hey can you please do a bill guarnere fic where its after the war and he is meeting your family for the first time. he is nervous but your young sister thinks his leg is the coolest thing ever and it makes him a bit emotional bc people usually treat it with sympathy or disdain so to see her happy about it gets to him. thank youu 💖
This is SUCH A CUTE request and honestly, with this quarantine bullshit right now, I think we could all use a slight pick-me-up. This might be a tad short, but I hope you enjoy it nevertheless!
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Child-Like Wonder
Adjusting the front of your sweater and flattening out the non-existent wrinkles, you flash a quick smile toward Bill. “Ready?” you asked.
Bill smiled nervously and nodded. “Yeah, I think so,” he responded.
“They’re gonna love you.” you reached forward and rang the doorbell. “I promise.”
“I hope so.” Bill swallowed hard.
There were a few moments of silence following the doorbell, and when you heard footsteps approaching the front door, you took Bill’s hand in yours and squeezed tight, reassuring him that everything would be okay.
When you first brought up wanting to introduce Bill to your parents, he sort of tip-toed around the issue, never flat out stating that he didn’t think it was a good idea, but also never providing a solid answer one way or the other. When you finally pressed him on the issue, he admitted his worries about what your parents and family would think about him, and subsequently, his disability.
It broke your heart to see the love of your life so self-conscious about a physical feature of himself that he couldn’t change—and that brought him so much unease. You had known Bill with two legs and with only one, and you loved him just the same, and you were positive your family would as well.
When he finally agreed to meet your family, you were over the moon but focused hard on containing your excitement and keeping the situation as casual as possible.
When the front door swung open and your mom pulled you in for a hug, you could sense Bill’s nerves radiating off of him. “Oh, Y/N, it’s so good to see you again.” your mom pulled back from the hug and immediately threw her arms around Bill, welcoming him into the family without hesitation. “And you must be Bill! We’ve heard so much about you.”
Bill’s entire body tensed up, but he forced a smile and returned the hug anyway. “It’s very nice to finally meet you, Mrs. Y/L/N.”
“Oh, please, call me Louise.” your mother told him as she ushered the both of you into the house. “Please, make yourself at home. Can I get you two anything to drink?”
“Water, please,” you said, and Bill nodded in agreement.
Your mother smiled sweetly. “Two glasses of water coming right up. Y/N, why don’t you give Bill a tour of the house?”
“Sure.” you nodded, and after hanging up your jacket, you showed Bill around the first story of your small family home. When you reached the stairs that led up to the second story, you saw Bill’s face flush with concern. He was usually too proud to admit it, but he still had trouble with stairs and often avoided them at all costs.
“You don’t want to go up there anyway,” you told him. “Just a dark hallway, a messy bathroom, and my childhood bedroom that I probably wasn’t going to show you anyway.”
Bill chuckled. “Pink walls and posters of boys everywhere?”
You smirked. “More like piles of old clothes and books scattered everywhere.”
“Now that you mention it, that sounds more like you.”
“Yeah.” you laughed. “Come on, let’s head into the living room. I’m sure my dad and sister will emerge from the woodwork soon enough.”
Leading Bill into the small living room, you took a seat on the couch seconds before your mother walked in with two glasses of water on a tray and a platter of cheese and crackers. “Here we are.” your mother set the trays down. “Bill, honey, can I get you anything else?”
“No, thank you.” Bill reached for his glass of water.
Before long, your father came in from the garage and wiped the grease from his hands from working on his old, beaten-up car before shaking Bill’s hand. “You’ve got a firm handshake, son.” your father commented. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too.” Bill was starting to relax a little more, and as the afternoon progressed and Bill and your parents got a chance to get to know each other, the tension in the room faded away and you couldn’t help but smile to yourself. This picture right here—Bill and your parents chatting and laughing together—was exactly what you had imagined and hoped for.
Hearing a series of loud stomps, you turned toward the stairs just as your younger sister came barreling into the living room, a doll in one hand and a piece of paper in the other. Completely oblivious to Bill’s presence, she rushed over to your mother and began showing off her newest drawing.
When she looked up at spotted Bill, however, she froze and stepped behind the chair your mother was sitting in. “Who’s that?” she whispered, but it was still loud enough for everyone in the room to hear.
“This is my friend, Bill,” you told her. “Do you remember when I told you about him?”
Your sister shook her head. “No.”
“Well, why don’t you come over and meet him?” you waved her over. “He’s very nice and I don’t think he bites, do you, Bill?”
“Only sometimes.” Bill smiled. “But today’s Wednesday, so you’re in luck because I don’t bite on Wednesdays.”
You giggled. Bill had always claimed to be great with children because of all of the siblings he had grown up with, but this was the first time you were seeing him in action.
Your sister smiled a little and slowly crossed the living room, coming to a stop beside you. “Bill, this is my sister, Rosie. Rosie, this is my friend, Bill.” you introduced the two.
“Hi, Rosie.” Bill stuck his hand out. “Nice to meet ya.”
“Hello.” Rosie returned the gesture, but as her eyes drifted down Bill’s leg, her face lit up. “Whoa!” she exclaimed, and before anyone could stop her, she had pulled up Bill’s pant leg and exposed his prosthetic leg.
“Rosie!” you pulled your sister back as Bill pushed his pant leg back down, his face turning red from embarrassment. “Rosie, we don’t touch people without asking first,” you told her. “Say sorry.”
Slightly taken aback, Rosie frowned. “I’m sorry,” she said to Bill. Then, slowly, she leaned in. “Are you a robot?” she whispered. “I think robots are really cool.”
Bill couldn’t help but crack a smile. “No, I’m not a robot,” he answered, the normal colour slowly returning to his flesh.
“Really?” Rosie cocked her head. “Then how come you have a robot leg?”
“Rosie, I don’t think Bill wants to talk about his leg right now.” you tried to avoid an awkward or uncomfortable situation, but Bill waved you off.
“No, it’s okay,” Bill assured you before looking down at your sister. “I lost my leg in an accident, so now I have a fake one.”
Rosie giggled, her eyes wide with wonder. “Whoa, that’s so cool! One time I fell off my bike and hurt my leg, but I got to keep it still.” she plopped down on the couch next to Bill and wiggled her legs. “See?”
“I do see.” Bill nodded. “That’s good.”
“I wish I had a friend with a cool leg.” Rosie looked up at you.
You smiled. “Well, I think if you ask nicely, Bill will be your friend, too.”
Turning to Bill, Rosie smiled wide. “Do you want to be best friends?”
“Of course, I do,” Bill replied, and as he looked at you, the biggest smile you had ever seen on his face, your heart felt completely full for the first time in a long time.
‘I love you’ you mouthed to him.
‘I love you, too.' he mouthed back.