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Love and War (but mostly war): Part 1

Paring: damian wayne x batgirl!reader (batgirl for now)

Summary: Being the partner of Damian Wayne comes with its own difficulties. Especially when you’re both hot tempered teenagers who don’t know how to talk to your crush.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and mild swearing

A/n: Ok so this is actually a rewrite of an older fic under the same name. I really liked this prompt but i thought i could do a lot better so i decided to try. this new revised version is going to be multiple parts, enemies to lovers, slight slow burn, with a side of fluff and extra helping of angst. hopfullly this one is even better then the last one. also the support divider was made by @maysdigitalarts ;)

Word count: 1.5k i’m pretty sure

Part 1/?: next part- coming soon (i swear)

Also in desperate need of requests:) info on that here

Being a superhero can be difficult. It can be even more difficult when your partner is an absolute dick. So for you being a superhero was very difficult.

You didn’t choose to be partners with Robin but as the newest Batgirl you found it came with the job. It turns out Robin was just as unhappy with this predicament as you were.

You tried to be friends with him at first, but after about 2 weeks you realized you weren’t getting anywhere and gave up. After you had proved your skills to Damian he stopped complaining about being partnered with you on patrol but he didn’t stop criticizing your every move. His comments led to more than one petty argument.

He was an asshole to you whenever he got the chance but somehow your over romantic heart decided the shit eating grin that he wore whenever he beat you at sparring was very attractive. You couldn’t help but think he secretly wasn’t so mean. Once when you got hurt on the field and he had to bandage you up before taking you back to the cave, he seemed worried and it was almost like he cared about your well being.

You remembered taking on 3 thugs and how the last one pulled a knife out of nowhere. He thrust it towards you before you could react and it sliced across your forearm. You knocked him out with a swift kick and turned to see how your partner was doing, almost forgetting about the cut. It wasn’t a terrible wound but the blood made it look a lot worse than it was.

Damian punched the last man, successfully knocking him out before looking over at you. You heard sirens in the distance and he motioned for you to follow him to the roof. You remembered the climb being painful but you didn’t want him to lecture you about being weak so you sucked it up and kept climbing.

When you had reached the roof he was already listening to the police scanner, looking for your next hit. You had walked over to him and sat on the ledge with your back facing the street. You examined the cut and tried not to make any noise. That’s when Damian looked up and saw your blood covered arm. You were surprised at how quickly he rushed to your side and pulled out a bat-aid kit.

“When did this happen? Why didn’t you tell me you were hurt? How deep is it?” He had bombarded you with questions while wiping off some of the blood.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing. Just a scratch.” You smiled unconvincingly and winced when his gloved hand passed over a particularly painful spot.

“Don’t lie to me. I can tell when you are.” He didn’t look up at you or stop but he was more gentle after that.

“Oh? What’s this? Could it be the one and only Robin is worried, about me?” You had exaggerated shock in your voice.

“TT of course not,” He replied stiffly, finally glaring up at you. “I’d just prefer it if my partner didn’t pass out from blood loss.” You remembered the pain of the cleaning alcohol on the fresh wound. You had hissed slightly at the feeling but sucked in your breath to avoid any further embarrassment. “There, you’ll live but from now you don't hide things from me. Got it?”

That was almost 2 weeks ago but the memory was still clear in your mind. Ever since then you noticed Damian checking on you more often. For a short time you thought this was finally the beginning of a possible friendship but eventually brushed it off as him thinking you were weak or something like that. It seemed a bit more on brand after all.

Today had been pretty shitty to begin with so patrol was pretty much a guaranteed nightmare. Your bus was late so you didn’t get home on time and then you had a mountain of homework to do. Studying had been pushed to the back burner ever since you had started officially working with Batman so you had fallen a bit behind on schoolwork and it was all catching up to you.

Damian had some intel about a drug deal so you both decided to have a mini stakeout and see who showed up. He told you to be there by 10 but you lost track of time and didn’t end up arriving until well after 10:30. This provoked a very boring lecture about time management that you were definitely not in the mood for.

The drug deal went down as expected and you and Damian jumped in to round up the bad guys. It was going fine until one of them slipped past you and managed to escape.

“Damnit!” You exclaimed as the back door swung shut. “I’ll get him!”

“No, don't!” Damian yelled after you but you didn’t listen. You heard him curse and something that sounded like a batarang hitting a wall before the noises blended together and eventually faded.

The man was fast and you were about a block away from the fight when you finally caught up to him. “Gotcha now, asshole.” You smirked as he was backed into an alleyway with no way out. He smirked back and knocked on the door next to him. 11 more thugs emerged and you realized just how bad you had messed up. “Oh you’ve got to be shitting me.” You muttered under your breath while backing up ever so slightly.

One of the men spoke up. “Aw what’s the matter little girl? Don’t tell me you’re scared.” He laughed and others joined him. You let him take a few more steps so he was within your range before grabbing a batarang from your belt and throwing it at him.

He was caught by surprise and had to swerve to avoid the sharp tool. This was exactly the reaction you’d hoped for and gave you time to lunge and land a solid hit to his stomach. He fell back into two of the thugs with a grunt. A man a bit more to your left shouted some profanities at you before charging. You dodged and he ran right into a dumpster, effectively knocking him out.

“2 down, 10 more to go. So who’s next?” You said boldly, despite the odds being very much not in your favor. 3 men launched at you from different angles and you dodged but the move forced you deeper into the alley so there were now 4 men in between you and the exit. “Well shit.” That’s when your knight in shining armor showed up to save the day.

“Well shit times 2,” You muttered.

Damian hit harder than normal and you knew it was because you’d run off without him. Usually he’d wait until you got back to the cave to lecture you but today he didn’t seem as patient. “I told you!” Punch. “Not to!” Dodge. “Chase him!” Kick.

“This might come as a shock,” You grabbed an old book from the trash and threw it at someone. “But I don’t take orders from you.”

“You don’t take orders from anyone apparently.” He sounded angry. Really angry. He started ranting something in a language you didn't quite understand but you had a pretty good guess as to what he was saying.

It took about 10 minutes to knock out the rest of the men and tie them to a street lamp. You had alerted the police and could hear sirens in the distance which meant it was time to go. You turned around and saw Damian was already climbing to the rooftop.

“Where are we going now?” You asked once you’d reached the rooftop as well. You were hoping to brawl with a few more thugs before the night was over. Fighting always helped you relieve stress and right now you have a lot of stress to relieve.

“We’re going to the cave.” He replied simply walking fast and not stopping to let you catch up.

“What? Already? It’s only like midnight. I’m sure there’s some more douche bags that need to be caught.” You knew he was mad at you but cutting a patrol short? He’d only ever done that once or twice in extreme situations. He didn’t respond but instead jumped down off the roof into an alleyway where his motorcycle was waiting. You assumed he’d called it there while he was walking.

“Go back to the cave. I’ll meet you there.” He finally spoke, before speeding off and leaving you alone.

You watched his silhouette disappear down the street and let out a loud groan. “Great, now I get chewed out for trying to stop the bad guy,” You grumbled. “This is definitely not what I wanted to do tonight.” You called your motorcycle to you and it showed up a minute later. You hoped on and headed to the cave, already trying to think up good arguments for the conversation that you knew was coming.

Once you pulled into the cave you parked your bike. You saw Damian was leaning his back against the medical table and he had his arms crossed over his chest. His mask was off and you could see the anger in his eyes as they watched you hop off your bike. Dick, Jason, and Tim were standing nearby but you didn’t pay them much attention. You walked up to Damian who glared at you but didn’t say anything

You’d done the whole “Silently stare each other down until the other person says something” thing a few times but today you didn’t have the patience to try and wait him out. You took off your mask so that your eyes could met his. “Look, I know you’re a little upset with me-”

“A little upset?” He cut you off, pushing himself off the table and taking a step towards you “I’m pissed!” 3 heads from across the room turned towards the brewing fight. “I specifically told you not to chase him.”

“That’s why you ended the patrol?” You asked in disbelief. “Because I did something you didn’t want me to?”

“You ran off on your own. That’s not ok.” He stepped closer again and you were forced to tilt your head up slightly to maintain his gaze.

“Oh please you run off on your “Lone wolf” bullshit all the time.” You saw the other boys getting up out of the corner of your eye but still didn’t acknowledge them.

“That’s different.” He seethed with anger and you still couldn’t understand why but at this point it didn’t matter to you. You had bottled up almost all your harsh feelings towards him and it was finally spilling over. All the times he’d sneered at you or told you to give up on being a hero were flooding back and fueling the anger in the pit of your stomach.

“Because you’re better than me right? Because you’re the one and only Damian Wayne, son of Batman and the greatest goddamn Robin to walk the earth!” You raised your voice letting sarcasm steer your words. “You’re mad because I don’t take orders from you and your over sized ego can’t handle that.”

“I’m mad because I can’t trust you!” He shot back, raising his voice to match yours. “We’re supposed to be partners but you’re too stubborn and immature to listen to me. This isn’t just about tonight and you know it. I can’t do what needs to be done if I’m too busy trying to make sure you don’t get killed.” There it was again. The ghost of concern buried deep under his tone.

“I can take care of myself just fine. I don’t need you to save me like I'm some damsels in distress.”

“Really? Because I had to save you tonight!” This made you furious. You went to respond but a black and blue gloved hand had already found its way over your mouth. You hadn’t even realized how close you were to Damian until Dick was pushing the two of you apart. And you two had been pretty damn close.

“That’s enough!” Dick exclaimed, sounding very annoyed. “You’re supposed to be a team and instead you two have been at each other’s throats ever since you were paired up.”

“It’s all her fault-” Damian started but was cut off.

“First of all, I'm not done yet. Secondly you’re both to blame,” Dick said pointedly. “We’re all sick of your bickering so if you don’t figure out how to get along we’re taking matters into our own hands.” he nodded at Jason and Tim.

Tim was sitting on the table that Damian had been leaning on when you arrived and he, unsurprisingly, had a cup of coffee in his hand. Jason was standing next to Tim with a look of slight amusement.

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“At best,”Jason spoke up. “we get you couples therapy. At worst, we lock you two in a room and take bets on who kills who.”

“That’s not true,” Dick interrupted again. “We’re not taking any bets,” he corrected.

“You’re not but me and Tim already have a pot going. Alfreds in on it and I'm pretty sure Bruce wants to join too.” Jason looked at you and winked. “My moneys on you sweetheart.”

A/n: and so it begins dun dun duuunnnn anywho if you’d like to be tagged in up coming parts reply here i should be posting updates regularly and i wouldn’t want anyone to miss them :)

them again i love them

today is the official start of love and war and i'm so excited 🥹 i really like this one and i hope it gets the attention it deserves!! i will be updating every other day as i did with the mixtapes - reblogs, replies and asks are greatly appreciated!! 💕

hello i really loved the first chapter and i wanted to ask if i could be in the tag list? have a good day/night!!

hiii ofc 💕 thank you so much for reading!!!

have a good day/night too ☀️

Since I loved your last smau so much and after the first chapter I’m already hooked can I please be added to the the list for love and war 🙏

hello!!! im so happy you liked the mixtapes 🥹 ofc i will add you!! 💕

I cannot wait for more Love & War I just know it’s going to be messy!!!

hehehe oh yes the drama will be there!!! new part is coming tonight<3

i'm so sorry, bc of christmas and some personal problems i didn't update love and war like i was supposed to - but i will update it today i promise 🫶🏻

Can I be added to the tag list for love and war pls <333

hii ofc 🥰 thank you so much for reading!!

Here For You

[Until Dawn] Samantha Giddings x Female Reader

Word Count: 4.4k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of war, PTSD, death, strong language

[A/N]: I haven't seen many stories for Sam with a female reader, so I figured I could add on to what already exists! For context: I do struggle with PTSD myself, so I know some of the effects, but mine isn't from war, meaning I'm not sure how accurate my representation of it is in this story. Also, this was written on 11-22-2022, so it's been a while since I've read over this.

Enjoy!

“Shit. I don’t know, Mike. We just got back from war for god’s sake! I don’t want to add on to her worries. Maybe I shouldn’t do this after all,” Sam ranted over the phone, her grip tightening on the steering wheel as her anxiety skyrocketed. Mike sighed on the other side. “Sam, buddy, you’ve gotta calm down. I’m sure she feels the same way. Sure, I’ve never met her, but you talk about her so much, and it seems like she’ll feel the same way. And even if she doesn’t, I can promise you it won’t add on to her worries. Just go for it! You’ll feel better if you get it done. I don’t want you to regret not asking her out.”

As she came to a red light, Sam eased on the brake to bring her car to a stop. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose before running her fingers through her loose strands of hair. Her hazel eyes flickered around in front of her, seemingly staring at nothing as her mind raced. At length, she let out another sigh and shut her eyes tight. “You’re right. You’re right, okay? I’ll do it–I’ll tell her how I feel.” Her friend chuckled. “Good.” Sam smiled for a moment, but it quickly faltered before dropping. “Ugh, but what if she doesn’t feel the same way? What if I make her uncomfortable, and she doesn’t want to be friends anymore?” Mike groaned. Sam could hear him scratching hard at his head.

“Sam, I can’t tell you what she’ll say when you confess, but it doesn’t seem like she’d be the type to stop hanging out with you over something like this. Not from how you’ve described her, anyway. Just…when the time seems right, tell her how you feel. Let her know what you love about her–specific things–and then tell her that you love her entirely.” “Yeah, but what if–” “You’re an incredible woman, Sam. I don’t see why she wouldn’t share your feelings. And hey, I thought you were supposed to be the calm, level headed one. I’ve never seen you get this anxious over something before. Not when you were applying to college. Not even when you enlisted for the army and got shipped off to war! You’re tough, Sam. You’ve gotta get your nerves under control so you don’t blow this.”

Sam rolled her eyes at his “level headed” comment, though she couldn’t bite back her smirk. She was so grateful for Mike–he truly was like an older brother to her. “Yeah yeah, okay. I’ll calm down before I say anything. Thank you, Mike.” “No problemo. Let me know how it goes afterwards, alright? I wanna have proof that I’m the ultimate wingman.” The blonde laughed softly and glanced up at the streetlight as it turned green. She eased her foot onto the accelerator and began driving forwards again. “Will do. Bye, Mike.” “Bye.”

Sam continued driving after turning her phone off and gently tossing it into her passenger seat. She sucked in a deep breath in an attempt to steel her nerves. “It’ll be alright. [Y/N] likes you. Maybe not the way you like her, but she still likes you. She won’t stop hanging out with you just because she might not feel the same way–just like Mike said. Just…calm down. You just got back from a war. So has [Y/N]. It’s not like this will be the most terrifying thing you ever have to do.” She managed to calm herself momentarily, but as she rounded the corner that led to the cafe she had agreed to meet [Y/N] at, her anxiety spiked. It was hard not to give in to her overwhelming thoughts.

Once she pulled to the side of the road and stepped out of her car, first grabbing her phone from the seat beside her, she clicked on [Y/N]’s contact and sent her a quick message to let her know she had made it. She went inside just as her phone buzzed in her hand. ‘I know. I’m across the room from you, silly.’ Sam looked up from her phone to find the [h/c] girl standing in line at the register, smiling and waving at her. The blonde grinned nervously and waved back before joining her in line. They hugged each other tightly, so relieved to see each other again.

When the war had gotten worse and they were sent to fight in it, they were shipped off to separate locations without any contact. It drove them insane not being able to know if the other was okay. Finally, after they were sent home, they immediately called each other and were relieved to hear each other’s voice. Knowing that they were both okay allowed them to finally get the rest they desperately needed. After sleeping for about a day and a half, Sam asked [Y/N] if she’d want to meet up so they could talk. The [h/c] girl agreed instantly, and they chose to go to the cafe closest to where they lived. For Sam, it was only an eight minute drive. For [Y/N], however, it took twenty.

Sam figured the girl had left much earlier than she needed to so she wouldn’t be late. She couldn’t have arrived much sooner than she had. She smiled and sighed, finally stepping back from the embrace to look [Y/N] in the eyes. Oh, those beautiful [e/c] eyes. So captivating and gentle. She always found herself getting lost in a trance as she stared into them. All those late nights in their shared bunk, talking about plans for upcoming missions, gossipping about their fellow soldiers, softly whispering kind words and risque secrets. She cherished those nights.

Those nights were partly the reason she fell so hard for the girl so quickly.

“Sam? You’re doing it again,” [Y/N] said suddenly, waving her hand in front of the blonde’s face. Sam blinked and felt the heat rising to her cheeks. “Huh? Oh, uh…sorry. Zoned out.” The girl in front of her giggled, making her heart flutter. “You do that a lot.” She nodded and scratched the back of her neck, silently thankful that they had to step forward in line so she could hide her face by looking ahead momentarily. “Yeah, my bad. My mind just kind of…wanders.” [Y/N]’s eyebrows popped upwards as she tilted her head to the side in curiosity. “Really? Where to?” The crimson red once again warmed her face at the girl’s question. “N-Nowhere. It’s…embarrassing.”

[Y/N] smirked and nodded. “Fair enough. I’m just curious though. Why does your mind only seem to wander when you’re staring at me? I’ve never seen you zone out around anyone else.” Sam choked on the air she tried to breathe in, startled by the fact [Y/N] had caught on to her situation. The girl laughed. “Don’t worry, Sammy, I’m just teasing.” Sam looked down and used her hand to cover her face as she took a deep breath. When she felt her face was back to its original color, she lowered her hand back down to her side. They stepped forward again when it was their turn to order. “I’d like a medium vanilla frappe.” The barista behind the register nodded with a smile, wrote the order down on the cup, then turned to Sam. “And for you, miss?” “Uh, just a small green tea please.” “Alright. Can I get a name for the order?”

Sam and [Y/N] looked at each other, silently communicating before turning back to the barista. “Samantha G.” The barista nodded and typed the name up on her register. “That’ll be $8.03.” At that, both Sam and [Y/N] reached into their pockets for their wallets. They looked at each other. “Oh, it’s alright, [Y/N]. I’m fine with paying.” [Y/N] smiled softly. “You don’t have to, Sam. I don’t mind paying this time.” “Nah, I got it. You can pay next time.” The [h/c] girl blushed faintly. “O-Oh. Uh, yeah, of course.” [Y/N] put her wallet away as Sam handed the barista her card. She returned it to the blonde shortly after scanning it and handing her the receipt. “We’ll call when it’s ready.” Sam nodded.

“Thanks,” she mumbled loud enough for the employee to hear. She headed over to a table near the back of the room, [Y/N] trailing closely behind her. They sat down across from each other and smiled. Both tried to think of something to say, but couldn’t, so they looked away instead and blushed. Sam’s mind screamed at her to say something–anything–to break the silence. Finally, she cleared her throat. “S-So, uh…did your mission go well?” The [h/c] girl looked over at her. “Hm? Oh, yeah. It was…successful, in terms of the goal, but…” The girl fell silent. Sam raised an eyebrow. “But…?” [Y/N] sighed, averting her gaze to stare at the table in front of her. She began to pick at her nails.

“We just…I saw so many of my friends die, Sam. So many men and women didn’t get to come home to their loved ones. They never get to see their friends or families again. How can I consider that a success?” Sam frowned, her heart breaking as she saw tears forming in [Y/N]’s eyes. Hesitantly, she reached across the table and grabbed the girl’s trembling hand. She caressed the back of it with her thumb. “I know what you mean. I can’t tell you how many people I saw die in a single day. I see their faces every time I close my eyes. I spoke to my therapist about it, and she said it sounds like Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. It’s really common with soldiers, even if they haven’t seen battle in person, so it doesn’t surprise me that we both might have it.”

“Yeah, my dad warned me about that. I’d heard about it multiple times throughout school, but I never knew how horrible it really is. I wish there was a way I could forget about everything I witnessed. All this stress is making me worry about my future.” “I know. It’s going to take some time, and by that, I mean years, but we’ll get through it, okay? I promise. Yes, we both have therapists who can help us find healthy ways to cope, but we also have each other. We both know the general idea of what we saw, so we have true sympathy for our situation. We aren’t alone in this. I’m here for you.” [Y/N] smiled weakly, though it dropped. “I know. I’m just…I’m scared, Sam.” Sam tilted her head. “Of what?”

“I’ve heard so many stories–I’ve seen it multiple times! How people with PTSD snap at the smallest things and end up driving away the people they love. I don’t want that to happen.” Sam sighed softly, her own hand beginning to tremble. “I can’t promise that we won’t lose control sometimes. Trauma makes you do scary things–it gives you horrible thoughts and overrides your emotions. It can make you lose sight of what’s logical. It’s terrifying, but there are ways to cope with it. Therapy and talking with people who understand it are two of those ways. It’s going to take years. I know that’s terrible to think about, but it’s true. You won’t be alone during those years, I can promise you that. I’m here, your therapist is here, and everyone else is too: Emily, Jessica, Matt, Mike, Chris, Ashley–all of us. We’re here.”

[Y/N] smiled genuinely at Sam, who returned it with her own small grin. They gazed into each other’s eyes, visibly refraining from telling each other something. Sam took in a shaky breath to ease her anxiety. She took note of how warm [Y/N]’s hand felt in her own–how soft her skin felt against her own. She recalled how warm the girl’s body felt when they had hugged earlier in line. She smiled. “[Y/N], can I be honest with you?” The [h/c] girl nodded, a spark of interest flickering in her eyes. “Of course.” Sam parted her lips to speak. “I wanted to t–”

“Samantha G, your order is ready!”

Both women jumped at the sudden holler, looking over to the register where the barista from before had placed their drinks. Sam sighed, her heart pounding in her ears. She turned back to [Y/N]. “I-I, uh…I guess I’ll be right back.” [Y/N] smiled nervously and nodded. The blonde then stood and walked to the counter, picking up the drinks before spinning on her heel to head back to the table. She sucked in a breath, cursing under her breath at how stupid she was for trying to confess at a time like that. She deliberately slowed her steps so she wouldn’t have to face [Y/N] again so soon, but because of the small size of the cafe, it only took her a few seconds to make it back. She sat down and handed the drink over, instantly taking a sip of her own to avoid eye contact.

“What were you saying?” Sam put her drink down and cleared her throat. “Uh, nothing. It’s not important.” [Y/N] frowned. “Alright…” They sat in silence, the only background noise the surrounding chatter of the tables nearby and the occasional sip they alternated between taking. After a few minutes, Sam’s phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out and clicked on the notification. Mike had texted, asking if she had confessed yet. She sighed. ‘No, I can’t do it. Not now. I think we still need time before either one of us is ready.’ Mike sent back a frowny face, but agreed that she should wait. ‘You should still tell her how you feel though. That way she knows she can come to you when she’s ready.’ Sam rolled her eyes. ‘Fine. But I’m not telling her now. I’ll tell her some other time.’

She pocketed her phone with a huff and finished off the last of her drink. She stood and walked to a trash can, tossed her empty cup inside, and stepped back over to the table. She put her fidgety hands into her pockets and stood beside [Y/N], who looked up at her with an unreadable expression. “Why don’t we get out of here? I think it would be best to get some fresh air and talk about something else until we’re comfortable.” The girl still sitting nodded and stood up as well, following Sam as they both headed out the door. They got into the blonde’s car, and as they were buckling up, Sam paused her movements, making the [h/c] girl look over at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?”

“Didn’t you drive here?” “Oh, yeah. I guess you can just drop me off here after we’re done hanging out. That way I can take my car home.” Sam nodded and started the engine, merging into the street once the upcoming traffic cleared. They sat in silence for a while, not sure what to say. Finally, as [Y/N] realized Sam hadn’t specified where she was going, she turned to her. “Where were you wanting to go? I’m not really sure of any store or mall that isn’t packed at this time.” Sam hummed, the gears in her mind turning as she kept her eyes on the road ahead. “I guess we can go walk around at the park near my place. Would that be alright?”

“Yeah, anything is fine. I just want to get my mind off of what we were talking about for a little bit.” Sam nodded, but they went completely silent after that. They drove for a few more short minutes, though it felt like an eternity to the both of them. Once they finally pulled up to the side of the road, they got out. [Y/N] stood near the hood of the car as she waited for Sam to join her after locking the car. They linked up and walked over to the red track that trailed along the edge of the park, standing a more-than-reasonable distance away from each other. Sam looked around at the other people walking around while [Y/N] stared down at her phone, mindlessly scrolling through posts on her feed.

Sam’s previously tense gaze softened as it landed on a group of small children laughing and running as their parents chased them with bright smiles. A small smile of its own made its way to her lips as she looked over at [Y/N]. “Hey, have you ever thought of having a family of your own? Y’know, once you’re ready?” The [h/c] girl looked up, surprised at the sudden question. She shrugged. “Oh, uh…I guess so. Every once in a while, yeah, but I really want to find the right person first before I even think of starting a family.” Sam nodded. “Ah, yeah, that’s a good idea. But a family doesn’t necessarily mean having children. It could mean having nieces, nephews, or a pet, or even just having a partner. There’s no real definition of what a family has to be.”

[Y/N] smiled. “That’s a nice way to look at it.” They shared a smile, finally making eye contact for the first time since they left the cafe. “What about you?” “Hm?” “Have you ever thought about starting a family when you’re ready?” Sam blushed. “Oh. Yeah, I have.” “Anyone specific in mind?” The blonde’s blush deepened. “Y-Yes.” [Y/N] suddenly smirked, pocketing her phone as she stepped closer and leaned in a bit to the side. “Oh? Who?” Sam looked away. “No one. I don’t wanna say.” “C’mon, Sammy, you can tell me. I’m the same one you shared all those secrets with back in our bunk.” Sam sighed after a moment and looked down at her feet, unable to wipe the smile from her face. “I-I can’t share any names, but…it’s this girl.”

“Yeah? Tell me about her! Maybe I could find a way to get you two together.” ‘Oh, the irony,’ Sam thought to herself. “She’s just…perfect in my eyes. She’s kind, beautiful, selfless, strong, and just…incredible. I wish I could tell her how I feel. She means the world to me. I could go on and on for hours about how much I love her. I can’t picture a life ahead without her in it–I don’t want to picture one without her in it either. Even if she doesn’t feel the same, I still want to be there for her–to make her happy and feel loved like she deserves.” [Y/N]’s smile seemed forced, not quite reaching her eyes. “Oh, it sounds like you really love her a lot!” “Yeah, I do. How would you confess?” “Me?” “Yeah. If you were in my shoes, what would you do or say to her to let her know how I feel?”

[Y/N] looked ahead, not really looking at anything in particular. “Hm…Well, I’d probably take her to a nice place where we’d be alone, and then start talking to her about what I love most about her. Then, if she doesn’t seem uncomfortable, I’d tell her how I feel.” Sam nodded, making a mental note. “That’s not a bad plan at all. Maybe I’ll follow through with it. I could do it tonight, actually.” “Oh, do I need to leave at a certain time so you’re alone?” “No, it’s fine. We’ll figure it out.” “Alright.”

They continued walking, Sam seeming to lead the conversation afterwards as [Y/N] gave increasingly shorter answers. Finally, after about an hour and a half of walking, they headed back. Sam drove them to her apartment instead of the cafe, confusing the [h/c] girl. She turned to ask her where they were, but the blonde had already gotten out of the car and headed to the front of the building. [Y/N] stepped out and shut the door. Sam turned to her and motioned for her to come over. “C’mon! I wanna hang out with you for a bit longer. Unless you’re busy?” “Oh, no, not at all.”

Sam nodded, and they headed inside. They stepped into the elevator as the blonde pressed her floor. They made it up in a few short moments and headed down the overly long hallway. Finally, just as [Y/N] was getting ready to ask how much further they would have to walk, Sam turned and pulled her keys out from her pocket, unlocking the door in front of her and pushing it open to step inside. [Y/N] followed after her. Sam closed and locked the door behind her once they were both inside. “Go ahead and make yourself comfortable in the living room. I’m just gonna change into something a little more cozy.” “Alright.”

Sam headed into her room off to the side, closing the door behind her and locking it before quickly grabbing her phone. She shot Mike a text in a panic. ‘She’s in my apartment rn, what the hell do I do??’ Mike didn’t take long to respond. ‘Nice!! Shoot your shot and tell her how you feel!’ Sam groaned, tossing her phone onto her bed and heading to her closet. She grabbed a slightly oversized t-shirt and some sweatpants. She changed into them quickly and sat on the edge of her mattress, holding her head in her hands as her mind raced. ‘Just tell her how you feel. Make her feel safe, so that even if she doesn’t feel the same, she knows it’s okay to reject you and leave. Don’t be pushy.’

She stood and grabbed her phone. She stepped over to her door and unlocked it, though she didn’t make any move to actually twist the doorknob and open it. ‘Breathe, and just tell her how you feel.’ She finally opened the door and headed over to the couch, joining [Y/N] as she sat down on the opposite side. They smiled nervously at each other before looking away. Sam’s phone buzzed in her hand, making her look down at it. Mike texted again, giving her a few words of encouragement. The blonde smiled with a soft sigh and looked over at [Y/N], who was toying with her fingers. “Hey, so…about earlier–when I asked about starting a family. There was actually a reason I brought that up.”

[Y/N] turned to her, now intrigued. “Yeah? What is it?” “You know those things I said about that girl I like?” She nodded. “I’m not sure if I made it obvious about who I was talking about, but could you kind of get a hint as to who I was referring to?” [Y/N] looked to the side as she thought to herself. “Uh…no, actually. I don’t really know anyone that we didn’t both meet during training, and from what I could tell, you didn’t really care for anyone there since they were all really rude at first.” Sam chuckled. “Yeah, until they got scolded multiple times, they were honestly pretty annoying. I tried pretty damn hard to stay calm around them, but they made it so difficult.” [Y/N] laughed with her this time. “Yeah. Kinda reminds me of boot camp.”

Sam nodded, both women smiling warmly at each other. Suddenly feeling the urge to be closer, the blonde scooted towards [Y/N], who didn’t seem to mind in the slightest. “Well, the girl I was talking about, I actually did meet her during training.” The girl’s eyes brightened, seeming hopeful. “R-Really?” “Yeah. All those things I said about her were true. I don’t want to picture my life without her in it.” Sam’s smile widened. “I don’t want to picture my life without you in it, [Y/N]. Even if you don’t feel the same about me, I want you to know that I’ll always be here for you–trying everything I can to make you happy. You deserve the world, and I want to try to give that to you.”

[Y/N] stared at her in shock, her face bright red as she fumbled nervously with her shirt. Sam’s eyebrows furrowed a bit after a moment of no response, her confidence crumbling. “Is…Is everything alright? I didn’t make you uncomfortable, did I?” [Y/N] blinked. “Huh? O-Oh, no! Not at all! I just didn’t expect you to feel the same way about me that I feel about you.” It was Sam’s turn to blush this time. “You feel the same way about me?” [Y/N] nodded. They smiled wildly at each other, overwhelmed with both joy and relief at the realization that they felt the same way about each other. Sam scooted closer, tenderly taking [Y/N]’s hand into her own. “So…what does this mean? What are we?”

The [h/c] girl shrugged after a moment, her smile never faltering. “I’m not sure, honestly. I really do love you, Sam, I’m just scared.” Sam tilted her head. “Scared? Of what?” “Of being in a relationship so soon after making it home. I’m worried I’ll be too anxious or stressed to play my part in a relationship like this. I just…I need time. I promise you, we will date–my heart belongs to you, but I’m just going to need a bit of time to figure things out. Maybe once I find good ways to cope with what happened, I’ll be ready.” She looked up at the blonde, expecting her to be upset. To her relief, Sam was still smiling as wide as before. She nodded and squeezed her hand.

“I agree. I think I need a bit of time as well. I’m just so relieved to know you feel the same way.” They stared at each other for a moment longer. At length, [Y/N] suddenly leaned forward and pulled Sam into one of those warm hugs she was so in love with. She froze, but quickly melted into the embrace and held her back just as tight, inhaling her scent and closing her eyes. “I’m so glad I met you, Sam,” [Y/N] whispered softly. Sam felt her smile grow wider as she buried her face into the girl’s hair. She held her tighter. “I’m glad I met you too. I love you so much.” [Y/N] didn’t respond for a moment, making Sam worry that she had said it too soon. Her worries were washed away, however, as [Y/N] chuckled through a sob. Before Sam could ask what was wrong, a soft, “I love you too,” came from the girl’s lips. They stayed there for several long moments, swaying side to side slightly as they enjoyed each other’s presence and warmth.

Finally, they leaned back and gazed into each other’s eyes. [Y/N] had been crying, but Sam could tell it was from joy instead of pain. She grinned, softly wiping her tears away. “Everything will be okay, [Y/N]. I promise you. I’m here for you.”