summary: when andrew met you, he didn’t know if he’d be able to hold down a relationship with you. you were so soft, so sweet, everything he wasn’t. in time, he learns that he can be those things too if he just lets himself learn how. aka a tiny collection of scenarios where you melt his heart <3
pairing: andrew ‘pope’ cody x whimsy!reader
warnings: very sunshine!reader-esque, petnames used, not proofread, i kind of wrote this in one night to calm myself down before my exams…, probably ooc but i think he’s a softie at heart so i don’t care
a/n: heavily inspired by these imagines with the same concepts! title from fade into you by mazzy star and dividers by @/bhavihelps ⋆˚꩜｡ also, thank you so much to the anon who said they loved the imagines, i’m so glad i could make you feel seen!! i hope you enjoy these as well xx
the first time he went to your apartment, andrew was… intimidated, to say the least. he met you at deran’s bar a few weeks prior, you talked all night and left him your number on a little napkin. but you were so smiley. and he was nothing like you. he was awkward, closed off, quiet, and you talked his ear off. he was scared, scared of so many things; you’d realize you were both too different to work out, you’d realize he was too dangerous, you’d realize he just… wasn’t good enough for you.
as he got out of the car and stood in front of your house, he stopped for a moment to take it all in. it wasn’t big at all, in fact it was a tiny cabin decorated with flowers and a porch with a swing. everything was so decorated, so you. he didn’t think twice about getting the wrong house, he knew this would be yours. he knocked twice, quietly, until you answered the door.
you were absolutely beaming when you opened up for him, running to hug him, “hi andrew!” you squeezed him once and pulled back to grin at him, “i’m so glad you came! come in, come in!”
he let himself be pulled inside by you, his eyes widened at how happy you were to see him. he couldn’t fathom the idea that someone like you could want him. he muttered out a quiet, “hey.” it was simple, but you could tell he was happy to see you too. it made you smile.
the kitchen was small but cozy. you had potted plants hanging from the ceiling, and lace curtains with small crystal charms dangling down from them. you had star-shaped sponges on the windowsill, and his lips twitched a bit thinking about how similar you were to him. he liked that you kept things clean the same way he did.
ushering him into a wooden chair at your dinner table, you rambled on, “sit down, it’s okay! i made some strawberry lemonade, do you want some? i also made some fruit salad, you mentioned you like strawberries so…” he just nodded, dazed. you were so attentive. the comment he made about strawberries was small, he forgot he even said it. but you remembered.
he was staring at your wrists, at the crystal bracelets of all colors that adorned them. he cleared his throat and mustered up enough courage to ask, “did you make them?” you turned around, a little confused but not judging. “make what?” he got a little embarrassed at that but continued, “the bracelets, did you make them?”
your smile brightened again at that, “oh, you noticed! yeah, i made them myself!” he nodded silently and murmured, “they’re pretty. i like ‘em.” you slid down into the chair next to him, bumping your shoe against his. “they’re not that hard to make, y’know. i could teach you if you wanted.”
he hesitated, you could see it on his face. you didn’t want him to hesitate, you wanted him to be comfortable so you reassured him, “it’s easy. it’ll be fun, i promise. and you’ll learn something new, wouldn’t that be fun?” you put on your best smile, trying to convince him, and after a few moments he let his shoulders relax a little and he gave in, “alright. teach me.”
it took a few minutes for you to go grab your bag of beads and charms, but it wasn’t long until you were back to sitting next to him, unpacking everything and laying it all out for him. “okay, pick your favorite color!” he was hesitating again, he seemed to always be doing that. you saw him staring at the amethyst beads, “purple? is that it?”
he was so shy about it. everyone saw him as some tough, mean guy, so the first time he wore purple around his brothers their first response was to tease him about it a little. he stopped wearing it after that. when he didn’t answer, you smiled kindly and placed your hand over his on the table, “you know i’m not judging. we can make a purple one.”
“i think i’d like that,” he agreed. once you saw him visibly relax again, you knew he was having a good time, he was just self-conscious. you made it your mission to put that to rest. the two of you got to work, your hands on his, gently guiding him to place the beads on the string. he savored the feeling of your skin on his, it was comforting, something he hasn’t felt in a long time.
once his bracelet was done, you fastened it on his wrist, careful to be as soft as possible. you smiled up at him, your faces closer than they’d been before. neither of you noticed at first, and neither of you cared. but now you could both feel it. he stared into your eyes, not caring about the jokes his brothers make about his ‘staring problem’ for once. you didn’t seem to mind, in fact you stared right back and grinned at him.
“you have nice eyes, andrew…” your hand found the side of his face, warm and turning pink from the contact. he hummed, “yeah? you think so?” the two of you leaned in unconsciously, and his lips found yours.
the kiss was soft, sweet, exactly what he’d been craving all his life. you moved slowly, quietly humming into his mouth, and after a few moments you pulled away. your eyes were slightly widened, your cheeks flushed and your lips pink. he decided he wanted to devote the rest of his life to seeing you like that. like you were his. you leaned in again, and this time you didn’t pull away.
a month later, the two of you have been going steady. he’s been coming over almost every night after you get home from work, which is at a small bookstore in town. youre always bringing him books and teaching him how to make new jewelry and crafts, he assumes it’s like your love language. you love the domesticity of it all, curling up on the couch to read together, your hands guiding his to paste photos into the scrapbook you’ve been making.
in the past month, he’s read three new (long. very long) books and has enough bracelets to cover both of his arms and then some. but he doesn’t wear most of them. he keeps almost all of the bracelets and crafts in a hidden compartment in his dresser, he doesn’t want his family finding them. you’re his, he’d rather not have them know about you. he likes having you to himself.
he does wear one of them, though. it’s his favorite, the one you made for him with his eye colors and yours. he made you a matching one. when he’s on a job, he can’t carry your photo or anything that could tie you to him, so the bracelet is the closest thing he can get to you when he’s on one. he likes having something that ties you to him, even if it’s always hidden under the sleeve of his jacket.
tonight, he’s sitting with his brothers in the living room, drafting a plan for a bank robbery coming up. well, they’re in the living room while he’s listening and cleaning up the shit they left in the kitchen. as he cleans, his sleeve lifts up a bit, and a sliver of his wrist is visible for a moment. baz is the one to catch it, “pope, since when do you wear jewelry?”
he knows he’s fucked. he can’t defend himself, not to his brothers. “i don’t wear jewelry,” he huffs, scrubbing the plate he’s focused on just a bit more roughly. baz just laughs and walks over, trying to get a better look at it. “no, you’re totally wearing a bracelet right now. c’mon, who got that for you? do you have a girl?” he tries to defend himself, he does, but they tease him for the rest of the night and by the end of it, he can’t help the slight upturn of his lips that’s caused by them calling you ‘his girl.’
two weeks later, he’s helping deran out at the bar, and his brother notices the purple residue of nail polish on his nails. he blinked, “so… you just paint your nails now.” andrew turns away, flustered, “i don’t paint my nails. someone… did it from me. it’s none of your business.” deran just laughs and claps him on the back, “you know what, good for you. you deserve it.” he leaves the bar a little happier that night.
it’s been six months since then. he ended up introducing you to his family after only two, since they kept bugging him about it, and you wanted to be more involved in his life. today, you’re sitting by the pool while he does yardwork for them, watching him and sipping your favorite lemonade, when a tiny rabbit jumps into your view.
you immediately squeal. he runs to your side, terrified something’s happened to you, just to be met with the sight of you smiling and giggling, pointing at the tiny thing in the bushes. “andy, look! look, it’s a bunny! you didn’t tell me you have bunnies in the backyard?”
he’s completely dumbfounded. he never really paid enough attention to notice any animals in the yard, and he’s surprised you’re this happy about it. “well.. yeah, apparently we have bunnies, love.”
you grinned and stood up, slowly making your way over to the bunny. he panics, his mind already going to the worst case scenario, “baby, stop—“ he reaches towards you, but… nothing happens. the bunny just sits there and lets you adore it. you’re a foot away and it still isn’t moving. you’re so giddy, “andrew, look! he likes me!”
he decides to walk over, the thing seems friendly enough. he thinks that until it runs away immediately, making you frown at him. “you scared him! why’d you do that!” he sighed and knelt down to kiss your forehead, “yeah, yeah, i get it. not everyone is an animal whisperer like you, sweetheart.” he’s right. a week later, a deer comes over and becomes your new best friend. it seems the animals at the cody house love you as much as he does.
two years into your relationship, you finally have a house. it was sad to say goodbye to your cute little cabin, but you can’t complain about the cottage you now own with your boyfriend in the forest. it’s exactly what you’ve always wanted, surrounded by nature and animals, and you know he picked it especially for you.
just after you move in, andrew comes home from his new, stable, blue collar job to find you sitting at the kitchen table the same way you were on your first date, hunched over something there. he walks in to greet you, dropping his coat and hugging you from behind, kissing your neck. he smiles against it, “hi there, baby. what’re you working on?”
you kiss his cheek in return and cover his eyes, “shhh, you can’t see it yet! it’s a surprise!” once you’ve successfully hidden your work under a dish towel, you stand up and kiss him properly. “how was work?” you gently run your hands over his chest, toying with the amethyst necklace you bought for him.
he smiles down at you, “it was good. i’m tired, though.” he’s always tired after work, but it isn’t a problem. you curl up on the couch and let him lay his head on your lap while you tell him random facts that he has no idea how you found out about. he likes to hear them, likes to hear what goes on in your brain, even though it’s certainly chaotic.
he lets you drag him to the couch, where you do exactly this for the next hour. he listens to your rambling, but he doesn’t fall asleep. you end up falling asleep first. he stays with you for a while, but eventually he gets too curious and kisses your forehead before getting up.
when he makes his way to the kitchen table and peels away the dish towel you threw on it earlier, he finds what you were working on. tiles painted with your and his favorite flowers, in your favorite colors. you purposely left space in the kitchen with no tiles so you could add your own, and this is what you made. he nearly cries at the thought of it, and he’s reminded how thankful he is that you stayed patient with him, that you taught him how to love.
after returning to the couch and laying back down with you, he finally relaxes enough to fall asleep, whispering into the crook of your neck how much he loves you. he knows that this is what he’s needed all along, and here, in this house with you, he’s finally at peace.
