Newness
Imagine: Henry Cavill x Reader where the reader is a single mom who meets someone that makes it easy to love.
Things took a while to feel normal again after signing the papers. Connor was more broken than you could of imagined. It hurt that one moment he could be agreeing with you, that it was over and that you both deserved to find that ‘one,’ and then the next moment he could be reminiscing about all your good times. You loved him in a different way now, every time you looked at your son, you saw him, it was inevitable. But for the sake of Sam, your entire world, you and your ex needed to show him what it really meant to be happy.
Explaining divorce to an 8 year old shouldn’t of been easy, but Sam somehow just knew exactly what you were trying to say. He had such a kind heart.
Every once in awhile the emotions would get to you, and when they did Sam would come and find you, always with a bag of fruit snacks in his hands.
He would sit in your lap and the two of you would share them. You didn’t let it happen often though, and when it did you would always make sure to end the session with a joke or a movie night to take his mind off of it.
The lives you and Connor lead allowed you shared custody. You alternated weeks with Sam, which was hard sometimes, but it was always just enough of a break, which you needed in the beginning. Not because of Sam though, he was easy. The night you told him about the divorce he’d taken your hand, noticing that you had tears in your eyes, and said “Will this make you happy mom?”
It hit you like a ton of bricks when you realized your 8 year old son had somehow said exactly what you needed to hear, and the answer to that question was yes.
It was almost two years now since the divorce. Sam was 10, and 10 year olds have lives. He loved to play soccer, it took up most of him time now actually. He had friends he loved, his father who was just as devoted to him after the divorce as he was before it, and you. Above all he was happy, which was all that really mattered to you.
“I know, I’m thinking about going. It’s the weekend before Sam goes to his dads...Yeah I think it’d be fun.”
At the moment, your sister, who was on the other line, was desperately trying to get you to go on this camping trip a few of your friends had planned.
“We both know you deserve to do something for yourself, and they’re your best friends! Sam will be just fine if you’re unavailable for a few days and you know it.”
She was right about that. She was always right but that was beside the point. And your attendance would be more of a favor than anything. Anna, who you’d first met at work had become your closest friend. She loved Sam, and after the divorce, she was with you two almost every day after school.
As a favor to you one time, she attended one of the schools PTA meetings. You had to stay late at your office but you wanted to make sure you didn’t miss anything important, so she went for you. While she was there she struck up a conversation with one of the single dads in attendance. You didn’t know much about him other than that his name was Jason and he was always really sweet to everyone.
You would describe him as a little dorky, but in a good way. Anna definitely took a liking to him, and the pair had even gone on a few dates. Since then the three of you had gotten to be good friends. Anna wanted things to be more serious between the two of them though, so she planned this camping trip, freaked out at the last moment, and then begged you to come with them.
“Alright, I’ll go. But I’m telling Sam to call you if he needs anything while I’m gone alright?”
“Of course! Of course, Aunty Beth always has time for the little bug...who’s probably getting tired of me calling him that.. Anyway, I’m proud of you. You’ll have a great time.”
You didn’t know about a great time, but it would be nice to get out of the house.
At the end of the week, you picked Sam up from school and drove him to his dads house. Before you dropped him off, he made sure to assure you that he would be perfectly fine. Of course you believed him.
You still had some packing to do, Anna was on her way to your house now. She pulled up with the entire back seat of her car filled to the brim.
“Y/n! Are you ready for this?” She seemed to be trying to act excited to cover the fact that she was a little worried about all of this.
“I am! It’s going to be great. Don't worry, If anything ever gets too serious for you, just let me know and I’ll dull the romantic mood. I’m great at being a third wheel so--”
“Third wheel, what do you mean third wheel? Fourth wheel.” She looked at you like you were crazy. Only before realizing she had forgotten to fill you in on some pertinent details of the trip.
“Ohh shit.” She brought her hands to her hips then, “I didn’t want you to feel weird, and then the other day in the office, you know that guy, the hot one. His desk is two desks to the left and one forward of your office door? You know.”
“Henry?” You asked, really hoping she wasn’t about to say what you thought she was.
“Yeah, you know. He over heard me on the phone with Jason, talking about how we were all going camping.”
“That’s weird he heard you.” You said dramatically. “You sit right across from him, so weird.”
“Okay yes, yeah he heard me and then, very nosily if I may add, asked if we’d picked a campsite. And the answer was no, none of us know shit about camping. But then he said he used to camp a lot and he knew of a really beautiful place and one thing lead to another and Invited him and both him and Jason are meeting us at the campsite.”
“Hmm.” Was all you could say.
After Anna came inside and helped you pack, the two of you hit the road. Apparently Henry sent her the directions to the site. Seattle was a beautiful place to be in nature, and you really had no reason to be upset about anything, so you decided you’d try a little optimism to start the trip.
“Do you know anything about Henry? I mean, I’ve seen him around the office, maybe said hi a few times but not much more than that.”
Anna fiddled with the radio as she drove. “I know he has a childlike crush on you. Oh! Okay and he’s actually been in a few movies before! It was when he was younger though, he said he quit because he liked creating the stories rather than acting in them. Isn’t that beautiful, God he’s hot.”
“What do you mean a crush, Anna?”
She looked over at you and waved you off. “I don’t know for sure, I’ve caught him looking at you like a few times, he asks questions sometimes. I don't know, you’re his boss so it’s not that weird he would have questions.”
Henry started working at the publishing company a few months ago. As assistant editor, you never really spoke with him very much, you did recall working on a few of his scripts, and if you remember correctly, they were actually really good.
The drive was less than an hour. It was a little off the beaten track, but Henry had been right, it was absolutely beautiful. As you pulled up you saw only one other vehicle.
“Did they drive together?” You asked.
“Yeah, Jason met Henry at his house and drove with him. He thought it would be good to get to know him on the drive up.” Anytime Anna ever talked about Jason a silly smile formed on her face. It made you happy to see her happy.
After grabbing your bags, you walked a few yards when you saw a clearing. Jason and Henry had already set up both of their tents from the look of it. Jason was working on the fire when the two of you approached.
“Anna, Y/n! You made it.” His eyes lit up as he walked over to Anna and placed a kiss to her cheek.
Then to your surprise, he came over and gave you a hug which you returned.
“How’s Sam doing? Good? Is he enjoying Soccer?”
“He is, yes. He’s great. Thank you for asking.” You said with a fond smile. That was Jason, probably the sweetest person you knew.
“Henry, he’s great. He’s down by the stream, wanted to check it out he said. Real cool guy.” His man-crush was showing.
Him and Anna resumed trying to get the fire started. You thought you’d head down to the stream to introduce yourself formally to Henry. You could hear it before you saw it. Everything was breathtaking, and you were suddenly really glad you came.
Off a little ways from your site you saw Henry. He stood on the bank as he tossed stones into the river. He turned when he heard you approaching, an unnecessarily beautiful smile graced his lips.
“Y/n. You made it.”
You smiled as you settled in next to him, looking out over the water. “It’s nice to officially meet you Henry. Its great you could come. None of us know too much about camping.”
“Oh, I’m sure you know more than you’re letting on.” He glanced towards you, his eyes on you making you a little anxious.
“I’m happy to help you set up your tent though.”
“Oh, right. That would be great.” You said gratefully.
When he said he would help, what he really meant was he would do it for you. Which you appreciated. You also didn’t mind watching him as he did.
“So, tell me about this kid of yours.”
He clarified when he saw you looked caught off guard, “Anna told me, you have a son right?”
“Oh, of course. Yeah, his names Sam. Amazing kid really. He’s uh, with his dad this weekend.”
You didn't know why you told him that, but it seemed like something you should say.
“You two separated?” He asked.
“Yeah, two years now.”
He didn’t respond for a second as he struggled with one of the tent poles. “Me too.”
“You were married? Any kids?”
He shook his head as he hammered down the last peg. “No, just married.”
After being married and going through a divorce, it was easy for you to talk about things like this. It was the new normal.
“What happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Henry watched you as he walked towards the stump you were sitting on and sat next to you. “I was really young, we both were I guess. We didn’t know what we were doing, what love even was.”
You stared forward as he talked. His voice was soft but deep. Easy to listen to.
“I understand that. My ex and I, well after Sam, we thought it wasn’t fair for him to grow up in a house with parents who didn’t love each other in that way. So I guess it was just as much for him as it was for us.”
“Divorce sucks, but it sounds like it was the best thing for you.” He looked over at you, your shoulders rubbed against each other a little.
When you looked back at him you started to laugh.
“Jesus, it’s so nice to meet you, let me tell you my deepest secrets.”
He laughed at that. “I couldn’t stop myself. I looked in your eyes and I just-- couldn’t help it.”
From across the sight, you saw Anna and Jason approaching from one of the paths.
“You two look like you’re having fun!” She said, taking a seat next to you.
“There are some amazing hiking trails up here Henry. Great pick.” Jason chimed in.
“Well thank you. I’d be be happy to show you guys some more if you’re up for it?”
Henry looked to you for an answer, but you felt antsy under his gaze so you looked to Anna who was lounged out on the ground. She had never been one for hiking.
“God, no, we just got back from a hike. Let’s go tomorrow.”
If Anna said so, that was the plan, and that was what you loved about her. It was starting to get dark anyway so you also thought it best to stay near the camp. Now was Jason’s time to remind you all why he was here and showcase his “outdoor cooking skills” as he called them.
The other three of you enjoyed the warmth of the fire and broke out the alcohol that you and Anna had been sure to pack.
“Pick your poison.” Anna held up a bottle of whiskey in one hand and a bottle of vodka in the other.
You figured either would taste good in hot coco so you reached towards the whiskey, seemingly at the same time as Henry.
“Great minds think alike.” You said, letting him take the bottle. You had your hot coco in hand, waiting for him to pour some in.
He smiled up at you and filled the rest of your cup before pouring it in straight to his.
“Jesus Henry, take it easy. You’re our only hope of survival if we get stranded out here.” Anna said with a look of worry on her face.
From across the fire Jason looked at Henry. “She’s absolutely right. And I’m not even offended.”
You all laughed at his comment. And after a few drinks of whiskey, you were all laughing at really anything anyone said.
Just as promised, Jason cooked up an amazing meal. Just in time to keep you all from feeling too drunk.
You spent dinner telling stories, talking about work. Even about yours and Jason’s kids. Anytime you talked, you noticed Henry turn towards you as much as he could and give you his full attention, just that small thing had you starting to swoon. And on top of that, Anna was so right, he was hot.
It was dark, but a full moon lit the world around you. Anna had chosen the vodka, and she was on a whole other level when she was drunk.
She got that look in her eye before looking over to you and saying, “We should go for a swim.”
“Right now?” You said, a questioning smile on your face.
“Yes right now. Let’s all go.”
You were a little tipsy, just enough to actually want to. It was unusually warm tonight, and your muddled thoughts couldn't find any reason to say no.
You looked over to Henry who was watching you two with a lazy smile on his face.
“Is it safe?” You asked.
He liked that you asked.
“Of course. I say we go.”
That was all it took for the four of you to clumsily jog down to the bank where Anna had no problem stripping out of her pants and treading into the water.
“OH FuCk!.”
Jason laughed as he lifted his shirt over his head and followed in after her.
“Is it cold?” You yelled from the side.
“No it’s fine.” She was lying.
Beside you Henry lifted his own shirt above his head and said, “I’ll go in if you do.”
“Mmm, yeah okay.”
You stripped out of your pants but left your shirt on.
The moment your feet touched the water you regretted it, but Henry grabbed your hand and tugged you along with him.
“Come on Y/n. I got you.”
Jason and Anna were a little more than waist deep now, giggling and splashing at each other like children. Henry continued pulling you until you were both in a little deeper than your chest.
You began to shiver, not able to keep your arms out the water any longer.
“You alright?” He asked, concern in his voice.
“I’m okay, yeah.” You laughed through a shiver, the alcohol’s affect beginning to wear off but definitely still there.
After a few minutes your body started to get used to the cold. It was a beautiful night. You took a deep breath and took in the night air as you shifted onto your back and let yourself float on top of the water. Everything went quiet as your ears sunk just below the surface.
You stared up at the stars and swore you could stay like this forever. Calm, quiet, happy.
Henry watched you as a contentedness settled over your features. It seemed like his eyes would always wander to you each time he saw you in your office, or when you walked off the elevator in the morning, when you would sit at your desk late, after everyone had left. But now, with you right in front of him, he understood why. He watched as you looked up at the stars, wonder in your eyes, and he knew exactly what you felt, as he looked at you.
He took to his back next to you, letting his hands drift over to yours. His fingers caressed yours in the water. Every time they incidentally touched, you relished in their warmth.
“I wish I could live up there. It’s beautiful.” You said slowly.
He smiled knowingly and let his finger almost intertwine with yours.
“I know.”
The next morning you woke up to the sound of birds chirping. As best you could, you got dressed in your tent and got out. Anna had woken up at the same time as you.
“Hey beautiful, how’d you sleep?” She said drowsily, coming over to you and resting her head on your shoulder.
“Just fine, You?” She knew the question in your voice was about sharing a tent with Jason.
“Like a baby.” She smiled up at you just as Jason and Henry came towards the camp from the lake.
As he approached, you noticed the warm smile on his face was pointed right at you.
“Morning ladies.”
He walked over to with his hands in his pockets. In the warm light of day he looked a little more nervous than he had last night. He stood next to you, close enough for you to feel him kinda bump into you.
“You want some coffee?” He watched you nod yes and poured you a cup from the thermos.
“Thanks.”
“What say we head out on that hike now? Henry and I found an amazing trail to take.”
Anna and Jason walked ahead of you hand in hand. The hike was an easy one. Full of gorgeous landscape.
You hung back with Henry, who let the hand closest to you hang down at his side.
“Tell me about your acting.” You asked, trying to find a way to fill the suggestive silence.
“Sure. I acted in a few movies when I was young, 17--18. It was a world of it’s own. Met a lot of people, went a lot of places.”
“Is that where you met your wife?” You glanced over at him for a moment before looking back down at your footing.
“It is actually. She worked on the set of the last movie I did. What about you and uh--”
“Connor? We met at a mutual friends party. We dated a year before getting married, two years after that we had Sam.”
“The silver lining.”
That made you smile. “Exactly.”
When you looked up at him, you lost track of where you were stepping, causing you to step down onto the wrong side of a branch and lose your balance.
Henry tried to grab you before you hit the ground, but you fell forward, scraping your knee against a rock as you did.
“Oh, shit.” You yelled, gripping your now bleeding knee.
Henry was next to you in a heart beat.
“Are you alright?” He had a panic in his voice as he leaned over towards the leg you were holding.
“Mmmyeah I’m okay.”
Your face told a different story, so did your knee, which you could feel sticking to your pants with blood. The fall ripped a hole where you hit, and Henry reached towards it.
“Can I take a look?”
You nodded and he carefully tore the fabric of your jeans at the knee, revealing the bloodied cut across your knee.
“Shit.”
“It’ll be fine but I should clean it up so it doesn't get infected.”
You were less than half a mile away from camp so you figured you would just walk, but as you tried to get up, Henry picked you up in his arms and started carrying you back.
“What the fuck?” You said, caught by surprise as he did.
“Don’t worry about it Y/n. I got you.” He smiled a little and just kept on walking, in spite of your multiple request to walk yourself.
“To tell you the truth, this was my plan all along.” He joked. This was the first time you’d ever been this close to him, and he happened to be holding you in his arms on top of that.
“Wait for you to hurt yourself and then hold you in my arms like any hero would.”
You laughed as you tried not to turn your face to his, which was inches away. “What if I would of sprained my wrist or something, then what?” You said.
“Still would of carried you.” He laughed, “It was just the right thing to do Y/n.”
You were beginning to like the way he said your name.
When you got back to camp, he set you down on stump and jogged to his truck to get his first aid kit.
He pulled out a small bottle of Saline and poured it over the wound. You closed your eyes as he poured it, making him grin when he caught you.
“You okay?” He asked, wiping away the blood and wrapping it with a bandage.
“All good. Thank you, Henry. My hero.” You said with a smirk.
He still had his hands resting around your knee, his eyes found yours and held them for a moment. He started to move towards you slowly, but you stood and hobbled towards your tent, leaving Henry kneeling on the ground.
“I’m sorry Y/n. I shouldn’t--”
“No you, don’t need to apologize. I’m just--I haven’t really..”
He held his hand out towards you, “I understand, you don’t need to explain yourself Y/n.”
He was still just as sincerely kind as he’d been since you met him. And the last thing you wanted was for him to think you weren’t interested.
“I, just need a little time, is all.”
That brought a lighthearted smile to his face.
“Take your time. I can wait for now.”
The blissful weekend ended far sooner than you wanted it too, The minute you got back within cell service you called Sam, who as you expected, had been just fine.
He asked about your weekend, and you were happy you had good news.
When it came to things with Henry, you couldn’t just think about yourself anymore. You wanted to be sure about him before letting him into your lives, you weren’t even sure if thats what he wanted.
You walked off the elevator on Monday morning not expecting anything. You looked towards his desk and saw Henry focused in on something on his computer screen. Thats when It started to feel like that weekend was a dream.
You dropped your stuff underneath your desk and pulled out the last few scripts you needed to finish by the end of the week. You thought you only had three left, but there was a fourth sitting on top of the stack.
“Unfinished” was the name of it, and below that was the authors name: Henry Cavill.
You only had to read through the first few pages to realize the premise was about two star-crossed lovers who literally crossed the stars together. He only had about a dozen pages of writing so far. The last page ended with the two main characters about to kiss before the last words which were, “and I don't know where it’ll go from here, still working on it.”
From outside your office Henry must have noticed you’d read his script first because when you looked up, he had his head down in his notes, but an ever expanding smile on his lips.
That night when you left the office, you ended up in the elevator with Henry beside you.
"Can I have your honest opinion on my story?” He said, breaking the silence.
“I think...you need to finish it.”
He looked over at you, trying to decipher the look on your face, apparently failing.
“I’m not very good at this anymore Y/n.” His answer caught you off guard.
“Good at what?” You said, turning towards him with an innocent look on your face.
“I’m just going to ask, you’ve left me no other choice really. Can I kiss you? And that’s that. I said it, out loud,” You began to laugh as he continued to ramble. “Do I regret how lame I just sounded? Absolutely, but you are too pretty for me to know what the hell I’m doing.”
“You can--kiss me, that is.” You said as non awkwardly as you could.
But Henry wasted no time before placing his hand at your jaw and leaning down into your kiss.
You held your breath at contact, it was brief and charming at the same time. He seemed to be just as nervous as you were.
When it ended, he pulled back, hand still holding the side of your face. Neither of you said anything but you both felt something you knew you’d been looking for for a very long time.
You walked out into the brisk night air and it took you back to the night under the stars with him. His hand hung loosely next to yours, grabbing onto your fingers every once and awhile.
“Where does our story go from here.” He asked, a playful hopefulness in his voice.
“No one can say, but I’m willing to follow it as far as it will take us, if you are.”
He watched you, wanting nothing more in that moment than to taste you on his lips again. But instead of that, he lifted your hand to his lips and placed a kiss to the back of your hand and said, “I’ll follow you anywhere Y/n.”
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