whether I should approach him or not, maybe he needed some alone time. I went to the kitchen and got some almonds and water. I thought that maybe he would hear the noise and either come or leave if he wanted to be alone. When I was done eating, I gave a look to the living room to see if he was still there.

Naturally my eyes went straight to the couch that I had left him but found nothing. Only then I noticed that he had moved to the windows and he was looking at me. I jumped “You scared me”, I muttered.

“What are you doing up at 3 in the morning?” he asked.

“Right back at you? I was just about to go to sleep”, I retorted getting away from the shadows of the kitchen and closer to the windows. The moon light was accentuating his features. He had a week-old beard and was wearing a simple black t-shirt and pj pants.

“Tried the sleep, didn’t work. Came here to relax”, he explained while still looking at me intently.  

“Do you want me to make you something? A tea? Some milk?” I offered.

He moved from the windows and met me halfway. “No, I am fine”, he murmured. He brushed a few stray hairs with his hand and put them behind my ear. His eyes never leaving mine. “Didn’t really tell me why you were still up”.

“I – I came back from running and wanted to eat something before I go to sleep”, I could feel his breath merging with mine, and I was feeling so lost.

He brought his metal arm to my waist and with his other arm he caressed my cheek. Ι couldn’t but lean into the touch, momentarily closing my eyes.

He started leaning towards me when a noise came from down the corridor. Someone had opened their door and was making their way to us. He immediately broke contact, gave me one last look, and left. “Sup Banner?” heard him saying somewhere away from my line of vision. I was just left there, frozen, not knowing what to do and utterly confused.

“What are you doing in the dark kid?”, Bruce asked, and I almost jumped.

“Ah you know, night cravings. Going to sleep. Goodnight Bruce”, I faked a yawn and practically run to my room.

  ------------

The next day I intentionally went for breakfast later than usually. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see him yet neither did I know what to do if we met.

Of course, with the good luck I always have, I almost fell on him as I turned to enter the kitchen. He caught me as to not fall murmured an apology and left which as I saw from the kitchen, he rode his bike and left the compound whatsoever.

I spend the whole day in the training room unleashing all my nerves using my powers. At some point Bruce had to come to tell me to stop because the temperature in the compound had decreased by 10 degrees and apart from the room I was using, crystals had form in two rooms radius.

I apologized and we spend the rest of the afternoon trying to unfreeze the rooms and increase the temperature. Thankfully the compound has top notch systems.

I ate a quick dinner right after and locked myself in my room.

I was laying in my bed, cocooning with my blankets, watching a movie when I heard a knock on my door. I looked at the clock, it was almost midnight. “Who is it?”, I questioned.

“Bucky”, he cleaned his throat, the nervousness in his voice evident.

For a moment I pondered if I should really go and open or not but my curiosity and well the eagerness got the best of me. I got up and unlocked the door, opening it enough to see him. “Can I come in?”, he wondered, anxiously giving looks to the rest of the rooms in case anyone showed up. I just moved aside for him to get in without saying anything, wasn’t sure what to say either.

I moved to go and sit back on my bed and he followed but hesitated to sit, he only did when I gestured him to. He cleaned his throat again. “This isn’t easy for me”, he started and I then felt bad, because I was giving him the silent treatment but I was failing to understand that for a person like him, that had been through so many horrible things it surely wasn’t something easy. I relaxed a bit and gave him a reassuring look as to proceed.

He fidgeted a little more before he tried again. “Firstly, I need to apologize for how I left yesterday, I just panicked. You know it is funny because Steve had told me that I had my way with the ladies back in our time but all this”, he gestured between us, “is fairly new to the current me. And I pretty much have no idea what to say or do”.

“Well, thank you for apologizing”, I smiled and took his hand in mine to show him that everything was ok, and he could feel more comfortable. He clenched back which I took as a good step. “You can always start by telling me what you feel, if you want”.

“You would think that it is easy”, he snorted, yet he intertwined our fingers. “I just feel better when I see you and when I am with you. And I feel excited every time we meet. And I feel eager for the next time”.

“Well if it helps, I feel the same”, I mumbled.

His shoulders seemed to relax a bit to the sound of my words.

I lifted my arm and tried to turn his face gently to look at me or else he would make holes to the floor from how intently he was looking at it. I smiled and he grinned.

“So…”, I started.

“So, we could maybe try and spend some time together one of these days…”, he trailed off.

“Well, it is not like I have something to do now… we could always start with watching a movie?”, I questioned.

“Yeah I would like that”, he smiled.

We picked a movie and sat on the bed, at first apart but as the movie was progressing, in between laughs and comments, we came closer and ended up cuddling. I am not sure when but at some point, I fell asleep in his arms.

“Sshh, go back to sleep”, he whispered as he was trying to get up and leave the bed, my hand instinctively holding him in place.

“Don’t go”, I mumbled, eyes still close.

“I can’t stay here, and you are asleep”, he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice.

I opened my eyes, as awake I could be “Stay”

He looked me again, eyes full of adoration. I could see he was thinking of it. I sat up, and gently pulled him close to me so that he could sit back again in the bed. “Stay”, I repeated.

“Ok”, he said “I will”.

He moved to remove his sweater and close the lights and came back to the bed. I moved enough to make him space and he got under the blanket, the mattress moving under the extra weight. I looked down at him and a feeling of completion, of happiness filled me. I couldn’t believe that those blue eyes were staring back at me.

For a moment I wasn’t sure if I should do it, if I was overstepping but my eagerness took a hold of me. I leaned in, placing my hand above his heart, feeling it moving fast. He looked at me inviting, his hand moving to my cheek, guiding me closer. I stopped just centimeters away, our lips almost touching, to give him one last look, as if I was asking for the final permission. He closed the gaped and I felt the softest lips against mine.

After a moment we parted and he caressed my cheek. “Sleep now.”

I laughed at him but obeyed, getting back in position, my head on his chest as he wrapped his arm around me. And just like this we fell asleep.

 --------------

 After this night, Bucky was a totally different person. He was constantly smiling to me, hugging me with every chance he got, kissing me when he thought no one was looking. And in the compound, he was totally different, he would help me clean around, sing while he was doing chores.

Sure, there were also some bad days when he would wake up in his sleep screaming from the nightmares and I had to hold him in my arms and remind him that everything was in the past. That no one was here to hurt him and even if they tried, they would have to go through me first. After a while he would usually calm down, we would lay down again, he would put his head on my chest, and I would caress his hair. He, then, would fall asleep and I would let him sleep as late as he could even if he would be grumpy about it afterwards.

But everything felt so dreamy. And I would trade everything in the world for a smile of his.