#Rusty Repair Kit AU

[calciumyum]

"One day, the young boy went out

to scavenge spare parts in the junkyard.

While searching around,

he happened upon a broken-down robot."

-The Scrap Boy, Steampianist

Etho and Rusty's relationship makes me so soft I really love them

[kingtheghast]

Snow

[ Artfight revenge for @calciumyum <3 ]

[monsoonsosoon]

"don't bleed alone" - a neighbor!john wick x reader au fic (light angst, lots of tension! cw: blood)

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you let out a small shriek as a tiny green lizard jumps out of the bush you're trimming with a pair of rusty garden shears. in your surprised state, the shears slip from your fingers.

pain bites sharply into the skin just below your knee, and now, warm crimson droplets streak down your leg.

you crouch down to assess the damage, placing a hand over the wound, but the blood doesn't stop. a hiss escapes your lips as the pain worsens. your dingy, once white sneaker is now speckled with blood.

"you should be more careful," a deep voice cuts in, low and steady.

and of course, you freeze. you always do in his presence.

it's him.

John Wick, your neighbor. he's standing just beyond the garden fence.

his gaze flicks down to your injured leg and back up to your face. you open your mouth to say something, but nothing comes out. he always makes you feel flustered. shy. there's something about his presence.

"that needs to be cleaned. it'll get infected," he says as he leans against the fence.

you finally manage to stammer out, "oh! y-yeah. i was just about to run inside and do that." as you go to stand up, you wince and stumble, cheeks warming under John's gaze.

he says nothing. just pushes open your tiny white picket gate which creaks in response, passes the purple petunias, and closes the distance. you want to protest, but his dark gaze captivates you. John squats down next to you and glances at your throbbing shin. you let your eyes roam over his grey sweatpants and how his dark t-shirt stretches across his chest.

"focus..." you think to yourself.

"let me help you," John says softly, his eyes boring into your slightly widened ones.

he extends his hand, and you slip yours into his, leaning against him as he leads you towards his front door. in silence, of course. John was never much of a talker.

the door creaks and you step inside his home. he pauses to grab a small towel from the arm of his couch and hands it to you. you press it to your shin.

"sorry for bleeding all over the place..." you say softly, timidly as you grip his hand.

John looks down at you briefly.

"i've seen worse," he replies as he leads you toward his kitchen.

it's sleek, dark, and efficient, just like him. he stops next to the countertop, releasing your hand. more silence. you turn and face him. and, of course, you have to tilt your head up to meet his gaze.

he glances down at your leg, then at the counter behind you.

"hold still," he says simply, voice low.

before you can ask what he means, his hands are already at your waist. they're firm and steady. in a fluid motion, he lifts you onto the counter like it's nothing. right next to the sink. a chill erupts across the back of your thighs when they meet the dark granite, your dress riding up slightly.

you tug down the soft fabric quickly, your cheeks heating up, as he turns to retrieve a first aid kit from a drawer. you'd had many brief friendly chats with John before, but more so him listening to you talk. he even helped you with some minor repairs in your yard.

his presence made you feel safe, but this felt different.

his forearms flex as he washes his hands thoroughly, dries them, turning back towards you.

the cool, wet washcloth makes contact with your leg as he wipes away the excess blood staining your leg.

his dark eyes flick from your face to your leg again. you feel his fingers at your ankle as he unties your soiled sneaker, easing it off with care. electricity prickles up your skin as his thick fingers ghost the skin at the back of your knee.

before you can blink, he lifts your leg, steadying your calf in one hand, and positions it under the faucet. the cold water rushes over your skin, your foot, and you gasp softly.

crimson streaks spiral down the drain.

“i know,” he says quietly, not looking at you. “almost done, breathe.”

when the water runs clear he shuts it off and uses another clean towel to dab the water from your trembling shin. you flinch as he nears your cut.

"sorry..." you say softly when your breath hitches.

he glances up at you, expression unreadable. “it’s fine.”

then, without warning, he picks up a brown bottle of peroxide.

when he pours it over the cut, a sharp hiss escapes your lips. the bubbles sizzle across your skin, and his hand comes to steady your knee.

“you're doing well,” he says simply, his small offering of praise causing your stomach to flutter.

he unscrews the cap of a small bottle of antibiotic ointment, then finally peels open a butterfly bandage.

his fingers are precise and deft, but also linger just enough to make your breath catch.

the first aid kit clicks shut after he places the materials back inside neatly. he slides it to the side and steps back.

"come on," he utters as he offers you his hand. you take it, and his other hand splays across your waist, warm through the fabric of your dress. he helps you slip down from the counter onto the ground.

when you do, you stumble a bit, hand instinctively reaching for his chest to steady yourself. it's solid, muscular. you quickly remove your hand from his chest and begin toying with the hem of your dress.

your lips part as you look up at him. of course that dark gaze is on you once again.

"thank you, John. i really appreciate your help," you say softly, biting your bottom lip. a pesky habit.

he leans forward to reach behind you, caging you between him and the counter. you catch an intoxicating whiff of the heady musk of his cologne, while getting another glimpse at how big he is in comparison to you.

he retrieves your bloody sneaker from the counter, standing back in place. John holds it out to you like an offering.

"of course." he replies simply. but you swear you see his gaze drop to your lips.

as you tread back home, one sneaker on, the other in your hand, you swear you still feel the weight of his hand on your waist.

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thank y'all for reading ♥︎ lemme know what u think. it's just a lil' something something for me to get some writing practice (i'm a bit rusty, lol).

there will be more john wick x reader to come... 👀 gotta feed wick nation frfr...

send requests if you'd like!

[verdemoun]

modern au but the gang waking up in modern day in the order they died with memories of their lives as outlaws pt2:

arthur is of course the next death big enough to make the papers so they know exactly when and where to find him. the whole gang camp out to greet him. most of the grizzlies became nature preserves. arthur hugs everyone and will never admit he teared up seeing bessie + hosea again. he does, however, get terrible motion sickness on the drive back to home

lenny moves in with jenny because a) murder wall getting too big b) he appreciates arthur is used to having his own space. sean lost house privileges after the 4th time they found moldy food in sean and lenny's shared room. he bought a rusty trailer with his pizza money and lives on the front lawn (rip bessie matthews' garden)

arthur definitely doesn't get used to modernity as quick as the lads. he really struggles with the lack of things he has to do and complains constantly about dumb modern things. why don't people ride horses?? why the fuck are we paying $9 for eggs?? but his innate curiosity wins in the end: he wants to know how everything works. it's like going somewhere with a four year old. watches docuseries and reads for dummies books like crack.

seriously he's repairing a car, has one of those ages 8+ build your own robot kits, experimenting with charcoal, water colors, oil painting, made a flip motion of a horse running. he gets confused by the strangest stuff. television? pssh he's been to moving pictures before they just put the projector behind the screen somehow. light bulb? he spent 3 hours flipping the switch before bessie intervened.

they find susan the second arthur's settled enough to explain what happened after hosea and lenny's deaths. susan grimshaw is more than happy to let bessie keep being the one who keeps the VDLs in line and lives with annabelle instead. being used to a certain amount of chaos, she gets a job at a bar and is promoted to assistant manager by the end of the month. her and annabelle chain smoke on the balcony of their comfy apartment and talk shit about dutch at 2am

at first they think maybe molly o'shea didn't get sent to present because they appear where they're buried and she wasn't exactly laid to rest but sean finds her on instagram. she's living her absolute best life, and is in therapy. posts constantly: self-care, make up tutorials, poetry reviews, body-positivity, aesthetic self-defense weapons and how to use them, angry strong independent woman break up songs. goes on live and talks about things that happened in the gang days and people accept it as a really elaborate roleplay. her fanbase is entirely lesbians

[factorialsotherfandoms]

I... was going to take today off, but then I was watching a mix of Decked Out and old Hermitcraft videos and while this isn't a build-build, I don't think he counts as anything else...? We can call the build the workshop in Decked Out, if we have to (even if Netherception is my true beloved)

TBH while I'll add it to the au list when I ao3 it, probably, this one is very much more canon than the others.

I also decided to start writing this at 1am on the 19th in my timezone so um sorry Cleo I will be writing you soooo tired tomorrow. It is also very tiny ficlet.

Rusty is old. An outdated model, and in poor condition at that. After years more service than he was designed for, he truly lives up to his name - rusted, chipped, cracking and a little charred.

His Master laughs when golems burn, cackles in unrelenting glee as he watches his other creations be destroy.

And yet time and again Rusty gets to continue. Where he gets to exist varies, but again and again he is repaired, and again and again his Master gently puts him back together, even as he creates/experiments on/destroys/torments all of the rest.

Golems are only good for their iron, and yet Rusty - and no others - is allowed to persist.

Time and time again, from world to world and long after the Titan is obsolete and his Master is no longer a God of Iron- Still does Rusty persist.

Not live, because golems are not alive, they do not think or feel, just exist and be.

But persist. Rusty persists, and exists, and will continue to be.

These day Rusty's Master is no longer the God of Iron, dethroned as he turned to other endeavours, but he is a Master of Frost, of a Dungeon, of a Game. His Master's friends come and go, and still Rusty exists - falling apart for he is much older than a golem ever should be, but still there.

And then, they learn; the one with the mask Rusty sees the most of, but many of his Master's friends come and go. Some come, see, and leave, others bring with them repair kits and take a little time to fix him once again.

His Master will never admit it, but as the Dungeon's Master, too, he rewards them. Coins and crowns and embers for those who fix Rusty, who help his Master keep up with the unending job of fixing him.

When the Dungeon closes his Master visits him, fixes him up as well, if there is any damage left at the end of the day. He sits with Rusty, giggles in glee when there is no damage to fix - those same giggles he makes when he kills other golems - talks to him about the dungeon and his plans and the world outside, where his Master's friends live.

In a tube nearby, a newer golem burns in acid.

On the table, another lies hacked apart.

There will never be a reward for fixing anyone else.

[fireclawisexhausted]

AU Notes So Far

These aren’t finished at all yet and will be updated once I’ve got time, but here’s what I’ve got so far

Firepaw is apprenticed to Tigerclaw so that Tigerclaw can get over his hostility towards kittypets, Bluestar often coming along during their training to make sure he doesn’t push him too hard (or rusty is found when he’s too young so morningflower decides to become his foster mom and tiger begrudgingly becomes his foster father)

Spottedleaf sees Firepaw as her kit, not a potential mate

Ravenpaw is apprenticed by Lionheart after Firepaw joins the clans, training alongside Greypaw

Sandpaw and Firepaw train together due to tigerclaws and Whitestorm’s closer relationship

Tigerclaw slowly gets used to Firepaw enough to even say he’s proud of him

yellowfang still joins thunderclan and Firepaw gets close to her but tigerclaw, like an overprotective father doesn’t trust her

After the trip with mother mouth, when tigerclaw is declared deputy upon lionhearts death, Firepaw does not initially believe ravenpaw when he says tigerclaw killed redtail

Firepaws suspicions only grow when tigerclaw accuses ravenpaw on being behind the shadowclan attack

when spottedleaf is killed Firepaw is heartbroken due to losing one of the only mother figures he’s ever known

He still does not believe ravenpaw or yellowfang have anything to do with this though tigerclaw believes the opposite

Instead of leaving Ravenpaw decided to become a medicine cat when Spottedleaf visits him right before he makes his decision

When Firepaw is about to kill clawface, tigerclaw does not attempt to stop him at all even though he’s near, ending in the death of the cat

Firepaw is named Fireclaw in honor of his mentor, and is proud at first until he remembers what ravenpaw told him

Ravenpaw trains under Yellowfang, and looks relatively happy to be away from all the drama and protected against tigerclaw, but he still wants to get the truth out

Greystripe is more interested in solving Redtail’s murder than Fireclaw, who believes this is all some misunderstanding

Fireclaw feels a bit distant from the clan due to his kitty pet blood, especially upon seeing Cinderpaw and her siblings bonds. Tigerclaw offers consolation as best he can, remarking that his siblings died young, and his father left the clans, leaving him only with his mother. Fireclaw is only briefly comforted by this

Fireclaw and Greystripe still leave to return WindClan, and all goes similarly besides meeting ravenpaw at the barn.

Fireclaw and Greystripe are assigned cinderpaw and brackenpaw as apprentices

Ravenpaw soon after the ceremony warns Fireclaw of danger on the path ahead, and Fireclaw is perplexed

Fireclaw meets princess, and though extremely hesitant to even amuse her due to having some of tigerclaws opinions rub off on him, the prospect of knowing one of his family members becomes too tempting to pass up

Ravenpaw and Greystripe investigate more into the redtail scandal than Fireclaw, who seemingly doesn’t believe it went down the way it did. Grey and Raven find out that before redtails death, he and tigerclaw had a tense relationship, and at both ends both cats were being aggressive towards each other, and that oakheart died by rockfall. They find out more about redtail, and even rumors of him being involved in the death of an older warrior, Thistleclaw, Tigerclaws mentor.

After the incident at the lake with silverstream and their talks with other riverclanners, Greystripe develops a relationship with her that Ravenpaw and Fireclaw take notice of, and both agree nothing good can come of it.

Ravenpaw battles with discovering he has romantic feelings for Greystripe.

Fireclaw struggles with wanting to support his friend and the following the warrior code, much more so than the books. He often ignores greystripe and reacts badly when cats speak of him, but still refuses to say a thing about the secret relationship. He still trains brackenpaw reluctantly.

Fireclaw and Sandpaw get along a bit better than in canon here, so by this point they’re already fine friends. He spends most of his time with her and Longtail, who he has also grown accustomed to due to training closely with both cats. During this time, small little redemption arks showing how these two have grown take place, along with some change from Dustpaw, who’s still the most stubborn of the bunch.

Tigerclaw asks to meet bluestar near the thunder path and all goes similarly as to what happened in canon. The gears begin to turn for Fireclaw as he’s met with someone else he knows being affected by Tigerclaw in a more violent way. Tigerclaw is extremely apologetic and even a bit shaken by the incident, but Fireclaw remains in shock for a few days, his world shaken.

Yellowfang isn’t able to fix Cinderpaws leg, but she insists Fireclaw not give up on her and keep her in training. Fireclaw agrees and Cinderpaw continues to train, though her leg does get in the way from time to time.

princess asks Fireclaw to take in her son, and fireclaw refuses at first, but does take in CloudKit. The clan is still not happy with his choice, but Tigerclaw, though believing it wasn’t the best choice, understands Fireclaws reasoning of missing his family, Tigerclaw himself being very closely related to his own. Ravenpaw and Sandpaw also come to defend Fireclaw.

The RiverClan patrol goes similarly as it went in the books, But the fight between greystripe and Fireclaw is a lot more violent, Fireclaw taking it too far before Ravenpaw breaks them apart. Both cats distance themselves from Fireclaw.

The rogue attack on ThunderClan takes place, this time, it’s Greystripe who is overwhelmed by Blackfoot, who Fireclaw notices, also noticing that Tigerclaw sees this too, but willingly moves on instead of helping his clanmate. Fireclaw fights off Blackfoot, and he and Greystripe share a moment of brief understanding.

The relationship between Ravenpaw, greystripe and Fireclaw is still hostile, but Raven and grey are still determined to prove tigerclaws guilt. Ravenpaw is able to piece together via dreams sent by spottedleaf and stories heard from other clan mates that Thistleclaw was a blood hungry cat with a penchant for abusing his apprentices, one of which was Spottedleaf herself. Redtail, having had enough of the cat, decided to get rid of him in secret, though Tigerclaw, who saw Thistle as a father figure, always had his suspicions. It was true that oakheart died due to rockfall, but Ravenpaw doesn’t know what caused Tigerclaw to kill the deputy, whether it was his desire to be deputy, or his knowledge on the crime he’d committed.

During the battle against RiverClan and ShadowClan, it’s Fireheart who instigates the battle with silverstream, before he realizes who she is and releases her. He is shaken by his lack of self control and the fact that if he wanted, he could’ve killed her. Leopardfur, taking advantage of his shock, attacks, nearly killing him, but Tigerclaw throws her off, giving his apprentice a wary eye, as if he saw what happened with silverstream, before the battle happens as it does in the books.

Fireclaw, Ravenpaw and greystripe argue over what happened in the battle, both cats bringing to attention Fireclaws lack of self control when he’s angry or in battle. Fireclaw attempts to shrug off their worries, but Ravenpaw is genuinely concerned he might do something worse, more intentional. Greystripe brings up Clawface and how Fireclaw killed him, making the Tom defensive, Fireclaw arguing that Clawface was a murderer, and greystripe bringing up all of his most recent incidents. A fight breaks out, and when Ravenpaw tries to separate them, he’s injured. Greystripe stands defensively over his friend, and Fireclaw realizes there’s something terribly wrong with him. He runs off before either cat can say anything to him.

the next book begins with ravenpaw and greystripe investigating another piece of interesting information. They attempt to get Fireclaw in on it, in attempts to continue the conversation about his issues and repair their long lasting friendship, but the moment the tom sees them he scurried off, leaving them extremely worried. Though greystripe is still angry with Fireclaw, he fears for his friends safety, and Ravenpaw fears that Tigerclaw has left permanent damage on the tom, damage that Thistleclaw had implanted in him.

Greystripe and Ravenpaw meet with Silverstream, all three cats seemingly enjoying eachothers company. She is able to get Mistyfoot to speak with them. Ravenpaw asks her why Oakheart would specify that no one thunderclan cat would harm Stonefur, and she seems at a loss.

Ravenpaw is left to stew with many thoughts on the current mystery, but what boggles him most is a reoccurring thought he’s had on Cinderpaws incident, specifically that it was meant for bluestar, and that poor Cinderpaw was just an accidental victim. He corners Fireclaw and asks him about it, and though the tom is reluctant, he agrees that the incident has him questioning tigerclaws loyalties as well. Ravenpaw invites the tom on their next trip to RiverClan for more answers, and though Fireclaw is hesitant, he agrees.

Ravenpaw, Greystripe and Fireclaw question Graypool about oakhearts words, and she tells them the kits are from ThunderClan. Fireclaw is left speechless, and Ravenpaw and Greystripe keep him in check as to make sure nothing slips from him.

the three return, and Fireclaw continues on, mentoring brackenpaw and Cinderpaw while greystripe runs off with silverstream, babysitting his nephew, and trying to keep his relationship with tigerclaw healthy while also constantly questioning his actions.

When RiverClan is in trouble, Fireclaw hesitates to help them, but he and greystripe are still caught by Bluestar and Tigerclaw, and while they at first only punish greystripe, Fireclaw insists he was apart of the plan to too, repairing their strained relationship a bit.

the battle between ThunderClan, RiverClan and shadowclan and windclan still takes place like it did in the books.

Brackenpaw and Cinderpaw are named Brackenfur and Cinderwing.

greystripe finds out silverstream is pregnant, and when she gives birth ahead of time, Ravenpaw is the one to help her give birth. Though a more talented medicine cat at this point, he cannot stop the bleeding, and Silverstream still dies. Fireclaw is horrified as the two toms grieve, the reality of the situation setting in for all three of them. Tigerclaw runs in on the scene, and Fireclaw begs him to not tell the clan, completely and utterly terrified of what will happen to greystripe, but Tigerclaw refuses, disappointed in Fireclaws bias towards his friend.

Tigerclaw outs greystripe to the clan, sure Fireclaw would have come to his senses and stood by the code by then, but to his surprise, Fireclaw stands by Greystripe, alongside Ravenpaw, Sandstorm, and hesitantly, Longtail. Bluestar herself is visibly sympathetic to greystripe, which gets Fireclaw thinking.

Bluestar admits to Fireclaw that misty and stone are her kits. He promises to keep her secret like he keeps yellowfangs.

CloudKit is instead apprenticed to Sandstorm, and while he, her, and Fireclaw are out, they notice the scent of rogues leading to ThunderClan, intermixed with another familiar scent. They return to camp to find it being attacked by the rogue.

Fireclaw runs into bluestars den to find Tigerclaw, ready to attack. He’s able to fend him off, using the knowledge that the cat he is fighting against gave him in training, and due to Tigerclaws own hesitance it seems. RiverClan arrives to fend off the rogues.

When bluestar announces her deputy’s murder attempt, Tigerclaw reaches to Fireclaw still, asking him, as a father, to join him, telling him he accepts him as his own. Fireclaw rejects him, and goes on to announce all the details he had known on redtails death, that tigerclaw had done it, and that if it weren’t for Ravenpaw they would’ve never known. He also says the incident on the thunder path was meant for bluestar, not for Cinderwing. Tigerclaw, shocked, leaves.

bluestar announces Fireclaw as deputy.

Ravenpaw become a full medicine cat and is named Ravenpelt

greystripe leaves for RiverClan, and Ravenpelt and Fireclaw are left to themselves, to worry over the future. Ravenpelt wrestles with the guilt of being unable to save silverstream, a cat he’d grown very close to, and Fireclaw struggles to accept his greatest hero was a traitor and a liar, who may have even hurt him more personally as an apprentice, inflicting permanent damage.

in the next book, Fireclaw struggles in taking care of the damaged clan, fearful that what everyone is saying is true and that his deputyship was the wrong decision.

Ravenpelt helps littlecloud and whitethroat, even against yellowfangs orders, and him and Fireclaw agree not to tell anyone.

Sandstorm has better control over Cloudpaw than Fireclaw does, and though he’s still rebellious, he doesn’t try to eat kittypet food. Sandstorm often invites Fireclaw to watch them train, and the two get even closer.

Fireclaw leads a patrol that’s attacked by the rogues, and he finds runningwind, dead, whitethroat leaning over him. Fireclaw, enraged, chases the cat into the thunder path, and kills him. Before he can realize there’s something wrong, Tigerclaw leaps onto him, saying he’ll regret not joining him. They fight, and though Tigerclaw has the chance to gravely injure him, he chooses not to, and runs off.

The Fire still breaks out, and yellowfang is lost. Ravenpelt and Fireclaw meet with greystripe again, but the happiness is only short lived by the overwhelming grief.

Fireclaw and greystripe examine what’s remains of the forest, and Fireclaw gets to say goodbye to yellowfang. ThunderClan returns home, bluestar even more shaken than before.

Fireclaw, while leading the clan to the gathering in place of bluestar, is shocked so badly by Tigerclaw becoming leader of shadowclan he needs whitestorm to take his place, as he feels too faint.

[hardlyinteresting]

Gone with the wind

Bucky makes it home from war and finds an unlikely friendship with the daughter of the man he’s working for.

Loosely based on the song “Cleopatra” by The Lumineers. 1940s!AU (I haven’t written in a long time so please be kind, I’m rusty) Warnings: Mildly toxic home life, 1940s sexism, alludes to past sexual assault, mugging, swears

July 1949

It’s hot. Far too hot, Y/N thinks. The ringlets her mother had insisted she wear her hair in have fallen loose since this morning, tight frizzy curls beginning to form at the nape of her neck and temples. She can feel the sweat forming and she wishes she was young again so that she might be allowed to go swimming in the stream behind the estate. Instead, she’s stuck in frills and lace of white and cream, forced to take tea with her mother, father and their guests; her father’s business associate, Joseph Redding and his son, Robert. 

The conversation is dull especially since she’s not allowed to contribute any of her ideas on the stock market or trade. She allows her eyes to wander across the yard to the man her father had hired at the beginning of the summer season. She watches as he rolls up his shirt sleeve for the third time, wiping his grease-covered hand on his grey slacks. He’s handsome with his dark hair and blue eyes; he has a kind smile too when anyone approaches, but he works alone The best mechanic and vallet her father has ever employed apparently. 

She wonders if he fought in the war, like her brother William had. He’s tall and strong--he must’ve been overseas. Maybe he had served with William, maybe he’d know what really happened over there, what happened to Willi-- She’s snapped out of her thoughts by a subtle kick under the table from her mother. 

“The Reddings are hosting a gala, Y/N. Isn’t that lovely?” her mother smiles politely, but Y/N knows the annoyance that lies beneath, just for her. 

“Yes, it is. A lovely way to end the social season, I agree” Y/N nods taking a sip of her now cold tea. 

“I’d be honoured if miss Y/N might accompany me to the gala,” Robert speaks. 

Y/N isn’t shocked, but she resists the urge to roll her eyes. 

“Y/N would be delighted” Her father speaks for her. She can only smile though it doesn’t reach her eyes. 

“May I be excused?” she asks, “I think the heat might be getting to me, I’m feeling quite faint”

She doesn’t wait for an answer, instead, she stands to leave the patio and makes her way towards the door. 

“Good afternoon miss,” The mechanic greets politely as she passes. 

Slowing her steps on the gravel of the driveway she smiles, “Good afternoon”.

He is far more handsome up close she decides. 

                                      _____________________________

August 1949

The gala is only a week away and she still hasn’t found a dress to wear.  It’s her first public outing since the war ended. Something doesn’t feel right about shopping for the perfect dress knowing that her brother isn’t with their father at the tailor having a new tux made.  Maybe, if she can’t find a dress in time she won’t have to go to the gala at all.

Y/N slips into her favourite dress. The red one with little white polka dots. Her mother despises it, but maybe that’s why she likes it so much.  She paints her lips with her victory red lipstick to match. Perfect. 

Maybe she’ll get a red dress for the gala. 

when she gets downstairs she finds the car man waiting patiently. Clean white shirt and black pants. They’re ironed and pleated perfectly she would almost think they were new if it weren’t for the repair that’s been made in the knee of them. 

“Good Morning Miss,” He greets with a smile. 

“Good Morning”. 

He makes sure to hold the door for her, closing it behind her before running ahead to open the door of the black Lincoln, making sure the front seat was forward enough for her to get in the back.

“Don’t bother, I’m sitting in the front today,” She grins opening the passenger side door. 

“your father said for me to make sure you sat in the back seat Miss”

“My father is on a business trip and my mother is at tea with the neighbours. I won’t tell if you don’t. Besides, I’d like to drive with the roof down, and how am I ever supposed to hear a word you say with all the wind back there”.

He swallows and nods, shutting the back door. Slipping into the driver's seat he sighs, “Where to first miss?”

“It’s Y/N”

“Alright, where to first miss Y/n” he smirks starting the car. 

“Manhattan, fifth and 38th”

She likes the sound of the engine and the breeze through her hair. Her smile is bright and genuine as they near the city. 

“So, you’ve been working for my father all summer and I still don’t know your name”.

“My name is James. But you can call me Bucky”. “Bucky...I like it. It suits you. Have you always worked with cars, Bucky?” “For the most part. When I finished school I started helping my dad out in his shop before he died. And then the war happened. I’m glad to be back doing what I’m good at.” “I’m sure you were very brave over there, Bucky” she offers kindly.

Y/N talks a lot, but he doesn’t mind. She’s quieter and kinder than her mother, and smarter and more tactful than her father. He enjoys her company. 

When they arrive in the garment district Bucky turns the rearview mirror for her so she can see herself and fix her wind-tossed hair.

“Thank you for the drive Bucky. I’ll see you back here in an hour”.

“Your father asked me to be you escort for the day. I’m meant to come with you”.

“I am more than capable of looking after myself. I don’t need a man to look after me. What do you think we all did when you men were away at war?”

He can tell she’s frustrated. He doesn’t blame her. He knows her anger isn’t really directed towards him. So, he lets her have her moment of free speech. He knows she spends most of her days holding her tongue at home. 

He nods. Leaning against the hood of the car he lights a smoke.  “I’ll see you in an hour then. But, I will come and find you if you’re late. Your father will have my head if anything happens to you”. 

“I’m glad to hear we agree,” Y/N bubbles. Bucky can only shake his head as she walks away. She’s something else. He knows that if steve could see him now he’d be in for a world of jokes and jabs. Bucky just hasn’t been the same since he got home. The dance halls don’t feel as light as they used to, instead, they’re only a reminder of who he was before he watched the world change before his very eyes. The girls aren’t the same now either, everyone wants a soldier, and that's the last thing he wants to be anymore.  Y/N is different. She gorgeous without trying. She’s kind even though her position in life doesn’t lend itself to compassion. He can tell she wants more from life and there’s something about the way she looks at people- right into their souls that makes them want to give her everything they have, Bucky is no exception. 

45 minutes later she’s returned a large box in her arms and a grin as wide as the new york skyline. He hopes she got a red dress like she said she wanted. 

                                      _______________________

It’s two days later when Bucky is asked to take Y/N into town so she can meet with a friend. He’s parked outside the restaurant reading a book Steve gave him the week before when he hears the commotion. He wants to ignore it, there’s always something bad happening in New York and often times it’s better to just turn a blind eye, but a woman’s scream has him leaping over the car door and running up the alleyway behind the restaurant and hotel. 

“Bucky!” she screams again. Y/N.

His fist flies and he’s reminded of his time before the war beating up the guys who tried to hurt little Steve. His knuckles are bloody when he’s done, he has Y/N’s purse in his hand, torn away from one of her attackers.

She’s sobbing when he approaches her, shaking in her little blue dress. He slips off his jacket wrapping it around her shoulders. She clutches his shirt tightly as he guides her back to the car, a friendly hand on the small of her back. When she’s situated in the front seat he takes a moment to look her over. The knee of her stockings is torn, she’s bleeding. She holds her left hand to her chest as she cries.  He’s filled with rage once more, wishing he had done more than just punch those fuckers’ teeth out. 

“let's get you home, yeah?” he asks quietly a comforting hand on her shoulder, she leans towards the warmth of his body her head against his shoulder. He knows he shouldn’t, but he hugs her anyway, she deserves the comfort and she’s sure as hell not going to get it at home.  “I don’t want to go home,” she whispers against his shirt collar, “I’ll be in trouble”. “Alright...well we’ve got to get you cleaned up then.”

She nods.  “you’re alright now...you’re safe. I promise”. “I knew you were brave,” she offers a small smile with her watery eyes and a pink nose. 

He drives to Brooklyn. To his home. 

“Is this where you live?” Y/N asks quietly as he helps her from the car.  “Yes”. Inside, the house is warm. There’s soup cooking on the stove and music plays from the radio in the living room. 

“Ma? We have a guest!” “Steve, I’ve told you you’re not a gues--” his mother pauses as she rounds the kitchen door, “You’re not Steve”. Y/N shakes her head, “No, Ma’am”. She moves closer to Bucky’s side, her hand still held tightly to her chest.  “Ma, this is Y/N. Y/N this is my mother, Winnifred”. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs Barnes,” Y/N sniffles holding back tears.  “we’re going to get Y/N cleaned up so I can take her back home. She’s had a hard day”. Winnifred nods feeling sorry for the girl.  “Is Becca home?” Bucky asks. “up in her room”.

Bucky guides Y/N the stairs to the washroom sitting her on the edge of the bathtub. “I’ll be right back”.

Y/N hears a knock on what she assumes in Becca’s door. When Bucky returns he has a new pair of stockings and a face towel in his hand. He sets them aside, rummaging under the sink for the first aid kit his mother put together.  Wetting the towel he dabs gently at the wound on Y/N’s knee. When it’s clean he wrings out the towel before wetting it again, he holds his hand out towards the girl. Nervously she extends her left-hand palm up. It’s caked in blood and dirt, but he can see the shard of glass in her palm.  “I’ll be careful, I promise,” he tells her, making sure their eyes meet.  “I trust you”.

                                  _________________________

It’s the night of the gala.  Her dress feels too tight. The clip her mother put in her hair is digging uncomfortably against her scalp. Her hands are sweaty in her long silk gloves and the scab on her palm from where Bucky removed the glass shard is an itchy reminder of how much she hates the company she’s about to be in.  She had tried sneaking out the back door of the restaurant to avoid Robert Redding who had conveniently been dining in the same restaurant. She knew the moment she saw him it was her mother’s doing, and her friend’s encouragement for her to go over and say hello only lead her to believe that she was in on it too.  Not that she was surprised. From the moment Robert had begun visiting the estate with his father in June Y/N knew her parents planned on having them married. Without her brother around to inherit her father’s company and estate, Y/N would have to marry well, and who better than the son of her father’s vice-president.   There was a sinking feeling in Y/N’s stomach when her mother asked her not to wear any rings to the gala, saying they might be a distracting from the main attraction. But, Y/N doesn’t want the ring she knows Robert is going to give her. He’s good looking enough and nice enough, but he’s dense and condescending. Y/N wants more. She wants the rugged and handsome and hard-working, honest and brave. Not the man who has had everything handed to him, the man who shied away from service when the world was begging for soldiers, Not the man who is going to trap her in an endless cycle of fake smiles and tea parties. 

She can hear her parents in their bedroom getting ready for the night.  Martin her father’s other driver is waiting in the car downstairs. Looking out the window she can see Bucky getting in his own car ready to head home for the night. Quietly she makes her way down the stairs and out the kitchen door. 

“Bucky” she startles him.  “What are you doing out here? You should be inside, you’re going to get your dress dirty”

She did buy a red dress, and she looked like a dream. Bucky knows she’s the prettiest girl he’s ever seen, but he tries not to look too long, he’s heard the gossip around the house, he knows you’re meant to be engaged to Robert Redding tonight.  “I want to go to Brooklyn” “what?” “Take me away from here please?” damn her and her eyes, how could he ever say no.  “You’re parent’s aren’t going to like this, and Robert isn’t likely to ask you to marry him a second time” “I don’t care. I don’t want to marry him”.  Bucky nods, opening the passenger seat door for her. 

and so they speed off towards his home, where her new friend Rebecca and the lovely Winnifred wait. 

She learns to cook and to sew, she helps make ends meet helping Winnifred with her laundry business. She puts her fancy education to good use and starts to teach. She reads all the books that she wants, she gets to sit in the front seat of Bucky’s car any time she wants. And she gets to marry the hard-working honest man from Brooklyn that she really wanted. 

Author’s note: Sorry the end is rushed, it’s super late here now and I knew I’d never finish it if I let it wait until tomorrow. anyway, let me know what you think!

[calciumyum]

Congrats on having the comfiest cosiest style in all of the universe ever! It reminds me of a favourite kids book or something, it feels like coming home and being wrapped in a fresh-out-of-the-tumble-drier blanket and eating chocolate chip cookies still warm from the oven.

AAAAAAAAAAH THIS MAKES ME SMILE SO HARD!!!!!! Thank you so very much for the nice words, I feel so honored that my art reminds you of such nice things :"DDD Have a little doodle of my rusty repair kit au!

[calciumyum]

Rusty Repair Kit

I've been rereading Totsukuni no Shoujo and my hand itched to draw something in this style :D

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