Welcome to Westview
AN: Happy Halloween yall!
Series Masterlist
Mcu Masterlist
Warnings: angst, slight ooc, 1980's au
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The night before went smoothly after that, once you gathered the necessary cleaning supplies you decided that it was too late in the day to actually cook anything, plus traveling and moving in took a lot out of you already so you ordered take out. Nothing too crazy, just a typical pizza from the local pizzeria and a bottle of water to wash it down. In a couple of days you’ll start your job as the replacement History teacher at the school, so until then you’ve got plenty to keep you busy. From shopping for your new home to social calls.
You woke up to the sunlight beaming directly onto your face, forcing you to wake all too soon for your liking. You silently noted that the third to last step creaked as you descended the stairs, you’ll probably have to pick up a few “how to” manuals from the library in order to fix it. You were about to enter the kitchen when you almost face palmed yourself, right, you didn’t buy any groceries yesterday and even if you had, you didn’t have a kettle or coffee pot. Groaning you trudged your way back upstairs to get dressed to get breakfast, kettle and coffee pot, the first two appliances you’ll buy for the kitchen.
After pulling on a sweater and pairing it with high waisted jeans and shoes you once again go outside to walk into town.
The heart of Westview wasn’t at all far from where your little home sat in the cul de sac, and from the few people bustling about, you were not the only early riser this morning. Stores were beginning to open and you find yourself wondering if the Westview Gazette had opened its doors as well. You decide to briefly check as you make your way to the diner for breakfast.
You quietly enjoyed the peace and relative quiet that the morning brought, the air was cool but slowly warming up and a light breeze occasionally blew. Puddles from the rain yesterday were still there, though smaller now than before. As you pass the main street across from the Gazebo you could already see through the window pane that Loki was already awake and working. You made note of this as you walked into the diner.
You ordered two teas and a breakfast sandwich to go and promptly made your way to the Westview Gazette. You felt your heart beat a little faster as you approached the door, ‘was this stupid?’ you silently asked yourself though you weren’t sure how it could be. If anyone else had asked you if it was stupid to bring someone tea as a ‘thank you’ you would tell them no…and yet when it applies to you, it seems, you feel insecure in that stance. With a deep breath and a reassuring thought that this, indeed, was not stupid and walked in.
The bell attached to the door rang as it opened, signaling your arrival. You took it all in, the dark wooden floors and desks, most had typewriters and papers arranged neatly beside, the newsroom itself was not very big but with the way it was arranged you would hardly notice the lack of space.
“Janet,” you saw Loki come in from what you assume is his personal office, he had yet to look up from the various papers he was flipping through, “I’ve got some appointments today that I need you to cancel and a phone number to acquire while I–”
“Hello,” You greet as he looked up and saw that you–in fact–were not Janet, “have I come at a bad time?” he stared for a second before clearing his throat, discarding the papers on the desk beside him.
“No,” he says making his way over, “no not at all, sorry about that I thought you were–”
“Janet,” you finished his sentence with a small chuckle, “sorry to disappoint.”
“Not at all,” he smiled, “so what brings you here?”
You hand him the to-go cup in your right hand, “I’ve come bearing a ‘thank you’ gift, for not murdering me and scattering my remains.”
“Anytime,” he takes a sip, “tea?”
“Yeah,” you say suddenly worried that you got the wrong kind, “it’s just plain black tea from the diner, I wasn’t sure if you were a coffee or tea kind of person–if I got it wrong you can toss it out it’s fi–”
“No no” he says, “it’s fine truly, it would be rude to throw away a gift.”
“It isn’t if the gifter says so,” you argue.
“It’s not how I was raised,” he says, taking another sip while glancing at the clock before returning his eyes back to you, “you’re up awfully early.”
“I needed to get a few errands done,” you explain, taking a sip of your own tea, “after this I plan to check out this ad in the paper advertising this used car for sale, if it’s functional and still up for grabs I’ll head over there to get it today, if not I’ll just head over to the store and get some things I need like pots and pans and alike.”
“Didn’t you bring those kinds of things with you while moving?”
“Just a skillet that’s been passed down in the family,” you shrug, “really the only things I brought with me were whatever was in the suitcases you helped me with and a few things I had moved here, like my bed and television.”
“Not the sentimental type then,” he took another sip. Before you could ask what he meant by that, the ringing of the door's bell alerted you that other people were starting to clock in.
“Well I’ll leave you to it,” you said, “again, thank you for the ride yesterday.” you were about to walk out the door when Loki stopped you.
“Yes?” You asked, his expression unreadable until he cleared his throat and a sort of friendly look came onto his face. He grabbed a small card from inside his jacket pocket and handed it to you.
“If you need another ride somewhere–or just to chat, my number is on the card,” he says before retracting his hand, “anyways, I’ll see you around then.”
“Thanks,” you pocketed the card carefully, “I’ll see you around.” and with that you finally left, sipping what’s left of your tea before tossing it into the closest garbage bin. You can’t contain the smile on your lips as you think to yourself how hopeful this was. Not just one, but two people have already given you their numbers and you already have a social call to make today with a prospective friend. Not even 24 hours in and you’re already leaps and bounds beyond anything you were there.
‘I’m doing it mom,’ you thought to yourself, ‘I finally found a place where I might belong.’
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You ended up eating at one of the benches at the park before you used the payphone to call the number on the ad. 120 for a 1974 hillman avenger, it wasn’t in the best condition, but you needed a car and where else were you going to get one for that price?
You drove home, happy that you finally have a vehicle so that you can finally get some serious shopping done, like all the things you’ll need from the hardware and appliance store as well as groceries. You liked walking, it was calming and provided some exercise, but there was a limit to how many bags you can physically carry.
You pulled into your driveway and remembered the commitment you made the previous day with your new neighbor, Wanda. You looked at your watch and saw it was around the time that people normally ate lunch. You exited your car and made your way to her house. You remembered her pointing to the house with the red flowers in the front yard and the number 2800 on it. You noted how clean her yard looked and well looked after her small garden was, and as you approached the gateway you saw bits of lavender and rosemary planted there. You brush past it as you knock on her door, you wonder if you should’ve brought something as you hear rustling from behind the door before it opened revealing Wanda. Her curly hair held back in a low ponytail as a red bandana head scarf adorned her head as well, her high waisted jeans paired with a loosely buttoned white shirt. Now that you see her in brighter lighting, you see just how natural she looked, Wanda just naturally beamed beauty.
“Hi,” you manage to get out, you see her smile subtly at you as she greets you back.
“Hello there,” Wanda says as she stands in the doorway, leaning slightly against it.
“Umm,” you clear your throat suddenly, a little nervous, “if your offer to chat still stands, do you want to grab some lunch with me?” you point over to where your car sat, “I just got the car today so I can drive.” You really hope you’re not coming across weird and are reassured as you see Wanda practically beam in excitement.
“Absolutely,” Wanda beamed, grabbing her coat before closing the door behind her, “where are we headed?”
“I was hoping you might make a suggestion,” you walked beside her, “I don’t really know where the best place to get lunch is.”
“Then let’s head to this italian place over on Shepard,” Wanda decides as she rounds the car to the passenger seat, “most people head to Gem’s Diner around this time so it’ll probably be vacant for the most part.” You nodded as you entered the driver's side, almost matching the same energy as Wanda, and as you put your seatbelt on and started the engine, you started what you hoped to be many afternoon lunches with Wanda.
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You followed Wanda’s directions and soon enough you end up at this Italian restaurant called ‘Ciao Bianchi’, but according to Wanda, everyone just calls it Ciao’s. It’s quaint but lovely, with red walls and the scent of spices in the air. Already you feel your mouth start to salivate at the thought of some freshly made food. You are sat quickly and order just as fast.
“So,” Wanda starts as the waiter walks away with your meal ticket, her hands placed under her chin, “tell me about yourself, why did you move to Westview?”
“Oh you know,” you say casually, “a new start and a new life, what about you? You said yesterday you moved here a few years ago.”
“Same thing,” She says, sighing deeply, “I wanted a new life, a new start. I wanted to give my boys something I never had.”
“Which was?”
“A home.” You could tell she didn’t mean to let that slip as she covers her mouth and her eyes widen, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to get so dark there.”
“Don’t worry about it,” you assured, offering a smile, “so were you in the foster system or did you just move around a lot?”
“Yeah,” she nods, “me and my brother Pietro, we went in the system after our parents died and we didn’t come out until we were of age.”
“I’m sorry,” you say automatically, “that must’ve been rough.”
“Occasionally,” she smiles sadly, “at least we didn’t get separated.”
“So,” you say, “tell me about your brother.”
“Twin,” she reveals, “he’s 12 minutes older, my son Tommy looks just like him, even inherited his mischievous nature.” you were gonna pressure her for further details when you saw a sad smile graced her lips, and decided to leave those details for another day.
“And Tommy, is he also a twin or is your other boy younger?”
“Twins,” she laughs lightly, “it runs in the family I guess”
“Does it run in your husband's family as well?” There was a moment of silence after that, almost contemplative before Wanda spoke again.
“No,” She said before continuing, “Vision was an only child, but when we found out we were having twins he had been ecstatic. I chose Tommy’s name while he chose Billy’s.” the past tense didn’t slip by you, and by the slight desperate look in her eyes you know already without her having to say, “he even had me time him to see how fast he could wrap a diaper on a baby doll. He would read Shakespeare and sing yakety yak to them, he was an amazing father.”
“I’m jealous,” you admit, playing with the napkin on the table, “it seems like he was a good man.”
“He was,” she smiled before clearing her throat as drinks were brought to the table, you both thanked the waiter, “well,” she started again taking a sip of her water, “what about you, what’s your family like?”
You had hoped to keep the topic on her but you should’ve known better, after all, you were the newcomer. No one in this town knew anything about you, a mystery that you’re sure the more nosier neighbors want every detail of.
“I didn’t necessarily grow up with a lot of family,” you said as you also took a sip of your drink, “it was just my mom and I for the majority of it, but she was wonderful. She was a nurse,” more or less, “and an amazing cook, she could make a five star meal out of basically nothing.” You see the gears behind Wanda’s eyes work as she also notices the past tense and bittersweet tone in your voice.
“What about friends?”
“I was a bit of a loner,” it was kind of the truth, “but I’m hoping that coming to Westview will change that.”
“It already has,” Wanda smiled, grabbing her glass and raising it, “to new friends.”
“And new beginnings,” you follow suit, clinking the plastic cups together as you and Wanda chuckle softly at the silliness.
“So how do you feel about sitcoms?”
