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fanficimagery · 3 years

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Lost and then Found pt. II

Imagine being taken by HYDRA. After years with them, they set you loose on someone you haven't seen in a while. Unfortunately for HYDRA, you weren't as susceptible to their mind experiments like they thought. Now away from their influence, your only worry is making sure you're prepared for your baby to enter the world.

Words: 11.3K Author’s Note: I won't say I don't like this because there are some parts in here that I absolutely adore. However, it is rushed and it feels forced to me, but I needed to get this out so here it is. Also, I've never experienced childbirth so please ignore my mediocre take on it. Haha.

Tags: @aya-fay @70s-chic @sipsteacasually @kaitlyn2907 @scarlettwitch99 @thingsforimagination @b1sexualtonystark @living-that-best-life @alexnicolaidisss @l0ve-0f-my-life @eliwinchester99 @mimilh @rosesloml @blackxwidowsxwife @meredeph @lexy9716 @wxnderingthoughts

The Avengers have grown accustomed to having a werewolf living among them and sitting in on mission briefings, but they put their foot down when you attempt to join them for missions. You want to desperately prove yourself to the group of assembled heroes, but you also very much want to protect the life growing inside your womb. So agreeing to stay home while pregnant, they eventually task you with setting up your own apartment the first time they all had to leave you behind.

Of course you weren't totally alone and Pepper had flown in to help you set up, her excitement for your pregnancy spurring on your own excitement even more.

You get settled quite easily and it shows how much trust you have in them when the full moons don't affect you like they normally would. Now others could come and go during the full moon, and you barely batted an eye at them. Unless it was Tony. Tony needed to be watched at all times after he attempted to rile you up purposely on the night of a full moon to see exactly how much control you had.

The slight swell to your abdomen eventually sets in and you couldn't be more proud of the roundness that was obvious when you wore a tight shirt. Wanda, too, was absolutely smitten with the small bump and the whole team was relieved to see her genuinely happy after everything she'd recently gone through. But Wanda wasn't the only one who doted on you- oh no. For some reason, the sight of your bump made the two super soldiers absolutely melt when your shirt was fitted and the bump was on display. Everyone knew it was inevitable for Steve to turn to mush, but it was Bucky who surprised everyone.

Bucky always made sure to sit close to you, snacks on hand and ready to make a run to the store when your cravings got the best of you. You'd even caught him reading a pregnancy book, but he looked so embarrassed when you caught him that you couldn't bring yourself to mention it to anyone else. And for that he was grateful- always letting you crawl into his lap when you had the urge to scent mark everyone.

Your cuddle sessions became more frequent, which made Wanda pout and Sam and Steve rather smug for some unknown reason to you.

It's cooler than normal around the living quarters given the rising summer temperatures and, though you normally run hot, your own body temperature has been up and down since you've become pregnant. So on this particular day you find yourself cuddled up to Steve, your left arm thrown over his waist and left leg draped over his legs. Your bump is resting near his hip and he smiles down at you every time you grumble about needing to pee.

"This baby is going to be the death of me," you mumble. "All I wanna do is cuddle, but no. I have to pee. Again!"

Leaving the comfort of the new couch that had been ordered for your specific cuddling tendencies- it could honestly pass for a bed with how spacious it is- you get up and take care of business in the bathroom. And then when you get back to the living room, you find that Bucky's taking up the other side of the sofa Steve is on.

"Yessss." You nearly skip back towards the sofa, crawling in between both men. "Supersoldier sandwich."

Steve snorts and then yelps when you manhandle him into scooting down until he's laying down again, then wrapping yourself around him like you had previously been. All the while Bucky is laughing at his friend's misfortune, but then you reach behind you and drag Bucky closer until you whine at him to spoon you. You smell rather than see his embarrassment, especially when Steve teases him to just spoon you already, and then you practically purr when you're enveloped in their warmth.

As Bucky settles behind you, you end up grabbing his metal arm and dragging it over your waist. He tenses, but you run your fingers up and down the back of his hand until he gets that you're okay with him- metal arm and all.

Stuck between two solid bodies, enveloped in their warmth and scent, is enough to send you off into a content light doze.

And then you're jolted back into consciousness when you feel Bucky freeze behind you. "What was that?"

"What was what?" You sleepily mumble.

"Your stomach. Are you- was that your stomach grumbling?"

This time it's your turn to freeze as you place your hand over his that's still crawling your bump. "You actually felt that?"

"Yeah." He chuckles.

"Holy shit," you muse. "It's way too early for anyone other than me to feel the baby. How the hell-"

"Wait, what?" Steve says, a whine lacing his tone. "Bucky got to feel the baby?"

You laugh as you move to turn so you're laying on your back, and both Steve and Bucky try to maneuver their hands around your small bump in order to feel the fluttering sensation. "This is insane. I can't believe you guys can feel it."

"I don't feel anything." Steve frowns.

"Don't pout, punk." Bucky smirks. "I can only feel it because of the arm."

Grinning, you reach up and lightly pat Steve's cheek. "Don't worry, Rogers. When the kicks start coming in, I'll go find you first."

The two men are distracted when the elevator dings open and Wanda steps off, the scent of food wafting from the bags she's carrying. Your nostrils flare and your mouth waters, and you start to pull free from Steve and Bucky.

Wanda smirks. "Hungry?"

"Always." Now free of the men, you hurry towards the kitchen where Wanda is laughing and pulling out containers. "Is that," you inhale deeply, eyes closing in bliss, "medium-rare steak, baked potato with the works, and.. and fries?"

"I even got that sauce from Arby's you like so you can dip your fries in it."

"Oh my god, you're my favorite."

"Hey!" Steve and Bucky shout from the living room. Wanda preens.

A couple more months pass and you're in awe of what your body is doing.

You're absolutely in love with your growing bump which now looks like there's a volleyball under your shirt, but for some reason you're unreasonably uncomfortable. You've been meaning to go shopping for maternity clothes, however, everything you've found online is not to your taste. You just want a simple loose shirt, but all maternity clothes seem to either have a floral theme to it or ruffles that you're not a fan of.

So stuck in one of your usual t-shirts that feels like it's stretched too tight and showing off the bottom portion of your bump, you walk around your apartment grumbling and shifting uneasily and trying to find a way to make yourself feel comfortable.

You're pacing around the room, hands rubbing along your swollen abdomen when there's a knock on your door. Agitated, a growl slips free. You stomp towards your door, another growl threatening to slip free, when you're stopped short at the sight of Bucky.

His eyebrow quirks at you and you sigh, trying to shake off your agitation. "Why are your eyes glowing, sweetheart?"

"I'm annoyed. I can't help it."

You swing the door open wider, but Bucky remains rooted to his spot. "Why are you annoyed?"

And just like that, the tears well up and start dropping one after the other. "I am so uncomfortable!" You cry. Bucky's eyes widen before he steps forward, arms loosely wrapping around you. "I just- I want to be comfortable. None of my shirts are fitting me and I- I just- I need-"

"Okay. Okay, shh." Bucky gently rocks you side to side. "Come on. Come with me."

Miserable, you agree and follow after Bucky to his own apartment that's just a few doors down the hallway. You're not sure what's going on when he tells you to wait in his living room and then disappears into what you can only guess is his room, and your brow furrows when he returns with a shirt in hand.

Sheepish, Bucky rubs the back of his neck with one hand while holding the shirt out with the other. "Here. You can use one of mine until you find something more comfortable."

You glance between him and the shirt, reaching for it as a smile starts to take form. And when you have the shirt in your hands, you readily strip out of your own shirt and huff a laugh when Bucky blushes and averts his gaze. Pulling on his shirt then, you groan with satisfaction as the material hugs you just right. "Oh heck yes." And then picking up the collar of the shirt, you can't help but deeply inhale the material and groan yet again. "This is exactly what I needed."

Bucky slowly smirks. "Good. Now let's go grab something to eat." He can't help but laugh as you latch yourself onto his arm, mumbling about him leading the way as your eyes close in pure bliss.

Your senses tell you Bucky's just leading you towards the communal kitchen, your nose twitching at the smell of food coming from it's direction. There are a few voices too and it's easy to pick out Wanda, Steve, and Sam.

Upon opening your eyes, you're met with amused and/or surprised expressions. "What?"

"Do my eyes deceive me or am I sensing a walk of shame?" Sam slowly smirks.

You and Bucky both frown as Steve and Wanda laugh at their friend's assumption. "Huh?"

"You're in Barnes' shirt," he says. "You cannot stand there and tell me you two ain't foolin' around."

It takes you a second to realize what he's saying, your mind connecting the dots when you feel Bucky tense next to your side. The slight embarrassment wafting off of him nearly makes you whine, but you swallow down the urge. Instead, you roll your eyes and say, "First off, if I was getting dicked down by this beefcake, there would be no walk of shame. I would happily tell you about length, girth, and every goddamn ridge on this man's dick." Wanda cackles as Sam's eyes bulge in shock, Steve then choking on his orange juice. "And secondly, I'm fat, Wilson!" You let go of Bucky, turning to the side and grabbing the sides of Bucky's shirt to pull tight over your swollen tummy. "None of my shirts fit comfortably anymore and Bucky was just helping a girl out." His mouth drops slightly as if he hadn't thought of that and you shake your head at him. Letting go of the shirt, you walk forward to sit at the kitchen island. "Do you seriously think anyone wants to get it on with a pregnant chick? Use your head, Samuel."

As you settle down, Bucky takes a seat next to you and you automatically lean into his side with your head on his shoulder. Wanda and Steve both smile, but neither of them say a word. Sam, however, just can't let this go. "So let me get this straight- you two are not boning in secret?"

"No," you say, fighting off a smile. "We're just friends. Which means you just lost the bet too because my bump is fully set in and there has been no sex." Sam, Wanda, and Steve slowly lose their amused expressions and this time it's your and Bucky's turn to be smug. "What? Didn't think we knew about that, did 'ya?"

"Y/N, I am so sorry," Wanda says, but you wave her off. "I didn't think-"

"It's fine, Wanda. We thought it was funny."

Bucky remains quiet, but his little grin lets Wanda know he was fine with the supposedly secret bet as well. Her shoulders seem to sag in relief and you readily accept the plate of bacon Sam nudges in your direction.

"So," Wanda muses, "you need to go shopping? I'm free today and tomorrow."

You grimace. "I guess so. As much as I want to, I can't steal the guys' shirts for the next few months."

"Good. We'll head out after you get something to eat."

Leaving the medical facility, you aimlessly walk back towards the family compound with several black and white photos in hand. You had known there was a baby growing inside of you, but it's just now truly sunk in after seeing your baby's profile instead of a blob with still-forming limbs. A slip of paper with your baby's gender is tucked into your back pocket, Doctor Cho having given it to you in case you wanted to know.

You're not exactly looking for the quiet of your apartment, so you remain in the communal living spaces in hopes of someone distracting you. Only when you get there, all is quiet.

Turning on the large screen flat TV, you put it on a random cooking show after crawling onto your sofa and getting comfortable. You've only managed to watch one entire episode, your interest captivated by the meals the chefs are putting together with only a few certain items from their basket, when the elevator dings.

You don't bother looking back, Bucky's scent wafting over to you before he even steps into your peripheral. "Hey doll, want some company?"

"Please," you groan.

Bucky toes off his boots and sits on the edge of the sofa, scooting back towards the middle until he's shoulder to shoulder with you. You sigh and lean against him, laying your head on his shoulder while your arms remain on your lap. "What's wrong?" Bucky immediately says.

"Nothing. Why?"

"Because you're not cuddling me."

The tone of Bucky's voice makes you freeze, amusement blossoming. Slowly you lift your head and attempt to meet his gaze. "Are you- are you pouting because I'm not cuddling you?"

"No."

You huff a laugh, letting your forehead fall on his shoulder once more. After a moment, you lift his arm and settle underneath it as you cuddle him. Bucky chuckles and squeezes you just a little tighter against him. "Is this better?"

"A little. Now tell me what's bothering you."

You quietly groan, shifting under his arm until you reach to your other side and pick up one of the sonograms. "I had an appointment today," you say while handing him the picture. "It's just- I guess it's just sinking in that there's an actual living being growing inside of me."

"You mean all the kicking these past two months didn't give it away?" Bucky huffs in amusement. "Wow. Would you look at that?" He says. "The little nugget is really growing. Huh?" Your hormones get the best of you and you end up sniffling, tears filling your eyes. Bucky freezes. "Doll? Are you- are you crying?"

"How the hell am I going to do this, Buck? I'm a foul-mouthed werewolf who just recently escaped the clutches of HYDRA. What business do I have raising a baby?"

"Hey. Hey, look at me." Bucky gently nudges you so you'd glance up at him. With his flesh arm still tucked around you, his metal hand gently holds your sonogram between two fingers as he makes you look at it. "You're going to do just fine. You wanna know how I know that?" You sniffle and wipe the tears from beneath your eyes. "Because you have all of us- you have me- in your corner. This little nugget of yours will never want for anything as long as we're around."

His words only make the tears fall even more and you hide your face in his shoulder once more. He holds you tighter, shushing you and murmuring words about how you're going to be a good mother. If you could overlook everything HYDRA did to you in order for you to conceive this child and then go on to keep the child, then there was no doubt in his mind you were going to be a great mom.

As you sit there against Bucky and work on getting yourself under control, you can't help but notice that he turns the sonogram back towards himself to stare at it. You shift your head just right so you can see his face and it warms your heart to see him smiling at the profile of your baby.

The elevator dings again, this time dropping off Wanda. When she walks around the sofa and takes in your puffy, red-rimmed eyes, she freezes. "What happened?"

"Nothing."

"She had a bout of insecurity." Bucky tattles on you. "It's fine now."

Wanda blinks at Bucky in surprise before looking back at you and you offer her a small smile. "New sonogram pictures. It's.. just sinking in that this is really happening."

Wanda glances at the small piles of pictures next to you, squeals, and then hurriedly picks one up. You chuckle as she coos. "Has Doctor Cho mentioned whether it's a girl or boy yet?"

You nod. "I, uh, I have the slip of paper that tells me. I haven't looked at it yet."

"Well what are you waiting for?" Wanda immediately takes a seat and you slightly lean to the side in order to pull the folded piece of paper out of your pocket. You hold it out to her and her eyes subtly widen. "You don't want to do it?"

"I do, but.." You trail off, shrugging. "It doesn't really matter to me. As long as I have a healthy baby I'm fine. You seem more excited for this than me anyway."

She slowly smiles, only taking the slip of paper when Bucky shrugs. He seems confused for a split second that Wanda would even seek his opinion, but then his expression is neutral once more and that's all the approval Wanda needs. She takes the slip of paper, opening it to peek at the gender. She gives nothing away. "Last chance. Are you sure you want to know?"

"Lay it on us, Maximoff."

Wanda glances at the piece of paper once more before looking straight at you, a smile blossoming from ear to ear. "It's a girl."

Your breath hitches. "Yeah?" Your voice then cracks and tears immediately well in your eyes again.

Bucky squeezes you tighter to his side, chuckling, and Wanda's own eyes fill with tears as she nods. "You're having a little girl." A sob breaks free, even as you laugh, and the tears flow faster. Wanda crawls towards you and pulls you into a hug, crying softly as she rejoices with you. "If Pietro were here, he'd spoil that little girl rotten."

"Right?" You wetly laugh, pulling back and settling against Bucky once more. "I can already hear him. A little prinţesǎ," you coo, putting on an accent that was nowhere near what Wanda or Pietro sounded like. Both Wanda and Bucky laugh at your horrible accent, and your smile slowly falls as you fondly remember Wanda's twin. "I really wish he was here to meet her."

Her smile drops too, nodding in understanding. "Me too."

Wanda moves to replace the sonogram picture, but you shake her head and push her hand back. "No. That's yours."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You too, Bucky." You then glance at him, gesturing to the sonogram he still held. "I got copies for Steve, Natasha, and Sam as well. Even Doctor Cho happily kept one," you say.

"Thanks, doll." A kiss gets pressed to the side of your head and you can feel a rumble of content threatening to come out, but when you catch Wanda's gaze- her eyebrows wiggling causes you to frown and stomp down on the urge. "This is going up on my fridge."

Wanda smirks at you as you flush. "Yeah, well you're welcome."

Your friend can't stop smirking, but she's kind enough to not call you out on it in front of Bucky. "So baby shower?"

Now you groan. "Do we have to?"

And without missing a beat, Bucky and Wanda say, "Yes."

When word got around that Wanda was to plan your baby shower, you were surprised at how excited it seemed to make everyone. Apparently no one was immune to the impending arrival of your daughter, Clint having flown in to toss around some ideas and secure an invite for he and his family. Then when Tony and Pepper got involved, you had to make them promise that the shower was to not be over the top. But according to Tony, only the best was allowed for the next baby Avenger.

No one would tell you a thing about the baby shower, not even Bucky who you found yourself hanging out with more and more as the weeks went by. The surprise of finding you curled up in his lap was long gone and now when anyone was looking for either of you, it seemed they went to the other for your whereabouts. So a couple days before the shower, you thought you had won Bucky over and that he was moments away from telling you what you wanted to know about said shower, but Sam and Steve had given him one look and then quickly marched him out of the kitchen to keep him from spilling the beans. Afterwards, he stayed pretty tight-lipped, up until the day of said baby shower when Natasha, Wanda, and Pepper had you contained in your apartment while the boys took care of everything else in the communal living space.

As Natasha had you sit in front of your bathroom mirror, she did your hair and makeup for the party. So as you sat through her torture, you couldn't help but take a selfie with your fangs on display as you snarled at her smirking reflection in the mirror. Bucky had laughed at your picture and the only clue he gave to you about your baby shower was a picture of a sunflower.

Pepper and Natasha had several dresses for you to try on for the shower, but the outfit that won you over had been chosen by Wanda. It was an off-the-shoulder white short playsuit with lace detailing around your clavicle and thighs. You vetoed every heeled shoe until a pair of sandals were dropped in front of you and you let Wanda help you into them.

Once you were fully dressed, Natasha came to stand before you with her hands behind her back. When you narrowed your eyes at her, she smirked and produced a floral crown from behind her back. The flowers were fake, but the small versions of sunflowers and daisies were still pretty. So you bent your knees a little and let Natasha settle the crown atop your wavy hair, fixing your hair once more around your shoulders.

Then arm in arm with Wanda, you let your friends lead you out of your apartment and into the elevator. Your excitement was very obvious and the women couldn't help but chuckle as the elevator doors opened. Your excitement turned into awe at the sight of all the pink and white balloons, and the pink and purple floral garlands hanging from the corners of the room and around each table. There was a table for gifts and a table for finger foods, and of course there was no missing the three tiered pink and white cake. Everything was chic and girly and you absolutely loved it.

Tony, Bruce, and Helen Cho are huddled together, no doubt deep in a conversation about science. Clint and his wife Laura are there, along with their three kids milling about with another young girl who you remember is Tony and Pepper's daughter. And then there is Steve, Sam, and Bucky who each have a drink in hand and are chuckling quietly amongst each other.

"You know from all the stories I've heard, baby showers were meant for women only." At the sound of your voice, conversations taper off and smiles are directed towards you.

"Are you kidding?" Tony huffs. "I know all about the games played at these shindigs. I wanted in on the games and prizes."

"Of course you did." You then direct a smile at everyone gathered. "Thank you all for coming. This pregnancy wasn't exactly.. you know," you trail off, eyes lingering on the gathered kids who are surprisingly paying attention to your stomach, you say, "but I've grown to love this tiny human so much already before I've even met her and I'm just happy she's going to have such a great little community surrounding her."

"Aw look. You made Wanda cry."

You immediately glance to your right where Wanda's laughing, wiping beneath her eyes. "Shut up, Barton." And then, "So what are we doing first? I've never actually been to one of these."

"Games!" Laura and Pepper muse together.

Everyone chuckles at their enthusiasm and you let Wanda lead you to a seat. Pepper sits with Tony and Natasha finds herself being drawn to Clint and Laura, but she doesn't take a seat quite yet. You, however, are led to a sofa chair that Wanda takes a seat on one side of and Bucky the other.

"So the first game is a word unscramble," Natasha says. She walks over to a table and picks up numerous clipboards, along with a cup of pens. "There's a three-minute time limit and the one who unscrambles the most words wins."

Tony claps his hands together, rubbing them in anticipation. "This is so my game."

Natasha passes out the clipboards and pens, and you're happy to realize that this is a game you can play with them. Lila is the only child interested in playing, so Cooper keeps Nathaniel and Morgan busy with a gaming console just on the other side of the room.

Once everyone has a clipboard and a pen in hand, Natasha takes a seat with her own set. "Everyone ready?" At their agreement, she says, "FRIDAY, please set a countdown of three minutes."

"Timer is set, agent Romanoff." A timer is suddenly displayed on the wall across from them.

"Start it now."

The moment the first second ticks away, everyone rushes to pay attention to their piece of paper on the clipboard. You hurriedly scan the words, unscrambling the most obvious words- bottle, crib, bib, booties, blanket, nightlight, and car seat. The others give you trouble and as your eyes dart to the timer, your anxiousness kicks in to unscramble a few more.

Tony is grumbling about impossible words as Laura and Pepper laugh at his misfortune. Wanda is humming, happily it seems, whereas Bruce has just plain given up. Stroller and pacifier give you trouble, and your grumbling starts then. But when you get umbilical cord and morning sickness, it causes you to unknowingly dance in your seat.

Hearing a chuckle next to you, you glance at Bucky and see him peering at your clipboard. You gasp. "You dirty little cheater!"

Steve and Wanda both snort, and you angle yourself away so Bucky can't steal any more of your answers.

You think you've got a good lead, but just as the timer hits thirty seconds Laura calls out, "Done!"

"WHAT?!" Tony shouts.

As the unofficial person in charge of the games, Natasha takes Laura's clipboard to double check her answers. Sure enough, they're all correct. Steve, Sam, and even Clint boo Laura as Natasha grabs a small wicker basket that contains several envelopes inside.

Taking an envelope, Laura opens it and her eyes nearly bulge out of her sockets. "Wow. Every baby shower I've been to had gifts consisting of candles or Bath and Body gift baskets or even kitchenware. This- this is a lot."

"What'd you get, babe?" Clint asks.

"A check for twenty five hundred dollars."

"What?!" Sam yelps.

"Is that a normal prize for a game?" You wonder.

"No. No it's not," Sam says. "Come on. Bring on the next game. I need to know what those other prizes are."

You laugh as everyone suddenly becomes a bit more invested in winning one of the games. But as your laugh tapers off, you glance at Pepper and Tony. Pepper merely smiles when she sees your slight concern. "Don't worry about it. You didn't want an extravagant party, so Tony got a few prizes that were just a little bit more expensive than your average baby shower prize. Trust me, these were the least expensive prizes I could talk him down to."

"Well as long as you're sure.."

You shift uneasily in your seat and then Natasha's walking into the center of the room with a roll of toilet paper in her hand. "Come on, Mother-to-Be. We need to measure your bump and then let these idiots figure out how many squares you are. Whoever guesses the exact number, or closest to, wins."

Natasha helps you stand and you can't help but grumble, "None of you assholes better think I'm huge."

Lila giggles and you send an apologetic look to both Laura and Clint.

Hidden behind the kitchen island, Natasha has you stand still so she can wrap the toilet paper around you. You laugh as you hold the beginning of the first square on your stomach and Natasha reaches around you, unrolling the paper. It's an exact eleven squares.

Taking note of how many squares your bump is, you and Natasha rejoin the group.

"Alright. Give us a twirl. I need to see the bump all the way around," Tony says. Then looking at Wanda, he narrows his eyes. "And no cheating!"

Rolling your eyes with a small huff, you give a slow twirl. Natasha hands Steve the roll of toilet paper and he eyes your stomach before unrolling several squares of it. Bucky goes next, followed by Wanda and Lila. When Clint gets a hold of the roll and unfurls it dramatically, you can't help but growl at him. The others laugh and then take their turn, and then everyone is eagerly awaiting to see if they guessed correctly.

"Are you ready?" Natasha muses. Everyone nods. "It was eleven squares."

"Dammit! So close," Sam whines.

Everyone's looking around, but it's a smug Steve that raises his hand. "I guessed eleven."

"Boo!" Apparently, half the room are sore losers.

You laugh and then it's his turn to choose a prize. When he picks an envelope, he opens it up and his eyebrows raise in surprise. "An all paid expense trip to the spa and then a dinner reservation for two at some fancy restaurant."

"You're taking me to that," Sam immediately says.

Everyone laughs and then Pepper mentions taking a food break so you don't rush through the games. There are a lot of sandwich trays, fruit trays, and vegetable trays. And being the considerate pregnant werewolf you are, you let everyone else make themselves a plate before you, Steve, and Bucky make your own.

Eating carefully so as to not spill anything down the front of your outfit, the laughter and chatter around you makes you feel the most cherished you've ever felt. The finger foods itself is not enough to fill you up, but it does sate your hunger for now. However, with Wanda and Bucky still on either side of you even at the table, between the two of them they're constantly adding extra fruit and fruit dip to your plate.

A few more games are played afterward- Tony guesses the closest to the amount of jelly beans in a mason jar and wins a week-long getaway for two to Fiji, Natasha is the fastest with changing a diaper on a fake baby and wins another set of an all paid expense trip to the spa and restaurant for two, Lila wins at baby bingo and a check for twenty five hundred as well (Clint is clearly happy his family is raking in the cash), and Bucky is the fastest to suck all the apple juice out of a baby bottle which earns him a week-long trip for two to the Bahamas.

Everyone is having such a great time that a sudden alarm blaring immediately puts them on edge. But after Tony rapidly swipes through his phone to figure out what's going on, he realizes they're being called to assemble. Gazes dart in your direction, but you smile reassuringly at them.

"Go. The world needs you guys more than I do right now."

"But we didn't even get to see you open the presents," Wanda frowns.

"And that's fine. You already know I'm going to love whatever has been gifted. We'll gush about everything when you get back."

That seems to be all the team needs to hear before jumping into action and you're a bit surprised to see Bucky hang back. He waves Steve off when he notices his friend holding the elevator and you look up at Bucky with a furrowed brow. "You sure you're going to be okay, sweetheart?"

"Positive." You smile at him, stepping close to him and setting your hands at his waist. "And besides, opening these presents will not only distract me but it'll distract the kids as well. Go save the city or wherever you're needed, Sergeant. I'll be waiting in my apartment for when you get back."

Bucky's hands, both metal and flesh, reach up to gently cradle your face. His gaze darts all over your face for any signs of deceit, but finding none he finally grins. "Okay." He leans forward and kisses your forehead. "I'll be back soon." And then in a move that has you freezing and Pepper, Helen, and Laura's eyes widening, Bucky's hands drop to either side of your stomach as he bends at the waist and addresses your bump. "And you be good for your mama. I see the way you're making her flinch." He brushes his nose from side to side against your stomach and then chuckles when there's a kick in retaliation.

Before Bucky can straighten, you quickly paste on a smile but there's nothing you can do for the burning blush on your cheeks. And the damn prick smirks proudly at how flustered he's made you. "Go," you utter. "Go before Steve comes down to drag you to the jet."

Bucky gives you a nod before stepping back and turning around to saunter towards the elevator. You manage to keep it together until the doors close behind him, the elevator whisking him away, before someone says anything.

"Spill. Right now," Pepper says.

You glance at her, shoulders rising and lowering in a shrug. "I have no idea what the hell just happened, but I'm torn between crying at how cute that just was and wanting to desperately jump his bones." Lila giggles and your eyes widen. You point at her in an accusatory manner. "Stop giggling. You're not supposed to know what that means."

The other women snort as Laura urges her daughter to go play with her siblings and Morgan. Reluctantly she goes. Then as soon as she's out of hearing range, the ladies give you your full attention.

You sigh. "Bucky is.. a very attractive man. Too attractive if I must admit. And if I wasn't knocked up by some random guy's baby gravy, then I could definitely see myself turning on the charm and seeing if he's actually interested."

"First of all," Laura says, "never say baby gravy again."

Pepper snorts as Helen's nose wrinkles. "And secondly," Helen then pipes up, "that man adores you, baby and all." You huff in disbelief. "Don't think I didn't see him pacing outside my office at your last appointment. Or see the way he lit up when you gave him one of the sonogram pictures."

Laura smirks. "Clint told me Bucky keeps a copy of a sonogram in his vest."

And that- that's news to you. Yes you're well aware of your attraction to him as well as his attraction for you (being a werewolf really helps out when you can scent someone's emotions), but you wanted him to make the first move in order to be sure you and your baby were what he wanted.

"Whatever you decide to do, just know we all support you," Pepper says. You're still reeling at the fact that he carries your sonogram picture with him that you have nothing to say. "But until that day comes, why don't you start opening your gifts? I'm dying to know what the men thought were acceptable gifts."

Giving a feeble nod, Helen and Laura hurry to get up and start bringing over gift after gift. Then once you make yourself comfortable, Pepper hands you the gift she had gotten herself with squeals and coos following soon after you pull out onesie after onesie. The booties and floral headbands melt everyone's heart as well.

At the beginning of month nine, HYDRA starts to become a thorn in everyone's side. You figure they're looking for you and their precious cargo, but Natasha assured you everyone in the base you were held at had been taken care of and every file wiped from their computers. As far as other HYDRA bases knew, you did not exist. It was just a coincidence they were active again.

As the weeks slowly pass, your due date is any day now. So it's no surprise when you wake up in the middle of the night one evening, uncomfortable as can be, with pain in your back and lower abdomen.

It's four in the morning and you don't want to wake anyone, but Helen said to call her at any time in case something felt off. And this definitely classifies as something off. So after placing a call to your doctor and friend, Helen tells you to keep track of your contractions and head to the medical wing if they get too close together. She's currently in another state, but after a quick word with FRIDAY the A.I is sending for a quinjet to pick her up.

Moving from your bed to the couch in your living room, you work on trying to find a comfortable position. Sitting or laying down doesn't work, so you take to pacing. But you get tired of pacing very quickly and end up pulling out a yoga ball to bounce on.

By six in the morning, the contractions are about twenty minutes apart. The pain has amped up as the time passed that your claws and fangs have ended up elongating, and you've already shredded two of your couch cushions when you were suddenly seized up by a contraction. Eventually it becomes too much for you to endure so you have FRIDAY alert Wanda with a Code Pink. And not even four minutes later, Wanda is barging into your apartment with concern-filled eyes.

"Is this it? Is the baby coming? What's going on?"

You grimace, hands rubbing your stomach as you lightly bounce on your ball. "Uh, I'm in labor. This sucks."

"Well why aren't you in the med wing?" She asks. She comes closer to you, looking you up and down to make sure nothing else is wrong. "And what happened to your couch?" Instead of saying anything, you end up showing her. Another contraction hits and you snarl in pain, claws digging into your thighs and eyes blazing blue. Wanda's eyes widen. "Oh. I see." Then glancing upward, Wanda asks, "FRIDAY, how close are Y/N's contractions and can you please contact Doctor Cho?"

"The contractions are only eleven minutes apart now and Doctor Cho is still twenty-five minutes out. She has, however, advised me to inform Y/N that she should be heading to the med wing now. The nurses have been alerted and are waiting to have Y/N admitted."

A breath of air whooshes from your lungs just as you get yourself under control and you watch as the claw marks on your legs start to close themselves up. "Wanda," you pant, "I'm not going to be able to walk there."

"I got it." Your eyes watch as Wanda walks over to your kitchen, her hands glowing red as the same energy envelops one of your kitchen chairs. Right before your eyes, the wooden chair turns into a wheelchair. She then wheels the chair over to you, putting on the breaks before walking around to help you into the seat. "Now come on." She beams down at you. "Let's go have this baby."

Since the medical building isn't far, you don't bother with your pregnancy bag. The building is equipped with anything and everything you could possibly need and if you wanted your own stuff then you'd just send Wanda to get it. The elevator ride and walk towards the medical building is filled with your heavy breathing and pained grunts, as well as Wanda's encouraging words that are honestly starting to annoy you.

As soon as the nurses lay eyes on you, it's a whirlwind to get you situated as quickly as possibly. Wanda watches from the corner of your room and as soon as you're settled and the baby's heartbeat is resonating around the room, the terror sinks in.

You're about to have a baby. A BABY!? You're about to push out a baby that you're going to have to take care of for the next eighteen years and who will depend on you for the rest of her life. She will most likely be enhanced too and have to be looking over her shoulder for the rest of her life as well.

"Hey. You okay?" Wanda asks.

"No." Your voice cracks and the tears immediately well up as you meet your friend's concerned gaze. "I don't know if I can do this."

"What? Of course you can!" Wanda rushes towards you and takes a seat next to you on the bed, wrapping one arm around you and holding your hand with her other free hand. "This is just the pain and the realization that you're about to give birth talking, Y/N. You're going to be fine. And on the days where it does become too much, you have a whole team at your beck and call. You and baby Wanda are going to be fine."

Wetly chuckling, you say, "Nice try. That's not her name."

"Well you can't blame me for trying."

A wave of pain courses through you and you squeeze Wanda's hand. She hisses, you snarl, and when it finally passes you can sense a wave of pain radiating from your friend. Glancing at her, your eyes widen. "Oh no. I'm so sorry!"

Cradling her hand to her chest, she weakly smiles. "It's fine. It's not broken. I just- I never realized how strong of a grip you have."

You quickly take her injured hand within your own, concentrating on siphoning her pain away. You know it works when she tenses and pulls her hand out of your grip. "What was that? You had black veins-"

"It's okay. I was just taking away your pain. See?" You say, gesturing to her hand. You watch as she glances at her hurt hand once more, flexing her fingers and then looking at you in surprise. "Yeah. I kind of forgot I could do that."

"You forgot?" She laughs. Then sobering up, she says, "I bet you wish you could take your own pain away right about now."

"You have no idea."

When you become truly uncomfortable, Wanda has you sit in the middle of the bed and pulls your hair up into a messy bun before having you lean forward. Using as much pressure as possible, she presses her fist into the small of your back in hopes of alleviating some of the pain. Then when Doctor Cho finally makes her arrival, she comes with a cup of ice chips in hand and tells you to crunch on that while you're waiting.

Doctor Cho is just as excited as Wanda and you can't help but glare at them when one particular contraction has you groaning out in pain for over a minute. "Oh fuck HYDRA!" You shout once it's over. "There's so much fucking pain and I didn't even get to have the fun part of sex!"

Wanda's eyes are wide as Doctor Cho tries to hide her smile, moving around the machines to make sure you and baby are doing okay still.

"Um, bad time?" You glance at the doorway to find Steve and Bucky standing shoulder to shoulder. Steve looks rather amused whereas Bucky is looking at you as if you have bad news to deliver.

"Steve, the next time you go after HYDRA, kick them in the balls. Hard."

He snorts. "Sure thing, sweetheart. How long have you been in labor?" He nudges Bucky and the two of them walk in when Doctor Cho doesn't immediately shoo them out.

"Since four this morning."

Bucky and Steve are both about to admonish you, no doubt, when a contraction hits yet again. Your features immediately transform as you snarl and Wanda makes sure to keep her hands tucked close to herself. "They're getting closer," she muses. Then looking at Bucky, she says, "Come over here and hold her hand. She nearly broke mine earlier."

Bucky gulps. "Doll?"

"Give me your fucking hand, James!" Steve snorts as Bucky hightails it towards the bed, slipping you his vibranium hand for you to squeeze. And once the contraction passes, you slump back into bed and sniffle. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

"It's, uh, it's fine. I understand."

"Just so you know, I got that on camera." Tony saunters in, Pepper at his side.

But while Tony is far too amused at your pain and yelling at Bucky, Pepper is elated for the life you're about to bring into this world. Wanda relinquishes her spot next to you so Pepper can slip in. "Hey Y/N, how are you holding up?" Her gentle touch as she brushes the sweaty flyaways off your forehead makes you cry once more.

"This sucks."

"I know it does, sweet girl, but trust me. It's going to be all worth it the second you hear your baby's cries."

Another contraction hits and you're grateful that Bucky had never pulled his hand back. You squeeze his vibranium hand and whimper in pain, and Doctor Cho comes forward. "Okay, Y/N, I'm going to have to see how far you're dilated now since the contractions are only two minutes apart."

Doctor Cho helps you prop up your knees and, though the blanket is still covering you, Tony blanches. And that- that makes you weakly laugh. "Alright, everyone, if you're going to stay I'm going to need you to stand near my head and not my feet. Got it? Cool."

Pepper quietly laughs and leans in to press a kiss to your temple. "We're going to go, but good luck! I can't wait to meet her."

"Thank you," you say just as she pulls away. "For everything."

Pepper winks at you and grabs Tony's hand, he willingly letting her take the lead. Wanda reclaims her spot and Bucky doesn't budge an inch. Steve, however, nervously rubs at the back of his neck. "I'll be in the waiting room and alerting everyone." Then meeting your gaze, his expression softens. "You're going to do great. I'll see you after."

You smile at him, but another wave of pain prevents you from saying anything. And once Wanda and Bucky are left alone, Doctor Cho pushes the blanket and your hospital gown up to your knees so she has an unobstructed view of your lower half. You wiggle at the sudden pressure between your legs and then she's looking up at you and smiling. "You're ready to push."

A sob stutters out as your fear comes back tenfold. You hold tighter to Bucky's hand and reach for Wanda's with your other hand, but you don't squeeze her like you are Bucky. "L-Last chance to book it out of here," you say without meeting their gaze. "Because the second I start pushing, you guys are stuck with me."

It's quiet and then, "As long as you want me, you have me. I am not going anywhere, sweetheart."

Your bottom lip trembles and Doctor Cho smiles adoringly at Bucky's words. Wanda chuckles. "Yeah. What he said."

"If you two are going to stay, I'm going to need you to wash up real quick and put on a sterilized cover."

Wanda and Bucky both assure you they'll be right back, and Doctor Cho leads them to a small room connected to yours where they can get ready. You can hear water running a moment later as your friends lather up and then the rustling of the paper coverings they have to put on that covers the front of their bodies. Then when all three return, Doctor Cho hurries around the room to prep what she needs for the delivery while also calling in a couple of nurses that you had okayed to be in the room when the two of you had made your birthing plan.

Bucky and Wanda take their places on either side of your bed, and Bucky immediately slips his hand into yours. Wanda just watches from her spot, anxiousness rolling off of her even though she's smiling widely. The two nurses finally enter the room, taking their place by flanking Doctor Cho when she slides a stool to the end of the bed you're laying on.

Doctor Cho smiles at you and gives you a nod. "Okay. You ready? We're going to push on three."

"Ready or not, she's coming," you say.

"That's the spirit." Doctor Cho then glances down at your lower half. "And push on one, two, three!"

Immediately you push with all your might for the first six seconds, but the excruciating pain flares up and you roar out in pain. You don't need a mirror to know your face has shifted and you barely hear Doctor Cho telling you to take a breath and that that was a really good push. So when you're allowed to take a break, you fall limp against the bed and start crying. "That hurt so fucking bad."

"Hey. That was good," Wanda assures you. "It'll be over soon."

You shake your head, denying her words when you come to the conclusion that you honestly don't know if you can do this. And then, "I think you dented my hand."

You startle at Bucky's words, snorting and then pulling your hand free and swatting him. "Shut up. No I didn't."

"You didn't," he grins. "But I got you to laugh. Now take a deep breath and do it again. Push."

Giving yourself a moment, you do exactly as you're told. You reclaim Bucky's hand and then push again, roaring out seconds later. When you fall back against the bed, tears are rolling down from the corners of your eyes. "I can't. I can't do this," you cry.

"You can and you have to," Wanda says. When you look at her, her own eyes are filled with tears. "You can do this, Y/N. You can. Now push again."

You continue to whimper until Doctor Cho tells you to push again. You do and it feels like the pain is even more excruciating now. Cho smiles. "Oh wow. There's the head." She glances up at you in surprise. "Your baby really wants out."

The nurses behind Doctor Cho immediately go into action, grabbing blankets and preparing for the baby's arrival. "Helen, I don't- I can't-"

"You can." You glance up at Bucky and nearly stop breathing when he leans down so his forehead is against yours. "You can do this, doll. You're almost there. Just a little bit more pain and then the most precious being ever will finally be here."

There's a lump in your throat, but you manage to swallow around it. "Easy for you to say. Your vagina isn't being stretched open way further than it's supposed to be."

He smirks. "Shut up and push."

"Fuck off, Barnes."

There's no malice behind your words, but it doesn't stop Bucky from acting as if offended. Then when you position yourself to push again, Wanda grabs onto one of your knees as Doctor Cho instructs her to and then Bucky does the same. You grunt, you scream, and you cry harder than you've ever cried, and after several more pushes there's a piercing wail that emits from the end of your bed.

All noise ceases except for the piercing cry and your eyes widen when you see Doctor Cho lift your baby still covered in a mess. She's laughing as she lightly wraps the baby in the blanket and then stands to lay her on your chest. "Congratulations."

The tears immediately come back tenfold as your arms come up to hold her against you. "Hi," you cry. "Oh my god. Hi."

The baby continues to wail as you glance between Wanda and Bucky, and you don't think you've ever seen them so stunned before. As your head falls back in exhaustion, Doctor Cho says, "We have to take her now. She needs to be cleaned up and we need to run a few tests before we bring her back."

And though you know she's right, you can't help the growl that bubbles up when you see one of the nurses step forward. You manage to suppress it seconds later, but the nurse is glued to her spot in fear. Bucky moves and you don't make a peep as he gently wraps the baby in the blanket once more and lifts her from your chest. Your eyes are glued to him as the smallest of smiles turn up the corners of his lips and then he's handing the baby to the waiting nurse.

"S-Sorry," you manage to say to the nurse.

And a moment later, she grins. "It's fine. New instincts are wreaking havoc on you, no doubt, but we we'll be back as soon as we can."

You nod at her, heart aching as you watch the nurses walk out of the room with your newborn daughter. Doctor Cho taps on your ankle and says, "Ready for the afterbirth?" Your nose wrinkles and she chuckles. "I know. I need to get you cleaned up and then tell you all about what your body's going to go through for the next month or so."

Sighing, you look up between your friends. "Go. Go find out how much Baby weighs and then tell the others she's here."

Wanda chuckles and her nose wrinkles in a cutesy manner as she gently cradles your face in her hands and leans down to kiss your forehead. "You did so well. I'm so proud of you."

"Mhm. Thank you for being here."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

Wanda takes her leave, no doubt to find the baby, and then you look up at Bucky. The emotion in his blue eyes is enough to make your heart stutter, but instead of repeating Wanda's actions, he grabs your hand and gently squeezes it. "Thank you. Thank you for letting me witness that. I-"

His own voice cracks and you smile knowingly up at him. "I know." You then bring his hand up to your lips, pressing a kiss to the back of his vibranium hand. "And thank you for being here. I wouldn't have been able to do this without you or Wanda."

He grins. "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Chuckling, you gently push him away. "Go. Go find my girl and then tell the others. I'm sure they're dying to know what happened."

Bucky smirks before backing away and then turning on his heel to take his leave. As he makes it to the door, he rips off his hospital covering and trashes it. Then walking down the corridors, mind reeling over everything he's just witnessed, he lets his hearing take him to where he can hear a baby fussing.

He finds Wanda not long after and she glances at him, smiling. "Six pounds, three ounces."

He exhales in awe. "Jesus. She's tiny."

"She is."

Side by side, Bucky and Wanda watch as the nurses give the baby a washcloth bath. The entire time she's screaming her lungs out, but it only makes them smile and laugh and joke about how Y/N is going to have her hands full. They continue to watch as her foot prints are taken for the birth certificate and measured, then rocked back and forth until she calms down.

When she's placed in a bassinet to rest, Bucky clears his throat. "I'm gonna go find Stevie and the others. Give 'em the good news."

Wanda just hums in response and then Bucky's on his way once more. This is the lightest he's felt in a long while and he can't quite explain the pure elation that he felt the moment he watched Doctor Cho put the baby on Y/N's chest.

"Hey there, Tin Man," Sam calls out. "Any news?"

Bucky glances up, masking his surprise that his feet had taken him to the waiting room without really knowing. "Uh, yeah." He slowly grins. "Six pounds, three ounces." Pepper gasps, smiling wide. "She's, uh, she's in the observation room right now. Wanda's there if you wanna see her before they take her back to Y/N."

Pepper is the only one to get up while Steve, Sam, and Tony hang back. A moment later, all three watch as Bucky numbly takes a seat.

"I- that was.."

"Intense?"

"Beautiful?"

"Grotesque?" Tony muses.

Bucky briefly glares at Tony before looking at Steve. "I didn't know seeing the birth of a baby would feel like that."

"It usually doesn't," Sam says. "I mean childbirth is a beautiful thing, but it's not usually so intense unless there's feelings for the lady giving birth. Come into any realizations lately?"

Bucky opens his mouth to retort, but nothing comes out. Slowly closing his mouth, he frowns and then takes a moment to think about everything since Y/N was brought back to the compound. He thinks about every moment he had with her one on one, and one particular moment stands out to him. He'd been sitting in the communal kitchen when he heard someone approaching, their fucking fuckity fuck, fuck, fuck being a dead giveaway as to who it was. Y/N had rounded the corner, hands on her lower back and complaining about the full moon taking a toll on her body this time around.

Bucky suddenly sits up, eyes widening. "And there it is," Steve chuckles.

Sam starts to swear. "That doesn't count! Feelings have to be returned. We don't know how Y/N feels."

"Please." Tony scoffs. "If you can't tell that she's in love with Robocop, then the muffled sex noises from when they're boinking like bunnies after she heals will be a dead giveaway." Sam groans as Steve snorts and Bucky stands up without a word. "Atta boy, Buckaroo. Go get your werewolf."

Back in the room, you're cradling your baby and staring down at her in complete awe as you run your forefinger down the bridge of her nose. Wanda and Pepper sit in chairs next to the bed, and Helen stands at the end of your bed. "So everything checks out perfectly," she says. "Ten fingers, ten toes. Perfectly healthy."

"But," you muse, eyes never leaving your daughter's face. When she doesn't say anything, you glance up and smile sheepishly. "You're nervous about something. I can smell it."

She grins. "Right. I forgot you could do that." You continue to stare at her until she shifts nervously from foot to foot. "Well, um, when we took a sample of her DNA it was automatically entered into the system."

"Okay."

"I wasn't looking for anything. I promise," she pauses to gulp, "but it pinged in our system. We got a hit for a DNA match to someone who was already in the system."

"W-What?" Helen nods, uncomfortable. You glance between Wanda and Pepper, and both are equally shocked as you are. Then meeting Helen's gaze again, you ask, "Who?"

"James Buchanan Barnes."

The air seems to whoosh out of you at that and you don't know how to feel. On one hand, you're absolutely delighted. But on the other hand, he had no say in this and you don't want him to feel obligated when he no doubt finds out. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. I ran it twice more and Bucky's the father."

"I'm what?"

Dread pools in your stomach as your gaze darts to the opened door. Bucky stands there frozen. "Shit," you quietly curse.

No one dares to say anything, so Bucky stumbles further into the room. "Did you just so I was the father?"

You gulp. "I-It would make sense. Why HYDRA was so ecstatic," you explain, tears stinging your eyes. When he glances at you, you say. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't," he says. "I'm not- I'm not mad." And in a move that surprises you after he's just found out that he's a father now, he sits on the bed just right in front of you. He smiles at you before his gaze darts down to your daughter and he chuckles softly while reaching up to gently caress her beanie clad head. Lowering his voice, he says, "I'm.. happy that it's me. That she's mine. Ours." He then looks up at you, his smile vanishing at the sight of your tears. "I mean, I won't push my way into your lives if you're not-"

"Shut up," you sniffle. "She's ours. Of course I want you there, but only if you want to be there."

Bucky's radiant smile in response makes you swoon, and Pepper and Wanda finally chuckle.

"I hate to break up this moment," Helen says, "but I need a name for the birth certificate. And signatures."

Guiltily looking at Bucky, you say, "I already chose a name. If I had known-"

"It's fine, sweetheart. I'm sure you chose a good name."

You nod and then glance over at Wanda. "I, uh, I wanted to honor the pseudo big brother she'll never get to meet." Wanda's smile falters, eyes glistening. "Her name is Petra. Petra Amaris." Pepper immediately coos and Wanda loses her composure. Your eyes widen and you glance at Bucky, gesturing for him to take your daughter. Panic flits across his features, but then he steels himself and reaches to carefully take her from your arms. Then once you're free, you maneuver over to the side of the bed closest to Wanda and reach for her hand. "Hey. Hey, shh. If you don't like it, I can-"

"No," she's quick to cut you off. "I love it. I'm just surprised, that's all."

"It's a beautiful name," Pepper assures you.

"Good."

Bucky looks so enthralled with Petra in his arms that you look for Helen and gesture for her to hand over the birth certificate. Taking it and a pen, you get to work filling in your name and signing it at the bottom. Then looking at the father portion of the certificate, you figure you'll let Bucky fill it in if he wishes. But as for Petra's last name, you fill it in without even thinking about it.

"Here. Your turn," you say. "Only if you want to though. No pressure."

Bucky glances at the birth certificate, reading it over. He grins before glancing at Petra once more and then takes the pen from you, gesturing for you to place the clipboard down on the bed so he can write. It takes only a few seconds and then you're handing it over back to Helen with a beaming smile.

It doesn't seem like Bucky is going to relinquish Petra anytime soon, so you take the moment to lean back in the bed and rest for a bit. However, you only get to relax for a few minutes before there's a knock on the door.

"Aw man, you're lookin' awfully cozy with that kid in your arms, Barnes," Sam says.

Steve elbows his friend as Tony makes a beeline for Pepper. "Huh. She's actually pretty cute," Tony says. "I thought I was going to have to come in here and lie about how cute she was."

"Tony!"

You grin at him, but Steve steals your attention away as he hovers over Bucky and reaches in to touch your daughter's tiny hand. "What's her name?"

You and Bucky meet each other's gaze, silently communicating about whether or not you should tell them. You give him a nod and he slowly smirks. He moves so both his feet are planted on the floor, and Sam and Tony have a better view of the baby cradle in his arms. "Her name is Petra."

"Aw damn. Named after the Maximoff speedster," Sam says, shaking his head. "Should have seen that coming."

Wanda giggles as you snort, but then you have to bite your lip to keep from bursting into laughter when Bucky tells them her full name. "Petra Amaris Barnes."

The men seem to all freeze, but then Pepper and Wanda coo about how adorable it is that you gave her Bucky's last name.

"Wait, what?" Poor Steve. He looks so confused. "Barnes? She has your-"

"I'm the random HYDRA operative who apparently supplied the other half of Petra's DNA."

"Holy shit."

"You got that right, birdie," Tony mutters.

You giggle and then shrug when Steve meets your gaze. "It was a surprise to us all, but apparently Bucky's more than okay with it."

The room goes quiet as the situation sinks in and then Tony starts to giggle. All eyes turn on him when says, "We sent in Barnes to seal the deal with Y/N and he really sealed the deal, huh? Got him a baby momma and everything."

You blink in surprise and then stare at Bucky, grinning softly when he seems to pink in embarrassment and refuses to look at you. You glance at Wanda and gesture towards the door, and she seems to get the hint. "Right, well," she says, standing up. "Why don't we give these two a bit of privacy while we go make some phone calls to Clint, Laura, and Nat. I'm sure they'd like to know Petra is healthy and that Y/N is doing fine."

Steve and Sam get the hint, but Pepper has to push Tony out of the room. Then left alone with Bucky, you smile at him. "Care to explain what Tony meant about you coming in here to get the girl?"

You watch as he gulps and you can see him trying to piece together what he's going to say. "I might have come to the conclusion that I liked you more than a friend and was coming to see how you felt about that."

Your breath hitches. He.. likes you? That was something you kind of already knew, but were waiting for him to say something. And leave it to him to confess after giving birth and your emotions were kind of haywire at the moment.

Unable to speak at the moment, you carefully lean forward until you're on your knees and Bucky glances up in surprise. And without warning, you press your lips to his in one of the most softest of kisses since he is still holding Petra.

It takes a minute for his brain to reboot and when he does, you smile against his mouth as he returns the kiss. "Is that," he mumbles, "is that your way of saying you like me too?"

His eyes sparkle and you huff a quiet laugh, biting the bottom corner of your lip as you nod. "I do. Have for a while, but didn't want to scare you off since I was pregnant."

"You wouldn't have," he assures you. "I adored the two of you long before I found out she was mine. I'm all in if you'll have me," he says.

You nod. "I want you."

"Good. 'Cause you're not getting rid of me. Ever."

"That's fine by me."

#marvel gen fic x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes imagine #marvel imagine #avengers imagine #bucky barnes #wanda maximoff #steve rogers #sam wilson #pepper potts #tony stark #natasha romanoff #helen cho #avengers #marvel

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alexiethymia · 3 years

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snippet (res ipsa loquitur)

“Look who’s here. Professor Yang’s favorites!”

Professor Yang raises an eyebrow at that, as if to say that he didn’t have favorites, but Professor Kim Eun Sook pays him no mind. Dear friend though he may be, and though she would trust him with any case, his hard-ass act didn’t fool her. He could say whatever he wanted, but his subtle actions belied his fondness for his once-students turned professionals. Just the fact that he regularly invited them back to Hankuk to discuss cases was just one example.

“I don’t know about Prosecutor Han here, Professor Yang’s protégé that he is, but I’m certainly no favorite when I had to be Erica Shin just to get him to eat with me.” Lawyer Kang has certainly grown up to become a balanced professional, but Professor Kim is happy to see that she’s kept that refreshing bluntness of hers.

“If being Professor Yang’s favorite means additional work like getting called back to school, then I’d rather be your favorite.” Prosecutor Han for his part hasn’t changed much either. Although he’s settled into himself now, becoming as calm in actuality as he sometimes presented himself back in school, that teasing gaze towards Kang Sol A was still present how many years later.

Professor Yang just stares deadpan at what he deems to be nonsense from his former students. “I never taught the both of you to be lax as students, much less as professionals.”

“We’re just joking, Professor,” Kang Sol A – Lawyer Kang now – can easily look her once-savior in the eye and smile, as Professor Yang just raises an eyebrow, “You know we’re always glad to help with whatever we can.”

“We must have inherited your curse as a workaholic, Professor,” Prosecutor Han jokes. Even when he was just Han Joon Hwi, and not yet Prosecutor Han, he never had that fear towards Yangcrates. Frankly, he admired him, though it had always been a complicated emotion with the way all their fates had been tied.

“Ehem. Who would have thought that when I asked you to come hand-in-hand to my office so many years ago as students, you’d be doing it again and again now that you’ve become professionals.” Professor Kim is only half-serious. Even then she’d had an instinct about these two – one with the sharp mind and logic and the other with the fiery heart and passion. They would balance each other out, though she wouldn’t have picked up on it if not for Joon Hwi’s propensity to be a knight-in-shining armor for his then frazzled seatmate.

Kang Sol A mock-scoffs before smiling prettily, while sharing a gaze with an amused Joon Hwi. It was good to see that they still got along marvelously so many years later.

Professor Yang stares long and hard at them as if they were a crime scene he was investigating, before going on ahead and asking Joon Hwi to follow. Eun Sook’ll poke at his thoughts later though she’d be lucky if he felt like sharing them.

“See, you really are his favorite,” Kang Sol A nudges Joon Hwi playfully, while he only chuckles. “No need to worry Lawyer Kang. You’re my favorite at least.” Both Eun Sook’s eyebrows raise at that. With time and his new position, it seemed as if Joon Hwi had gotten more direct, if at all possible. Ah but perhaps, Eun Sook thinks while observing how Kang Sol A just laughs in response, rather than time it was circumstances that forced him to change his approach.

A slight movement behind Professor Kim’s desk catches all of their attention, and a doting smile appears on Eun Sook’s face.

“Aigoo. Is this your daughter Professor Kim?” Kang Sol positively beams at the small curly haired girl hiding shyly behind the Professor’s desk. She was so adorable! It reminded Sol of Byeol when she was at that age. Looking sideways, she sees Joon Hwi sporting an equally wide and fond smile. It was no wonder. With how he was with her younger sister, first when they’d met and until now, Kang Sol surmised that he must be ridiculously fond of children as well. Distantly she thinks that he’d be a wonderful father someday, although uncharacteristically cynical, she also has to admit that she doesn’t exactly have any good bases for comparisons.

“Yes,” Professor Kim says, proud, like all mothers are, “Say hi to oppa and unnie here. They work with the law just like mommy.”

Funnily, it’s a race between them for the privilege of lifting Professor Kim’s daughter up in their arms, but Joon Hwi lets her win (much like he always does). Kang Sol A openly cooes, while Joon Hwi hovers closely to the both of them, also introducing himself to the young girl.

It’s such a heartwarming sight that Professor Kim almost wants to take a picture of it, even if it would be inadmissible as evidence later on.

They’re momentarily interrupted when someone enters the legal clinic.

“Ah Miss, it’s so wonderful to see you again.”

“Ahjumma!” Kang Sol exclaims happily upon seeing the lady who ran the Bad FaMa website enter the legal clinic. Seamlessly, she adjusts Professor Kim’s daughter on her hip, before transferring her to Joon Hwi who carries her on his arm. “How are you? What are you doing here? It’s not another defamation case is it,” Kang Sol asks worriedly. Of course, she’d defend her properly this time since she was now a full-fledged lawyer, not only giving half-baked assistance and having to rely on Joon Hwi because she wasn’t prepared yet.

“Ah no, no need to worry Miss – ah my mistake, it’s Lawyer Kang now isn’t it? You sure showed them didn’t you.” She smiles warmly, proudly, at Kang Sol, and Kang Sol gets happy flutters in her heart and stomach, “I volunteer here at the legal clinic sometimes. Professor Kim has been helping me out with lobbying for stricter child support laws, and the other lawyer who volunteers here - Lawyer Jeon - has been helping me with cases of single mothers. She’s been telling me all about you. I’m really glad to see you doing so well.” Though it’s been a while since Kang Sol has seen her – since when she was still a law student in fact – the older woman and that case will always hold a special place in her heart. She considers it as her first case, and though it did cause a slight rift between her and Joon Hwi, she had been the first person outside of smug Second Judicial Exam Passers and terrifying law professors who had genuinely thanked her for the legal service she provided. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Kang Sol owes a lot to her for reigniting her reason for studying law in the first place.

“And Prosecutor Han, I’m delighted to see you’re doing great as well.” Joon Hwi inclines his head at her while responding in kind. Even with a child on his arm, he looks every bit the respectable Prosecutor, and Kang Sol could sometimes shake her head in amused resignation at how flawless her – (Friend? Best friend? Family?), - at how flawless Joon Hwi is. She shakes her head for a different reason this time around, to get rid of that brief interruption in her mind.

Ahjumma smiles, full of maternal care. “What a lovely daughter,” Joon Hwi and Kang Sol exchange wordless glances and smiles, fully agreeing with her assessment – Professor Kim’s daughter with her soft curls, and shy and polite demeanor really was just too cute for words, “the both of you two have,” – before freezing in their tracks.

Ajhumma seems not to notice the slight disturbance in the force, nor Professor Kim’s silent but far from inconspicuous chuckles, since she goes on, “Perhaps I’m just biased, but I’d always thought that the both of you suited each other well, even back then. And to see the both of you with a daughter of your own makes me really happy. We have enough parents who abandon their kids, but I know you would be such loving parents who would do everything and anything in your power to protect your daughter.” She grasps Kang Sol’s hands in her own and says sincerely, “Congratulations to the both of you.”

Prosecutor Han for all of his brilliance in court seems for the first time at a loss for words. It was a misunderstanding yes, but a reasonable one in Eun Sook’s mind. She would have probably thought the same, and yet for all that Eun Sook imagines they’ll just brush this off and regain their easy momentum, the pause lasts far too long this time around, and Professor Kim suddenly worries.

Kang Sol is frozen, and looks to be a million miles away. It’s to the point that the woman grasping her hands finds her smile slowly falling. There are no flustered denials, nor a hint of red anywhere. Kang Sol is blank, and this worries Professor Kim since the younger girl has always been full of life, of emotion, and to see this is disconcerting. Joon Hwi sees her from the corner of his eye, and Professor Kim is suddenly transported back to that Civil Code classroom so many years ago, for he once again saves her from having to answer, as always reliably following-up after her.

He slowly lowers her daughter down who immediately rushes to her. Upon seeing that, realization breaks across their guest’s face. “She’s not our daughter, but Professor Kim’s,” he explains smoothly, although it may be a bit redundant now. That seems to snap Kang Sol from the daze she’s in as she energetically reassures their guest that there was no need to worry regarding the misunderstanding.

Eun Sook picks up her daughter and sends a questioning gaze towards Joon Hwi who seems reluctant to meet it. He smiles that characteristic smile of his, the one that seemed to say that he had everything under control, that there was nothing that could trip him, before politely excusing himself from the room to follow after Professor Yang. “He must be tired of waiting.” He doesn’t rush, nor does he run. Both his voice and gait are measured and paced, and though he catches Kang Sol A’s eye in that form of wordless communication that Professor Kim observed was common to him, her, and even Professor Yang, Kang Sol A seems to break it first to rejoin her conversation with their guest and her.

Joon Hwi stares a little longer at her profile before exiting.

The warm atmosphere the legal clinic had when the two had entered earlier seems to have dissipated.

Professor Kim really cannot help but worry.

#solhwi #jtbc law school #netflix law school #joon hwi #kang sol #kang sol a #yangcrates #professor yang #professor kim #fic #fanfic #I will finish this fic #hopefully #eventually #post canon #fic writing #my writing

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writingpuddle · 3 years

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The other night best friend and I (yes, that best friend) were riffing on trans Neil headcanons over the phone, but a realistic trans treatment of aftg gets dark real fast, so without further ado:

~The Mafia May Be Sexist (But It’s Not Transphobic!) AU ~

(tmmbsbintau, if you will)

Does this premise make sense? No, but if Nora can write about made up mafia sports, I can write a nonsense AU where transphobia doesn’t exist okay this is my party and ill be self-indulgent if i want to

We open with baby Neil, who was named after his maternal grandmother or smthg idk

Now lets say Neil is one of those “I always knew I was trans” kids

So even at a fairly young age he was like, nope this is wrong

For the most part his dad basically ignores him (what use is a girl to me???) but if he makes the mistake of getting in the way it’s the usual shit with knives and hot irons and basically Neil’s bog-standard Traumatic Childhood

His mom signs him up to play Exy to get him out of the house, and he loves it, because of course he does

Now tiny Neil may be terrified of his father

But remember transphobia isn’t real

So he when he’s about ten years old he tells his parents over dinner

His mom just puts her fork down and says that’s alright

But Nathan

Nathan

Nathan’s eyes start to glow

He has a son? Not a useless daughter?

He’s practically levitating with glee

And Neil, poor Neil, who has never had any positive reinforcement—from either parent, Mary, you’re not innocent in this—he soaks it up

Nathan puts both hands on his son’s—his son’s!—shoulders and dubs him Nathaniel

His son, his heir, his legacy

Mary takes one look at the possessive look in her husband’s eyes and thinks oh hell no

For the next few days Nathan absolutely showers Nathaniel with affection

He takes him to the hairdresser and buys him a whole new wardrobe, neglecting his mafia duties in order to dote upon his new son

It is possibly the happiest week of Nathaniel’s life

And then he wakes up in the night with his mother’s hand on his mouth and is given less than a minute to pack his things

Now he’s grown up in a criminal household; the notion of making a run for it isn’t exactly foreign to him

But it’s not until they’re in the car that Nathaniel realizes that his father is nowhere to be seen

Where’s dad? He asks

Shut up, his mother hisses, and slams the car into gear

From then on, he is never Nathaniel

His mother is 100% on board with his transition, but…not really anything beyond that

After all, people will be looking for a woman and a trans boy, which means Mary’s investment in Neil’s gender pretty much starts and ends with him passing as cis

She gets him all the medical treatments he needs (on the black market, since they’re on the run)—puberty blockers when he’s younger, testosterone when he’s older

But he’s never allowed to acknowledge being trans whatsoever

Not to his classmates, not to his teachers

He never gets the chance to have a queer community, or explore the nuances of his gender, because the only presentation they can afford for him to have is Masculine Cis Boy. The restriction is stifling. It’s suffocating.

Neil hates her for it

His life was, so briefly, perfect

He had his father’s love and approval for a day, a week, and he is both old enough to remember his father’s cruelty and young enough to believe that it could end

Nathan is incandescent

When he realizes what Mary has done he goes to the Moriyamas in a storm of fury

She stole my SON! He bellows

Now the Moriyama’s didn’t particularly care about Neil back when they thought he was a girl

Girls in the mafia are basically just for child-rearing, so he wasn’t a threat

So once they figure out what Nathan is talking about (this takes a sec, owing to Nathan having not previously gotten around to telling them about Nathaniel’s revelation), their first thought is that look, we might do the nepotism thing here in our family, but underlings don’t get to do the nepotism thing. Sorry, them’s the breaks

Obviously, Mary has to die—nobody’s disputing that, a woman who robbed her husband and stole his son? Only death will right that wrong—but Kengo tells Nathan that he’ll help find Nathaniel on the condition that he’s given to the Ravens upon capture

Nathan is utterly confident that his son—his son!—will perform admirably. He accepts the deal without a second thought

So they’re on the run for years and years, and Neil’s resentment towards his mother festers, but he never acts out too much, and he doesn’t contact his father

He almost does a couple times, but then he presses his hand to the iron scar on his shoulder and he can’t quite make himself go through with it

He’s sixteen when Nathan catches up with them in Seattle

There’s a shootout and Mary and Neil almost get away

But

Nathan arrives

Nathaniel! He shouts. My boy!

And Neil lurches to a stop

There is his father, walking towards him, his eyes still shining with the same fierce love and pride from when he was ten

Nathaniel, his father says. Hasn’t this gone on long enough?

Come home.

Mary is trying to drag Neil away, but he’s too fixated on his father

Can I? Neil asks. Can I really?

Of course, Nathan says. Everything is forgiven. I’ve even secured you a place on the Ravens. Didn’t you always love Exy? Come home with me, Nathaniel

Neil can barely believe it. His father is offering him everything he ever wanted. His mother has been keeping him from this, his whole life?

Why would they run?

And through this whole exchange Nathan has been getting closer, and Mary is pulling Neil back, and now he’s close enough to touch and the sound she makes is like something physical tears when she finally releases Neil and tries to flee

She isn’t fast enough

Nathan’s grin is as wide as the sun when his cleaver bites into Mary’s waist

Blood pours out

Neil screams

Mary clutches her side, staggering away, but it’s obvious she won’t make it far

Dad, no, Neil says. Don’t—

Shh, his father says. Don’t be afraid. She kept us apart all these years. She deserves to die.

And Neil—

Neil has hated his mother for most of his life

But he looks at the woman who has struggled so long to protect him—who has failed as often as she succeeded, but who fought anyway, everyday—and the man whose eyes are bright with glee at her pain

And he makes a choice

He only has a split second to see the betrayal in his father’s eyes before the pipe in his hand slams into his head and he pitches forward, unconscious

Neil does not wait to see if he survives

He grabs his mother and they run, her arm locked on his shoulder and her palm pressed to the wound on her side

Neil puts her in the passenger seat and jumps in, throwing the car in gear

You need a hospital, he says, frantic

No, she hisses, pinning a towel to her side. No hospitals

Guilt floods through him as he looks at her pale face

Sticky red handprints smear on everything she touches

I’m sorry, mom, he says, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry—

Enough, she says. Drive

He drives

He drives, and drives, and he follows her instructions, and later he wouldn’t have been able to say if he actually thought she would survive; he believed it, because he had to, because he had never been without her; he knew better, because gut wounds are slow, but they are inexorable

He parks on the beach and there are tears pushing at his eyelids but he chokes them down

I’m sorry, he said, I never should have believed him. I’m sorry—

You never would have been enough for him, she says, and Neil flinches

Her hand finds his chin and she yanks him down to meet her eyes, her gaze fierce.

He never loved you, she says. He would have made you in his image, and when you failed he would have torn you apart. I would not—I would not watch him try to make my son a monster. Don’t—don’t waste it

Mom, what are you saying—

Promise me, she says

Promise you won’t go back to him

She is dying

Neil can’t refuse

He promises

She releases his face and her red fingerprints on his face burn like brands. He can feel them hours after the tears wash the blood away.

Her last few breaths are jagged as broken stones before she rattles to a stop, and Neil is alone

He burns her body and staggers out onto the road and he keeps moving, he keeps moving, because he knows if he stops he’ll shatter

His hesitation has cost him his mother’s life

But his action costs him his fathers love

In one blow, Neil broke the golden image Nathan had of his perfect son, and now all Nathan wants is to destroy him

He finds his way to Millport almost on instinct alone

He finds one of Mary’s contacts who can supply him with the hormones he needs to continue passing and squats in an empty house and speaks to none of his classmates

When the Exy team tryouts are announced, he goes, intending to only watch from a distance

Perhaps it is inevitable he’s sucked in

There is so little light in his life

Can he be forgiven for wanting one little spark?

The Foxes come for him in May, and Kevin doesn’t recognize him, because how would he? Even if they met as kids, Kevin never saw Neil post-transition

Wymack ends up telling him something about Kevin’s past and the truth about the Ravens, and Neil pales a little bit, remembering how his father had said he’d gotten Neil a place on their line-up and finally understanding why

And sometimes he looks at Kevin with blinding jealousy for the life Neil didn’t get to have, and sometimes he sees him nearly comatose with fear and drinking vodka like it’s water, and his stomach hurts thinking how cheerfully his father would have consigned him to the same fate

So canon proceeds and Neil still bitches Riko out on live TV, and Riko still manages to acquire Neil’s fingerprints

And would you believe that? The Foxes mouthy new rookie is [deadname], Nathan Wesninski’s brat?

Well, well, well

At the banquet Riko pokes and prods until Neil finally snaps, and as Dan drags the team away from the wreckage Jean grabs Neil’s arm and says, low and fast in French, You’ll meet with us later

Why the fuck would I do that? Neil demands

Because otherwise everyone will find out that the Butcher is your father

Neil can’t hide his flinch and Kevin’s eyes go wide

They flee the scene, but before they even reach Coach, Kevin is already rounding on Neil

Is it true? He croaks

Not now, Neil says

But Kevin reads confirmation in Neil’s deflection

I didn’t know [deadname] had a brother, he says

Now here is the thing

Names are obviously a touchy subject with a lot of trans people, and certainly with Neil in particular

But with everything that just happened, Neil is a bit preoccupied, and it’s been a long time since he’s associated himself with that name

Since before he stopped using it, truthfully

And so his response is out of his mouth before he can even think twice

“Who?”

Kevin nods seriously, because he is wise to the ways of mafia bosses, and it’s not exactly shocking that Nathan Wesninski had a mistress and a secret second child, especially considering his first child had been a girl

It’s several moments before Neil puts two and two together and realizes that he has inadvertently slipped through a perfect loophole

He’s failed his mother so many times, but at least this secret is still safe, and he clings to that

Neil’s gender doesn’t really affect his interpersonal relationships with the Foxes—he’s already changing out separately, so this isn’t even a whole other thing

It’s harder to hide his testosterone when he’s living in shared dorms, but he has everything in the safe and figures out the safest schedule to open it up when he’s sure Matt will be in class

Andrew finds out when they start hooking up

But remember transphobia isn’t real so it’s sort of more like Andrew goes to undo his pants and is like wait your dick is removeable? Okay.

And then he just gets on with it

So Binghamton and Baltimore happen as canon, and if Neil had ever harboured hopes that his father would forgive him and love him again, they’re broken for good when his father stalks in and sees him shivering and just grins

It is the smile of someone who has torn someone off a pedestal and is going to enjoy reducing them to dust

Nevermind that Nathan had been the one to put him on that pedestal in the first place

Stuart deus-ex-machinas us out of the maws of death and we end up back in that classic Baltimore scene with the Foxes, and they still claim him, and they still take him home

He tells them all about his mafia father and life on the run, and it doesn’t really click until later that he forgot to mention the trans thing

Not like he, you know, has to tell them, and being trans is hardly an issue in Exy since it’s co-ed, but it would probably be nice to see a real doctor instead of keep buying his hormones illegally

And moreover, he wants the Foxes to know him

So they hit the cabin in the mountains and everyone knows Neil doesn’t drink, but when Andrew pours him a shot, he takes it

Ooh, Nicky says, Is Neil about to start spilling his secrets?

Allison snorts. What secrets does he have left?

Uh, Neil says

Wait, Allison says. There’s more secrets????

Yeah, he says. Um, I’m trans

There’s a pause

Well, that’s no good, Allison said. We didn’t have a bet going on that

Everyone laughs, and Neil smiles, and he looks at the sunset and remembers his mother, and he remembers a life filled with hiding, and secrets, and loneliness

Bats swoop in the twilight beyond the cabin, and he turns towards the warmth and light inside, and he does not look back

#self indulgent trans au is self indulgent #my writing #aftg #andreil #trans neil #trans headcanons #this is actually a bit angsty be warned #i was so high on the transphobia doesnt exist part #that i forgot neils whole life is a goddamn tragedy for a seconde #tmmbsbintau

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alxmullner · 2 years

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wolfgang novogratz | he/him | cismale | hey, you know alex mullner? i’m pretty sure he’s 23 and has lived here for 23 years. he spends most of his time at the ice cream stand but also goes to the tree outside his house a lot. if you ask me, they can be encouraging, but also arrogant at times. if you want to get on their good side, give them a complete breakfast next time you see them! ( goob, 25, she/her, est )

⚠️ ⚠️ TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DEATH ⚠️ ⚠️

full name: alexander mullner

age/d.o.b.: 23, august 13th 1998

gender/pronouns: cismale, he/him

sexuality: heterosexual ( but bicurious 👀)

height: 6′2″

+ traits: proactive, helpful, encouraging

- traits: arrogant, impatient, straight up dumb

hobbies: football, basketball, exercise, eating grandma’s food

⚠️ TW: DOMESTIC VIOLENCE, DEATH ⚠️

“i just woke up and i’m hungry for some protein!”

most of what people know about alex mullner has come directly from the guy himself. it wasn’t that he was lying to everyone, but he never told the whole truth. he’s been able to mantain the look of a “cool” athlete, and considering pelican is such a small place, he’s figured his grandma hasn’t done much talking, and his grandpa... well, he hasn’t done much asking. but here’s the thing about alex, he wasn’t born and raised in pelican town, although he will swear up and down that he was. he was very young when he moved to his grandmother’s house in the little town, but before this, he used to live in the city with his parents. no one would really know this, because he never talks about them at all.

he was very young, yes, but what he saw and experienced in the little city apartment as a young boy stuck with him, and has followed him, even after all these years. there was always so much screaming, loud thuds and bangs, lots of crying coming from both his mother clara and himself. he mostly remembers the pained gasps his mother would let into his small body, as she protected him from his very angry father. alex never understood why he was so angry, he could never wrap his little mind around what he or his mom could’ve done to make him so angry. little alex always made it a point to be nice to his dad, to watch sports with him and stay out of his way when he told him to; and his mom was nothing short of an angel. but it never seemed to be enough... no, it simply was never enough.

but somehow, they got out. clara got herself an even smaller apartment closer to the outskirts of the city, so they’d be a little closer to grandma and grandpa, or so she’d said. and for a while, everything was perfect. they played catch in the park in the afternoon, eat dinner together every evening, although she never really seemed to eat; and slept in the same little bed. but one morning, his mom could not get out of bed. it was a good thing alex knew how to use the phone, because the ambulance got there soon enough so that he could spend a few more days with his mom. it was all very sudden, and he had always refused to believe his mom “had gone to heaven” and was “happy” there. how could she be happy leaving him behind? if they were all supposed to be happy she was in heaven, why was his grandma crying so much?

he had already moved into his grandmother’s house before his mom died, because the doctors had told evelyn they didn’t think she’d recover, and that if she did, it would be slow. in the end, she hadn’t recovered, and alex moved to pelican town to live with his maternal grandparents. evelyn, the sweet old woman, moved herself and her husband into their guest room and re-decorated the master bedroom for him, footballs covering every wall. of course he was grateful, but as a young child stricken by grief, he never really thanked her properly for the gesture.

living in pelican town wasn’t all so bad. he made friends with the other children in town, always closest to the burton sisters and sebastian park. as he grew up, doted on by his grandmother, he became a little too sure of himself, a confidence that bordered on arrogance, that only continued to cross that line as he grew older, well into his teens. he was captain of the football team in high school and was dating haley, the prettiest girl in school and his best friend in the world. school staff talked about him, his counselors told him how easy it would be for him to get a full sports scholarship if he could only work harder on his grades! but the boy just thrived on the attention of being popular and an important member of the school’s sports community, he had plans for him and haley to marry and move to the city where he would go pro and she could focus on her photography or her love for fashion... but it didn’t quite go that way.

after graduating, he really struggled to get into any university due to his bad grades. apparently c’s get degrees only if it’s mostly c’s, not when his report cards were covered in d’s. and then haley broke up with him, because she didn’t love him — in fact, she loved girls. it took him a good moment to process this, to process the breakup and the reasoning. he felt like he’d been lied to, betrayed even. he even adopted a dog, dusty, in the midst of his blues, in an attempt to attain a “new best friend.” in the end he missed his human best friend more than he missed the failed relationship. luckily, haley missed him enough and their friendship picked back up, almost as if nothing had happened. to this day, haley is his favorite person in the world and he would go to the ends of the earth for her... which was another reason why he stayed in pelican after graduating. how would he leave haley behind, after everything they went through?

nowadays alex spends most of his time working out, playing with dusty or his football. now and then he can be found manning the otherwise abandoned ice cream stand by the library, as he is saving money for when he goes pro.

#death tw #domestic abuse tw #abuse tw #WHY IS THIS SO LONG #intro.

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akitokihojo · 4 years

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Enchanted - Ever After

Soooooooo, today’s the one year anniversary of Enchanted, and when I realized this date was coming a month ago, this particular idea came to mind. I’d be lying if I said I’d never thought about what happened after the story ended, so here we are. An additional epilogue to wrap everything up.

I hope you enjoy this. Thanks so much for reading, friends!

----------

Five years had come and gone in the blink of an eye. From royalty lessons - years’ worth crammed into exhausting months, to maintaining her apprenticeship with the apothecary, to politics, to appearances. From staying out of the way of the king entirely, to him warming up to her to the point where he would actually look in her general direction - because this was King Sesshomaru, of course, and his version of warmth was the consideration of not inching his chin upward in superiority. From growing fully acclimated to being addressed as a princess, to the appropriateness a princess is expected to uphold, to the wonderful, loving, and bountiful payout of spending the remainder of her life by Prince Inuyasha’s side.

Kagome softly grazed the very tips of her fingers over the small swell of her stomach, the scarlet dress she wore comfortably accommodating the bump. She’d groaned when they’d brought out the damned carriage for their journey, always having loved the freedom of horseback. She felt so doted on in a carriage, so helpless, and it grabbed a large amount of attention. Attention everyone preferred to avoid. Horseback meant she could explore as they traveled. Horseback meant she could keep up with the lot, and take up responsibility to help. But, life was growing, and to protect that life, riding alongside her partner in open nature was no longer an option. Inuyasha, on the other hand, was seemingly unbothered by the changes that came. Over the passing weeks, he let her sleep as her fatigue robbed her of her energy, he wiped her tears when her building emotions made her weep over a litter of kittens born in the stables - he laughed though; he isn’t that nice, he brought her food and snacks before she even spoke of hunger, and he was the one whom insisted upon the carriage if she were to join them. He accepted her meager complaints with a complaisant grin, his ember eyes appeared more vibrant than ever, and without request, prodding, or persuasion, Inuyasha willingly chose to ride with her in the carriage. So she wasn’t alone, he’d said. Where she went, he went, he’d said. Shut it and stop questioning me already, he’d said.

“My darling husband?” Kagome spoke gently, her voice just above a hush as she placed her palm flat at the top of her tummy.

“My beloved wife?” Inuyasha hummed in return, sitting across from her, golden gaze fluttering up to her face for a brief moment before they washed back down to the ankle of hers that he sweetly massaged, resting along his thigh. His large hands pushed the hem of her dress a little further up her shin as he rubbed the heat of his palms over them, smoothing over her soft flesh, and back to her foot where he gently and mindlessly kneaded.

“There’s a chance that my stomach will grow large. With that growth may come stretch marks. They may be light, they may be dark, I may get lucky and receive none, or they may appear unsightly. Will you still love my body then?” A part of her knew the answer, but the dominating and self conscious part wanted reassurance that her worries were nothing more than in her head.

Inuyasha fought the chuckled that welled in his throat, subsiding it with a simple huff as an honest smirk curved at his lips. His fingers stopped their massaging, eyes giving her his full attention while he deliberated on his answer. “You must not be paying as close attention as I thought you were.” He said.

Kagome’s brows twitched inward in curious speculation.

Inuyasha whispered as he continued, “Those nights when I slowly remove your clothing, taking my damn time, doing as I please. Those nights when I lay you down, pinning you beneath me, kissing every inch of you until you’re squirming.” He proudly noted the way her cheeks deepened in color, the way her lips pressed tightly together in embarrassment as she clearly hoped no one outside of the carriage could hear him. Inuyasha sucked in a breath between his teeth, shrugging his brows as he looked away to find her shoe, gently slipping the flat back onto her foot and placing it along the floor before crossing the small gap to sit beside her. With a simple tug on her outer thigh, the prince moved his princess to face him better as he leaned closer to her ear. “Now, I definitely thought you knew what I was doing. You seem to like it. Then again, you seem to like any attention I give you - gentle or otherwise.”

All Kagome could muster was a breathy huff in reply, the heat of her face overwhelming, the heat of his breath furthermore, the heat of his palm soaking through the cloth of her dress distracting, and the heat of his words bringing her back to just the other night.

“I have a tendency, I find, to linger around your thighs. Your hips. Your ass.”

She giggled that time.

“Particularly, here.” Inuyasha admitted, his hand traveling upward to squeeze the fleshy area of hip and leg. “See, you have these stretch marks on both sides.” Another breath sucked between his teeth as he nudged her jaw out of his way, pressing a small kiss to the delicate skin just beneath. “I don’t think words would do my adoration of them justice. If you asked me to worship your stretch marks, I’d drop to my knees. If you told me to kiss them until the end of time, I’d consider myself the luckiest man to live with not a moment to waste. You have these stretch marks because your body and curves were specifically designed to torture me.” He rumbled, quickly maneuvering her legs to rest over his so he could curl his fingers over the thickness of her bottom. “How do you not realize that if you just so happen to develop stretch marks on your stomach from bearing my child, you would merely be giving me more to revere? I’m disappointed in you, Kagome. Everything you idiotically think is a blemish is gold in my eyes, and I thought I’d made that perfectly clear by now. Unless -“ He nipped her neck, and he could physically feel the way her body tensed so she wouldn’t make a noise. “Unless I need to refresh your memory? Or do you understand now?”

Voice higher than normal, shaken, betraying, Kagome responded with a hummed yes to convey her understanding. Inuyasha smiled against her neck, placing one last kiss there before pulling back with the most arrogant smirk she’d ever seen on his handsome face - and that was saying something. Carefully, he readjusted her sitting position, gliding his hand over the little swell of her abdomen as he kissed her cheek, and returned to his original side of the carriage. As if nothing had happened, Inuyasha gestured for her unattended to foot, slipping the flat off and massaging.

Kagome had to stare out the crack of the curtain of the window to distract herself, waiting for the blush that warmed her face to finally fade away as her flustered state took its sweet time dwindling.

“You know, a simple ‘yes’ would have sufficed.”

“No, it wouldn’t have!” Inuyasha laughed, shaking his head, his pride still obviously through the roof.

“You’re an evil man.”

“I’m rubbing your feet, am I not?” His laugh faded to a light chuckle, delight painted in his smile, bringing her to laugh as well.

As the silence came forth, comfortable and balanced, Kagome pursed her lips, her mind still occupied. “But, when we get home, I wouldn’t mind -“

“I know.” Inuyasha nodded, a crooked angle to his grin as he stared out the crack in the curtain. “You’ll get it.”

Kagome giggled, playfully flicking her foot at him as he continued to knead away the tension.

The sound of the hooves of prancing horses surrounding them played into her contentment, the wheels of the carriage on the dirt road they traveled mostly smooth, rumbling, calming. There was the slight murmur of guards as they idly chatted with one another, an occasional call from birds they passed, and the distinct huff from the horse Miroku rode just outside the door.

It was impossible not to notice the flick of an ear atop Inuyasha’s head as his attention was grasped. Had she not already been looking at him - discreetly admiring him, really - the heavy twitch of the appendage would have caught her eye, anyway. His brows furrowed slightly, amber eyes staring at nothing as he focused on his heightened senses before assertively striking the top of the carriage wall with the side of his fist. All conversation outside died, traffic slowing until they stopped completely just seconds later.

“What’s wrong?” Kagome asked, sitting up straight to take her foot back but Inuyasha held onto her, making sure to place her flat back on her heel before gently planting it on the floor.

“Nothing.”

“Liar.”

“Could be nothing.” Inuyasha suggested, pushing the door open as he stepped out, hopping down to the dirt road. His tone changed as he spoke to the knights around, lowering to the authoritative level the prince only carried when giving orders. “Report.”

“Koga’s already checking it out, Your Highness.” Miroku responded, gesturing to the beautifully freckled and rider-less horse whose reins were held firmly by another knight. Swinging his leg from over his steed, he dismounted to stand level with the prince.

“What was that?”

“Sounded like a child. Maybe it’s lost.” Sango mentioned as she joined the two.

Inuyasha instantaneously tensed, his nose scrunching before he twisted around to face his maternal-instinct-ridden wife, his finger pointed at her sternly as she was just about to climb out. “No.”

“What!?” Kagome responded defensively.

“No.” Inuyasha chuckled.

“But -“

“No.”

“I want to help!”

“Nothing’s even been confirmed yet! Sit!”

Kagome dropped her butt to sit in the entry, feet propped on the top step as she crossed her arms with a pouty huff.

“I heard something else.” He mentioned, turning his attention back to his aides and the two other guards that stood by. “Something quick. Maybe large; it’s hard to tell.” The prince leaned closer to quietly whisper the rest to those involved so as not to upset Kagome. “But, I smell blood.”

“Probably why Koga rushed off so quickly.” Miroku nodded understandingly.

“Maybe he should have backup just in case.” Sango offered.

“No. Not yet. His instincts are sharp; he wouldn’t have gone on his own if he didn’t feel like he could handle it. He’ll signal if he needs somebody.”

“And, if he doesn’t?” Sango countered.

“He’s got five minutes.” Inuyasha sighed.

The prince was fully prepared to follow Koga’s scent into the forest if his allotted time had run out, leaving the rest to protect his princess if anything happened. His sword was already along his hip, his senses were attuned to his surroundings, and as he leaned against the side of the carriage, his shoulder resting against Kagome’s thigh, he counted down the minutes. No signal was sent as of yet, and his golden eyes were trained in the direction he’d gone.

He’d heard walking coming through an unmarked trail in the woods, the smell of blood growing more prominent, but as it all came closer, Inuyasha could easily tell it wasn’t a large amount. It was there, but no one was bleeding out, nor were they about to see a gruesome scene.

Koga emerged onto the path carrying a small boy, little arms wrapped around his shoulders as the wolf demon knight rubbed his back soothingly. The child was clearly demon, the tiny feet appearing at the bottom of his pants padded like paws, and the tail poking through bushy, slightly frazzled, and speaking of his anxiety.

“Little guy got snagged by a hunting trap.” Koga mentioned as Inuyasha stood up straight, alert. “His leg’s hurt.”

With a deep sigh, Kagome carefully maneuvered her way down the steps, adjusting her scarlet dress as she reached the ground, and walked toward Koga cautiously. The last thing she wanted was to approach quickly and startle the little boy further. She stopped with room to spare, curving toward Koga’s side so she could see the child’s face as he peeked from the crook of Koga’s neck.

“Hi there.” Kagome smiled warmly, her brown eyes meeting his green. “My name’s Kagome. What’s yours?”

He didn’t respond, his small hands not yet releasing their grip on the guard’s coat.

“He hasn’t spoken.” Koga mentioned. “I tried getting his name earlier.”

“Oh, well that’s alright.” She sweetly assured. “You must be frightened. I promise you, not a soul here will hurt you. We only mean to help. And, I’ve got a few things with me that might make your leg feel better. Would it be okay if I took a quick look?”

The young boy apprehensively nodded, and Kagome carefully pulled up the dirtied leg of his pants, eyeing the wound that marred the flesh above his ankle. It wasn’t severe, it wasn’t broken, so she imagined it must have been a rope snare that caught him. Rope that was coarse, tattered, and tightened at a bad angle to inflict this sort of damage. Something definitely meant for an animal.

“You poor thing.” Kagome breathed. “May I bandage it for you?”

With less hesitation this time, he nodded again.

“Would you like to come with me, or would you be more comfortable with Koga holding you while I did it?”

He reached for her, finally releasing his grip on the knight, and she’d be a rotten liar if she denied that her heart sputtered heavily within her chest at the adorable action. He nestled into her arms, resting his chin on her shoulder as he gripped the back of her neck, his copper hair tickling her cheek but nothing she minded in the least as she carried him back toward the carriage. The guards were kind enough to give them space as she made her way toward the back, seeking out the small case with her supplies.

“I’ve got it.” Inuyasha offered, gently pushing her hand aside so he could un-wedge it from between the other luggage they’d brought along.

Kagome grinned, happily accepting his help as she sauntered back to the entry of the carriage, softly setting the young boy down on the bottom step where she sat on her knees before him, pulling the length of her dress out from beneath her.

“Your High-“

“Hush.” She kindly silenced a guard, having already expected someone to speak up.

“Would you like my jacket to kneel on?” He offered again.

“Absolutely not.” She declined with the hint of humor on her tongue, shaking her head.

“You should know well by now that a forest nymph doesn’t mind getting a little dirty.” Her husband said, setting the case down beside her as he softly patted the top of her head. She thanked him as he stepped back, opening it up to seek out the ointment she’d need.

As she went to push the pants up the little boy’s leg to reveal the injured flesh, she noticed the wide, curious eyes that were set on her, his lips parted in silent awe.

“What? Are you okay?” Kagome hastily inquired. He only widened his eyes further bringing her to nervously giggle. “What?”

In the smallest whisper, the boy asked, “Are you a princess?”

Kagome sighed heavily, relieved, hanging her head as she chuckled. She let the question sit for a moment as she breathed in, leveling her eyes with him once more as she smiled. “Only by marriage.”

“Which means, yes.” Inuyasha spoke as he crouched down beside her, his tone husky but the amusement evident. “She is a princess.”

The tiniest of gasps was heard from the child as he then evaluated the man next to her, his short, tousled, light hair, his attire that dressed him much like the guards but with an air of authority, his very close proximity of the one already announced as a royal that no commoner in their right mind would ever be in. Unless they were royalty, as well.

“This is my husband, Inuyasha.” Kagome introduced.

“Wow.” The kid speculated, green eyes bright, and his voice finally being heard. “I’ve never met royals before. Are you from around here? Do you have a large castle? Why aren’t you wearing crowns? Do you have a different crown for every day of the week? No, of course not, because you aren’t wearing one right now. Unless they’re just too heavy. They must be heavy. Are they heavy?”

The both of them laughed lightly, Kagome’s long, dark hair swinging to the front of her shoulders as she tried to hide her humor by ducking her head; especially since Inuyasha’s initial expression in reaction was slightly taken aback, slightly dumbfounded - most likely due to the sudden, talkative nature the boy presented.

“Well?” He prodded, earnestly waiting for an answer to each question.

“Oh, uh -“ The prince scrunched his nose, deliberating on where to begin, hoping he remembered it all. “We’re from a kingdom quite a ways away. We only wear our crowns on special occasions. We’ve only got one each and they’re honestly pretty light, but that’s just the way ours are designed. My brother’s is ridiculously heavy; it’s almost stupid. And, uh -“

“Oh, the castle.” Kagome reminded.

“Ah, yes. Um, yeah, I guess it’s pretty big.” He shrugged modestly. “I’ve seen smaller - I’ve seen larger.”

“But, then what are you doing here?” The young boy inquired, his expression twisted in confusion.

“We’re actually just passing through.” Kagome answered, finally getting to work and pushing his pants out of her way.

“Yes, and it was intended to be done discreetly. So, if you don’t mind, can this meeting be our little secret?” Inuyasha asked, cocking a brow.

“I’ve been told I’m horrible at keeping secrets.” He admitted without remorse. Kagome laughed as Inuyasha pinched his lips into a flat line.

“Wonderful. Something we should have covered first, I suppose.” He sarcastically stated, raising to a stand as he swiped his hands through his hair, heading to wait with the knights.

“Well, since you’re so chatty now, would you mind telling me your name?” Kagome asked, soaking a cotton pad in a cleansing salve. “I think it’s only fair since you know so much about us.”

“It’s Shippo, Your Highness.”

“Please, just call me Kagome.”

“I wont get into trouble?” He questioned softly.

“Believe me, there are very few people who I insist respectfully address me as royalty, and they’re usually complete jerks who deserve to be taken down a peg or two.” She smirked. “Otherwise, I just prefer my name. Especially if we’re friends. This may sting a little, Shippo. Are you ready?”

The little boy nodded, apprehension returning to crease at his brow, but he took it bravely, hardly flinching as Kagome carefully cleaned his wound and the stained blood around it, gently blowing to calm whatever burn lingered. She applied ointment next, using a generous amount to coat the wound nicely before she wrapped it securely in bandages.

“There you are.” Kagome smiled sweetly, allowing him to lift his ankle to assess the wrappings. “I would recommend you stay off of it for a couple of days. And, keep it clean. You don’t want an infection.”

“Don’t worry, Kagome!” He beamed appreciatively as he lowered his pant leg. “The lady of our house takes real good care of us when we get hurt!”

“Speaking of which, where do you live? What were you doing in the forest?”

“Exploring. I didn’t see the trap. I - um - went further than I’m allowed to go,” Shippo admitted sheepishly. “But I live in the town a little ways behind those woods.”

“Someone must be awfully worried about you.” Kagome sighed, ruffling his copper hair. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

She heard a long, steady inhale from behind, and knew full and well exactly who it came from. In addition, she knew exactly what that breath meant. She knew the exact expression Inuyasha was wearing. She knew the exact, tense body language he was presenting and attempting to ease with sympathy. And, she knew exactly what he was about to say as she rose to stand, turning to meet his gaze.

“Kagome, you have to stay here. Miroku and I will take him home.” He said, ember eyes vibrant with the sun peeking through the roaming clouds.

“No.” She tried.

“Yes.” He countered steadily.

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.” Kagome whined that time, her shoulders slumping as she gave into her inadvertent pout. Inuyasha chuckled, moving forward to lovingly cup her cheeks in his hands.

“You know better. If we haven’t checked out a place beforehand, you can’t go. Your safety is the most important thing to me, my love.”

“You only call me that when you’re trying to avoid being in trouble.” Kagome moped, leaning into his hold.

“Is it working?” Inuyasha grinned.

“No.”

“How about this: If we deem it safe enough, I’ll come back to get you and we’ll find something to eat there.”

Kagome perked up, brown eyes alight at the thought of food, nodding in agreement as her prince chuckled again.

“Thought so.” Inuyasha remarked, kissing her forehead. With a shrug, he went to remove his coat, which was what usually tipped off the masses of him having a high status, handing it over to Kagome. From the side, Miroku began to do the same, the both of them removing their swords as well - leaving them with just the knives concealed within their boots. Now, they looked almost ordinary, donned in black Bastian shirts tucked into their white pants, and black boots.

“Wait, was eating soon not already the plan?” Kagome quirked as he gave her belly a little rub before stepping over to pick up Shippo.

“Ready to go?”

“Was - was that not the plan?” She tried again as amusement caused his grin to grow wide - though he clearly attempted to hide it.

“I’ll be back, princess.” He said, avoiding her audacious glare. “Let’s go, Miroku.”

“Coming.” The aide snickered, jogging over, giving Kagome’s belly a playful rub, then hastily catching up to the prince as her expression was redirected toward him.

“Goodbye, Kagome! Thank you for bandaging me up!” Shippo called, waving from his new seat atop Inuyasha’s shoulders.

She gave a meager wave to the boy, breathing out defeatedly as Koga and Sango approached at her sides.

“There’s a quarter demon child growing inside of me, and he made eating seem conditional.” Kagome said.

“I’m going to be surprised if he survives this.” Koga mentioned forwardly.

“Me too.” She agreed as Sango laughed.

—

“So, did I hear correctly? Your name is Shippo?” Inuyasha asked, securely holding the boy by his thighs so as to not agitate his injury. The child’s small hands were lightly placed on the sides of the prince’s head, just below his ears.

“You did.” He confirmed brightly.

“Well, Shippo, am I going in the right direction? You’ll have to lead us.” The prince said, though it wasn’t all that true. Once they'd passed a certain point of shrubbery in the forest, he’d begun to smell the life of a town nearby. He just wanted to give the boy the authority, knowing it usually boosted a child’s confidence, and he figured there was no harm in which since Shippo had had a bit of a rough time earlier.

“I think so.” Shippo said, almost unsurely. He hadn’t been this far out alone before, but he could detect the scent of dinners being made in homes a little further off, so he relied on that sense. “Maybe a little to the left passed that tree.”

Inuyasha chuckled softly, doing as he said.

“Why did you guys take off your jackets and swords? If you told the princess you’re worried about unexpected danger, isn’t heading off without your swords kind of, I don’t know, the opposite of what you should do?”

Miroku laughed, “If a knight only relied on his weapon, he’d be useless.”

“Aside from that,” Inuyasha spoke. “I mentioned we’d wanted to stay under the radar. The more casual we look, the better.”

“No one around here has a carriage. Not like yours, at least. If you thought your clothes were the only dead giveaway, think again.” Shippo slighted.

“No one around here will see the carriage.” Inuyasha retorted.

“Oh, good point.”

“Think you can hold onto this secret of ours? At least until we leave?”

“How long will that be?” Shippo inquired innocently.

“How long can you go?” Inuyasha laughed.

“Five minutes?” He asked more than stated.

“So much for bringing Kagome through for food.” Miroku chuckled, causing Inuyasha to grimace nervously at his fate.

“Oh! When I left to explore, Kikyo was making banana bread! It should be done by now; I’m sure she’d be more than happy to send you off with some! The princess will love it!”

Inuyasha and Miroku both perked, slowly turning to look at each other with peculiar, suspicious expressions. Slowly, the two began shaking their heads to dismiss the incredulous idea, silently mouthing, “No” back and forth to each other from the total disbelief.

“Is - uh - is Kikyo your mother?” Miroku asked.

“No, I don’t have a mother.” Shippo shook his head. “Kikyo’s the lady of the house. She brings in those who have been orphaned and takes good care of us! There’s five children living there right now. I’m the only boy, so that obviously makes me the man of the house.”

“And, has Kikyo always been part of your town?” Inuyasha questioned.

“I don’t know, I’m only six.” The boy shrugged, his attention diverting as he slightly bounced atop the prince’s shoulders. “Oh, I know where we are! Take a left at that broken tree and we’ll be able to see everything!”

Sure enough, just down the slope of the hill they stood on came the sight of a small, homely town. The streets were paved with cobblestone, houses in stable structure, closely knit together with little fenced yards, expanding out into the distant countryside where farmers grew their crops. It seemed to be a thriving community; wholesome and beautiful.

Carefully, they made their way down, and Inuyasha gave a gentle reminder to Shippo to keep their secret to the best of his abilities. The boy gave an enthusiastic nod, gesturing that he’d zipped his mouth shut, which all but disappeared the moment a woman waved to the young child and he shouted a boisterous greeting back at her.

“Who are your friends? I’ve never seen you lot around here.” She mentioned with a grin. Inuyasha sucked in an anticipating breath, holding it as he tensed, and he could tell Shippo easily almost slipped his tongue.

“Oh, this is -“ He froze, correcting himself. “Actually, I don’t know who they are. They just helped me get back here. I had a bit of an accident.”

“I’m Miroku.” Inuyasha’s aide friendly offered with a slight bow of his head, keeping the suspicion from the woman to a minimum. He pointed to Inuyasha with his thumb, “This is my friend, Koga. We were passing through when we found the little guy and thought it best to see him home.”

Inuyasha almost deadpanned, catching himself before it was made obvious. For the past six years, whenever they played incognito, which really wasn’t all that often, that was the name he was forced to go by. He honestly shouldn’t be surprised anymore, but he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever live that moment in his life down. Miroku gave him a smug grin, waving goodbye to the lady as she commented on their kindness and let them be on their way.

“Take a right at that street and it’ll be the third house on the left. With the vegetable garden out front.” Shippo guided as they carried on.

The smell of food was alight in the district, fires burning in stoves, vegetables being diced. They passed a little bar on their way and Inuyasha crinkled his nose at the harsh aroma of hard liquor fuming through the cracks of the door, the sound of clinking glasses and intoxicated laughter meeting his sensitive ears. The town seemed, for the most part, safe from what he could tell; lively, the streets still inhabiting plenty of people as they walked with groceries or finished up their days. A group of teen girls stared, whispering to each other in a small huddle, and as the two men turned their heads, noticing them, the girls shyly waved, giggling madly and ducking their heads to hide their blushes.

“Ah, I’ve still got it.” Miroku remarked proudly, waving back at them.

“Got what?” Shippo asked, naive.

“Charm, good looks -“

“A big ego.” Inuyasha interjected, chuckling.

“Yikes.” Miroku responded semi-dramatically, laughing.

The fence outside Shippo’s house was modest and homemade, each wooden post sized differently, uneven, and some standing just slightly crooked, all of which was secured together with some sturdy rope to divide their property from their neighbors’. Inuyasha couldn’t help but smile at the humble allure of it all. From the outside, the house seemed quaint and spacious. He couldn’t give fair judgement just yet, but he sensed, overall, orphans had a good home, a good opportunity here.

“Just go on in; it’s open.” Shippo welcomed, resting his chin atop Inuyasha’s head.

Respectfully, Inuyasha gave a couple sturdy knocks before twisting the doorknob to walk through. The scent of baking bread from outside was wonderful, but his nose was delighted at how powerful the aroma became just in the entryway. Along with that, there was food cooking. Plenty of it. There was slight chatter from distant rooms, rustic decor, and beneath it all lingered a very, very faint yet familiar scent.

Small feet pattered along the floor in their direction, a young girl looking to be about ten years old appearing in the open doorway at the far, left corner of the entry room, a well-used apron tied around her waist to protect her overdress. A small smile on her lips welcomed them, her eyes traveling over them as she quietly inspected the two strangers before her expression faltered at the sight of Shippo on Inuyasha’s shoulders.

“Shippo, there you are. Where have you been? You know you’re not supposed to be gone for so long, no less on your own. Kikyo was about to head out searching for you.” She spoke, half lecturing - half concerned.

“I didn’t mean to.” Shippo defended. “I - uh - had a bit of an accident. But, some new friends helped me and brought me back.”

Inuyasha raised the small boy over his head, carefully holding him in his arms as he kneeled down before the girl. “He actually got snagged in a hunting trap. Poor guy didn’t see the damned thing, and his leg got caught. We got him fixed up, but he needs to stay off of it for a little while.”

Her eyes widened in shock, a worried expression taking over as she looked at the small boy. “Are you okay? Does it hurt?”

“A little, but I’m perfectly fine. I hardly cried.” Shippo boasted with a prideful shrug, bringing Inuyasha and Miroku to glance at each other with muffled amusement.

“Yeah, sure, I believe that.” The girl rolled her eyes. “Lucky these men were around to help. Thank you so much,” She said, turning her attention to Inuyasha. “He wasn’t too much trouble, was he?”

“I get hurt and I’m the one that’s trouble.” Shippo mumbled beneath his breath.

“Not at all.” Inuyasha chuckled. “We were happy to help.”

“Accidents happen all the time. It’s good that we were around when it occurred.” Miroku added. “Who knows how long he would have been stuck there until someone found him.”

“We can’t thank you enough.” She smiled, moving to take Shippo from Inuyasha’s gentle hold. “Can I get you something in return? A glass of water for your journey back from where you came from? Food? I’m afraid dinner isn’t done yet, but we have baked goods. I made cookies from scratch!”

“Don’t eat those.” Shippo murmured, shaking his head at the prince.

“Don’t listen to him.”

“No, don’t worry about it. You owe us nothing.” He grinned crookedly, still kneeling before her. There was a tingle in his stomach, his senses, his mind still focusing on that tiny, recognizable scent. There was no way he could leave here until he investigated it, and the thought had that nervous jitter unraveling his abdomen all at once. “If - if it’s not too much to ask, may I meet this Kikyo? Just to let her know, myself, what happened.”

“Of course.” The girl smiled happily, leading them off. “She’s in the kitchen. This way.”

Inuyasha regarded his aide with an anxious twitch at the corner of his lips, knowing Miroku would read his body language perfectly clear. The knight, in turn, responded with a slight shrug of his brow communicating his anticipation, and then followed behind the prince.

“Shippo’s back!” The little girl announced as they entered the decently-sized kitchen, carrying him around the counter to personally present the child to Kikyo.

Her back was to the men, her long, straight, black hair secured in a low ponytail, standing at the far counter as she immediately stopped chopping potatoes to acknowledge the children beside her. As she turned, concerned expression deep, crouching down to inspect the little boy’s condition, Inuyasha took in her profile, smiling warmly and sighing out in relief. After all these years, it was so good to finally know she was okay. Healthy. Alive.

“What in the world happened?” Kikyo asked exasperatedly.

“Heh,” Shippo had never looked more nervous. “Don’t be mad, okay?”

Kikyo snickered in return, “Don’t give me a reason to be mad, okay?” She countered, grinning daringly while cocking her head to the side as she waited for an explanation. Same, old attitude.

“Well - um - long story short, I was out exploring and got my leg stuck in a hunting trap. I was rescued, bandaged, and escorted home by - um - them.” Shippo sheepishly pointed to Inuyasha and Miroku.

Kikyo’s gaze followed the boy’s direction, instantly landing on the men in the kitchen entryway. Silver hair and dog ears, a dark, Bastian shirt revealing a portion of chest where a gold chain just barely peeked through, amber eyes that regarded her kindly, a casual manner to his posture as he leaned against the wall frame, and a familiar guard who overlooked the scene next to him. Her chest grew heavy, at first sending her nerves alight but then the weight turning into something wonderful and nostalgic, as it dawned on her who the boy’s rescuers were. Her lips slowly parted but her breath was held captive, and she couldn’t stop herself from rising to a stand, facing the prince fully, finally sighing out as she smiled at him.

“Well, well. Look who it is.” Kikyo all but whispered.

“It’s been a while.” Inuyasha greeted, giving a little cock of his head.

“It certainly has.”

“Do you know each other?” The little girl holding Shippo asked, expression muddled with perplexity.

With an unsettled and breathy chuckle, Kikyo looked down at her from the side. “We’ve met once before.”

“Wait,” Shippo started, almost assertively, the hint of surprise on his tongue. “Kikyo, you know him?”

“I do.” She replied with amusement.

“You know who he is!?”

She bent down, facing him, hands braced on her knees as she smiled. “Do you know who he is?”

“Do you!?” The boy’s green eyes almost popped out of his head, his voice cracking from shock.

“I’ll tell you what,” Kikyo laughed, almost hanging her head in defeat. “If you two go upstairs and remain there until I call you down for dinner, before bed I’ll tell you a story of a girl he and I used to know. It’ll be so thrilling you’ll hardly be able to tell if it’s real or not.”

“But, who is he?” The girl asked her.

“What fun is it if I spoil anything now?” Kikyo countered. The two children gasped, jaws dropping as the girl scampered to take them from the kitchen in excitement. “And, keep the others from coming down too, please! No interruptions or no story!”

They listened as little feet stomped up the stairs, disappearing around the bend and bringing everything to a quiet. Miroku gave a kind nod to Kikyo, a pleasant curve to his lips as he tapped Inuyasha’s arm with the back of his hand. “I’m going to check out the surrounding area. Make sure we’re clear. I’ll be outside.”

The prince nodded, dismissing him as he and Kikyo were left alone. Steadily, she removed her apron, wiping her hands clean with it before bunching it up and leaving it on the nearby counter. Her overdress, a deep, plum color that contrasted nicely against her pale skin, was mostly clean aside from a couple flour stains on the bodice.

“Did you - are you traveling…” Kikyo inhaled anxiously, a barely noticeable tremble in her breath. “Is it just the two of you?”

“No one I’m with will disturb your peace, I promise. I would never stick around to compromise that.” The prince assured, standing up straight. “It’s good to see you, Kikyo.”

Her smile won over as she let down her guard, walking over to Inuyasha and pulling him into a tight hug, his arms wrapping tight around her waist. “I can’t believe it! I never thought I’d see you again!”

“Me neither! I’m just glad to know you’ve made a life for yourself! Is it everything you wanted?”

“Yes.” She breathed, and he could catch the hint of satisfaction on her tongue. Kikyo released him, stepping back and meeting his eyes. “I never had much of a plan. My only goal was to get away, start fresh, be common. I’ll admit, it was tricky in the beginning and for quite some time after that. But, I figured it out. I found a purpose. I make ends meet just like every other townsperson, and I care for little ones who deserve a fighting chance in this world. So, yes. It is. It’s hard, but it’s worth it.”

“You’ve been safe?”

“Turns out, I can fend for myself quite nicely. And, I still have the knife your aide gave me all those years ago.”

“I hope you’ve never had to use it.”

“Actually no, but I did punch a guy straight in the nose one time. I felt like you’d have been proud of me if you’d seen the bloody mess.” She stated with a humble shrug.

Inuyasha laughed, nodding in agreement. “I’m honestly surprised you aren’t going by an alias. When Shippo mentioned your name, Miroku and I almost didn’t believe it could have been you.”

“I told you long ago, prince. I would run until my face was unrecognizable and my name meant nothing. Here, Kikyo is my only identity.”

His smile was warm. Grateful even. Her brown eyes shined of a joy he’d never seen before; never had an opportunity to see before. He was genuinely happy for her.

“And, what of my horse?” He inquired playfully.

“Did you mean my horse?” Kikyo giggled. “She’s out back in her stable. You may see her when we’re done talking. You must catch me up! What are you doing all the way out here in the first place?”

“Business. Had to show face at a coronation since my brother has been preoccupied. We were actually on our way home.”

“Preoccupied? No, never mind. That’s none of my business. My father,” She hesitated. “Do you know what’s become of him? Is he okay?”

The prince sucked in a tedious breath, hardly able to hide the way he pinched his lips into a straight line, golden eyes falling downward.

“Oh,” She said with bated breath. “He’s who’s preoccupying King Sesshomaru.”

“We don’t have to talk about that.”

“No, it’s fine.” Kikyo insisted. “It’s not like I don’t know who my father is. Is he - has he gotten worse?”

“We’ve almost gone to war already.” Inuyasha admitted, his voice dropping to a gruff level, almost wanting to protect her from this news. Truth was, King Onigumo needed to be removed from the thrown, and unless he did an abrupt about face and learned benevolence, with the way things were headed, it may potentially happen. By force. It was something Sesshomaru and Kagura were working tirelessly to avoid, and Onigumo gave way here and there - he wasn’t completely obstinate. The last threat for violence was over a year ago, and things have calmed down considerably since. Nonetheless, Sesshomaru’s patience was running thin.

“Figures.” She eventually said, shaking her head in reply. Kikyo was mindful to subtly change the subject, understanding that he was right and they shouldn’t talk about this sort of thing. She sighed out, “And you, prince? Are you happy?”

“You have no idea.” He smirked.

Her eyes drifted over him, taking in his same, tousled hair, his healthy glow, his broad physique, the way he somehow seemed more muscular than before, and stopped at the silver ring on his left hand. Stunted, Kikyo’s gaze shot back up to his for a moment before she stepped forward and grasped his hand, carefully analyzing the band on his ring finger.

Inuyasha’s smile grew wide, chuckling when she stared at him with an expectant look.

“Is it…”

“Would you like to meet her?”

—

Inuyasha came out of the shrubbery with Miroku on his heel, the pleasant sound of content and eating horses meeting his ears. He glanced around, his strong instincts always wanting to lay eyes on his wife before allowing him to move forward, and when he didn’t immediately spot her, a frown marred his lips. Two knights stood to the side, always ready for whatever, and Koga rested carelessly on top of the carriage, hardly regarding the prince’s return. Without even opening his eyes, he pointed with his thumb in the direction on the opposite side of the carriage. Miroku stayed behind, allowing the prince to venture forward in search of his person.

He stepped off the road and into more woodland, following the sweet scent he recognized as home until he saw her sitting in a small clearing, her back resting along a tree trunk. Sango, always near her, turned to see him, acknowledging him silently before dismissing herself and leaving them in privacy. Just as he preferred.

“There you are.” He hummed, approaching before her, and as she opened her eyes to see him, the most beautiful smile appeared on her face. Inuyasha sighed out deeply as he dropped down, sitting beside her, and she leaned into his arm, resting her cheek on his shoulder. “How are you feeling?”

“You ask that so often.” Kagome giggled, nestling closer.

“To be fair, it changes frequently.” He joked, flinching slightly as she playfully swatted his chest.

“I’m fine, butt head.”

“No nausea?”

“Not lately.”

“Tired?”

“Always.”

“Hungry?”

“Always.”

“Annoyed?”

“Getting there.”

Inuyasha laughed, kissing the top of her head as she gently caressed her fingers over the material of the pants on his thigh.

“You were gone for a while.” Kagome spoke softly. “Was it far?”

“Not really,” Inuyasha responded just as gently, enjoying the attention he was receiving. “I had stopped to talk to someone. I didn’t mean to make you wait.”

“Oh, I don’t mind.” Somehow, her voice became even quieter, hushed as ever but still conveying her honesty. “If it’s for you, I’d wait forever.”

Inuyasha’s core warmed wonderfully, bringing him to kiss her head again in adoration. He wanted to bask in her sentiment, fully comforted by her fingers roaming over his thigh and her body heat soaking through his shirt. He’d never have his fill of this woman.

“There’s a couple things I wanted to run over with you, if that’s alright.”

“Oh?” Kagome perked, sitting up to look at him, her hand traveling up to his forearm to graze.

“Yes. Shippo mentioned a lady of the house to you, do you recall?”

“Mhm.” She hummed with a single nod.

“Well, turns out he’s an orphan. The lady of the house is the caretaker of a small orphanage of sorts. She’s who I was talking to.” Inuyasha explained, observing as Kagome’s expression slightly faltered.

She was aware Rin came from a horrible orphanage. In the recent years, she’s been a personal witness to her health struggles from the environment she was saved from, and has seen firsthand how the fear and stress of it all weighs on her parents, on her uncle. How during a very bad episode, Kagome found Inuyasha in a room hidden away in a library, his face buried in his hands.

The prince’s brows furrowed minutely, his body slowly and steadily turning more to face his wife. “You’re upset.”

“Is it a good place?” She quietly asked, expression twisting in concern.

He soothed her, a small sigh leaving his mouth, gently stroking her cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Yes. It is, yes. It’s stable, it’s not crowded at all, and everyone’s well-nourished. I swear. That’s not what I intended to make you think about. You’re too compassionate for your own good, did you know that?”

“Oh, like you didn’t immediately worry about the same thing when you found out he was an orphan?” Kagome challenged, her mood lightening a bit after receiving his reassurance.

“No, you’re right. It’s impossible not to, I guess, from our perspective.” Inuyasha said. “He really is in good care. Turns out, the lady is an old friend. And, if you’re up for a little walk, I’d like for you to meet her.”

A smile began to grow on her face as her brows expressed her piquing interest. “Who?”

“Kikyo.”

Inuyasha watched Kagome’s bemusement deepen, her face twisting dramatically as she processed the two syllables he’d spoken.

“Yes, you heard me right.” He confirmed.

“Kikyo?” She echoed.

“Yes.”

“The Kikyo?”

“The only one I, personally, know.”

“The runaway princess?”

“That’s the one.”

“The Kikyo who called you a nit-witted mongrel?”

“Hah, that was a good one.” He laughed, forgetting he’d told her nearly every detail of how they’d fought to dismember the marriage arrangement. “How do you remember that?”

“I remember everything.” She stated simply. “But -“

“Yes!”

“Wow.”

“I know.”

“Alright, well we should get going.” Kagome said with a nonchalant shrug, shifting slightly to her side to push herself up to a standing with her hand.

Inuyasha jumped up, grabbing her arms to help. “Wait, so you’re okay with this? You’re alright with a little walk?”

“First of all, you’re too protective for your own good, did you know that?” She teased. “Second, I’m not that far along. I can still see my toes and everything. I’m perfectly fine with walking.”

Inuyasha pressed his mouth shut to stifle his laughter. “And, what about meeting her?”

“Oh, well you never asked me about that before. You told me you wanted me to meet her, and knowing you, she’s probably already expecting me. But, now that you’re asking, I don’t mind.” Kagome shrugged again, a smug grin on her face that only served to egg Inuyasha on.

“Oh, you don’t mind?” He echoed casually, stepping inward as his hands glided over her waist.

“I don’t mind.” She repeated.

“Not one bit?”

“Well,” Kagome clicked her tongue, pursing her lips as she pretended to put more thought into it, her palms smoothing over Inuyasha’s chest to wrap around his shoulders. “I can honestly say it’s always been high on my list to meet your ex-fiancee. Now that I have the opportunity, how could I possibly pass it up?”

“Why you cheeky, little - are you jealous?”

“Me?”

“Mhm.”

“Jealous?”

Inuyasha chuckled, leaning down to brush her jawline with a sweet kiss, knowing all too well that she was joking with him, and as he felt her smile push at her cheeks, he traveled down to nip at her neck.

“Not if you keep doing that.” She breathed.

“If I keep doing this,” Inuyasha spoke huskily against her skin, pausing his sentence to pepper more kisses. “We’ll never get there.”

Kagome giggled, waiting patiently for Inuyasha’s lips to make their way to her own, his kiss soft, grounding, heart-sputtering.

“But really, Kagome.”

She rubbed their noses together, giving him one last, delicate kiss. “Lead the way.”

As they reached the bottom of the hill, Kagome was a laughing mess, her flats practically having held no traction as she slid every two steps the entire way down, causing Inuyasha to be a nervous train wreck attempting to keep her up. She slipped to her butt, his grip on her hands the only thing preventing her from crashing down hard, and he crouched down in front of her, heaving a heated and defeated huff. The prince grabbed her cheeks between his palms, bringing her to giggle harder as his frustrated expression worsened.

“You’re going to be the death of me, woman!”

“This isn’t my fault at all!” Kagome feebly argued.

“I don’t see why you didn’t just carry her down.” Koga mentioned, both Miroku and Sango staring humorously at his sides.

“She won’t let me carry her anymore!” Inuyasha defended, standing and holding his hand out for her, lifting her to her feet.

“It’s not comfortable with a belly.” Kagome explained, pointing to her swell. “And, I hate being carried like some dainty thing.”

“You’re being carried back up.” Inuyasha declared, making her snort with another laugh.

“Okay, yeah, that’s fair.”

“Come on, the sun is setting.” Miroku urged kindly. They’d left the two other knights to watch over their belongings, but had to bring Koga in case anything out of the ordinary occurred. The detailed reminder was unnecessary, especially since he knew Kagome wasn’t fond of being doted on, but just like the prince, as princess, she was to be protected well. As princess with child, she was almost never to be left alone. Worst case scenario, some bandits stumbled upon their carriage out on the road, understood it meant royals were about, and hid in the trees until they returned. If they were wandering back through the woods in the dark, their defense was lower than normal. Granted, Koga and Inuyasha would sense anyone around, but it still made things a degree more difficult. Realistically, the chances of any of that happening were slim, but not altogether impossible. Hence the reason they were well-guarded, and all scenarios were to be considered. Not to mention, the prince was naturally protective of her, the instinct kicking into high gear the moment he found out she was pregnant, and his orders were very clear from day one. Kagome is never to be put in a compromising position.

Inuyasha entwined his fingers with his princess’s, keeping her close to his frame as he led her and the others through the town, the warm hues of the sky complimenting the colors of the homes nicely. There were still people out; not as many as before, but the life had yet to fully filter indoors. Unsurprisingly, heads were turning. It was one thing when two strangers were walking through, but now there were five - one of which who didn’t really have the option to strip off a layer of clothing to appear more casual. Being of common blood, though, Kagome had a tendency to not even tense in situations like these, hardly paying it any mind.

He gave three curt knocks to the door, waiting respectfully as he heard two little feet running toward them from inside. The child seemed small, the doorknob jiggling roughly back and forth a few times before actually succeeding in opening to reveal that his assumption was right on the money. She was shorter than where the knob sat, and it was clear to see she’d struggled to twist it open with how tiny her hands were. Her eyes, though, were alight with wonder, the hollow of her throat emphasized with the steady gasp she sucked in.

The girl backed out of their way to let them enter, her sights trained on them as her cheeks beamed with color. As the group walked through, Sango shutting the door behind them, they all spotted a line of four other children peaking through the wooden railing of the staircase bannister. Their expressions matched the little girl’s, and both Kagome and Inuyasha laughed lightly.

“I suppose our five minutes were up long ago, huh?” Inuyasha asked, spotting Shippo in the middle of them.

“I did my best, your highness. Really, I did.” He said, unconvincingly.

“How’s your leg feeling?” Kagome inquired, notching her head to see him through the crack in the railing.

“Never better!”

“I believe I told you all to wash up. Not gawk and stare.” A woman playfully chided, cocking a brow as she watched them all scurry upstairs to do as she said, giggling madly all the way. The oldest of the bunch had picked Shippo up so he wouldn’t get hurt, scampering away behind the rest.

Her gaze transferred to the group in the entry, a welcoming smile resting on her face. “Are you all hungry? There’s plenty of food.” She offered, leading the way into the kitchen.

At first, Kagome could admit she was highly intimidated by the woman before her. By Kikyo. She was breathtakingly beautiful, her fair skin tone unblemished, her hair long and silky and dark as night, her posture still poised and fit to hold a crown steady atop her head. She, for one, was born into royalty. She knew the ins and outs of being a proper princess, of how to balance what was expected of her, and surely how to be graceful. The entire way, she wondered if Kikyo would secretly judge her on her etiquette if she stammered or acted informally in the least, having been raised to know better as opposed to the merciless educating Kagome was married into. Now, she could see Kikyo, the runaway princess, was no one to worry about. And, the offer of sustenance helped ease her mind drastically - no less since the heavenly smell of the home was almost making the poor princess drool.

“Oh, I like her already.” Kagome whispered to Inuyasha, rubbing her belly soothingly as it rumbled. He chuckled, gripping her hand tighter as he turned to plant a quick kiss on her temple before guiding her forward.

Miroku and Koga stayed by the door - precautionary purposes, of course - but Sango followed behind the royals, leaving space but keeping watch. Just as before, Kikyo removed the apron she’d put back on, wiping her hands clean on it before bunching it up and dropping it on the counter, smoothing out any wrinkles in her dress.

“You must be Kagome.” She deduced, her tone level and kind. “I’m Kikyo.”

“The ex-fiancee.” Inuyasha teased.

“Ew.” Kikyo reacted automatically with a cringe. Inuyasha wheezed a laugh, flinching as Kagome lightly jabbed him in the side.

“Don’t mind him.” Kagome dismissed. “I’m sure you remember how funny he thinks he is. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

She chuckled, bowing her head in amusement as she stepped forward to shake the princess’s hand.

“I hope you never run into royalty outside of this, Kikyo, because your manners are awful.” Inuyasha mentioned, eyes alight with humor. Both of the women looked at him, confused until it clicked for Kikyo, her expression shifting to slight astonishment. “I believe you owe us a curtsey.”

“Not on your life.” She responded.

“Please don’t.” Kagome shook her head profusely.

“At least remember if you ever meet one who cares.” Inuyasha contended.

“A woman bows to no man.” She said with a challenging smirk before gesturing to the food-filled counters. “Now eat something and shut it.”

“We can’t stay long, but I would actually like to say hello to my horse first, if you don’t mind.” Inuyasha retorted, bringing the back of Kagome’s hand to his mouth to kiss before letting go and crossing to the back door of the house at the far end of the kitchen.

“My horse!” Kikyo reminded him as he ran out.

“Everything smells amazing.” Kagome commented, looking around at the incredible amount of pastries and goodies around.

“Thank you. We sell baked goods for an income, but we always make more than necessary. Please, help yourself.”

“Oh, no.” She shook her head again. “I couldn’t.”

“You can and you will.” Kikyo insisted. “Go for the chocolate chip first. You’ll love them.”

“Well, who am I to argue?” Kagome gave in with a meek shrug, happily bouncing over to the cookies to grab the large chocolate chip on top.

“Why aren’t your guards coming in? It’s fairly safe here; there’s no need to be formal.”

Kagome let out a groan, her head dropping back as Sango giggled in the doorframe, used to her dramatic gripes about the situation. “Because my dear husband put them on high alert for the next six months, so now wherever we go, they’re like this.”

“Six months?” Kikyo questioned, brows furrowing.

“Well,” Sango spoke. “Six months left, at least. And, really, it’ll only get worse after that.”

“Don’t remind me.” She rolled her eyes, taking a bite of the delicious treat in her hand.

Before Kikyo could ask anything further, the five children flocked in, all of them quiet for the most part but body language screaming of how excited they actually were. Kikyo had made sure to speak to the kids beforehand, forbidding a bombardment of questions she knew they would no doubt ask, threatening to take story time away - and each of them refused to risk that, wanting to hear the tale of how the lady of the house knew a prince.

“All clean?” She asked, her smile quite motherly.

“Yes!” They each answered, four out of five holding up their hands for her to see while the eldest held onto Shippo.

“Alright, you know the drill.” The eldest looked at the smallest girl behind her, the one who’d opened the door for them, gesturing out the other end of the kitchen where Kagome assumed the dining room was, taking she and Shippo to the table. The others got out the bowls, and plates, the utensils most likely already set out, waiting in an uniformed line for Kikyo to serve them hearty stew from the pot on the stove with a side of bread.

Inuyasha came back in not too long later, a pleased grin on his mouth, and Kagome could easily read he was ecstatic to have seen his old mare again. Ember eyes immediately landed on her, bringing a comforting heat to wash through her body, and he crossed the kitchen as the last child took food out to the dining room. His large palm instinctively glided over her belly, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, welcoming himself back to her side.

Kikyo no longer needed to ask a thing. The dress concealed her baby bump well, and she’d admit, if nothing had been said to tip her curiosity, and if the rubbing palm didn’t smooth out the creases in Kagome’s dress to reveal the adorable swell, she would have never noticed she was pregnant. It was peaceful, seeing the prince so happy when all she had the opportunity to know from him was sarcasm and angst. It was wonderful to know her friend had gotten the life he’d so desperately wanted. Deserved. Kikyo breathed complacently, filling extra bowls with food to hand to her guests.

—

The silver hair she stroked was soft, thick, the tips of her fingers massaging her husband’s scalp as he rested his head on her chest. They were back in their carriage, strolling through the darkness to make up for a little lost time before finding a place to sleep for the night. Instead of the couple sitting on opposite sides, Inuyasha had wanted to hold her, waiting until they’d gotten moving again before he curled his finger and urged her toward him. Happily, Kagome obliged. Kagome would always oblige. She’d sat beside him, but her legs went over his lap, her back resting against the carriage wall as his arms wrapped around her waist, nestling his head just below her chin. Whenever he did that, he always released the most satisfied sighs, and his body was always wonderfully hot, the heat gracing her flesh by soaking through both of their clothing.

“Sometimes, like today,” He spoke softly, his voice low and husky, doing something to her that she couldn’t put words to. “I’m reminded of how different life could have turned out.”

“You don’t have to think about that, though.” Kagome soothed, kissing his head as her fingers gently stroked one of his ears from base to tip.

“No. It’s important that I do.”

“Why?”

“Because, Kagome,” She could have sworn she felt his face grow hotter against the bare skin of her chest, but the proof couldn’t be seen with how they cuddled. “I almost didn’t have you.”

“But, you do.” She whispered in a simple manner.

“And, I’m grateful.”

“Oh, are you?” Kagome half teased.

“You just like hearing it.” He chuckled lightly.

“So,” She breathed, nuzzling her nose into his hair. “You’re happy?”

Inuyasha sucked in a tedious inhale, one of his hands bracing him to sit up slightly as the other traveled up to caress her cheek. His amber eyes met her gorgeous brown, the light from the moon and stars filtering through a crack in the curtains and bringing an enchanting glow to her features. He felt his own expression soften as he broke, completely enraptured, leaning in to lightly press his lips to hers. Kagome melted into his kiss, and he could feel her own conviction, causing his lungs to tremble as he curved his fingers around the nape of her neck, solidifying their position for just a moment longer. As he slowly broke away, he relished in the heat of her sigh, rubbing his forehead to her own as he gave his answer in a gentle nod. Without another word, he carefully curled back into her, his arms once more around her waist and head resting safely along her chest, listening contentedly to the rhythm of her heartbeat.

#enchanted #inuyasha #kagome #kagome higurashi #inukag #koga #miroku #sango #kikyo #inuyasha fanfiction #inuyasha fanfic #inuyasha fic #inukag fanfiction #inukag fanfic #inukag fic #Inuyasha au #royal au #my writing #akitokihojo

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vampiregirl1797 · 4 years

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When You Need a Shoulder to Sleep On

Spencer Reid x Wife Reader

GIF Not Mine

Summary: When you return back to work as a profiler with the BAU after being gone for maternity leave, the job is harder than it used to be, being as you’re functioning on little to no sleep and no caffeine. Lucky for you, you have your wonderful husband, Spencer, and your family at the BAU to support you.

Word Count: 2,642

Click Here For Masterlist

It had been fourteen months since I’d had a cup of coffee. While I’d been pregnant, ironically enough I hadn’t noticed the absence of the heavenly hot beverage. But now I was returning to work and functioning on less than three hours sleep? Yeah, I was exhausted. Spencer, my wonderful, loving husband and doting father, bless his soul, had even less sleep. He tended to sleep light anyway, and since the baby had arrived he’s been a little... protective. So it was routine for us both to attend to little baby Gideon Derek together, as neither of us were able to think about sleep until we knew the baby was back down.

The difference of course was that I was functioning with no caffeinated stimulants to keep my brain working, while Spencer was on his third cup of heavenly goodness since we’d arrived at the Bureau. Which of course meant that I was barely functioning at all.

‘Denise Hernandez was found murdered in her apartment a week ago. She was discovered by her landlord three days later when he went to check on her, after another tenant had voiced their concern.’ Garcia said, the beeping of her pressing the buttons on her beepy echoing throughout the room, ‘there were no signs of sexual assault and the body was in her bed and she was tucked in underneath her own duvet.’

I blinked, trying to force some energy into my body as I flipped open the file in front of me, detailing the murder Garcia was narrating.

‘The unsub wrapped her in plastic underneath the covers to prevent her blood from sleeping through the fabric.’ I voiced aloud as I read it in the report, ‘that indicates that the way he leaves her behind is important to him.’

‘That’s true, before the covers were removed she looks asleep.’ Rossi agreed, flicking through the photographs in his own file.

‘If that’s the case it’s interesting he doesn’t chose a less gruesome method of murder. If the charade of the victim appearing asleep is so important to him, why go through the trouble of stabbing her twelve times?’ Tara added, taking a sip of her coffee after she spoke.

I tried not to stare too longingly at the mug, despite knowing that a cup would jolt the energy back into my system.

‘If she didn’t live alone I’d suggest it’s done by way of giving him more time before the murder is discovered. It would be a while before anyone realized she was asleep.’ I said, looking over to the enhanced crime scene photos on the screen. There was something bothering me about the whole picture, I just couldn’t put my finger on it.

‘But since she did live alone it’s more likely that the manner he’s displayed her, as well as the method he’s employed, are both important to him.’ Spencer said, his lips pursed in thought as his eyes quickly moved over the pages in his hand.

The amount of information his beautiful brain could take in, in such little time, still blew me away after all these years. I’d never get tired of his incredible mind, whether it be the facts he knew and eagerly shared, or the way he excitedly took in new information. He was amazing and so sexy.

‘Have there been any other victims?’ Derek asked, his eyes moving from the file in front of him to the colorfully dressed blonde.

‘Yes. Danielle Richmond was discovered in her apartment this morning. She lives alone and according to the M.E. She died yesterday, she was discovered quicker than the last victim as she had plans with a friend who called the cops when she didn’t show up or answer her phone.’ She clicked her beeper three more times, bringing up a picture of Danielle and a few pictures from the crime scene.

‘They look like they could be twins.’ I noted, both had brown eyes, olive complexions, long brown hair and a slender figure, ‘seems like he has a very specific type in terms of victimology. Either he’s working up to killing someone specific in his life that looks like these women, or someone who looks like her has died and triggered these killings.’

‘Those are both things we should keep in mind.’ Prentiss nodded, closing her file, ‘wheels up in ten.’

‘There’s something out of place here.’ I murmured, taking a step back with my arms crossed over my chest

‘What is it?’ Morgan asked, standing next to me and taking in the room as well.

‘I’m not sure...’ I trailed off, my gaze landing on the book next to Danielle’s bed. I walked over and picked it up, reading the title aloud, ‘A book of fairytales. That’s what’s out of place.’

I pulled out my phone and dialed JJ— her and Alvez were at the other crime scene.

‘Hey, Y/N, what’s up?’

‘At your crime scene, are their any novels by the bed?’

‘Hang on,’ she said, there was some shuffling over the receiver as I handed the book I was holding to Morgan, ‘yeah there’s a copy of fairytales. Oh my god.’

Morgan opened the book, he brows lifting in surprise before he turned it around. It was a picture of Snow White dead in her see through coffin, but the victims face had been glued over the cartoon features.

‘Can you bring your book back to the station? I think I know what he’s doing.’ I sighed, hanging up my phone and sliding it into my back pocket.

I smiled as I entered the station, telling Morgan that I’d meet him in the briefing room in a minute after I’d been to the bathroom. Of course he knew I was lying, but he must have sympathized with the dark circles under my eyes because he didn’t call me on it.

I discretely but firmly grasped my husband’s hand and led him down an unpopulated corridor.

‘How are you feeling, honey?’ he asked, pulling me close and rubbing my lower back as I practically melted into his chest. I loved that he didn’t have to ask why I’d commandeered him for a moment alone—I assumed he was used to my clingy behaviour and heightened emotional state when I was so exhausted.

‘I’m feeling drained, Spence.’ I sighed, nuzzling into the cotton of his cardigan and relaxing even further at the scents that emitted from the fabric—softener, his cologne and a faint trace of mint from the shower he’d taken earlier that morning.

‘If you’re too tired, there’s no shame in saying so. Emily, actually everyone, would understand if you needed a quick power nap, honey.’ He kissed my hair, his other hand resting at the bottom of my neck and rubbing the flesh there—he knew I carried a lot of tension in that particular area.

A soft groan fell from my lips as he kneaded the knots out of my flesh, my bones practically melting as he continued.

‘Hmm,’ I murmured, trying to focus, but it was hard when I felt so calm and relaxed to the point of wanting to sleep, ‘no it’s okay, I’m not that bad yet. I promise.’

It was something we’d talked about before I’d returned from maternity leave—he knew my stubbornness often led to me pushing myself too far before the baby, and now I was running on no sleep it was likely to get worse due to my heightened emotions. He proposed that we come up with a deal—if I ever felt too tired, or like I needed a few hours to recuperate then I had to tell him and not push myself too far.

This deal had been proposed after I’d been taking care of our precious baby boy for thirty-six hours straight with no sleep. I’d practically been a zombie when Spence came home from a case and when he’d offered to take the baby so I could get some much needed sleep I’d nearly bitten his head off, insisting I could do it. I’d then promptly burst into tears because I’d snapped at my husband when all he was trying to do was help, and because I was so exhausted and all the emotions chose that moment to break free.

The next day after I’d slept for twelve hours straight, he’d told me it was common for new mothers to feel like they weren’t doing enough and they often felt like they couldn’t ask for help, even from their spouses. The knowledge had soothed me, as had his assurance that I was doing a good job, and that admitting I needed some time for myself was okay. That’s when he’d made me promise to not push it too far, and it now transferred to the field now I was back at work.

‘Okay,’ he kissed my hair again and I lifted my head up, my lips pursed for a kiss. I heard him chuckle lightly before he complied, his lips soft and warm against my own. I sighed, the pleasant zing his lips always inspired shooting through me from my head all the way down to my toes.

‘I love you, Spencer Reid.’ I told him, the sparkle and adoration in his eyes made my heart expand in my chest—it’d been like that for five years now and I didn’t see it ever dissipating.

‘I love you, Y/N Reid.’ He kissed my forehead and we stayed there for a few moments longer, appreciating the quiet tranquility of the moment before we reluctantly agreed to join the team in the briefing room.

‘This unsub is replicating fairytales.’ I said as Morgan opened the book we’d bought back from the crime scene and slid it into the middle of the table so everyone could see.

‘Danielle was the replication of Snow White. After we discovered this, we also found an apple underneath her bed that had been bitten into. It was bagged for evidence and they’re going to try and pull the teeth imprints, but my guess is it’s going to be a match to the victim.’ I pulled out a chair, scooting close enough to Spencer so that I could smell his cologne.

‘Denise’s death is tied to Sleeping Beauty.’ Alvez slid the book he’d bought back next to the other, ‘we found a miniature spindle wheel underneath her bed next to a few drops of what we assume to be the victims blood. We’ve asked the M.E. To see if there are any wounds on Denise’s fingers that look like they could’ve been made on a spindle wheel.’

‘Well this is good, in the sense that we can predict what fairytale the unsub is going to replicate next, but it doesn’t help us with identifying the next victim.’ Tara said, looking over to the clear board at the head of the room, which showcased the crime scene and victim’s pictures.

‘There has to be something, other than appearance, that these women have in common.’ Alvez commented, twirling his pen between his fingers.

‘And you would be correct, newbie.’ I smiled at the nickname— Alvez had been on the team for almost two years now, yet Garcia still called him that, ‘both women were part of a fairytale online reading club.’

‘Are there any other women in the club who look like the first two victims?’ Prentiss asked.

‘Great minds think alike my dear Emily, pictures and addresses of the three women who share similar appearances have been sent to your tablets.’

Our iPad’s beeped before she’d even finished her sentence and we all looked at the pictures, noting their characteristics were eerily similar to Danielle and Denise.

‘We should contact the women to warn them and assign them each a protective detail.’ Spence said as I observed the pictures with my lips pursed, hoping I’d have a brain wave and be able to pinpoint a connection. The Sheriff left the room to assign that responsibility to some uniform officers.

‘We know who he’s likely going after, but we haven’t figured out why or how he’d have a connection to this—.’ I paused a thought echoing through my brain so astoundingly fast that I felt a little light headed, ‘what if the unsub is a partner to one of these girls? And he’s killing them this way because he resents his partner’s love for this and he’s mocking her?’

‘That’s a good idea— maybe one of these girls cheated on him and he’s disparaging her idea of a happy ending?’ Tara added.

‘Garcia, have any of these three women recently gotten divorced?’ Spence asked.

‘Yes, Regina Kingston, the creator of the book club filed for divorce ten days ago. It hasn’t been finalized yet, but the paperwork was finalized and submitted eight days ago.’ Garcia reeled off, her voice coated with realization.

‘That’s the stressor.’ Alvez said as we all begun to stand from around the table.

‘Garcia,’ Emily started but our I.T genius cut her off and assured us his name and home address had been sent to us already.

We all geared up, adding our bullet proof vests and making sure our guns were sufficiently loaded, should they be necessary in his capture. I bit back a yawn as we made our way to the cars—now was not the time to not be one hundred percent focused. We had an unsub to detain, and so I slapped my cheeks a few times during the drive, to make sure I was definitely awake.

Another yawn fell from my mouth; I’d lost count of how many times I’d done so since we’d got on the jet.

‘Woah momma, why are you still awake? I thought you would have dropped off as soon as we got on here.’ Derek commented, his signature smile on his face but the concern in his eyes was just as prominent.

‘I tried, every time I close my eyes I keep seeing flashes of the things I need to do when I get home.’ I sighed, though a small bright smile formed on my face when my husband took a seat next to me.

‘How is little Gideon Derek?’ JJ asked, taking a seat next to Morgan, ‘do you have anymore pictures?’

I grinned, my face lighting up at the mention of our little bundle of joy, ‘I have around a hundred new ones I took before we left for this case.’

I handed her my phone and she scrolled through the images, her smile growing at each new one. Morgan couldn’t help joining in after a while, unable to resist pictures of his godson. I’d caught a glimpse of his home background earlier and I was pretty sure it was the picture JJ had taken of Derek holding the baby for the first time at the hospital. He was a big softie, no matter how hard he tried to appear the opposite.

I was bought out of my thoughts by Spence’s arm wrapping around my shoulders. I cuddled up into his side, eagerly snuggling into his warmth; I took a deep breath, his familiar and comforting scent relaxing me down to my bones. The voices around me became unfocused as I fell further and further into unconsciousness, the endless list of tasks that had been plaguing me before disappearing now that I was in the arms of my husband. I registered was the low vibration of Spence’s voice as he talked to JJ and Morgan, and the feel of his lips as he kissed my hair. The last thought that filtered through my mind before I surrendered to sleep was how lucky I was to have a husband as amazing as Spencer, a son as wonderful as Gideon and a family as incredible as the people that made up the B.A.U.

A/N: This one came to me after I watched the episode where JJ returns after maternity leave and has trouble staying awake without being able to drink caffeine. I kind of like how it turned out, I hope you did too!

#spencer reid #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x you #Criminal Minds

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thezodiaczone · 4 years

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Cancer Compatibility

CANCER + ARIES (MARCH 21 - APRIL 19) Aries is the zodiac's baby (its first sign); Cancer is its matriarch, ruling the fourth house of motherhood, home and family. Is this relationship doomed to be an Oedipal cliche? Not if you temper these traits through steady, conscious self-development. Otherwise, you easily lapse into automatic roles that polarize you into a parent-child (or master-and-servant) dynamic. Aries can be selfish—not maliciously, but in a crude, clueless style that leaves Cancer resentful and dismayed at the Ram's lack of nuance. Cancer knows how to play the nurturing giver, but this delicate sign needs room to be vulnerable, too. Aries loves to be coddled, but Cancer's maternal indulgences will create a spoiled brat or a demanding diva. Besides, while the Crab may have a tough outer shell, the true warrior is Aries, ruled by aggressive Mars. Your differences are many: Aries is a diehard independent and Cancer is a family guy; Aries needs freedom, the Crab's possessive grip clings tight. You'll need to compromise, or else the relationship can turn into a competitive, jealous hotbed. You can both brood with the best of them, and your dark days eclipse even the tiniest sliver of hope. Talk about depressing. Swear off the silent treatment and learn to communicate as two adult equals.

CANCER + TAURUS (APRIL 20 - MAY 20) ♥♥♥♥ Buy those twin rocking chairs and install them on the porch: You're an old-fashioned throwback, high school sweethearts at any age. No two signs are more traditional, sentimental or family-oriented than yours. Although the sweetness can be cloying, you're a love story for the ages. In fact, you may emulate your own parents (or compensate for their shortcomings), since you share a rather conventional moral compass. Affectionate and nurturing, you crave lifelong security and a comfortable home, and you'll squirrel away a sizeable nest egg together. Not that you don't indulge. Your signs both appreciate art, culture, decorating, music and gourmet food. As parents, you're protective but firm, Taurus doling out tough love in your children's best interest, nurturing Cancer kisses every boo-boo. Framed family pictures creep like urban sprawl through your home. At times, Taurus' booming voice and blunt remarks wound the Crab's tender feelings. Like a bull in a Bernardaud shop, Taurus doesn't realize his own size, strength and intensity. Taurus will need to dial down the volcanic energy—intuitive Cancer doesn't need every point driven home. At the same time, Cancer must overcome insecurities and toughen up, since Taurus doesn't mince words or tiptoe through the tulips for anyone. Sure, there will be tears and misunderstandings, but there's nothing that any recipe calling for heavy cream can't solve. You both love pampering and feasts, and if your waistlines expand along with your joy, c'est la vie.

CANCER + GEMINI (MAY 21 - JUNE 20) Cancer is an emotional Water sign who loves to nest and bond; Gemini is a restless Air sign who prefers intellect over sentiment. You have similar interests, different temperaments. In many cases, this works out anyway. You both adore culture, the more obscure the better. You love to discover new bands, read novels by controversial authors, gorge yourselves at the jewel of a restaurant tucked into an undiscovered neighborhood. You bond over TV shows and bargain-hunting for treasures (you both have a thrifty streak). No flea market, tag sale or eBay store is safe from your scouring, and your home can resemble a bizarre gallery of antiques and modern gadgetry. The tricky part is when you lapse into astrological auto-pilot. Cancer is the zodiac's mother, who heaps on affection, nurturing and well-intended care. To Gemini, this can feel like clinginess and smothering. Gemini is the zodiac's fickle tween, waffling between bouts of dependence and asserting autonomy. There will be moments when Gemini greedily laps up Cancer's doting, and others when mama bird is roughly pushed away with a sarcastic, heart-piercing insult. Cancer must work hard not to take these moments personally—otherwise, the Crab lashes back with a below-the-belt barb, and it turns ugly. Remember, Crabcake: it's not you that Gemini is rejecting, it's your overprotection. Get a pet to dote on instead. Gemini needs space, Cancer needs reassurance. Memorize this formula.

CANCER + CANCER (JUNE 21 - JULY 22) To respin the old joke: What do two Cancers bring on a second date? Answer: a U-Haul. Cancer is the zodiac's nester, and you'll quickly set up a home with a fully-stocked kitchen, cozy furniture, a hand-wired sound system and eclectic art. This is a Water sign match that can work out swimmingly. You're both sensitive and nurturing, and you feel safe in each other's thoughtful care. With your love of culture, you may need a separate room for your collection of books, music and film. While you'll create a trove of sentimental memories and a lovely little family, you can become too insular together. Push yourselves to leave the comfy Crabshell and take more risks. You make fine travel companions, especially on trips involving water: surfing in Maui, an Alaskan cruise or skiing in Aspen. Cancer is ruled by the changeable moon, and at times, your fluctuating moods can clash. On bad days, all that emotion under one roof means slammed doors, screamed insults and hours of sulking. Problems also start when you take everything personally, or let your insecurities paralyze you. We know of one Cancer-Cancer couple where the woman proposed to her fiancé—got down on bended knee when she had the flu!—because she got tired of waiting for him to pop the question. Turns out, he had a ring stashed in his sock drawer, but was scared she would say no. Oh brother. Crabs, grow a pair—don't let this happen to you.

CANCER + LEO (JULY 23 - AUGUST 22) Can you say drama? Between Cancer's moods and Leo's ego, you're a camera crew away from being a reality show—the kind that makes you want to change the channel, only you can't leave the crash scene. Harsh but true. Your signs are both needy and bossy, but in different ways. Cancer is insecure and possessive, and this sign's sensitive Water element can quench Fire-sign Leo's excitement. Leo rules the zodiac's fifth house of drama, and suffers from a terminal case of what relationship expert Alison Armstrong calls "center of the universe disease." Cancer is ruled by the fluctuating moon, Leo by the sun. You literally can be as different as night and day. However, your knee-jerk reactions and hair trigger tempers cause the same amount of destruction. So what works about this match? It's packed with passion and romance, something you both adore. Cancer and Leo are heart-driven signs, and emotional highs are your breath of life. For all the crashes, meltdowns and train wrecks this causes, you remain fiercely, enigmatically loyal. Self-awareness is crucial to this relationship's survival. You both need to take responsibility for the drama you're capable of stirring up. In the best cases, you'll meet after you've learned to temper your emotions, or even better, logged a few dedicated years of therapy.

CANCER + VIRGO (AUGUST 23 - SEPTEMBER 22) ♥♥♥♥ This is a couple that can outlast the ages, since you're fast friends and seamless companions. Virgo is the zodiac's helper and Cancer is its nurturer. Your emotional connection is instant, and you're thrilled to meet a kindred soul who knows how to give, not just take. It's a refreshing break from the usual energy vampires you both attract! Your relationship is sweet and storybook-innocent: lots of handholding, sentimental cards, and anniversary baubles. Yet, you're practical, too, stowing away college funds for your yet-to-be-born children, earning advanced degrees, taking out a mortgage. Security is something you both cherish. In a way, you're like parents and partners to one another: you both express love by nagging, fussing and feeding. And it works. A pair of self-professed nerds, you love to cook, decorate, read novels and learn. No matter how much money you earn, you both remain thrifty, too. (Scoring a high-end treasure at a tag sale or an eBay auction is orgasmic.) Your signs are both family oriented, and you make sweet but strict parents who live for your children. Generally, you're close to your own relatives, and you enjoy spending time at family events or hosting holiday gatherings. Keeping the sexy charge alive will take a little effort, though, since you both love to stay home rather than dress up or hit the town. Push yourselves to leave the nest, and socialize with other couples more often.

CANCER + LIBRA (SEPTEMBER 23 - OCTOBER 22) You're a sweet, romantic couple, but not always a perfect match. On the upside, Cancer is ruled by the caring Moon and Libra by romantic Venus, casting a tender glow on this love affair. With your flair for color, style and objets d'art, you could open an interior design business (your home may in fact resemble an Architectural Digest spread). Now, the challenge: Cancer is a deeply emotional Water sign whose moods fluctuate like the tides. Libra is a social Air sign who prefers to happy-dance through the daisies. Between the Crab's fatalism and Libra's denial, nobody has a strong grip on reality. Better keep a few grounded Earth sign friends on speed dial when you lose perspective. Failing that, you'll need to adapt to each other's opposing natures. Like a stone skipping across the water's surface, Libra averts the plunging depths of Cancer's inconsolable undertows and cloying neediness. Yet, avoidance is futile, since it only upsets the Crab to be ignored. Libra should learn that a hug, flowers and an apology (however undeserved) pave the quickest path to peace. Not that Libra doesn't have his own powerful undercurrent: when those scales tips out of balance, he can escalate a minor breakdown into a Code Orange catastrophe. Admit it: you're both big babies at times. For long-term success, find activities you both enjoy: travel, language classes, dancing, dinner parties. You're gracious hosts and culturally literate people with lots to talk about. Get out and savor life together.

CANCER + SCORPIO (OCTOBER 23 - NOVEMBER 21) You're an ideal match, twin Water signs with deeply complementary natures. Highly suspicious and protective of your privacy, neither of you trusts easily. As a result, you intuitively trust each other. The good news is, you've bet on a winning sea-horse. These two signs can mate for life, and the emotional facets of your relationship deepen into an intimacy few couples reach. Romantic and sentimental occasions never go uncelebrated: birthdays, Valentine's Day, the five-month anniversary of the first time you said "I love you." Sex is a sacred, erotic act that can transport you on a one-way trip to Tantra-ville. You feel safe enough together to try anything. The challenge will be breaking the ice, since you both tend to clam up in a red-faced fluster or any icy aloofness around a new love interest. It helps to talk about music, books, films—anything but your feelings. Once you get past the awkward phase, it's smooth sailing. You genuinely enjoy each other's company, and like to do almost everything together. As parents, you're incredibly nurturing and hands-on, and may struggle to cut the cord when your kids reach adolescence. In fact, control is the big challenge for your signs. Jealous and possessive, you know how to avoid your mate's hot buttons—or to push them when you're feeling spiteful. (The Crab pinches and the Scorpion stings; both can wound the relationship fatally.) At times, Cancer's sulking seems childish to Scorpio, and Scorpio's sharp edges can maim the Crab's tender feelings. Fortunately, you know how to win your way back into each other's good graces once the moody spells pass.

CANCER + SAGITTARIUS (NOVEMBER 22 - DECEMBER 21) You're cut from entirely different cloths and patterns. Sagittarius is neon polka-dot on stretch Lycra; Cancer is Burberry plaid on Swiss wool. You'll never be a match that makes sense to observers—which is why Cancer Tom Cruise and Sagittarius Katie Holmes are such a tabloid target. Is it true love, a train wreck, or a little bit of both? Let's examine. Domestic Cancer rules home, heart and family, and holds his loved ones in his vest pocket. Sagittarius is the restless world traveler who craves freedom and adventure. Sag can either feel smothered or totally nurtured by Cancer. The Crab loves to provide every security for his sweetie, and it's a relief to the Archer to come home to a hot meal, a drawn bath, an adoringly attentive partner. The trouble starts when Sagittarius stops coming home. Sagittarius needs sunlight, air and wide open spaces. Cancer keeps the shades drawn and burrows into his metaphorical Crab shell. When Sagittarius neglects Cancer's need for togetherness, starts hanging out with a rowdy crew of rebels, or traipses the globe alone, Cancer's insecurities are rankled. You have fierce tempers, and the combustion of Cancer's moodiness and Sag's anger can be downright destructive. What the Crab must realize is that a pretty bird in a cage will soon fly the coop—at least, if the bird is a Sag. He must open the windows and trust Sagittarius to come back to the nest, a real act of faith. Your strong sexual chemistry sweetens the pot, but you'll need to adapt to each other's rhythms through hard work and keen listening.

CANCER + CAPRICORN (DECEMBER 22 - JANUARY 19) ♥♥♥♥ Paging June and Ward Cleaver! Cancer is astrology's mother and Capricorn is its patriarch. You're opposite signs that might very well polarize into these retro roles. On the zodiac wheel, Cancer rules the fourth house of home, family and femininity. Capricorn governs its tenth house of fatherhood, authority, masculinity and ambition. In many ways, it's nice to have a mate who happily redresses your shortcomings. Yet, it can also be off-putting. Cancer longs for touch and affection, misty-eyed Hallmark moments and emotionally naked conversations. Stoic Capricorn can be stiff and formal, a closet neurotic who pooh-poohs Cancer's feelings as overblown melodramas. In truth, Capricorn just internalizes his feelings, then falls into depressions or flogs himself mercilessly. You must learn the other's "love language" to succeed as a couple. Cancer shows caring through sentimental gestures, food, togetherness and well-intended nagging. Capricorn's expression is through duty—bringing home a steady paycheck, showing up on time, holding it together when everyone else falls apart. Capricorn must learn to honor Cancer's feelings and intuition; the Crab must develop gratitude for Capricorn's loyalty and quiet wisdom. Parenting is where you really shine as a team. Raising children is the ultimate honor for your signs, as well as a creative challenge. You're both loyal to your families, no matter how much they drive you crazy. This is a quality you respect in each other. At the end of the day, you share enough common values to make a solid, lifelong match.

CANCER + AQUARIUS (JANUARY 20 - FEBRUARY 18) This oddball match is as fascinating and perplexing as a Proenza Schouler pump—and like the highbrow fashion house, few understand its power. Here we have Cancer, sentimental and family-oriented, possessive, anchored by deep roots and tradition. Mix in Aquarius, the sci-fi nomad, a butterfly escaping the net of convention, laughing with you and at you all at once. How on earth…? This is a coupling that doesn't happen often, and for good reason. Cool Aquarius doesn't need much affection, and Cancer withers without physical touch. The Crab clutches his loved ones in powerful pincers, and scuttles after Aquarius, practically begging for love. Naturally, free-spirited Aquarius feels smothered and trapped by these demands for intimacy, and constructs little trap doors everywhere—a basketball team, a drama class, a post on city council. Yet, when wounded Cancer withdraws into his shell, Aquarius is suddenly intrigued. Where did my lifeline go? What Aquarius takes for granted is Cancer's loyalty, which can resemble a mother's love for her troubled teen. The Crab can see the vulnerable child underneath the surly bravado. Beyond that, you owe each other a karmic debt so profound, you can't even articulate it. Explains one Aquarius, who's been with her Cancer mate for 35 years: "I've learned that sometimes you have to do what the other person likes, even if you don't like it." In other words, if you want to stay together, eat your broccoli. You'll certainly grow in spirit and character. Sometimes, your soul needs a challenge more than a smoothly-paved road.

CANCER + PISCES (FEBRUARY 19 - MARCH 20) ♥♥♥♥ You're a pair of softies underneath it all, even if the world sees a hard Crab shell or a tough, scaly Fish. Alone with each other, your compatible Water signs are as tender as can be. You're both compassionate and nurturing, soothing each other with sustenance and sensitivity. There's nothing a stick of butter, cookies made from scratch, or a nice after-dinner cordial by the fire can't solve. Romantic and sensual, you love to pipe classical music through the sound system, light the candelabras and whip up a gourmet feast side-by-side. Hours of kissing and foreplay will follow. Though your relationship is a refuge, it can also become a fishbowl that limits your growth. You absorb each other's fluctuating moods like a sponge, so get out of the aquarium-for-two. With your refined sensibilities, you're excellent patrons of the arts, so head to museums, gallery openings, concerts, and dance performances. Fling open your doors for dinner parties that toast an artistic friend, an esteemed poet, or a relative's good news. This satisfies your nurturing instincts, and invites new energy into your space. You must both learn when to let go of grudges, since you can be passive-aggressive and play the victim when your feelings are hurt. Slammed doors, sulking and brooding must stop. Don't excuse bad behavior with psychobabble, either (e.g., "When you said that, it reminded me of how my mother couldn't love"). Grow up, will you? If you've been cruel, simply say "I'm sorry" and offer a long hug. The power of touch can heal anything between you, too.

#cancer #compatibility #astrology #zodiac #love #relationships #cancer compatibility

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