āI want her to see the world through the underside of a glass bottom boat, to look through a magnifying glass at the galaxies that exist on the pin point of the human mind.ā ~ sarah kay, if i should have a daughter
welcome to the what i like to think of as my own little branches of the sacred timeline! I hope you have a fun time while you're here! my name is brooke and I write for a wide variety of fandoms! I am currently in school so I write when I have time and when the inspiration strikes! that being said i do not write for one specific character, but for whoever is plaguing my mind when the inspiration strikes.
some things about me: i've been writing fanfic on and off for probably around a decade, i cosplay, i love wwe, i play dungeons & dragons, and i do not know how to like anything a normal amount - hence the fanfics lol
Tuna-Tober 2024 Masterlist
fluff = š„° | angst = š§ļø | smut = š„
Marvel
Steve Rogers
Captain America: Professional Best Friend (long fic - UNDER CONSTRUCTION)
No Romeo (one shot) š„š§ļø
Only You (one shot)š„°š„
Bucky Barnes
Jealousy (one shot) š„
Wait For It (complete!) š§ļøš„°š„
Matt Murdock
Lying to the Devil (complete!) š„°š§ļø
stitches (one shot) š§ļøš„°
deserving (one shot) š§ļø
I wanna hear you (one shot) š„°š„
Matthew (one shot) š§ļø
Seeing Other People (one shot) š§ļø
Better Late Than Never (one shot) š§ļø
Lover (one shot) š„°
JoaquĆn Torres
SĆ³lo mĆrame (one shot) š§ļøš„°
Daniel Blake
Falling for the Villain (in progress)
Harry Potter
George Weasley
Part of Your World (complete!) š„°š§ļøš„
Star Wars
Sabine Wren
Innocent (coming soon)
Criminal Minds
Spencer Reid
Heartās Desire / Soon You'll Get Better / Wonāt Give Up š§ļøš„°
loml (one shot) š„°š§ļø
Casual š„š§ļø / butterfly effect š„°š§ļøš„ / Right Person, Right Time š„°
Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader (no use of y/n)
installment list / previous chapter / last chapter
word count: 5,275
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! canon typical warnings such as violence, gore, swearing, drinking, spice, angst, as well as some sickly sweet fluff thrown in! Major warning for the final chapters is pregnancy and complications thereof.
There was something about graduations that always made you so emotional. You weren't sure if it was the music that was riddled with proud and triumphant sounds or the speeches or the prospect of such a bright future for such a large group of individuals, but you cried every single time. The graduates, clad in those hideous bright orange robes, had barely gotten to their seats before you were leaning into Steve's shoulder as tears began slipping from your eyes. "You okay?" he asked, his voice low as he turned his head to check on you. "I think I saw a box of tissues in the truck, I can go-"
"No, no, I'm fine. I grabbed some," you said with an airy laugh as you pulled one out from your pocket and began dabbing away your tears. "Sorry, I'm justā¦"
"Emotional, I know. It's okay, honey," he mumbled into your hair, a smile growing on his lips.
"I was gonna say hormonal, but I like your version betterā¦" you whispered, a more genuine laugh passing your lips once you finished the sentence.
Robin, who was sitting on Steve's other side leaned over and asked in a quiet voice, "What're you two love-birds whispering about, huh?"
"Oh, nothing, just-" Steve started to say, but cut himself off when Principal Higgins began speaking at the podium.
All eyes were on the older man as he said, "Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to the graduation ceremony for the class of '89."
As everyone cheered, you became distracted by Holly Wheeler shouting from the row in front of you, calling for her mom's attention and pointing. Your eyes drifted to where she was pointing and they once again filled with tears when you saw Mike striding toward the ceremony. Dustin had told you earlier in the day that he hadn't wanted to come to the ceremony because of everything that had happened over the last few years. Because of what happened to Eleven. Jane.
You brought your tissue back up to your cheek as the sweet girl's face popped into your mind. You remembered all of the lessons you had given her in the hope that once they figured all of the Upside Down shit out, she would be able to live a normal life and graduate with her friends. Her favorites were always history, learning about why the world was the way it was. You hated that she wasn't sitting beside Dustin, wearing that stupid gown along with everyone elseā¦
The feeling of Steve's strong arm wrapping around your shoulders and giving a gentle squeeze brought you back to reality, zoning back in as Principal Higgins announced, "And now, it's my great pleasure to introduce someone who has turly excelled during their time here. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a warm welcome to your valedictorian, Dustin Henderson!"
The moment your little brother's name was announced, Steve was on his feet, clapping and cheering wildly for the younger boy. You laughed quietly before following suit, blowing out an appreciative whistle before clapping and cheering as loudly as you could. As everyone else settled down and the two of you sat back in your seats, you called out loudly, "I love you, Dusty!!"
A quiet rumble of laughter reverberated across the crowd of friends and family, but instead of being embarrassed like anyone else would be, when Dustin took his place behind the podium, he gave you a two-finger salute and a smile. After tapping the mic to make sure it was working, Dustin said, "My sister, everyone. One of the reasons I stand up here today: because of all the lessons she taught me, but also because I couldn't let her be the only valedictorian in the family, now could I?"
Karen leaned backward toward your mom as she whispered, "You must be so proud!" Your mom, of course, was an emotional mess, so all she could manage was a nod as tears flowed down her cheeks.
As Dustin began speaking, all eyes were on him, though. He had asked for advice on his speech over the last few weeks, but never gave you any hint as to what all he would be talking about, so his words were all a surprise as he addressed the crowd. "All I wanted was a normal childhood. Butā¦that childhood was stolen from me. It was stolen from us. And this past year, if you wanna know the truth, I've been pretty pissed off about it. But then I thought back to the past six years, and I realized that, even though there was a lot of bad, there was so much good, too. There's this game I like to play. It's called Dungeons & Dragonsā¦"
When he paused for a moment, you felt your heart skip a beat, your mind flashing back to the wanted poster Jason had made that had a picture with Dustin on it. When he was met with silence other than a few quiet cheers from your friends, in a moment of boldness, you shouted an enthusiastic, "Huzzah!" that earned a chuckle from Steve as he took off his sunglasses.
This put a smile on Dustin's face before he continued with, "In this game, there are two types of chaos classes: chaotic good and chaotic bad. Now, bad chaos brings anarchy, destruction, war. Good chaos, on the other hand, can bring innovation, change. And this school, frankly, it needed to change. We were so dividedā¦into the jocks, the nerdsā¦freaks. And in the chaos, all those walls broke down, and I made new friends! I made friends who were never even supposed to be my friends."
"That's you," you teased Steve as you leaned into his chest, a small smile adorning your lips.
"This wasn't just me," Dustin continued with, sending looks toward his friends in the crowd of graduates, "I saw this happen with so many others. And when you get to know people who are different from you, you begin to learn more about yourself. You change. You grow. I'm a better person now. I'm a better person because of them, because of my friends. Soā¦ I'm not pissed off anymore. But I am worried. I'm worried because now that the chaos is over, Principal Higgins and every square like him is gonna do their damndest to put everything back in order."
"Oh my God, Dustinā¦" you muttered, sinking down as shock took over your body. You were definitely going to be hearing about that at the end of year luncheonā¦
The shock was evident on everyone's faces, and it ranged from elated shock to horrified shock depending on who you looked at. Dustin, undeterred by the reactions plowed forward, saying, "Andā¦I don't want order, which is why it's pretty hypocritical that I'm even wearing this thing. I mean, we look ridiculous. What is this? We look like Roman senators. I mean, it's not who I am. I don't think it's who any of us are. So, honestly, just screw it!"
At the end of the sentence, he began unzipping the gown, pulling it and the button-up and tie he was wearing off to reveal a newly designed shirt that said Hellfire lives! "Holy shitā¦" you whispered, an exasperated laugh flying past your lips as you sat back up to get a better look.
Dustin had a proud, shit-eating grin on his lips as he avoided Principal Higgins grabbing the mic and scolding, saying, "Screw the school! Screw the system! Screw conformity! Screw everyone and everything trying to hold you back and tear us apart! Because this is our year!"
The crowd lit up with cheers in response to the resounding end of the speech and you followed suit, but with tears starting to streak down your cheeks again. The tears flowed because, holy shit, Dustin was giving the speech Eddie wished he could have given when he finally got to walk that goddamn stageā¦
"Bet you weren't expecting that," Steve said with a hearty laugh as he clapped.
"Yes and no," you replied, your own laugh bubbling up as you watched your little brother flip the principal off after snatching his diploma.
The rest of the ceremony was chaos, with the principal attempting - and failing - to control the graduates as they walked the stage with varying levels of respect toward him as they grabbed their diplomas. When the whole thing was over, you, Steve, Robin, and your mom made your way over to Dustin to give him your congratulations. You kept your voice quiet as you whispered, "I'm proud of you, Dusty. I know Eddie is, too." This earned a gentle squeeze back, being careful, knowing that you were carrying precious cargo. When you pulled away and held him at arms length, you gave him a knowing smile before saying, "Killer speech by the way."
"Thank you, I had a feeling you'd like it," he said with a laugh, attempting to discreetly wipe away a tear from his cheek.
The others gave their congrats to them, but you paid no mind as your attention was grabbed by a tap on your upper arm. Turning around, you came face to face with Max, who sent you a warm smile before she wrapped her arms around you. Her voice was muffled as she said into your shoulder, "Thank you for helping me out and getting me caught up. I wouldn't be graduating today if you hadn'tā¦"
"It was no problem at all," you told her. "You did the work. I just helped out a bit."
"Either way. Thank you!" Soon after the statement, her attention was grabbed by Dustin and the others, so she gave you one last hug before running over to the little group.
Her presence was replaced by Steve and Robin's, the latter asking cheerfully, "We still planning on meeting at the Squawk?"
"Wouldn't miss it," you replied with a nod, giving Steve a look as your heart rate sped up, knowing what the two of you were going to announce to your friends at the little reunion.
Steve nodded at Robin, telling her, "We just gotta run and get some ice for the cooler and some extra drinks. We'll meet you guys there!"
"It's about time you two showed up! I'm starving!" Robin called out to Steve as the two of you emerged onto the rooftop of the Squawk a little while later. Steve plopped the cooler down with a grunt of effort before turning to make his way back down through the studio and to the truck to get the chairs the two of you brought to sit in for the evening.
"Steve got you on light duty, huh?" Jonathan asked as he watched Steve's retreating back.
"Always. The man treats me like I'm made of glass," you said with a light laugh, reaching out for a hug from your friend you hadn't seen in months.
"He's just over-protective," Nancy said as she replaced Jonathan in your arms a few moments later.
"Can't imagine why," you joked as you leaned over to grab a pre-made and wrapped sandwich from the cooler.
Robin snorted out a laugh as she said, "Yeah, it's not like you were possessed by a supernatural monster who tried to kill you or anything."
Nancy piggy-backed with, "Or attacked by some assholes who believed that playing Dungeons & Dragons automatically made you a Satan worshiper."
Jonathan was next, saying, "Or by what equates to a supernatural attack dog of said monster who tried to kill you."
Robin laughed as she said, "Yeah, but none of that would warrant a bit of over-protectiveness, right?"
"Rightā¦" you dragged out, a good-natured laugh passing your lips as everyone began grabbing sandwiches and fruit from the cooler.
In the months following the attack on the MAC-Z, you had followed suit with the kids getting counseling with Ms. Kelly over what happened that fateful day. There were days that you had solo sessions with her and others where everyone sat in a circle in the gym and voiced their fears and concerns about what happened while getting out energy in productive ways. You never thought that you'd have someone besides the party to talk about it with, and to get an outside perspective on it made everything a little easier to process somehow. That was how you were able to joke about it now. It didn't haunt you like it used to. Sure, you got emotional over the losses you experienced because of the supernatural world, but you were able to start moving forward with the advice you were given in these counseling sessions.
"Her lady Harrington's throne," Steve said as he popped the lawn chair out into its sitting form, placing his right beside yours.
"Why, thank you, good sir," you said, taking the helping hand he offered to let you gracefully descend into the chair.
Once you were settled, you turned your attention to Robin and Nancy, asking, "So, how's it been in Massachusetts? Have you seen much of each other since moving out there? I know you two are practically across the state from each other, butā¦"
"It's been good!" Robin replied with a bright smile. "I've met tons of people at school and Vick's been making a lot of friends, too! Do you know how hard it is living with someone who's going to nursing school? There are sticky notes everywhere! She uses them to study around the apartment. But I find them in the cabinets, on the bathroom mirror, on the windows. They're even in the drawer where we keep our sex toys!"
"Wow, thanks for that mental imageā¦" Steve muttered as you held back a flurry of giggles.
Nancy laughed before adding, "I've definitely gotten a few calls dealing with the matter."
"What about you, Nance?"
"I've been good! Keeping busy. Too busy to be able to go seeā¦anyone. Haven't even made it back here until today," she replied, looking down at her hands. She cleared her throat before adding, "It'sā¦hard being back. It's hard being there, too. I still watch my back. When the lights flicker at work because of the shitty-ass wiring, I'm on edge. The stories I've had to come up with to get people off my back are getting a little hard to keep straight, if I'm honest."
You nodded, swallowing the piece of fruit you had popped into your mouth, telling her, "If you ever want to, Marsha's been super helpful with getting me though everything."
She nodded graciously, telling you, "I'll let you know."
Robin groaned, droning, "All this talk about the Upside Down and life is making me want to drink. You bring the goods, Harrington?"
"You know it," he said, opening the cooler he had placed beside him and gesturing toward it.
"Thank you!" she cheered, jumping up from her chair and grabbing a cup, filling it with her liquor and soda of choice. She also grabbed a dark brown bottle, starting to hand it to you as she made her way back to her seat. "You still like this brand, yeah?"
"Oh, I, uh-" you stuttered out, automatically reaching out to take the bottle so you didn't leave her hanging.
Before you could form a coherent sentence, Steve's hand reached out to grab the bottle, snatching the cool glass from her as he said, "I'll be taking that, thank you!"
"Hey! Asshole!" Robin snipped, shocked at Steve's actions.
Steve shrugged as he cracked open the bottle, the hiss of it opening fizzling through the air as he said, "She can't have it."
"She can't have-" Robin started to say, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion.
Nancy's brain worked faster than Robin's, the dots connecting as she breathed, "Waitā¦" Her eyes darted between you, Steve, and then your stomach, her voice shocked as she asked, "Are youā¦?"
"Pregnant!" you and Steve replied at the same time. Feeling suddenly shy with everyone's eyes on you, your eyes settled on where your hands were messing with the fabric of your dress, a shy smile on your lips despite the feelings circling in your head.
At the same time, Steve looked at you like you hung the moon, an adoring smile on his lips as he said, "Just under four months."
A beaming smile made its way onto Nancy's face as she exclaimed, "Congratulations!" standing up to give both of you a hug.
The others followed suit, with Robin jokingly slapping Steve's shoulder as she asked, "How could you not have told me?! How dare you!" Steve laughed, wrapping her in a hug and rocking her back and forth to shut her up.
Jonathan gave Steve a handshake that the latter turned into a bear hug, Jonathan laughing as he said, "And now we know what the protectiveness is for this time around!"
When he was released and grabbed a drink, Steve sat back down, his hand on your knee as he said, "Enough about us! What about you, J-man? How's life in the Big Apple?"
"Oh, it's great! You couldn't get any more different from here!" he said, relaxing into his chair with his drink. He took a swing from the bottle, telling the group, "You all know about the movie I've been writing, yeah?"
"Of course," you said, remembering the vague details from the occasional letters he would send.
"Well, there's this one coffee shop I've been hanging out in with my buddies while we write it, and let me tell you, that place has the best coffee you'll ever have in your entire life! I've never had anything like it!" he exclaimed.
"Spend a lot of late nights there, I bet," you said.
"More than my fair share," he said, huffing out a quiet laugh. He slapped his forehead as he remembered something, adding on excitedly, "And don't even get me started on how much closer things are there! I was worried about not having a car or bike at first, but I haven't even thought about it since moving! I just take the subway or commuter trains! It gives me so much more extra time for homework and screenwriting!"
A smile made its way onto Nancy's lips as she said, "It sounds like you really like it there!"
"Yeah, I do," he replied with a nod. He looked around at the group, telling you all, "I think you guys would dig it, too!"
"How much exactly is rent there?" Steve asked curiously.
"Thinking about moving? Even with a baby on the way?" Nancy asked, shocked at the question coming from Steve.
"Yeah, I'm sure it would be different, but raising a kid in the city could have some great opportunities!" Jonathan added.
"Moving? Are you serious? Hell no!" Steve said as he stood up from his chair and looked toward the expanse of forest lining the horizon, the pinks, purples, and oranges of the sunset providing a beautiful background for them to lay against. He gestured toward it, saying, "I mean, look at this place! The sunset! The view!" He hooped a cheer into the vast expanse of air before turning back toward the group, asking the others, "You guys are seriously telling me you don't miss any of this?"
Besides from you, Steve was met with almost enthusiastic no's from everyone, causing him to gawk at them in shock. He tried to plea his case further, asking, "No one? Really? The forest? The quarry? Family Video? The Hawk?"
You laughed and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek as he sat down again, telling him, "Not everyone's down for that Americana small town life, babe."
Jonathan nodded, scoffing before telling Steve, "No, I couldn't come back here even if you paid me like a million bucks."
Steve polished off the bottle of beer in his hand before telling him, "You'd need a lot less than a million, I'll tell you that. Prices are still way down! There's actually this rad place over in Forest Hills that we're saving up for. We can't quite afford it yet, but we're close."
You nodded, your eyebrows briefly raising up before saying, "It helps that the school fudged some documents about state of emergency and showed off my classes' grades to the state, so now I don't have to worry about going to school to actually get my teaching degreeā¦"
Steve snapped his fingers triumphantly as a smile made its way onto his lips, adding, "Yeah! We're this close! And that's on a teacher and coach's salary!"
Robin's voice had an air of mischievousness as she said, "Don't forget sex ed teacher!"
"That's true!" Steve said proudly in return.
Nancy's eyes went wide and she leaned forward in her chair as she asked, "They have you teaching sex ed?!"
"Part of the gig!" he replied, that self-assured look on his face telling her that he was right where he wanted and needed to be in life.
"I have a thought," Robin said, tilting her head as the scenario popped into her mind. When all eyes were on her, she asked, "How weird is it? Teaching middle schoolers about sex? Especially since they know that you and their old English teacher are a thing? Does anyone ever ask questions? I know I'd at least think them. Curiosity and all." A few seconds after she finished the ramble, she gasped, her eyes wide as she asked, "Do they know she's pregnant?"
Steve shook his head, telling her, "Not yet. We've kinda been telling people in waves. The longer it goes, the more people we tell. Especially afterā¦"
He sent you a look, gauging your reaction to where the statement was going, but didn't have to finish it as you said in a quiet voice, "Especially after losing the first oneā¦"
A shocked silence filled the air for a moment that was filled by sharp gasps of air and Jonathan mumbling, "Oh my Godā¦" as everyone took in the news.
You ignored the overly-sympathetic looks, instead looking down at the concrete of the roof as you detailed, "I wasn't too far along, and we were gonna tell everyone at the wedding, but thenā¦" Your voice broke and you looked up toward the sky as you blinked away your tears. Steady by your side as ever, Steve grasped your hand in his as you plowed forward, telling your friends, "It hurt. A lot. No one even knew. Weā¦we never even told anyone. It's not something a lot of people talk about, soā¦"
Nancy was the first to speak, saying a quiet, "I'm so sorry, you twoā¦"
"Thanks, Nanceā¦" Steve said. He cleared his throat before telling the group, "It was hard, but it put us on the right path health-wise. And now we're both healthier than ever! The baby's doing great, too! Last appointment, the doctor said that we should be out of the woods for anotherā¦another loss. So, I'm optimistic about it! I think one day, if next year's curriculum lets me, I'll do a lesson over it. Try and expose the kids to it so they know that it isn't something that can always be controlled. That sometimes it just happens and that there's nothing wrong with them for it. We learned a lot while preparing for this one."
After wiping away a tear, Nancy asked with a laugh, "Who are you and what did you do with the Steve Harrington we went to school with?"
Steve shook his head as if she hadn't been there to witness his transformation and be a part of it herself, electing to say, "Shit happened. I grew up." He leaned over and pressed a kiss to your temple as he said, "Learned from a certain someone that I love teaching! I love teaching those kids about the miracle of life and how toā¦notā¦start it accidentally. And this time, I'm in control of the grades!"
"Mostly," you said, finally cracking a smile again.
With a playful roll of his eyes, Steve droned, "Right. Mrs. Harrington over here tends to snoop into my grading pile and grade more harshly than I do."
"Oh, hush!" you chastised, shaking your head at his antics.
A sly grin made its way onto Nancy's lips as she said, "I had a feeling you'd go pretty easy on the grades."
Nodding proudly, Steve told her, "I have a strict A policy! B if you're a real knucklehead. That's as low as I go. Even with my lovely wife's corrections."
Wishing that it was that easy in college, Jonathan asked, "Hell, can you come teach at NYU?"
"And what? Grade your movie about capitalism, cannibalism, or whatever?" Steve asked, making you roll your eyes and mouth an I'm sorry to Jonathan. You had told him about the movie, but clearly he had not been paying attention.
Jonathan didn't take offense, laughing a bit as he threw his head back before saying, "No, no! It's anti-capitalist. The Consumer. It's a metaphor. The more she eats, the hungrier she gets."
"Why d'you think I've been trying to be more selective with what we buy lately?" you asked.
"You get it! Jonathan exclaimed, his hands waving exaggeratedly as you made his point.
Once the excitement died down, Robin turned to Nancy to ask, "What about you Nance? How're things at Emerson?
"Oh, I, umā¦ I wouldn't know. Iā¦dropped out," she replied.
Shock was written all over Steve's face as he started at her open-mouthed. "I'm sorry, what?" he asked.
Trying to keep things light, knowing how things had been at one point between Steve and Nancy regarding college, Robin joked, "Ho-oh, I knew it! You became a Navy SEAL! I knew some branch would want you, little miss sure-shot!"
Nancy shook her head at the joke, saying, "Oh, uh, not quite. Iā¦ I took a job at the Herald. Which, it sounds fancier like that. It's a trainee position, butā¦ I dunno. I was just sick of school and thought I'd maybe get out there andā¦try the real world."
Robin sent her a look that was nothing short of filled with admiration, saying, "Nancy Wheeler. Still full of surprises." As she looked around at everyone sitting together like old times, Robin turned reflective as she said, "You knowā¦there actually is something that I miss about this place. I miss this. Justā¦us. Hangin' out. I miss you guys. I meanā¦ I really like my new friends, but it'sā¦"
The silence following the trailing sentence was filled by Nancy, her voice whispered as she finished with, "It's not the same."
At the turn of the conversation, Steve felt himself start to become emotional, looking out at the horizon again to hold back his tears. In the hand not gripping his latest beer bottle, you laced your fingers in his, giving him an assuring squeeze to tell him that you were there and that you were never leaving his side.
Your tears began to fall, though, when Jonathan added, "I don't think it ever will be."
When you looked around in the moments following, you couldn't help the emotional laugh that huffed past your lips, seeing the rest of the group crying, too. Things were just so different, and seeing each other again for the first time in damn near eight months made those emotions heighten. Steve's hand wiggled its way out of yours, wiping away his own tears as he said, "Okay, Jesus! You're killing me, man!" He stood up from his lawn chair, taking a few steps away to calm his emotions before finishing with, "Let's do something about it! I dunno, we couldā¦meet up. Once a month. Here."
Amused with how much Steve was trying to get everyone to stay in Hawkins, Nancy laughed lightly before offering, "Yeah, orā¦ um, or maybe somewhere just moreā¦neutral. Just, like, umā¦ What's a city between Hawkins, Massachusetts, and New York?"
Jonathan thought for a moment before saying, "Louisville?"
Steve silently scoffed before asking, "What about Philly?"
Robin snapped her fingers before excitedly saying, "Philly! I have an uncle who lives in Philly! He's weird, but he's got a really big house!"
Immediately, the gears in Jonathan's brain started turning and he asked, "Does it have a basement?"
"Yeah!"
"And a boiler room?"
"Yeahā¦?" Robin dragged out, now confused about his line on questioning.
"A boiler room?" Steve asked, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
A sense of relief washed over Jonathan as he sat back in his chair, thinking out loud, "Oh my God, it's perfect! You know, for the hideout! You know, where she traps all the men and burns their bodies!"
Jonathan and Nancy's voice rang out at the same time, saying, "The Consumer!"
"Oh!" Robin breathed when she was finally let in on just what the hell Jonathan was on about. She exaggeratedly wiped fake sweat off of her brow as she said, "Not gonna lie, I thought you were trying to kill usā¦"
"Oh! No!" Jonathan said, laughing all the while.
With a smile and a plan forming, Nancy announced, "Okay! Okay! Yeah! So, we'll meet at Robin's weird uncle's house, and we'll drink-"
"Some of us," Steve interrupted.
"Of course," she said, giving him a look that said I'm not an idiot. "We'll also reminisce and make Jonathan's anti-capitalist cannibal movie. Starting next month. And eventually, whenever baby Harrington is born, I might consider moving the meetings a little closer to home."
A smile made its way onto your lips as you nodded, telling her, "Sounds like a plan to me."
Robin nodded and helped you up from the chair as he said, "Yeah, I'm in, too."
Jonathan smiled, saying, "I'm in."
As the five of you converged as you all stood, Steve tipped his beer bottle toward the middle, toasting with, "To nothing ever keeping us apart."
Robin laughed a little as she said, "Including overbearing significant others."
Nancy's eyebrows shot up a bit, adding, "School."
Jonathan was next, "Mortgages."
And you were last, adding with a laugh as one hand rested on your barely-there bump, "Or an exorbitant amount of kids."
"Cheers," Steve said, queuing all of you to tap your drinks together, alcoholic and otherwise. Once the toast was over, Steve wrapped an arm around your shoulder as he asked, "An exorbitant amount of kids? You know damn well you want the same amount as I do!"
"I know, I know," you droned, rolling your eyes playfully as you leaned into his side.
Robin, ever one to speak her mind, exclaimed, "That is until you put your body through that six times, holy hell! Six!"
"I said five or six!" Steve defended. He laughed before telling her, "I'm hoping for at least one set of twins. Speed up the process a bit! Two for one pregnancy! How d'you like the sound of that, hun?"
"We'll seeā¦" you replied, the thought of carrying two something you hadn't really considered, and weren't sure you'd want depending on how the rest of this pregnancy went.
The five of you spent the next few hours together, talking about everything and nothing, from tales before you all met, to things that happened recently, and even what plans you had for the future. You knew that people got busy and life tended to get in the way of good intentions, but as the night wound to a close, you had a good feeling about the monthly meet-ups with your little friend group. You had all been through so much together, it would be hard to split you guys up for as long as you had been again.
a/n: this one was so bittersweet to write! (and i absolutely couldn't resist naming the chapter what i did!) i hate getting toward the end of stories, but i adore getting to wrap up all the little plot lines that i started in the very beginning! it's very rewarding! i hope you all enjoyed!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count:
chapter summary: in which you attend the Stronger New York fundraiser with Daniel, the night ending abruptly when Muse strikes again.
content warning for alcohol use, workplace medical discussions, and scheming
"Have I told you how beautiful you look tonight?" Daniel asked as he took your hand to help you out of the car the two of you arrived to the Stronger New York fundraiser in.
You were grateful for the makeup you were wearing that disguised the flush that dusted your cheeks, your voice a little bashful as you said, "Maybe a few timesā¦"
"Well, I'm gonna say it again, because you look stunning," he said, the compliments starting to feel like he was trying to goad something out of you - another compliment on his attire or a confession of feelings, you weren't sureā¦ All you knew was that every time he gave you a compliment, that stupid fluttering in your gut started up that you had to push down out of fear of the potential life-ending consequences.
"Thank youā¦" you mumbled, averting your eyes to the ground in your state of being soā¦flustered by him.
As the two of you approached the door, Daniel hooked his arm in yours, the motion bringing you closer to him and into the range of his cologne. You couldn't really describe the scent, but it feltā¦right for him. The thought made you subconsciously relax into his embrace as he stopped to chat with the man playing security at the door. "Good evening, Daniel," the man said, his English accent and crisp appearance cluing you into his identity. "I see you've brought a guest."
"That I did," he confirmed with a bright smile. He gave him your name, saying, "She should be on the list. I told Jessika that I'd be bringing a plus one."
"And I seeā¦she indeed is," the man said as he cordially nodded with a curt smile.
"See ya in there, Buck!" Daniel said before gesturing for the two of you to start moving forward into the ball room.
"He seemsā¦intense," you said as you dared a quick glance back to the man you now had confirmation was Buck Cashman.
"Ahh, don't worry about it. He's always like that. Part of the job as Fisk's personal security detail," Daniel told you, although the statement didn't assure you as much as he probably intended it to. "Champagne?" he asked, flagging down one of the waitstaff who were walking around with trays of the bubbling beverage.
"Don't mind if I do," you said as you graciously took a glass from the gentleman who approached. After taking a sip, you couldn't help the quiet groan of appreciation in response to the taste. "Holy shit, is that the real deal? Likeā¦actual champagne from Champagne?"
"Only the best from the Fisks," Daniel said with a wink before taking a sip from his own glass.
"So, what exactly do you do at an event like this? I'll admit I'm a little out of my depth hereā¦"
"Just talk, shmooze with the rich folks. We're trying to raise funds to help with the port project, after all." He raised his glass to a gentleman who was passing by, adding quietly to you, "The amount of wealth in this room is ridiculous. If we can sucker even a little out of everyone, the project's as good as funded and then some!"
"Oh, wow!" you breathed. "And who was that gentleman who passed us before?"
"That was Jacques Duquesne. He's always been filthy rich, but when he was framed for murder a little while back, he got a big, fat settlement of millions for defamation of character."
"Holy shitā¦"
"Yeah, and don't even get me started on Miss Wendy Garland over thereā¦" he droned as he glanced over at a brunette woman across the room, sporting a necklace that took up most of her exposed neckline. He tipped his glass subtly toward a couple on the other side of the room, whispering, "Them I'm not sure of, but-"
"Doctors Maxwell and Hibara. Surgeons at Metro General," you mumbled as you eyed them with disdain.
"You know 'em?"
You scoffed. "Let's just say I hate having their patientsā¦" you mumbled.
"Oh? You not liking certain patients?"
"No, no, it's not the patients I dislike, it's justā¦them." This was something you had discussed at length with your nurse manager and it got you heated every time, so you couldn't help but justā¦talk about it, telling Daniel, "There's been multiple occasions where I feel like they put me in a bind when it comes to caring for their patients. When a patient can't make their own decisions and there's no next of kin or we can't contact them in an emergency, two doctors are allowed to sign off on procedures to say that the treatment is medically necessary. They always sign off for one another when it comes to that. I mean, not that it isn't the right procedure that needs to happen sometimes, butā¦"
"They still get paid for the procedure, even if the patient doesn't make it, huh?" he asked.
"Right. Then the rich get richer. Both of their kids are in medical school right now, too. If all four of them end up at Metro, that's the day I leaveā¦" you mumbled before finishing off your first glass of champagne. "Oh, fuck, here they comeā¦" you whispered when you accidentally caught their eye and they started making their way across the room. You kept a smile on your face as you said through gritted teeth, "Don't bring up what I just said. They aren't my bosses, but they can make my work life a living hellā¦"
"Got it," Daniel said, slipping his empty glass onto a passing waiter's tray and adjusting his hold on you so his arm was around your waist.
You held your fake smile toward the couple as they approached, greeting them with, "Hey, docs! How are you guys tonight?"
"We're doing well, thanks!" Doctor Maxwell said as he and his wife came to a stop in front of you.
Doctor Hibara, the far less pleasant of the two gave you a stiff smile before saying, "I didn't know an event like this would haveā¦caught your attention."
Daniel could feel you stiffen up beside him, so he offered out his right hand to the couple, saying brightly, "She's here as my plus one. Daniel Blake. Communications team for Mayor Fisk. Can I just say how grateful he is for you to be here? To have two esteemed surgeons such as yourselves! It's an honor!"
The conversation went on like that for a good five minutes, with Daniel lathering on the compliments to the couple and telling them all about the project the fundraiser was for, answering any questions they had in regards to it. By the end of it, he had Doctor Maxwell pulling out his pocketbook and writing a check with even more zeros than you could imagine having to your nameā¦
"Holy shitā¦" you whispered as he turned the two of you toward a private area where he could pass the check off to the person collecting donations.
"The rich aren't so rich anymore," he smarted off with a small smirk on his lips.
As the two of you made your way to speak with a different socialite, you caught Buck staring at you. You couldn't help but get an unsettled feeling in your gut, so you commented under your breath, "I don't think Buck likes me all that muchā¦"
"That's just how he is. Don't let it get to ya," he tried to reassure you. You tried to have faith in the statement and really hoped that Daniel hadn't told him how BB had gotten the information on the Clean Green Haulers that caused her to write the article she didā¦
And that was how the next hour or so went, with you on Daniel's arm while he schmoozed as many rich people out of money as he could while you remained in Buck's line of sight almost constantly. Some of the socialites didn't bite, but others offered generous sums of money to revitalize the Red Hook port. In between every few guests, you excused yourself, claiming that the champagne was going right through you or else you were on the lookout for some other refreshment or hors d'oeuvre being served, but in reality, you were taking down any and every name that you could remember being at the party so BB could look into them.
At one point, right as you slipped your phone back into your clutch, Daniel appeared beside you, his voice wary as he said, "Hey, I'm sorry to end this early, but something came up and I gotta head out. Let me get you a ride back."
"O-okay! Yeah, for sure," you replied, taking his arm once again as he ushered you quickly toward the exit. "Everything okay?"
"For sure, it's just a work thing," he replied as he took out his phone and texted someone. "Nothing you did. I promise. You were - are - perfect."
By the time you had emerged from the building into the air of the city, there was already a car waiting at the curb, the driver posted at the back passenger side door ready to let you in. Daniel glanced at his latest text from Buck, and in his distraction, he didn't even think about what he was doing when he got you to the car, kissing your cheek once you were safely inside. "Get home safe, okay?" he asked.
"Promise," you breathed, feeling your heart climbing into your throat as the feeling of his lips on your cheek lingered.
"Daniel!" you heard Buck's English accent calling from nearby.
"I'm comin'!" he shouted back, stepping away and letting the driver close the door behind you as he rushed off to join Buck in getting into a separate SUV.
"Where to?" the driver asked as he got behind the wheel of the car and pulled away from the curb.
You told him the address in a far-off voice, still in shock over the kiss Daniel had landed on your cheek. Not because it was surprising, but becauseā¦you liked it? Shitā¦
By the time you got to the apartment, you had pulled yourself together, pushing away the realization you had after Daniel had kissed your cheek, instead focusing on the intel you had for BB. As you got yourself out of your dress and makeup, BB started to take down the names of people you had typed into your phone, asking clarifying questions about some of them and taking notes on what you remembered.
When she looked at the clock, her eyebrows furrowed as she said, "It's still early. What're you doing back? Isn't the event still going?"
"I think so? Maybeā¦" you replied with a shrug. "Daniel said he had to go early. Some quote, unquote work thing. Seemed urgent. Buck and him took off in an SUV right after I left."
"I've gotta figure out what happenedā¦"
It didn't take too long to figure out, because the next morning, you both sat in the living room watching on the TV as Mayor Fisk announced something called the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. It was a group of hand-selected, no doubt by who, officers who were being tasked with the takedown of any vigilante activity. This group was brought on by the fact that two more people had been murdered the night before by the city's latest serial killer, Muse. Maybe that was what Daniel and Buck had rushed off to address and why Daniel had been so worried about youā¦
"God, this is such a headacheā¦" BB muttered later that evening as she filtered through her notes on the takedown of Muse that afternoon. It was already being reported on, obviously, but she wanted to be the first with the details. "I wish we had-"
"Inside information?" you asked as your phone began ringing with a call from Daniel. You gestured for her to keep quiet as you answered and put the call on speaker, greeting him with a, "Hey Daniel! Busy day?"
"You don't even know the half of itā¦" he muttered. "I promise that I'll make it up to you soon, but right now I kinda gotta ask a favor."
"What's up?" you asked curiously, trying to keep your expression neutral. As much as you hated to admit it, the butterflies were soaring around in your stomach in full force as you listened to him speak, and you knew you had to hide it from BBā¦
"Do you think you could get BB to come to City Hall? I've got something that I wanna run in the BB report. An exclusive directly from the Mayor's office."
BB's eyes widened immediately and she began packing her stuff into her bag quickly so she could rush over. She gestured for you to answer in the affirmative, so you cleared your throat and said, "Yeah, for sure. I'll send her now."
By the time Daniel had thanked you, BB was already pulling on her shoes and heading out the door, her ears deaf to him saying your name quietly in a question. "Yeah?" you asked, taking the phone off of speaker so he wouldn't hear the door closing without hearing you talk with your roommate.
"Again, I'm sorry for how last night ended. It was abrupt and I was distracted and-"
"Hey," you said gently, stopping his rambling apology. The smile was evident in your voice as you whispered, "It was perfect."
"Awesomeā¦" he replied brightly and you could just imagine the wide smile on his lips.
You cleared your throat again before telling him, "BB should be on her way once I tell her. Where do you want her to meet you?"
"Just tell her same place as every time," he told you before you both said your goodbyes and hung up.
When BB got back, she looked deep in thought, a look ofā¦concern on her face. "What happened? You okay?" you asked, pausing what was steaming on the TV to give her your attention.
"I meanā¦kinda?"
"What does that mean?"
"Daniel, heā¦he cashed in his IOU and asked me toā¦lieā¦on the BB report."
"Lie? What about?"
"The Muse takedown. Anyone with common sense knows it was Daredevil that took him down. The Mayor's office wants the story to be ran that the Task Force was responsible, though. Andā¦"
"Andā¦?" you asked when she paused to look out the window over the city lights.
"Basicallyā¦they want the BB report to be in Fisk's pocket. And like with all things Fisk, it feels like I don't have a choice in the matterā¦"
"Oh, shitā¦" you whispered, shaking your head.
She sighed, closing her eyes as she said, "We knew this was dangerous going in, though. We justā¦we just have to play the game. I just hate that that means practically giving up the BB report because it's losing all integrity!"
"Then start another. Write under a different name. It wouldn't be the first time," you suggested. You stood up and gave her a hug, whispering, "I'm sorry about the BB Report. Maybeā¦maybe this can all work out."
"I hope soā¦"
a/n: you guys, the kiss on the cheek thing happened so organically and it was just so CUTE! it had me kicking my feet and giggling! like @loveroftoomanyfandoms said last night when we were discussing the last chapter, Daniel tends to wear his heart on his sleeve when it comes to Reader and i'm absolutely here for it 100000%! SO cute and sweet! we've got lots of breadcrumbs dropped in this one that i'm honestly very proud to have come up with! it's gonna be exciting!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated ! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Chapters: 1/23
Fandom: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: George Weasley / Muggle!Reader
Characters: George Weasley, Fred Weasley
Series: Part 1 of Part of Your World
Summary:
What if the Potter story was set in the modern era and you were the girl George Weasley fell for after his departure from Hogwarts? How is a Muggle/Wizard relationship navigated in the thick of the Wizarding War against You-Know-Who, especially in this modern era of cell phones and social media? Is the Statute of Secrecy kept? How does George explain away not having access to technology or the internet? How are you protected from the Death Eaters who have all pledged to keep Muggle blood out of Pureblood families? Find out in this series of imagines driven by the story's plot that delve into these ideas and more!
@rosesandthorns123 tagging so you see this! iām uploading Part of Your World to ao3 starting tonight! i hope to keep a pretty regular upload schedule since itās just editing to get onto Ellipsus and then onto ao3! happy reading!
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 2,514
chapter summary: in which you make good on your IOU to Daniel
content warning for alcohol use
It wasn't until later that evening you heard from Daniel again. You were binge watching something on the TV when your phone started ringing. Seeing who it was, you called out to BB to get her in the room before answering. "Hey, Daniel! How was your me-"
His frustrated and borderline angry tone startled you as he said, "Meeting didn't happen."
"Oh no, what happened?" you asked, your eyebrows furrowed. You were hoping to get some details out of him, but if it didn't happenā¦
"You're kidding. How do you-" He took a deep breath before asking, "Have you looked at the BB report today?"
"No, but I can. Just one sec," you said, putting him on speaker but then muting your phone's microphone so he couldn't hear as you asked BB, "What's he talking about?"
"I ran the story you got him to talk about this morning," BB told you simply as she pulled up her laptop so you could see the article.
Your heart dropped when you saw it, widening your eyes as you said, "BB, I was going to try and get more out of him after the meeting!"
The argument couldn't continue as Daniel's voice came through the phone, saying, "Mayor Garbage. C'mon! I was drunk and high and told you something in confidence! What the hell?"
"Goddamnit!" you whispered, wracking your brain for an excuse. You gestured for BB to keep her mouth shut as you turned off the mute feature, telling him in as sincere of a tone as you could muster, "Daniel, I am so sorry. Look, I didn't know what would come out of that conversation and I had BB on the phone with me like I always do when I'm heading home or anything like that. It's for my safety. We've done it since we first got cell phones."
You heard him sigh, muting the phone again as you sighed dramatically in relief that he seemed to have bought the lie. The frustration was still evident in his tone as he said, "Fuckā¦ I didn't mean to blow up, I'm sorry. It's just been a long-ass day and I got in deep shit with Fisk because of that article. Another screw up like that and I'm out."
BB's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head in response. The two of you couldn't afford for Daniel to lose favor with Fisk. You unmuted the phone again, sighing before reiterating, "I'm sorry, Daniel. Really. How can I make it up to you?"
"You owe me. You both do. I'll talk with BB when I need to cash that favor in," he bargained. When she heard this, BB gave a thumbs up before silently making her way from the living room, relief evident in her body language. You took the moment to take the phone off of speaker, holding it back up to your ear as Daniel said, "As for you, though, I'm thinking dinner and drinks. Somewhere nice, not some shitty-ass diner."
"Whatever it takes to make it up to you," you told him quietly.
The promise of dinner and drinks had to be rain checked three times, much to Daniel's dismay. The first night you both became available happened to be St. Patrick's Day, which meant there was a lot of foot traffic on the way there once he had swung by your apartment to get you. As you both sat down in a booth at one of the nicer restaurants you could get a reservation at, the waitress asked, "Can I get any drinks for the happy couple? While we aren't doing any green beer, I can offer you some more traditional Guinness or an imported Irish whiskey!"
After the two of you placed your drink orders, you began looking at the menu in search of something that sounded good to eat. When Daniel spoke, you could practically hear the smirk in his voice as he said, "Well, since this is our first date as a, quote, happy couple-"
"This isn't a date," you interrupted, your eyes glancing up from the menu to give him a look that said drop it. "This is a dinner I'm taking you to as an apology for fucking up."
"Who says it can't be both?" he asked casually as he browsed the menu.
"You're jumping the gun, Blake."
"So you're sayin'-"
You couldn't help but laugh as you playfully shoved his menu up to block his view of you, saying, "Look at the menu, not me."
"But you're-"
"Daniel!" you warned, pulling your menu up just a bit to avoid his eyes as the very real subject of his feelings toward you got brought up again.
With as long as this had been going on, you were toeing the line between this being beneficial to your cause and having to actually break the guy's heart. It was something you had tried to avoid because if you hurt him, then you lost access to him and therefore Fisk, but you also were starting to feel bad about leading him on. Your calls had become daily, talking about everything and nothing at the same time. And just as the cherry on top, after you had told him about the "reason" for the phone call on the way to his place from the club, he had started to keep you on the phone on your commute. He never said that it was to make sure you got home safe, but that had to have been the reason. You felt like you were heading toward something inevitable in hurting him, but you were determined to keep things as casual as you could until there was something more solid BB could get out of Fisk.
Unsurprisingly, the dinner was fabulous. The drinks paired perfectly with the food and by the time the two of you had polished off your shared dessert, you were ready to throw in the towel. Daniel seemed to have other plans, though, asking as the two of you left the restaurant, "Wanna head to that bar over there? Looks like a good time."
You thought about the offer for a second before nodding, asking, "Why not? It's only one time a year I get to drink artificially green beer."
"Hell yeah it is," he said gleefully before leading you to the nearby bar that was packed with rowdy patrons.
As you finished off your first drink, one of the many TVs in the bar started playing some infomercial about one of Fisk's latest initiatives. The strong Irish booze in your system had started to catch up to you, leaving you without as sharp a filter as you usually had, so you rested your chin on your hand as you asked, "Why do you support him? Likeā¦what made you look at Fisk and say 'oh yeah, that's the guy I wanna stand behind'?"
"I mean, he's a great businessman to start," Daniel said before noticing he was behind on his drink.
"But he was found guilty of racketeering," you pointed out as he finished off his drink, trying to keep your tone light as you spoke.
"And then later acquitted on all charges," Daniel countered before waving to the waitress for another round. While the two of you waited, he added, "And besides, look at the promises he campaigned on! At the promises he's working on as we speak! The city's always been fucked up, and even more so since those aliens wrecked the place back in twenty-twelve. With Fisk, some of that shit's finally gettin' fixed!"
"Only took over a decade for something to happenā¦" you muttered, pushing away the bitter feelings The Incident brought up, considering you were sure all that foreign matter your dad helped clean up was what caused his cancerā¦
Your mind was brought back to the present when Daniel snapped his fingers and said brightly, "Exactly! Fisk is making the moves to fix things that the mayors of the past didn't care enough to bother with. He cares about the city! What's not to like about that? I just wanna see some good come to this place we call home. So does he. So, that's why he got my vote." He ended the statement with a casual shrug, giving the waitress a smile as she came by with your second round of drinks.
So, it was blissful ignorance. Daniel seemed to have no idea about all the bad Fisk had been speculated to be a part of. The mobs, the underground "businesses," the killings. He didn't seem to be aware of any of it. He just liked the guy because it seemed like the best choice for the city and for business within the cityā¦ Huhā¦
After a couple more rounds of drinks, Daniel had a bit of a hundred yard stare to him, so you asked, "Hey, everything okay?"
He shook his head to get the thoughts he was having away, asking, "Have you ever fucked up at work?"
"Well, yeah. Of course I have. Fucked up for my job versus yours may be totally different ball games, though, so how are we talking?" you asked before taking the last sip of your beer.
"Well, I guess I'm more so talkin' about doing somethin'ā¦embarrassing or somethin' that makes other people think less of you."
You snorted out a laugh before deadpanning, "Daniel. I've been a nurse since before I could legally drink. Yes, I've done embarrassing shit at work." Sensing that there was something deeper going on that didn't need to be handled with humor, you asked in a gentler tone, "Is this about what happened toā¦for this night to happen?"
"No, that one lands more so in the fucked up category," he explained. He ran a hand through his hair as he detailed, "Sometimes when we're at work, I justā¦say stupid shit that makesā¦certain people look down on me. Tell me that I'm not cut out for this and all."
"Hey," you said, reaching across the table to gently squeeze his hand, withdrawing it before he could really react. Thinking back to the first morning you got coffee together, you asked, "How many signatures did you canvas to get Fisk on the ballot?"
"Two thousandā¦" he said, looking anywhere but you as you picked apart his dilemma.
"And that's what got you the job! That's so many signatures! That's like going to a small hospital and getting every single staff member to sign, like going to a high school and getting every one of those kids onto your side! Clearly you know what you're doing and you're great at convincing people of things!"
Sensing that this conversation probably warranted another drink, you busied yourself catching the waitress for another round as Daniel muttered under his breath, "Yeah, everyone but youā¦" When your eyes finally landed back on him, he sighed, a small smile starting to line his lips as he said, "I guess you might be rightā¦"
"I know I'm right. Just ignore what those people say and keep your head in the game like I know you do. One day you'll prove 'em wrong. Maybe even get a promotion!"
"Sureā¦" he said, a quiet laugh breaking up the lingering sadness in his tone.
When the waitress returned with your drinks a few moments later, you held yours up to his and clinked the glasses together, telling him sincerely, "Seriously. You're amazing at what you do, Daniel. When you put your mind to something, you can do amazing things. You just gotta believe in yourself as much as you believe in the Mayor."
"Right," he said, a little more cheerfully. "Now, about those embarrassing work storiesā¦"
"Oh, brotherā¦" you said, already cringing at the memory of a specific one.
A little while after you were dropped off back at the apartment by Daniel, you heard your phone chime with a text notification. You dried your face and hands off from when you had washed your makeup off while getting ready for bed, checking the phone to see Daniel's name on the notification bar. As the phone recognized your face to unlock, you saw the content of the text that read Hey. I know tonight wasn't a date, but I was just wondering if you'd wanna be my plus one to the Stronger New York fundraiser?
As you read the message, an unexpected fluttering sensation filled your gut. What the hell?
You quickly pushed the feeling down and shook your hands out before heading out of the bathroom and into the living room where BB was working on her latest article on a bank robbery that had happened that afternoon. "Hey, look at this," you said, hoping your voice was stronger and more stable than it sounded to your own ears.
BB read the text before saying, "Well, you have to go." She quickly looked up the event and said, "Anyone who's anyone in the 'business' world will be there. We need that guest list. If we get it, I can start making connections between them and Fisk. Between them andā¦wow, really anything unsavory they've been a part of. This is huge!"
"Yeah, totally," you said, taking back the phone with a slight shake in your hand as you thought about the implications of his text and the outing itself.
As your thoughts began to run wild without your consent, BB sent you a look as you started at the phone. She studied your facial expression and body language for a few moments before saying your name in a sort of warning tone. That snapped you out of your mind, humming in acknowledgement as your eyes finally met hers. "I know that look," she said sternly, "and you can't. Not with him."
"I'm not-" you tried to counter, but were cut off.
"You might not be intentionally, but I know that look. It's the one you've always gotten since you were a kid when you had a crush on someone." She took the phone out of your hand and sent Daniel back a text that said I'd like that! Text me the details! before saying, "You cannot catch feelings for this guy. It's dangerous and you know it. You catch real feelings and if we get more information and Fisk finds out? You're dead. And so is he. Just like Ben."
"BBā¦" you said, still actively fighting everything swirling around in your head as she handed your phone back.
"Justā¦lock in. Be objective. If it'll help, I'll set you up on a date with someone else afterward. Okay?"
"Okay," you said, the phrase slipping out simply to appease her in the moment. You weren't sure what the butterflies were about nor why you were so anxious about the way he implied that the fundraiser would be a date, but you knew that BB was right. In the game the two of you were playing, there was no time for actual feelings, not if you didn't want to end up six feet under next to your dad.
a/n: shoutout to @loveroftoomanyfandoms for helping me plot this out and make more sense of the cascade of events that took us to...butterflies. for daniel? surely not! it's gotta be the booze talking! also, we got more information about Reader's dad, why he's been referred to only in the past tense, and what happened! (totally not me using this as a way to cope with my own dad's death but that's what my therapist told me to do so here we aaaarrreee)
anyways! i hope you enjoyed! as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader (no use of y/n)
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 2,918
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! canon typical warnings such as violence, gore, swearing, drinking, spice, angst, as well as some sickly sweet fluff thrown in! Major warning for the final chapters is pregnancy and complications thereof.
a/n: as hinted at in the previous chapter and in the warnings above, there are going to be depictions of pregnancy loss, the impact that has on a couple, and the impact that has on an individual. if that sort of reading isn't for you and will make you feel uneasy, feel free to skip to the second divider and you'll find the spice. i will also give a small summary (non-descriptive) of what happened in the chapter at the very end in the author's note down there. take mental breaks if you need to and take care of yourselves out there! much love!
You thought that you had felt heartbreak before. Your dad walked out when you were a young and impressionable teen, you had a huge falling out with your brother, you had watched a monster take one of your students and thought she was condemned to death for it, and two people you were very close to had died far before their time. You thought that the ache you felt while processing those events was bad. That was until you lost your first baby.
It happened after you got out of the hospital and you and Steve had decided to move out of his parents house and into the apartment. You were engaged, slightly drunk, feeling high on life for the first time in a while, and "christening the apartment," as Steve had put it. You were getting married soon anyway, so the two of you weren't as careful with sex as you had been in the past. After all, the two of you wanted a good handful of kids, so what was the harm in starting a little early?
When your period was a few days late after you moved into the apartment, you had this feeling in your gut that you were pregnant. You didn't want to tell anyone, yet, though because of how early it was and the fact that you and Steve weren't married just yet. So, you gave it another week before you went to the store by yourself and got the box of tests off the shelf, taking every single one of them when you got back. They were all positive!
You wanted to tell Steve in some cute way by putting a bun in the oven and telling him that there was more than just the one, maybe by getting him a corny book of dad jokes and telling him to start memorizing them, or getting him a mug that said "World's Best Dad" on it. Before you could even venture out to the store to browse for any of those, though, Steve got home from work early and you folded, telling him the second he opened the door to the apartment.
You remembered the shock on his face and then the moment of worry that quickly faded into joy as he pulled you into a deep and tender kiss. You remembered how he would wrap you in his arms, resting his hands on your not even showing belly, just because he knew that somewhere in there was a little clump of cells that would one day share characteristics from both of you. The two of you were elated, buzzing with happiness as you planned how to tell your friends and loved ones, finally settling on at the wedding. It would be the final hurrah of the night, announcing that you were expecting!
And then one morning you woke up to horrendous cramps and blood beginning to trickle down your leg when you stood to get ready for work. It was the day before Spring Break, and you called the school trying to keep your emotions at bay as you explained that you had to go to the emergency room. Principal Hill didn't ask questions, just gave his warm wishes for a speedy recovery before hanging up.
Steve was still asleep when you got back into the bedroom, a peaceful look on his face that you hated to disturb. He had told you time and time again about his dreams of your growing family, housed in a beautiful place in the Forest Hills neighborhood. You knew he had to have been dreaming of thatā¦ It wasn't your shaking hand that woke him, rather, the sob that clawed its way out of your throat when you thought about the fact that you felt like you were crushing his dreams in real-time.
His voice was groggy as he stretched, asking, "Everything okay, baby?"
The word baby was what broke the dam. In an instant, you were just about to head to the floor as you cried, but Steve's quick reflexes stopped you from ever getting there. He held you close, running a hand up and down your back as he asked, "What's goin' on?"
Your voice was emotional and broken as you cried, "I-I thinkā¦ I think t-there's so-something wrong!"
"Something wrong with what?" Steve asked, his mind still waking up from his restful slumber.
"The babyā¦" you whispered, the statement followed by more sobs as you clung onto him.
"Ohā¦ Oh, fuckā¦" he whispered, his muscles tensing as he instantly woke up and began trying to figure out what to do. "Let's get you to the hospital. They'll know what to do. We'll get everything taken care of. It'll all be okay."
But it wasn't okay. A quick ultrasound showed that your suspicions were correct.
To say you were a mess was the understatement of the century. You cried before the procedure to extract everything so you didn't become sick from it. You cried as they just threw away whatever they got out like it wasn't your baby they were throwing away. You cried all the way back to the apartment and continued throughout the rest of the day. The rest of the week.
When you were finally done crying, you just felt empty. One night as you were pushing your dinner around on your plate, you asked quietly, "What's wrong with meā¦?"
The question caused Steve to tilt his head in confusion. "What d'you mean?" he asked, placing his fork down and gently taking your hand in his.
"I mean whyā¦why did I lose the baby?" you asked, a lone tear escaping down your cheek as you stared down at the table.
Steve moved his chair closer to yours, immediately wrapping you in his arms tightly as he said, "Sometimes these things just happen, honey. That's what the doctor said. They happen and we just have to try again." When you just sat there in his arms, not reacting or saying anything, he added, "You've been through so much stress mentally and physically the last year. Maybe that was part of it. Maybe your body wasn't ready afterā¦after the demo attack."
"Maybeā¦" you mumbled, finally finding purchase in the soft fabric of his shirt as you tried not to cry. A few moments of silence passed before you said with a sort of numb finality, "Then I'll just get stronger. Eat healthier. Walk to work. Do those jazzercise workouts. Be more present. Try to reduce stress. Thatā¦that should make it work next time. I'll be better so that we can start our family. It has to workā¦"
"We'll do it together, honey," Steve assured you, punctuating the statement with a kiss on the cheek.
That was over a year ago. Now, you were healthier, more active, and less stressed than ever!
It was your and Steve's four year anniversary, and while every year he treated as special, this year felt different. There was justā¦something in the air as the two of you stumbled into the bedroom, clothes being shed and kisses exchanged, the movements feeling as desperate as they were the first time the two of you had sex in the back of the Beamer.
"Happy anniversary, honeyā¦" Steve mumbled as he hovered over you, the roughness of his jeans rutting onto your barely clothed core. The action was met with an enthusiastic moan, one that you were sure would garner yet another noise complaint from your neighborā¦
He moved down, his kisses peppering down your stomach and to your thighs, the beginnings of a couple of love bites being left on the softness of your inner leg. The slight stinging sensation made you breathless, your chest heaving as you laced your fingers in his hair, your voice airy as you said, "Jesus Christ, Steve, please! I-I need-"
"Have I ever told you how impatient you are when you're desperate for me?" he mumbled with a chuckle as he slid his fingers under the waistband of your underwear and began slowly pulling them down your thighs. Steve practically drooled when he saw a string of your arousal clinging to the fabric, heaving out a shaking breath as he said, "God, I'll never get over thatā¦"
"Steve!" you whispered, bucking your hips up to meet his face, only to be met with his arm barring you down to hold you in place.
"Ah, ah, ah, gotta be-"
"Patient, I know!" you whined, head flopping back onto the pillow as he once again began kissing your thighs, making sure to leave dark hickeys in his wake - he knew how turned on getting them made you.
Once he was done admiring his work, Steve's eyes darted back toward your core, seeing a gush of wetness start to seep out of you, evidence of just how turned on you were. "Goddamnā¦" he whispered before diving in without warning, his tongue desperate and wanting, his ministrations leaving you gasping for air and for purchase in his hair, on the sheets, anything to keep you grounded.
You felt like you were high on pleasure - the air was electric and filled with the smell of sex, your body absolutely humming in ecstasy, the sound of Steve enjoying himself just as much as you were ringing in your ears. It was all too much and not enough at the same time. You wanted more. Needed more. You needed Steve in a way you hadn't had him in almost a year because you had your goals to reset in preparation for nurturing a childā¦goals that you had met.
Without a warning, you tapped on Steve's temple three times, your signal to stop. He ceased all movement immediately, pulling his face away from your core and looking up at you with curious eyes. He wiped his mouth before asking, "Everything okay, babe? I-I didn't hu-"
"No! No, no, no, never!" you said quickly, stopping him from assuming he did anything wrong. You huffed out a laugh before starting to beat around the bush, saying, "I-I justā¦I wanted to savor it, especially today. Wanted to kiss you whileā¦when I come."
Steve sent you a soft smile, nodding as he began adjusting, switching positions so he was sitting on the side of the bed. He took off his jeans and underwear quickly, leaning over toward the bedside table to grab a condom. Before he could open the drawer, though, you reached out toward his wrist to stop him. When he sent you a quizzical look, you simply shook your head, giving him a small smile before whispering, "We don't need one. Not tonight."
"Oh, oh!" he breathed, closing his eyes as a surge of pleasure went south, making his already aching cock throb. "Fuckā¦ Areā¦are you sure?" he asked, his body betraying him, though, as he was already moving to hover above you once again. His voice was rough as he told you, "You gotta tell me you're sure, becauseā¦" a grunt flew past his lips as his bare cock dipped into your wetness, "once I start- Jesus Christ-" His face was buried in your neck, breath hot on your neck as his head accidentally slipped into your entrance, the act far too easy, a - literal - slippery slope to pushing all the way in.
You huffed out a quiet laugh, wrapping your legs around his back and gently urging him forward. A whine of pleasure flew past your lips at the same time Steve gasped, the feeling of his bare cock starting to push further in was like ecstasy. Your voice was breathy as you told him, "I'm sure, Steve. I'm ready. Are you?"
Steve's answer came as a moan and one more thrust to enter you completely, the action causing you to almost whimper and laugh at the same time. He was so gone, his mind forgetting every single thing going on in your lives and just focusing on giving you pleasure. On giving you a baby. On starting a family with you here and now. His thrusts were purposeful and strong, the sound of sex only interrupted by him huffing out, "Always fuckin hated those rubbersā¦ Couldn't feel you like I wanted. Couldn't fill you up like I- Fuckā¦" Steve buried his face in your neck, placing a few open mouthed kisses there before mumbling, "Fuck, you got me thinkin' about fillin' you up, I'm not gonna last, honeyā¦"
"Then don'tā¦" you whispered, turning your head to kiss his cheek.
"Fuckin' hellā¦" he breathed, slowing down for a moment, the lack of movement confusing you, considering his words just moments before. Your silent question was answered when he took your legs and positioned them over his shoulders. At first you were skeptical about the position. But then Steve thrust back in. And holy hell did that feel like Heaven.
"O-oh! Steve! Fuck, that- Holy shit-!" you moaned, unable to even form a coherent sentence as Steve picked up the pace once again.
That position change was the beginning of the end for Steve. As he leaned forward and pressed your thighs even closer to your chest, he kissed you. Desperately. Between those kisses, he managed to get out, "I-I'm gonna come, and- fuckā¦and when I do, we're go-onna stay just- just like this. And then I'm gonna do it again. And again. And again. We're gonna- gonna make sure this sticks, baby, fuckā¦ Even if I have t' do this every night 'til you get a positive test. And this timeā¦" he pulled away for a moment to look into your eyes as he said, "This time it's gonna work out. I promise. I have a good feelingā¦"
"I love you," you whispered, craning your neck forward to kiss him again.
"Love you, t-tooā¦" he mumbled, his thrusts starting to falter in their rhythm as he neared his end. Steve's eyes were clenched closed while his mouth hung open, the expression one of pure bliss as he loosed a groan of pleasure. "God, I'm so fuckin'- I'm gonna come! I'm gonna come! Fuck!"
As Steve came, he collapsed a little on top of you, his body warm and providing a comforting weight as the both of you reveled in the act of what was just done. You felt him twitching inside of you, his thick cock spurting out rope after rope of ejaculate into your womb, and he hoped that it would take and start to form a healthy baby this time.
The two of you stayed just like that for a few moments before Steve finally took one more shuddering breath and kissed you. The kiss was slow, loving, an attempt to relay everything he wanted to say but his brain was too short circuited at the moment to come up with. When you tried to shift your hips, it kicked him out of the short, Steve shaking his head as he said, "Uh, uh, you gotta stay right there. Gotta make sure it stays in. Make sure it sticksā¦"
"Oh, is that what they told you in your training for class, Mr. Harrington?" you managed to joke in a breathless whisper.
"No, but I know thisā¦" he mumbled, reaching his hand down and beginning to rub tight circles on your clit. "The female orgasm happening during or after the male's increases the odds of conception. So, that means I'm not done with you, yet, sweetheartā¦"
Your jaw once again fell open as he began rubbing your sensitive bundle of nerves, your eyes rolling back just a little as pleasure once again began to build in your core. Steve's softening cock was still in you, the feeling of being full causing more sparks to fly south. As he steadfastly rubbed circles on your clit, your mind flashed to the sounds he made while fucking you, the expressions on his face as he reveled in the pleasure he got from your body, the words he said while promising you what you desperately wanted.
It was all too much.
With a wanton moan and a flash of white behind your eyes, the pleasure mounted and your orgasm washed over you. It felt like no other orgasm you had had before. Maybe it was the intimacy of the night, maybe it was the intent behind the act, or maybeā¦ Maybe it was something elseā¦ It was almost like Steve had a full-body reboot when he felt you start to flutter around him, blood beginning to rush south to fill his cock once more. "Oh, oh! Steve, I-I can feelā¦ Holy shitā¦"
"You feel that? You feel me gettin' hard again? Just for you, honeyā¦ Just so I can get you pregnant with my babyā¦" he said as he began thrusting once more, now fully erect and ready to give you another load to improve the odds of conceiving. His voice was husky in your ear as he whispered, "God, you feel so good. You feel so good around my cockā¦ I'm gonna make a mess of you, honeyā¦ I'm gonna make a mess of you and you're barely gonna be able to walk tomorrow. And when your friends at work see you, they're gonna know who's treating you right. They're gonna know in a few months. They're gonna know when you're pregnant with my baby. Our baby. Healthy. Perfect. Just like you."
"I can't waitā¦" you whispered back, bringing his lips to yours as he continued thrusting, desperately chasing his second release of the night.
a/n: if you skipped the first section, here's a short summary - Reader lost their first baby, they were both crushed about it, and Reader vowed to become healthier so she could support a pregnancy (their theory was that she was still recovering mentally and physically from everything to do with the Upside Down and the demo attack). if you're skipping all together, after that was spice on their dating anniversary, during which Steve's breeding kink was going off in full-force and they did their thing to conceive another baby!
i know this was a tough one, but i hope you all enjoyed and are looking forward to the final closing chapters! as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 4,094
chapter summary: in which you and BB make your first big move against the Fisk administration / or in which you learn that Daniel might actually have feelings for you...
content warning for (canon) drug and alcohol use. mention of drug effects and vomiting.
It wasn't until later in the day that you saw BB again. She had gone out looking into a story while you met with Daniel and that chase took her the majority of the afternoon. You were making dinner when you heard the locks on the door turning as she inserted her key, calling out when the door opened, "Hey, BB! In the kitchen!"
"Hey!" she said after taking her shoes off and hanging her bag over one of the hooks by the door. She peeked her head over your shoulder and looked at what you were cooking on the stovetop, commenting, "That looks and smells delish."
"Why, thank you," you replied. "I'm hoping it's a preemptive celebration dinnerā¦ Did Daniel text you?"
"He did," she said, gently shoulder-checking you in thanks.
"Andā¦?" you dragged out, impatiently awaiting her answer.
"I've got an interview with Fisk tomorrow morning!"
"Hell yeah!" you cheered, waving your wooden spoon in the air in celebration.
BB laughed before settling back against the counter, telling you, "I don't know what you did to soften Blake up, but whatever it is, keep it up. It didn't even take much persuading on my part."
You shrugged in response, saying, "A little flirting goes a long way with guys like him. The way he talked about his position, he seems pretty close with Fisk, all things considered. Maybe it isn't too much of an ask, who knows."
"Well, all that matters is that the meeting is a-go."
After you had gotten everything plated up and on the small dining table, you and BB continued the conversation, with you asking, "So, what exactly do you plan on asking or getting out of Fisk during this meeting? He isn't just gonna give you information you want. I think you'll have to at least offer something of substance before he'll tell you anything, really."
"Well, it's a good thing I spent the majority of the day chasing a rumor I heard the other day," she said with a slight mysterious tone to her voice.
"Oh? Do tell."
"So, the other day when I was out chasing a different story, I heard some police officer mention that he heard that Commissioner Gallo was talking about stepping down because of Fisk. I went to a source I have in a different precinct and they said that what I heard is true. Gallo's been talking with some of the captains of certain precincts to test the waters on what the reaction would be if he stepped away."
"And?" you asked when she paused, not even realizing that you had started to lean in closer to her as she spoke.
"Let's just say that if Commissioner Gallo steps away, Fisk would be in a huge bind. The people love Gallo, the police love Gallo. Best case scenario, the cops protest and Fisk loses support of the people."
"Well, best case for people like us who want him out," you pointed out.
"Exactly." She took a bite of her meal as she thought, saying afterward, "But if there's threat enough of losing support, there's a chance that he'll make changes that are of benefit to people like us. People who don't support him."
"And what if he doesn't take the bait?"
"Thenā¦things stay the same as they are. Then I'll find something else. Get another interview. Rinse and repeat until something big enough comes up and we're able to boot him out. At some point, someone's gonna screw up or slip up. They have to. And I think our best bet is-"
"Daniel," you finished for her with a nod. "He's proud of his position and he seems loyal as hell to Fisk for whatever reason. He got likeā¦two thousand signatures to get him onto the ballot for election."
"Then you'll have to be extra careful," BB warned. "If you're dealing with someone that loyal to Fisk, then if you slip up, it's your head on the chopping block. We can't risk that. It can't happen. Notā¦not again."
"I know. I'll be careful, BB. Promise."
The meeting with Fisk didn't turn out as fruitful as BB had hoped, her short five minutes ending even sooner than she wanted when she was promptly kicked out after mentioning Mrs. Fisk. It wasn't all for naught, though. Daniel and BB had a meeting to discuss the BB report and how she keeps the attention of the audience she does before inviting the two of you out to the club the next evening.
As the two of you got ready, BB commented, "Depending on how tonight goes, we might be able to get some information out of him."
"Alcohol tends to have that effect on people," you said with a laugh. "What are you hoping to get out of him?"
"Don't know, don't care how big it is, but I just need something," she replied as she pulled her purse over her shoulder. While the two of you headed for the door and you grabbed your keys, she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with being the DD? I wouldn't want to put you out or anything. Plus, how much fun are you really gonna have if you're stone cold sober?"
"I'm sure I'll have plenty of fun, even without alcohol. It's honestly sometimes more entertaining to see you drunk than anything," you smarted off. "Plus, if Daniel does blab about something, one of us has to be sober enough to remember it. That's kinda the whole point of this."
"Sounds like a plan. Let's get this party started!"
The night went on without a hitch, with BB even reconnecting with an old friend from college while out at the club. The two were desperate to continue the night, even when Daniel finally - at around four in the morning - decided that he needed to call it. When he made the announcement, BB groaned. No matter how much liquor she had encouraged into him, he still hadn't spilled anything. In an attempt to keep him longer or force something out of him, BB said, "Oh come on! Fisk is riding you way too hard! This whole in by eight thing-"
"Seven, actually!" he corrected, looking at his watch, his eyes closing with a sigh as he realized the time. "So, I gotta go."
"See! This is exactly what I'm talking about! Any normal job, we'd take a few more shots, hit up that spot on twenty-third, sleep on the train, take a shower, go to work, and do it all again the next night!"
"What kind of normal routine is that?" he asked, shaking his head. He pointed to you as you were sipping on yourā¦who knew how many...fifth of sixth virgin cocktail of the night. "She's got a normal job and I definitely don't see her doing this on the regular." He pointed to BB as he asked you, "Does she do this a lot?"
You couldn't help but laugh a little as you nodded, telling him, "Yes, and there are some days I worry about her! Some nights she isn't even back by the time I'm taking off for work."
"Oh, don't you start now, you Debbie Downer!" BB told you with a playful roll of her eyes. "College changed you!"
"Becoming a healthcare professional changed me," you told her while digging out your keys.
"Whatever! Come on, you two! Let loose and live a normal life!"
"Again, there's nothing about this," he said, gesturing to his watch and the club, "that's normal!"
"And working for Fisk is?"
"Listen, I dunno what to tell ya, I love the guy!"
"Godā¦" BB's friend groaned, stealing the shot from Daniel's hand and taking it.
"I'm for real! We have this real important meeting this afternoon that I can't miss! I need at least some sleep for it, especially if-" When Daniel cut himself off, he looked over your shoulder and said in a slightly aggressive tone, "Hey! Back off!"
You snapped around, trying to see if someone was after you, but you didn't see anyone anywhere close. Daniel, however, continued to advance toward you, wrapping an arm protectively around your waist. With your eyebrows furrowed, you looked at BB with a confused look on your face. She looked just as confused, so you wiggled around in Daniel's grip and said, "Hey, look at me."
"But-"
"Daniel. I said look at me. Let me see your eyes," you said softly, reaching up and putting gentle pressure on his jaw to make him turn his attention to you. When you finally got his eyes on you, you saw that his pupils were absolutely blown out, so much that you could barely see the brown of his irises. "Did you take something?"
"I- It's just-"
You kept your voice gentle as you said, "I don't care if you did, I just need to know. I'm not judging you."
"Yeahā¦" he admitted, his eyes flicking away from yours for a moment. "Someone at the bar had some Super K and I justā¦I dunno why I took it, I just did, and-"
"Hey," you said with a quiet laugh, "it's okay. Let me get you home?" The wolf whistle from BB's friend brought you out of the conversation, suddenly realizing how close the two of you still were. He seemed to notice too a few seconds later, his reaction time delayed by all the liquor and drugs in his system. When you pulled away, you jingled your car keys and said, "We're gonna head out. You two coming or are you going to get food?"
"Food," BB said as she wrapped her arm around her friend's shoulders. She gave you a pointed look as Daniel went to the bar to pay his tab, telling you, "Keep trying. Call me on your way. Maybe he'll slip when there's less people around. Find out what that meeting's for."
"I got it. No prob," you said quickly, stopping the conversation as Daniel returned.
BB and her friend began turning in a different direction from the parking garage you had found earlier in the night, her friend letting out yet another wolf whistle and calling out, "Go get you some!" before drunkenly giggling with BB.
"Sorry about them," you mumbled as you found your car and unlocked it. "In college, it was always the two of them that would stay out the longest."
"Don't worry about it," he said as he settled into the passenger seat, his movements uncoordinated as he went.
Before you pulled out of the spot, you reached into the backseat of the car, your hand returning with a bottle of water and offering it to him. "Drink. It'll help everything clear your system faster."
He simply nodded, cracking the bottle open and beginning to work on it as you started the car and turned the radio on for some background noise. You made sure that your phone wasn't connected to the bluetooth before discreetly dialing BB and putting her on speaker. Now that the two of you were alone, it was time to see if he'd slip.
"Where to?" you asked when your tires hit the asphalt of the one way road the club was on.
"Oh, you can just get me to the Staten Island ferry."
You shot him a concerned glance for a second, telling him, "Absolutely not. You aren't getting on a ferry by yourself while you've got ketamine and a shit-ton of liquor in your system."
"I'll be fine, don't worry about me," he said with a shrug.
"No, I will worry about you. Remember that list of things I won't do or take precautions for because of my job?"
"Oh, come on, don't quiz me nowā¦"
"I'm being serious! You could fall over the side of the ferry and into the water, get assaulted, lost, among so many other things."
"I have a feelin' you aren't gonna give this up, huh?"
"Not a chance. You're stuck with me for now."
Although you couldn't hear it because you turned the radio up the slightest bit to listen to part of the song on the radio that you liked, Daniel commented under his breath, "I wouldn't call it stuckā¦"
A few minutes of comfortable silence passed before you finally asked curiously, "You said you had an important meeting this afternoon? You could have rain checked, you know."
"Nah, it's all good. I never really need an excuse for a night out." Especially with youā¦ Daniel shook his head before saying, "But yeah, we've got this real important meeting with this company called the Clean Green Haulers. They're a new tech company with a dope recycling idea!"
"Oh really? That could be cool. Less stuff in the landfills. Maybe help clean out the Hudson a bit, too," you replied, your heart skipping a beat as you realized that you might be onto something.
"Exactly! You get it! And it'll help decrease garbage output in the city! It's genius!"
The first thing that came to mind when he mentioned the decrease in garbage output was something your dad had said to you years ago, even years before he got sick. Listen kid, he had told you, Everyone around here's got a job and a purpose, even if it's something that you don't think is that great. The bodega workers keep everyone stocked up on their odds and ends, the street cleaners keep things looking as nice as they can, the garbage workers make sure the dumpsters don't dirty up the alleys too much. Everyone's got their role to play to keep this city running, and if just one thing changes, the whole damn thing could go belly up!
A huff of air left your nose as you remembered the conversation, offering up the counter, "The only thing with that is the unions. One thing goes out of whack and the whole operation goes belly up. Least, that's what my dad would say to that."
Daniel brushed you off, asking, "Ahh, don't worry about that. That's why we're startin' in the ports! Dual jurisdiction and all that. Mayor Fisk's got it all under control!"
"Right. Fisk can fix it," you forced out in a chipper tone, your eyes flicking to the screen on your smart watch to make sure BB had heard all of that on the call. Sure enough, right as your eyes landed on the screen, the call ended and you got a text that said, You're AMAZING! That was what I needed!
When it felt like it was inevitable that Daniel was going to fall asleep on the car ride to Staten, you got the address from him and connected your phone to the car in order to navigate to his place. By the time the car came to a stop in front of the building, he was stirring awake. "Morning," you said as he stretched as much as he could in the car. Something about the sudden wakefulness and the stirring of muscles made Daniel nauseous, his face twisting as the feeling overwhelmed him. "Okay, let's get you inside!" you said, noticing his face get impossibly paler as his body threatened to hurl.
You made your way over to the passenger side of the car, pulling the door open just in time for him to lean over the side and puke on the sidewalk. It was by sheer experience that you managed to dodge the spray, your shoes coming out of the encounter clean. Daniel had a look of complete and utter embarrassment on his face when he sat back up, his apology immediate as he said, "Oh my God, I am so sorry! I didn't mean to-"
His words were interrupted by another bout of vomit making its way out of his mouth. When he came up again, you rubbed his back lightly, joking, "You think it's out of your system now?"
"Ha, ha, very funny," he said as he took the hand you offered to help him up. When he glanced down, he noticed that a bit of the vomit from the second bout had gotten onto your shoes, an embarrassed groan passing his lips as he said, "God, I'm so sorryā¦"
You looked at the shoes, not the ideal ones to clean up, but you shrugged nonetheless, telling him, "I've cleaned up worse. Just another day in the office for me."
"You're a goddamn saint, you know that?" he asked as you opened the rear passenger seat door to dig through a bag you had back there. When you returned to your full height on the sidewalk, you gave him something before crouching to start wiping your shoe off with a cleaning wipe. As Daniel turned the small silver package over in his hand, he asked, "Isn't this stuff prescription?"
Tossing the soiled wipe into a nearby trash can, you shrugged, telling him, "Yeah, but it's just Zofran. It's not like I'm giving you-"
"Ketamine?" he asked, finally cracking a smile while holding back a laugh.
"Not where I was going with that, but I think that's funnier than what I was about to say," you replied, shaking your head at his antics. You gestured toward the front door, adding, "Come on. Let's get you inside and cleaned up. Take a shower and then I'll drive you back." You checked your watch and nodded. "If we leave right after your shower, we should be able to make it to City Hall at a decent time so you aren't late."
Daniel said your name as you helped him balance on the way up the steps, telling you, "You really don't have to do that. I've already taken you so far out of the way."
"You're my charge right now. I'm gonna make sure you're sober enough before going into work," you told him as he unlocked the door to let the two of you in. As you both crossed the threshold into the cozy home, you added, "See, if you would have gone on the ferry, you might've gone overboard. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I knew I could've prevented that."
Before he could smart off, Daniel heard footsteps approaching from his mother's bedroom, a groaned out, "Ah shitā¦" leaving his lips.
You could tell the woman was still tired by the way she yawned and rubbed her eyes, her voice still a little groggy as she said, "Oh, Daniel, baby! You brought someone home with you!" Before Daniel could stop her, she plowed forward, saying, "Oh, you must be that girl Daniel hasn't stopped talking about! The, uhā¦ I'm sorry, I'm blanking, it's so earlyā¦ The, uhā¦" She snapped her fingers trying to jog her memory as you looked on with an entertained grin. "The ICU nurse!"
It was impossible for Daniel to hide the red flushing his cheeks and neck as he mumbled, "Yeah, she's the ICU nurse, ma. Can I go now? Can she go? I'm sure we'd all be more comfortable anywhere but hereā¦"
"Go ahead," she said, shooing him up the stairs that he took slowly with his hand gripping the railing the whole way up.
When you were left alone with her, she introduced herself. "It's so nice to finally meet the girl who's made my Daniel so happy lately! I'm Gloria."
You gave her your name before telling her, "You have a lovely home," trying your best to ignore the part about Daniel possibly having feelings toward you. You would have to tell BB about it when you both got back to the apartment for the day. Sure, you had been flirting with Daniel in order to see if he would let any information on Fisk slip, but you didn't intend for this to happen.
"Thank you, sweetheart! Lots of love in this house!" she said. "Can I get you a coffee? While you sip on that, I can pick your brain on something!"
"Oh, sure!" you said in surprise, following her toward the kitchen where she began brewing a pot of coffee.
The strong smell was heavenly as it wafted through the kitchen and you knew that she had some quality coffee on her hands. As the smell got stronger, she asked, "Have you ever heard of Vital Spectrum?"
With your eyebrows furrowed a little, you shook your head as you replied, "I can't say I have."
Gloria scoffed, reaching into the cabinet for mugs, filling two as she said, "Haven't heard of- Well, I think you're in for a treat! How do you take your coffee?"
"Sweet and strong."
"Ahh, so you like your coffee like you like your men, I see," she said off-handedly as she put some sugar into your mug. You couldn't help the flustered blush that made its way onto your cheeks, but were glad to ignore the comment as she said, "Anyways! Vital Spectrum! It's the vitamin and supplement company I work for! We've got all sorts of goodies to keep you running in top shape, but I just wanted to pick your brain on the specifics so I know how to best advertise to customers."
"Hit me," you said as she handed you the mug of steaming coffee.
By the time Daniel emerged back down the stairs from his shower, you were deep in conversation with his mother about Vital Spectrum and the benefits of certain vitamins and minerals. As he prepared himself a to-go cup of coffee, Daniel groaned, saying, "She got her claws in you, didn't she?"
"Oh, stop it, Daniel. This is a conversation between two professionals about the benefits of nutrition!" she countered, staring at him over her mug.
He laughed good-naturedly as he checked his watch, telling her, "Well, we gotta go. I've gotta be at the office soon. It was good to see you this morning, ma." He gave her a hug as you stood from your chair and grabbed the Vital Spectrum bag full of vitamins you had purchased from her.
When the two of you were heading back to the car, Daniel gestured toward the bag as he said, "You didn't have to do that, you know. She gets a little crazy about that business."
You shrugged, telling him with a smile, "I needed to restock on vitamins anyway. With work, sometimes it's hard to eat right. A lot of the time, you're just eating between checking on patients or helping someone else. So, vitamins go a long way in helping make sure I'm not malnourished."
"Jesus, that's intense," he said as he settled into the passenger seat once more.
"It is, but I'm doing what I love, so I don't mind it all that much," you told him, offering him another bottle of water and a handful of the vitamins his mom had sold you. After he looked at the handful of pills, he gave you an incredulous look that you responded to with, "I can't exactly give you an IV and banana bag in my car. This is the next best thing."
"You two are teamin' up on me!"
"Just looking out for you," you countered as he took the pills and you started up the car.
The clock read 7:04 by the time Daniel got into the office, a little winded from his run to get in. He had wasted precious time thanking you and fishing for some cash to give you for gas and to get some breakfast, but giving you that cash was non-negotiable to him, even though you were reluctant to take it until you realized what time it was. "I am so sorry I'm late, I didn't mean to be! I was out with this girl and then-"
Buck gestured for him to begin walking to the car awaiting them as he said, "Daniel, I really don't need the details of your affair."
"Affair? Hey, wait, no, she doesn't have a boyfriend as far as I know. Besides, it isn't like that. Not yet anywayā¦" he said as he adjusted his jacket and tie once more. His tone was off-handed as he said, "I've just gotta be patient. Think I can-"
The two came to be in step with Mayor Fisk and Sheila as Buck cut him off once more, telling him, "As fascinating as your love life is, we've business to attend to."
"Right. Sorryā¦" he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck as he trailed behind the others, who all walked with a purpose to the car awaiting their arrival.
a/n: okay this one was so fun to write, especially the interaction with Gloria! oh, how i love her! i hope you enjoyed!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader (no use of y/n)
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 2,836
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! canon typical warnings such as violence, gore, swearing, drinking, spice, angst, as well as some sickly sweet fluff thrown in! Major warning for the final chapters is pregnancy and complications thereof.
The next six months flew by in an absolute blur.
You didn't return to work until January, when the second semester started and you were mostly healed from the attack. Valerie and the others had been cleared by the military and doctors before the former cleared out of the town, leaving it to the locals to begin rebuilding. Without fail, every week you were met with flowers on your desk, not from Steve, but from Valerie's parents as a thank you for your attempt at saving the girl.
While still mourning the loss of Eleven sitting at your kitchen table learning everything you could teach her from the high school curriculum, you began helping out Max so she could catch back up and still graduate on time with the others. It was a combined effort between you and Dustin, but the progress was steady, and you had made a deal with Principal Higgins that if she kept up the same pace over the summer, that she would be able to take all the senior classes with the others.
You and Steve had also moved out of his parents' place. He said there were too many bad memories in the house that he wanted to leave behind with the Upside Down, so the two of you packed up what was yours and moved into a small apartment that was close to downtown and cheap as hell because of the reconstruction. Steve, unable to help the instinct to talk budgeting like his father did growing up, had cited that having such cheap rent would work wonders for saving up for a place of your own once the two of you really started to settle down. The thought always made your heart flutter as you thought about your future with the man by your side.
Somewhere and sometime in the midst of it all, you had managed to plan a wedding! Wellā¦it wasn't just you. Your mom helped a lot with keeping a timeline of what needed to get done, Robin and Nancy helped you pick out a dress and accessories, and Joyce helped find someone to cater. The most surprising of the help was Murray, though. You discovered that he had an impeccable eye for design and was able to be "Santa Murray" one last time to get every piece of decor you needed to make the boring back area of the Squawk into a romantic fantasy dream!
The morning of, when he was out back getting everything set up with the help of Dustin, Jonathan, and Hopper, you wandered over, taking everything in as you walked through the half constructed, soon to be, "garden." "Hey, kid," Hopper said to you, giving you a side hug after he sat down the tool he had in his hand for constructing the wedding arch. "You excited?"
You nodded, giving a slow twirl to take everything in as it was coming together. "Still doesn't feel real that it's today," you told him.
"Well, you better, because this stuff is mostly rentals!" Murray said as he popped his head up from a box overflowing with fake flowers and greenery. He looked beyond your shoulder, shading his eyes from the sun as he added, "And the mister over there better not get cold feet!"
"Oh, is-?" you began to ask, but couldn't even get turned around before you felt Steve's arms wrap around you from behind. His lips were on your cheek as he held you, afterwards resting his chin on your shoulder as he swayed gently back and forth.
"You know you aren't supposed to see her before the wedding, right?" Hopper asked.
"She isn't in her dress, yet. Doesn't count," Steve said in return, closing his eyes and sighing contentedly as he pictured what your wedding dress could look like. What you would look like in the dress. His voice was low as he murmured, "Just wanted to check in on you. See how you were doin'. You okay?"
"Just a little emotional, is all," you replied quietly.
"I know," he said, one hand momentarily grazing over your stomach before settling on your hip. "Anything I can do?"
"Make sure our song plays later?"
He scoffed jokingly, asking, "You think I'd let her forget?"
As if she had been summoned, Robin's voice cut through the air from the door of the radio station, calling, "Hey, lovebirds! Break it up! I've got her booked for brunch, then hair and makeup!"
"Fine, fine!" Steve droned, unraveling himself from you and letting you walk toward the building, but not before sneaking you a kiss on the knuckles. "I love you," he said before you could get out of earshot.
"I love you, too!" you told him brightly, a spring in your step as you left his presence.
When you crossed the threshold into the Squawk, you were immediately blindfolded, the act surprising you for a moment. You relaxed when you felt Robin's hands on you, guiding you somewhere as she said, "I don't think you're ready for how awesome this is gonna be!"
"Oh really, now?" you asked with a quiet laugh as you took careful steps with her, following the delicious smell of brunch to your destination, which you assumed was the area in which crawls were always planned.
"Really," she said as she pulled off your blindfold to reveal what you could only equate to a feast! There were pancakes and meats and fruits and spreads and drinks and eggs and justā¦everything you could have asked for. That wasn't even the best part, though. The best part was how everyone was dressed! Looking around, you saw that Robin was wearing what looked like a barmaid's outfit, Nancy looked like a diplomat from a far-off realm, your mom and Joyce had even dressed up!
Tears sprung to your eyes when, from behind you, you heard Ronnie's voice as she asked, "Now, what's a sage without her princess?"
When you turned toward her, you saw her draping dress, filled out with accessories the two of you had made throughout your years in Hellfire together, and in her hand was a gorgeous ivory dress - your wedding dress, altered to look even more like a fantasy dream! You covered your mouth in shock, tears beginning to prick the backs of your eyes as you breathed, "Ronnie! You came! And, wow! Did- Did youā¦?"
"I was the one Nancy hired to do your alterations, yes," she replied with a smile and a nod. "Said something about me knowing what your vision was."
"I couldn't agree more," you said before pulling her into a hug.
The dress was taken away from her hand by Nancy, who took it to the rack it was to hang on until time to get dressed, replacing your own more plain fantasy style outfit for the brunch. While you hugged your friend you hadn't seen in person in ages, she whispered, "I heard about Eddieā¦"
You nodded, a quiet sob passing your lips before you said, "He was with Dustin. He wasn't alone."
This statement caused the girl to pull you even closer as she tried to contain her emotions. Her voice was tight, though, as she said, "God, he loved that kid."
"That, he did," you agreed.
As she pulled away from the hug, she quickly wiped her tears away, punching you lightly in the shoulder as she said, "Now let's stop with the sad shit and get you wined and dined before you get hitched!"
Your wedding was far from traditional, you knew that going in, but that didn't make it any less special. Instead of being sad that your deadbeat father once again didn't respond to the invitation to the next biggest day of your life, you walked arm in arm with your mother down the aisle as you approached an emotional Steve, a smile on your face the whole way. He stood at the altar that had barely been finished minutes before the ceremony, wiping away the tears that just wouldn't stop flowing the moment he saw you step out from the radio station's doors.
When the two of you came to a halt at the end of the aisle, Hopper - wearing a button up with suspenders, his scraggly beard nicely trimmed and groomed for the occasion - cleared his throat and asked, "Do you give permission for your daughter to marry today?"
"That I do," your mom responded, her smile wobbling with emotion as she nodded.
"Excellent," he said, holding out his hand to help you step onto the slightly elevated platform he and Steve were on.
"Hey," Steve whispered, a loving smile on his lips as he drank in your appearance.
"Hey yourself," you replied, your breath taken away by how handsome he looked, his outfit styled by Dustin to look just enough like a prince to leave you speechless.
As you and Steve joined hands while Hopper pulled out his script, out of the corner of your eye, you saw him close his eyes and sigh a little. Dustin's voice rang out from the small crowd of friends and family, telling him, "Oh, just read the damn thing!"
"Yeah, have a little whimsy!" Robin piggybacked.
With a quiet chuckle, Hopped nodded, mumbling, "You kids are ridiculous," before straightening up and getting a little more serious. "Ladies and gentlemen of the realm, we are gathered here to day for the union of Lady Henderson and Sir Harrington. Now, these two have been though a lot together. They've had times of great joy, but also times of hardship and loss. They've grown up and grown stronger together - as people and as partners. It's my honor to stand before you all today to join them in marriage."
The little crowd cheered a bit before Hopper said, "I think it's time for vows, then!"
"Ladies first," Steve said, giving you a fond smile.
Your hands shook a little as they left his, reaching out toward Hopper as he handed you your written vows. You looked at the paper and then to Steve as you said, "Steve. I knew pretty quickly that you were the one for me. What started as simple tutoring sessions turned into much more, a lot quicker than I expected. Late nights cramming for your finals turned into deep talks about life and our pasts and what made us into the people we were. Into who we are today. I never expected to become so close with you, and I'm thankful every day for the opportunity to get to know you - the real you, not the guy you pretended to be in the public eye. The guy who has a soft spot for rom coms, who can't remember the plot of Star Wars to save his life, who holds me when I'm upset, who has pulled me back from the brink of despair more times than I can count. I couldn't have gotten through these last few years without you, and I hope we never lose that spark. I love you endlessly. Faithfully. Until we're but bone and ash, I won't stop loving you."
Steve looked up at the sky once you were done speaking, trying to blink away the tears and clear the emotion from his throat. When he looked back down and into your eyes, he joked, "Man, maybe I shouldda gone first." This joke earned a quiet laugh from everyone before he took your now free hands and said, "We were never meant to cross paths. Not in the way we did. We were never supposed to meet like that, but I am thankful every night for the crap your brother got into that needed me to act as a distraction so you didn't see the mess in the house. I didn't expect to fall for you, didn't even think it was in the cards, butā¦then, God, you were just you, and I couldn't stop it. You didn't even know it, but you had me wrapped around your finger way before I even made things official. I would do anything for you, honey. We've gone through a lot already, and I know that from today forward, we'll only face more, but I think we can take it on together. You and me. Just like it's always been. Because you're it for me. I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives together."
"That was beautiful, you two," Hopper said after discreetly wiping away his own tears. He pulled a box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing your wedding rings. Nodding toward it, he said, "Sir Harrington. Do you take Lady Henderson to be your wife? To have and to hold from this day forward? For better or for worse? For richer or poorer? In sickness and in health? Til death do you part?"
"I do," Steve said, a smile working its way onto his lips as he slipped the wedding band onto your finger.
"And Lady Henderson," Hopper said as he turned toward you. "Do you take Sir Harrington to be your husband? To have and to hold from this day forward? For better or for worse? For richer or poorer? In sickness and in health? Til death do you part?"
"I do," you whispered, your voice emotional as you slipped the ring onto Steve's hand.
With a wide smile, Hopper said, "Then, by the power - recently re-vested in me since I am no longer missing - by the state of Indiana, I pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
As Steve leaned in for a tender kiss, cheers erupted from the small crowd, followed by a pop as Erica pulled a confetti popper that showered the two of you in the tendrils as you held each other close. When he pulled away, Steve asked quietly, "How's it feel being married, Mrs. Harrington?"
"Like a dream," you replied, the way he said your new name causing butterflies to take off in your stomach.
Steve gave you another kiss, unable to help the smile on his lips as he said, "God, I have a wife now!"
Before you could reply, Robin's voice was calling out, "Hey! Love birds! Let's get to partying!"
The reception was a blast! With Robin as the DJ, the tunes never stopped and they never got flat either! Your first dance with Steve was to Endless Love, followed by each of you having a dance with your respective mom. You were surprised that she had made it, but were glad that she did, seeing how relieved Steve got when he saw her getting out of the car.
The night was shared equally with all of the guests, dancing or chatting with them as you all celebrated the monumental occasion. When you tossed your flowers, it was Vickie who caught them, blushing when you gently elbowed Robin, saying, "Looks like its your turn!"
By the time the night was winding to a close, Steve found you on the rooftop of the station, your legs tucked under you as you looked out over the dark horizon into the nothingness of the forest. He sat down beside you, taking your hand in his and kissing the back of it before asking, "Everything okay?"
You sighed in response to the loaded question, your eyes turning downward to your ring adorned hand. After clearing your throat, you finally managed to choke out, "It's just hard not to think about what we were supposed to do at the end of this thingā¦"
"I know, honey, I know," he said, positioning himself so he could hold you close. He kissed your temple before saying, "It'll happen. And when it does, we'll find just as special of a way to-"
"Hey!" Dustin's voice cut off your conversation as he popped his head out of the door. "Mom said she wants some pictures with all of us! Come on!"
"Okay, okay, we're coming," Steve said, getting up first before sticking out his hand to help you to your feet. Once you were up, he pulled you into a kiss, saying again, "It'll work out. Promise. It has to eventually, right?"
"Rightā¦" you whispered, trying to force yourself into optimism for both of your sakes. You didn't have time for rehashing the last month's sadness as you reemerged into the radio station, though, plastering a believable enough smile onto your lips as you and Steve took photos with your guests. You were a big enough believer in faking it til you made it, and by the end of the night, you had at least psyched yourself out of your depressive mood, simply trying to be present with your friends and family as they all gathered to celebrate such a monumental day.
That night, you got back to the apartment, not as Miss Henderson and Mr. Harrington, like your rental agreement said, but as a married couple, ones who were ready to face the world and life's circumstances hand in hand, no matter the odds.
a/n: preview for my wedding tbh lmao all jokes aside, though, i hope you all enjoyed! allusions to sad things that will be addressed in the next chapter, but overall a happy one before one last big angst! we're coming to the end, you guys! i hope you all enjoy as i wrap up little plot lines throughout the final chapters!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 1,966
chapter summary: meeting for coffee with Daniel to promote the BB report
"I'm on my way out!" you called through the apartment as you hooked your bag over your shoulder, getting ready to leave for the morning.
BB poked her head out of her bedroom door as she asked, "Remember the plan?"
You nodded, reiterating for what felt like the millionth time, "Because of how vague I was about my job before, he's likely gonna bring that up first. We'll talk about that for a while before I bring up his job. I won't give any hints that I know who he is or what his position in the administration is. At some point he's gotta bring up how he's useful for the younger demographic of New Yorkers and that's when I will bring up my lovely best friend practically since birth and tell him that you run a blog that's very popular with that exact demographic. I think if I just sweet talk him some more and maybe promise another - as he's likely to call it - date, I'm sure you'll be on your way to an interview with Fisk within the week!"
"You got it," she replied, a quiet sigh of relief passing her lips as she leaned against the door frame to her room.
"Oh come on, have a little faith in me!" you said, checking your bag one last time for all of your necessities before leaving the apartment.
"I do, you know I do, it's just-"
"It could be dangerous, I know," you finished for her, sending a small smile in her direction. "That's why we've got our text codes. To anyone else, it'll look like a normal text, butā¦"
"If you text me asking what movie we're watching later, I'll know you're in danger."
"Right. Now, I'm gonna go get you one step closer to an interview. Talk later!"
"Be safe!"
"Always!"
As you walked up to the Starbucks Daniel requested to meet at, he greeted you with a wave and a bright smile. "Hey!" he said, holding the door open for you as you approached. "It's nice to see you in, you knowā¦normal lighting!"
"If you're trying to call me pretty, I'd refine the compliment a little," you joked as you brushed past him, your fingertips ghosting over his own as you did.
"I didn't wanna come on too strong," he admitted as he joined you in the line heading toward the counter, the baristas working quickly to get through each order.
"You say to the girl who made the first move by buying your drink at the club," you teased, gently bumping your shoulder into his as you laughed lightly.
The two of you made small talk throughout your time in the line, hitting the usual topics of the Mets season, the weather, and foot traffic on the sidewalks to get to the shop. The conversation was interrupted when you got to the counter and were greeted by the barista with a smile. You returned it before saying, "Hey! Could I get a venti iced brown sugar oat milk shaken espresso with two extra shots? And then aā¦double-smoked bacon, cheddar, and egg sandwich?"
"Of course! Anything else?" she asked, turning her attention to Daniel, who stood slightly behind you.
Before you could take a breath to say anything, he told the barista his order and pulled out his wallet, paying for both of you. As he paid, you huffed out a quiet laugh before saying, "Thanks, Daniel. You didn't have to."
"'Course I did! What kind of gentleman would I be if I didn't?" he asked as the two of you made your way over to a table in the corner of the bustling shop.
When his name was called for the order, Daniel made his way to the counter to grab everything, careful not to drop anything on his way back. As he sat the drinks down, he eyed the label on your drink, his eyes going wide as he said, "Holy shit that's a lot of espresso! You're gonna be bouncin' off the walls all day!"
You laughed before taking a sip of your drink, the flavors melting in your mouth as deliciously as they always did. When you looked back at him, you said, "This has become my normal amount of caffeine to maintain sanity." With a shrug, you added, "Occupational hazard."
"Occupationalā¦? What exactly do you do that needs that much espresso to function?" he asked as he unpackaged his own breakfast sandwich.
"ICU nurse over at Metro General," you replied simply. "Between how understaffed we are and how many people seem to end up in critical condition in this city, I don't think I'll ever be out of the job, fortunately."
"That'll do it," he said, sending you an impressed look now that he knew your career path. After taking a bite of his sandwich, he asked, "What's the craziest shit you've seen someone come in for?"
"How strong's your stomach?" you asked, eyeing his sandwich, a small smirk lining your lips in challenge.
"Like fuckin' iron," he replied. "I regularly eat that shit-ass street food you're so against. I think I can handle a little medical tale."
"Suit yourselfā¦" you said with a quiet laugh. Before starting the story, you look a sip from your drink, the taste somehow bringing back the memories of that crazy day even more vividly. Making sure to keep your voice down to a socially acceptable level, you leaned in a little closer to Daniel across the small table as you told him, "So, there was this one time I had this older guy. He was likeā¦in his seventies at least. Came to us with sepsis and needed to be intubated and put on a ventilator because the infection got so bad his organs started shutting down. Wanna know how he got the infection?"
"How?"
"Dude stuffed a massive," you gestured your hands a good nearly two feet apart, "fuckin' sex toy up his ass and tore through his intestine! Got a nasty infection because of the literal shit in there and he was with us for a good while before he got well enough to send back to the stepdown unit."
You weren't sure if Daniel's expression was from amusement or disgust, but you watched his reaction play out in what felt like slow-motion as he processed the story. Finally, he settled on holding back a laugh as he held his hands out about the same distance you had, asking, "This big? You're kidding!"
"Not kidding and I wish I was," you told him. "Guy had to have it surgically removed. I was told that once he was well enough and working with PT on the floor, he still had a limp!"
"No way!"
"Way," you said before taking another sip of your drink. When you sat it down, you joked, "Moral of the story: always use lube."
"I feel like you're gettin' the wrong moral outta this guy," he said with a chuckle as he shook his head.
"I've got lots of morals from lots of people. They're the main reason I don't take certain meds. Why I won't ever get on a motorcycle. Why I'm so paranoid when walking back to the apartment any time of day, really. Also why I hate open flames and candles."
"Candles?"
"Candles. I've seen some shit."
"Shit as in up the wrong end orā¦?"
"First of all, there's no correct end for a candle to go in, but second of all, let's just say that you wouldn't ever wanna be on a burn unit," you told him, a shiver running up your spine as you remembered one of the worst burn victims you had ever encountered who had a good night end very poorly because of a candle. When the shudder passed, you shook your head before resting your chin on your hand, saying, "I think that's enough about my job for right now, though. What do you do for a living?"
"I actually work over at City Hall," he told you, a proud look on his face as he started speaking about his job.
"Oh really? What kind of work do you do there?"
"I'm in communications. You know, help run what gets to the press, help draft speeches, manage social media, stuff like that," he detailed.
"That's pretty sick, actually! How'd you go about getting that position? Seems like a pretty important role."
He shrugged casually, telling you, "Well, I got over two thousand signatures to help get the Mayor onto the ballot. That seemed to catch the attention of Fisk's political advisor, so she hired me on. Gave some good advice from this generation's point of view and now I'm in pretty damn close with the cabinet! Pretty sweet gig, if you ask me."
"Sounds like," you said, nodding your head as you processed everything you were just told. You let a few moments of silence pass as you both took bites of your sandwiches before asking, "Are you the youngest on the team?"
"Seems like it," Daniel replied, thinking about everyone else in the cabinet. "I help keep everything balanced, I'd like to think. Fisk and Sheila have their old-school way of doing things, but when it comes to reaching the younger demographic, I'm their main man!"
"You know what I think could help reach even more people?" you asked thoughtfully, keeping your voice casual as you posed the question.
"What?"
"Reaching out to someone who has a large audience of your target population watching and reading in every week," you told him vaguely. You took a pen and sticky note out of your bag as you said, "My best friend is actually journalist with a pretty large following of people our age and younger. If there's something you wanna get out to that demographic and can't because none of us actually buy newspapers anymore, I would definitely reach out to her!"
"Sweet! Thanks!" he said, taking the sticky note from you and putting it in his coat. After pocketing the note, he pulled his sleeve up and checked his watch, sighing a bit before saying, "Shit, I didn't realize what time it was. I gotta get into the office soon."
"Of course. Duty calls," you agreed, beginning to stand up and grab your drink.
As the two of you walked to the door to leave, Daniel held it open for you and asked, "When can I see you again?"
"Well, I work the next three days, then I'm off for two and then back on for three. I'll text you when I know how dead-tired I'm gonna be after those shifts."
"Always keepin' me on my toes, huh?" he asked as he hailed a cab for you.
You shrugged, a small smile lining your lips as the cab pulled up. He once again opened the door for you and while you got in, he slipped the cabbie some cash for your fare. With the constant gestures, you couldn't help but be flattered, so you told him in a quiet voice, "Thank you, Daniel. For everything this morning. It was nice."
"It was. Thanks for coming out of your way to meet me here. I try to stay close in case there's an emergency before I'm supposed to come in."
"You're a good man," you told him. "Have a good day at work. I'll text you later. Don't forget about my reporter friend!"
"You got it. I'll text her now. Have a good day!"
And with that, he shut the door and the cab began the journey back to your apartment. As you settled into the seat for the ride, you were grateful for how smoothly that seemed to have gone. Now you just hoped that he was, in fact, reaching out to BB.
a/n: always use lube, kids, and always use appropriately sized and shaped sex toys! that tale was based on a true story! i hope you enjoyed the humor that comes with writing Daniel! he's been a BLAST to explore!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
iām unfortunately a mobile reader (derogatory) so thank you for cross posting the sweetest taboo on ao3 i canāt wait to binge read it!
of course!! this is actually the first fic iāve posted on there! iāve had an ao3 account for YEARS but i was just an occasional reader on there, but i wanted to reach a broader audience so i decided to post on both! only a few more chapters to go! i hope you enjoy all the sweet fluff and honestly really really tough angst!!
Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader (no use of y/n)
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 5,549
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! canon typical warnings such as violence, gore, swearing, drinking, spice, angst, as well as some sickly sweet fluff thrown in! extra warning for medical things in this one!
a/n: It's hard writing scenes like the opening one, where it's like everything is fading in and out while also giving context to what's going on, so basically I would like you all to imagine with me the scene in flashes. Reader doesn't know everything that's going on, but I want you all to know more context, so picture it how you will! aaaaannndd go!
Over the next hour, you faded in and out of consciousness, catching mere bits and pieces of your surroundings and the conversations going on around you.
First was the back and forth between Joyce and Ms. Harris.
"Oh my God!" Joyce whispered, her hands going to cover her mouth when she, Will, and Mike made their way into the barracks to make their escape back through the tunnels.
Ms. Harris was crouched above you, attempting to hold pressure on the gaping wound on your chest to stop the bleeding while also telling the children to turn their heads so they wouldn't see. When she noticed the presence of Joyce in the room, she shouted, "She needs an ambulance!"
Seeing how his mom was frozen in fear, Will stuck his head out of the barracks door and shouted into the hellscape, "Help! We need an ambulance! Help!" When he saw a trio of military members starting to head their way, he ran back in, grabbing his mom by the arm as he said, "They're coming, we gotta go!"
"B-but, she's- We have to-"
"We can't do anything to help! We need to regroup with the others so we can figure everything out! Come on!" he told her, sure of his actions in that moment. They would be no help if they stayed and got taken in by the military.
The next was the ambulance ride.
"What the hell happened here?" the paramedic asked as the military men loaded you onto the stretcher, having already taken you out of the MAC-Z restricted area where all of the carnage was.
"Equipment malfunction," the man lied, earning hesitant nods from his two colleagues. He jerked his head toward the barricaded zone, adding, "Explosion. Shit went everywhere. She got caught in it."
"Okayā¦" the paramedic said slowly before he began closing the door and getting to work on what he could do to stabilize you. As he took your vitals, he shook his head and whispered, "Jesus Christā¦ How much blood did you lose?"
Finally, before you totally lost consciousness was the run through the hospital corridors on the way to the OR.
Lights flashed by above you, each one equally as blinding to your bleary mind. Voices surrounded you, each one speaking urgently. "Blood pressure is ninety-two over forty-eight and dropping! She's lost a lot of blood! Heart rate is one twenty-eight and thready! Respirations are twenty-five and shallow! Oxygen sat is ninety-four percent on two liters! We've got deep lacerations on the arm and across the chest, allegedly from equipment malfunction on a work site!"
The doctor on the team nodded, calling out to the team running ahead of them, "We'll need hemorrhage control! Prepare for mass transfusion! Let's go, people!"
And then you woke up.
Judging by the bright light filtering through the windows nearby, it was around mid-afternoon. You let out a quiet groan of discontent when you opened your eyes, blinking hard to combat the bright light until your eyes adjusted. The attempt to move your arm was painful, the movement causing pain to light up your body, a louder groan flying past your lips when it did.
One of the kind girls in the red striped uniforms had been walking by and popped her head in, concern written all over her face when she saw you in pain. She told her partner to remain at your bedside before running to the nurses' station and informing them of what was going on. When the nurse came in, she gave you a warm smile, telling you, "Welcome back, Miss. You sure gave us a scare last night!"
"I tend to do that, apparently," you tried to joke through gritted teeth.
"Let's get you some pain killers, yeah?" she asked, mouthing a thank you to the candy stripers before reaching for a key in her pocket that would unlock the medicine cabinet in the room.
"Pleaseā¦" you agreed. You took a feeble attempt at a deep breath, telling her, "This wound makes it really hard to take a good breathā¦"
While she grabbed the pain medication, you began to take in your surroundings, seeing the fluids and blood hanging from the IV pole next to the bed, steadily dripping into the IV on your arm. The nurse noticed as she popped the lid off of a vial of medication to give through a second IV you had on your arm, telling you, "That's yourā¦fifth bag? Should be the last as long as your labs stay stable and there's no more bleeding."
"Fifth ba-? Holy shitā¦" you whispered, your head lulling back onto the pillow as you took in the information.
"Whatever the hell got you in that explosion got you good, dear," she told you. "I was told the paramedic guesstimated about a quarter of your blood volume was lost before you got here. You're a survivor, that's for sure."
Before you could respond, the door to the room was bursting open, with a breathless Steve stumbling in when it gave way. He whispered your name before making a b-line to the side of the bed as the nurse stepped away. "I'll give you two some space. Call if you need anything, okay?" she said in a quiet tone before locking up the medicine cabinet and making her way out of the room.
Steve's hands were on you in an instant, cupping your cheeks, running down your left shoulder, and holding your hand before making their way back to their original spot as he kissed you deeply. He rested his forehead on yours, his voice shaking with emotion as he said, "T-they told me what- what happened, and I-I just- I-"
"Steve, babe, hey," you whispered, your voice breaking with emotion before you kissed him to shut him up. When he stopped rambling, you told him, "I'm okay," with tears beginning to stream down your cheeks.
He kissed you again, pulling away to simply hold your hand as he said, "But- But you could've not been! What were they thinking letting you- They knew that's where the demos were gonna be, I can't-"
"Hey!" you said quietly, yet firmly to get his attention. While you squeezed his hand, you told him, "It was my choice to go. I knew what was coming. I knew their weakness. So, I chose to go to help protect my students."
"Their weakness, what d'you- How-?"
You couldn't help the quiet laugh that escaped your lips as you told him, "Long story short, I gotta get a new lighter for the candles and I owe you a can of Farrah Fawcettā¦"
"You owe me-" Steve cut himself off when he realized what you were implying, an incredulous grin making its way onto his lips as he asked, "Did you really torch a demo with a lighter and hairspray?"
"It was all I could think of, okay? I was being rushed out of the house by the military!" you told him, a full-on laugh passing your lips that time.
"You're crazy. You're crazy! You're so crazy," Steve mumbled while shaking his head, that smile still on his face as he looked at you.
"Yeah, but I'm your crazy," you told him.
"Damn right," he said, leaning back in for another kiss. He once again rested his forehead against yours for a moment as he whispered, "God, you gotta stop landing in the hospital. You're gonna make me old before my timeā¦"
You scoffed, saying, "Yeah, as if this whole Upside Down bullshit isn't gonna do that before I do." Your tone turned reflective and your chest began to rise and fall a little faster as you remembered the night before, telling him, "Itā¦it was really scary, Steve. Vecna, heā¦he got into my head again. Right before the barracks were attacked and Valerie was taken. Told me I was weak. Still letting fear control me. And for a second I wasā¦until I decided that it was time to follow my own advice. So, I fought. As best I could. Didn't do much in the end, look where I am and where I assume Valerie's atā¦"
"Yeah, but you fought." The voice that said that wasn't Steve. It was Dustin, who emerged through the slightly cracked door. He closed the door fully before telling you, "You fought as best you could with what you had. You stood in the face of danger and took a stand. That's exactly what you taught me to do. What you taughtā¦"
The boy's voice broke on the last part of the statement, a sob clawing its way up his throat as he launched himself at you in the bed, hugging you as gently, yet as tightly as he could considering your wounds. His body shook as he hugged you, his voice rough and shaking as he said, "I'm sorryā¦ I'm sorry for- for everything. I'm sorry for the cold shoulder and the- the silent treatment and for just being a total asshole! You didn't deserve it, I-I was just soā¦so angry. I was pissed and bitter andā¦broken and I took it out on you. On both of you. I was never really mad about you two being together, it was just the scapegoat for whyā¦why I was really pissed at you."
Your own breathing was ragged and shallow as you held him as close as you could with your left arm, tears falling freely as you finally hugged your little brother for the first time in eighteen long months. "What really happened, Dusty?" you asked, the words quiet and barely there as you struggled to breathe through your emotions.
He pulled away from the hug and sat down in the chair Steve had placed next to his. As Steve took your hand in his again, covering it fully to help warm it up, Dustin confessed, "That nightā¦the night Vecna attacked you and Maxā¦ Eddie, heā¦" he looked up at the ceiling and blinked away his tears, clearing his throat before he continued. "Eddie and I, we were back on our side. We were about to head out, but thenā¦then he went back. He told me that he was doing what you would do: buying more time for the party. And then he went andā¦ Fuckā¦" Dustin hit his fist a few times on the armrest of the chair before biting out, "Then he died. And I was so broken and so goddamn angry at you. I was angry at you for what I'm most grateful you taught me! Make that make sense! You inspired him to help others, even when the situation is dire, and he saved our asses that night. He made sure that the others were able to at least slow Vecna down and buy El some time to fight him. And then Max died for a minute and ended up in a coma and there you were. Alive. Breathing. Here! Something they didn't get! My mind was soā¦screwed up and overwhelmed that I just lashed out. Wasn't sure what else to do.
"But thenā¦when we were in the Upside Down last night, Steve and I got into it and he could've died and Iā¦I realized how stupid it all wasā¦ How stupid it was to push everyone away when all any of you wanted was to help. How I spent months isolating myself and losing the people I care the most about just because I lost one. It wasn't fair to you guys, and for that I'm so, so sorryā¦ I missed my annoying older sister. I missed annoying you. I love you."
As you took a breath to reply, a sharp pain took over your right side, the breath you took sounding more like a choked gasp. Suddenly, it was harder than ever to breathe, the effort to even take one was excruciating, and it showed plain on your face right before the panic of not being able to breathe properly set in. Steve said your name in concern, his own heart starting to beat faster in his chest as he gripped your hand. Your left hand struggled out of his grasp and began gesturing toward your throat that you couldn't breathe, a desperate flail beginning as you continued gasping.
The chair he was sitting in was thrown backward when he stood up quickly, clattering against the wall as he made his way to the door. There was a sense of terror and desperation in Steve's voice as he shouted down the hall for a nurse, his panicked eyes darting back and forth between the station and the room. Only when he saw a small gaggle of nurses begin making their way to the room did he go back in, feeling helpless as he watched the skin around your fingertips start to become a ruddy hue before the tiniest bit of blue began taking over.
He was at your side immediately as he waited for the nurses to arrive, holding your hand and telling you, "C'mon honey, stay with me! Just a few more seconds and the nurses'll be here! Eyes on me, baby."
As misfortune would have it, right as the nurses came into the room to assess the situation, your eyes rolled into the back of your head and you lost consciousness. It was chaos and terror and noise in the moments that followed. Dustin, already emotional from reliving what happened with Eddie, was a mess, screeching your name in horror as he watched you fade away before him. Steve, knowing he had to be the adult in the situation, practically tackled Dustin out of the way of the nurses as they ran back in with a cart of supplies, holding him back as he fought to keep his own emotions at bay. He felt like a father shielding his child from seeing something scary, holding Dustin's head against his chest as he kept his own head turned away from the situation happening mere feet away.
The nurse's voice was urgent as she spoke, calling out, "She's not breathing! Do we have a pulse?"
"Pulse confirmed!" another voice shouted back.
"Good! Just bag her then! Someone call the doctor and tell him what's going on! I think she's got a pneumo!"
"Calling the doc!" a third voice said before she ran to the phone in the room and hit a button.
Steve dared a look in your direction as Dustin sobbed into his chest, feeling his own heart sinking as he saw the sheer number of people in the room, with more flooding in. "Goddamnitā¦" he whispered, his own tears finally falling as he, too, clung onto Dustin for more than just holding him back from the bed.
Within a minute that felt like it lasted forever, there was a doctor sprinting into the room with what looked like a tackle box. "What happened!?" he asked as he took his stethoscope off of his neck and listened to your lungs as the nurse at the head of the bed used a bag to help you breathe.
"Patient came in last night with a chest wound from an accident at the military occupied zone. They did hemorrhage control and closed her up in the OR. Mass transfusion plus two units today so far. Came in and patient wasn't breathing. We started bagging. I think she's got a pneumo. Maybe from a steady leak sustained from the injury."
The doctor looked at your neck and felt the cartilage in the area, grumbling to himself before he started taking out the equipment from the box. One nurse who had been taking notes stopped what she was doing to help him pull on the gown that came with the box and the team worked in tense silence, with the doctor pulling out a scalpel while the nurse cleaned the side of your ribs with a sterile solution. With a simple cut, placement of a tube into the cavity around your lung, and a stitch to keep it in place, the air that had built around your lung and caused it to collapse escaped and allowed the organ to begin reinflating.
After one more breath with assistance from the bag, the nurse took the device away, holding it close just in case she needed to put it back and continue her work. It felt like everyone in the room was waiting for what was to come, and there was a collective sigh of relief when everyone heard the audible gasp from you as you took in a huge gulp of air. Steve's voice was the first to sound off, a relieved, "Oh my Godā¦" leaving his mouth as he let go of Dustin and slid down the wall, his legs full of nerves unable to support his weight anymore.
As the nurses all began clearing out, with the doctor scolding the first one for "telling him how to do his job," Dustin ran right back to your side, throwing his arms around you as he cried, "Don't you dare do that again! You hear me? You can't do that again! I can't lose youā¦ Not you! Not like him!"
"Hey, hey, hey, I'm right here," you told him, your voice quiet as you once again held him close. "Whatā¦what happened?"
"Your lung collapsed," the doctor said as he re-entered the room once he was done scolding the nurse. "I placed a chest tube to help get the air out of the pleural cavity. It should resolve within a few days. We'll send for an x-ray soon to make sure everything is in the right place and to make sure the lung is reinflating properly."
"Wowā¦" you whispered, heaving out a sigh of both relief and horror in regards to what happened.
Finally getting the strength to get off the floor, Steve stood back up and shook the man's hand, telling him, "Thanks, Doc. For saving her." The doctor nodded before heading out of the room promptly. A few moments later, your nurse popped her head into the room and Steve sent her a grateful look, telling her as well, "Thank you for everything."
"Oh, you don't have to thank meā¦" she said quietly as she looked at the chest tube to make sure it was working properly.
"But I want to. You helped her breathe when she couldn't. So, thank you," he told her.
"Yeah, thank you," Dustin told her graciously.
"O-of course! If you three need anything, just call us," she said before making her exit from the room once more.
Once both chairs were set back up at your bedside, Steve took your hand in his again and said, "I think you just gave me about four gray hairs, babe."
You rolled your eyes playfully as you laughed lightly, telling him, "Please, there isn't a gray hair on that perfect head of yoursā¦"
"You willin' to bet?" he asked just as playfully as he squeezed your hand.
While the two of you bantered back and forth, Dustin finally heard a muffled voice coming from his backpack, likely from his walkie. Pulling it out, he finally heard Mike's voice saying, "Dustin? Dustin! Do you copy?"
He pulled the antenna out, hitting the button on the side as he replied, "This is Dustin, I copy. Over."
"You two have gotta get back to the Squawk! We don't have any more time to lose! Over."
Dustin and Steve shared a look before the former nodded reluctantly. Steve looked up to the ceiling as he cursed quietly, holding back tears at the thought of leaving you so soon after what just happened. You noticed, and asked, "You gotta go, don't you?"
"Yeahā¦" they both replied quietly.
"It's gotta do with Vecna?" Dustin nodded in the affirmative as Steve stared off into space at the thought of every single thing that monster had done to youā¦ Your voice pulled him out of his head, though, as you said, "Go. Go finish the son of a bitch."
"We will," Dustin said, a renewed determination in his voice as he packed the walkie back into his bag for the time being. Before he could go, he gave you one more hug as he told you, "I'll send Mom this way so you can have some company." You simply nodded, not trusting your voice because of the once more building emotion at the idea of the two of them facing Vecna again.
While Dustin stood to head to the door, Steve gave you a lingering kiss, his voice low as he promised, "We'll be back soon. I love you. So much."
"I love you, too," you told him, your voice breaking as tears slipped from your eyes.
After giving you one final parting kiss, Steve left your side, following closely behind Dustin as they made their way out of the hospital. The smile was evident in Dustin's voice as he said, "You two are disgustingly sweet togetherā¦ And I'm happy for you."
"Thanks, man," Steve replied, giving him a gentle punch on the shoulder. "Now, let's make sure we end this bastard and get back to her."
Nearly two days. That was how long it had been since Steve and Dustin left your hospital room to go fight Vecna, for hopefully the last time. It was a time of immense worry. You didn't know what to expect them to go into. You had no idea why Vecna wanted those kids. You had no idea what he was going to use them for. You had no idea that the Upside Down was actually just a wormhole connecting to where the others were actually going for the final battle. You were in the dark, anxious, and praying to whatever deity would listen to bring everyone home safe.
The best distraction from those tumultuous thoughts was when some of the kids from your class came to visit. You were in the middle of a conversation with your mom, who had barely left your side since Dustin sent her your way, when there was a series of knocks on the door that sounded like they were coming from multiple people. With an eyebrow cocked, you mumbled, "I wonder who that isā¦"
Your question was answered when the door promptly flew open and in flooded a handful of students from your class, escorted by Ms. Harris. The young voices of your students rang out into the room, shouting excitedly, "Miss Henderson!" "Miss Henderson, you're alive!" "Wow! I wanna see your scars!" "I brought you a balloon!" "I brought some cookies! Cookies always make me feel better!"
"Hey, guys!" you said to the kids, a wide smile on your lips as you greeted them.
Your mom stood up when they got in, telling you, "I'll go get us something to eat real quick. Be back soon!" As she walked out, she waved to the kids and said, "It's good to meet you guys!"
They all waved at her as you told them, "That's my mom. She taught me a lot of what I know!"
Once she was gone, one of the little girls, a shy, red head, gave you the cookies as she said quietly, "I was so scared when thatā¦thing took Valerie. I was scared when it hurt you, tooā¦"
The next voice that spoke was one of the boys who was always making up games on the playground, saying, "Yeah, but she was a total badass fighting it off! She didn't even flinch 'til it swung at her!"
"Matthew! Language!" Ms. Harris scolded, shooting you an apologetic look.
"And I'd do it all again if it meant protecting you kids," you told them genuinely. Sure, it was a scary experience, but if it came down to you or the kids, you would always be the one going down swinging.
"You're so cool, Miss H!" the other boy said, reaching out his hand to give you a fist bump. He craned his neck, trying to see your wounds, asking, "Will you have a cool scar when you take those bandages off?"
"It'll take a while, but eventually, I think so," you told him with a quiet laugh.
Once all the kids were done asking their multitude of questions, Ms. Harris got them to settle down for a minute while she talked with you in a quiet voice, asking, "Really, though, how are you? What happened wasā¦"
"Terrifying?" you offered, huffing out a laugh. When you were met with an overly sympathetic look, you told her, "I can either laugh about it or cry about it, and I've done my fair share of crying. I might again later, but not in front of the kids. They've been through enough already."
"Right," she replied, giving you a nod at the wise statement.
You sighed a little, telling her, truthfully, "But yeah, it's been rough. Lots of pain from the wounds themselves." Your eyes flicked over to the other side of the bed where the chest tube atrium was, saying, "Lung collapsed the next afternoon. That was terrifying for my boyfriend and brother. I mean, me too, I couldn't breathe, butā¦ I'm getting better bit by bit. The worst part is the pain. The tube hurts, breathing hurts because it's pulling on the skin and tape, the muscles in my right arm practically had to be reconstructed, so it's hard to-"
Before you could finish the sentence to your coworker, the door to the room burst open, a winded Steve stumbling in and making a b-line once again to your bedside. Ms. Harris, having seen him racing in stood up, taking a step back from the bed to give him some space, at first unsure if it was a doctor running into the room because of something seen on the monitor.
"Steve! Hey!" you said, your voice immediately emotional seeing your boyfriend alive and in one piece at your bedside.
Steve went from leaning over to give you a kiss on the forehead to suddenly kneeling on the floor, one hand shaking as he held yours, the other fishing for something in his jean pocket. Before you could question what was going on, his shaking voice said, "God, I planned for this to be so much more romantic, but screw itā¦ The last few years have been crazy, absolutely batshit insane. But through most of it, I had you. My sweet, funny, intelligent, strong, insanely talented best friend. And I-I justā¦with everything that's happened, I can't wait longer to ask to spend the rest of our lives together. Will you marry me?"
A chorus of awwww's flew past the girls' lips as they squealed in excitement at the scene unfolding in front of them as Steve finally pulled the beautiful ring out of his pocket and presented it to you, an expectant look on his face. Tears began welling up in your eyes as you nodded your head quickly, telling him, "Y-Yes! Of course!"
"Awesomeā¦" he mumbled, slipping the ring onto your left hand before standing up and giving you a kiss.
As Steve kissed you, Ms. Harris wiped a tear away before beginning to usher the kids out, telling them, "Okay guys, let's give them some space!"
When the door shut once again behind them, Steve began to move away, but you pulled him in for another kiss before wrapping your arm around him for as much of a hug as you could give him from the hospital bed. He reached back a little for the chair that was nearby, settling down into it as he held you close. He laced one hand into the hair at the base of your head as he finally let the happy and emotional tears fall. "I love youā¦" he whispered, voice tight as he thought of everything that happened in the last few days, hellā¦the last few years!
"I love you, too. So goddamn much," you replied, your left hand clutching onto the fabric of his shirt to remind yourself that this was all real.
A few moments passed where the two of you just let your emotions flow from your eyes before Steve told you quietly, "We did it. Vecna, he's gone."
You gasped when you heard the news, pulling away a bit to look him in the eye as you asked, "Heā¦he is?"
"Yeah," he told you, a small smile on his face as he watched you physically relax into the pillow upon hearing the news. The smile faltered a bit as he added, "The Upside Down is gone. All the gates are closed, butā¦"
When he didn't finish the sentence, you took his hand in yours, giving it a light squeeze as you asked, "But what, Steve?"
"Eleven, sheā¦she went back in as it was being destroyedā¦ Hop said somethin' about her not wanting to be hunted by the military the rest of her lifeā¦"
"Noā¦" you breathed, a fresh set of tears beginning to well up in your eyes. "Didā¦did sheā¦?"
Steve shook his head, telling you, "Noā¦ She's gone."
"Fuckā¦" you whispered, heaving out a quiet sigh that turned into a sob at the news. You had grown so close to the girl over the last year and a half, practically treating her as a little sister. You tutored her, made her meals, watched movies togetherā¦ And now she was goneā¦
You weren't sure how to handle the array of emotions hitting you from all angles, some of it happy from just being proposed to, some of it relief at the fact that Vecna and the Upside Down were no longer threats, but also an immense feeling of sadness for the loss of the girl who could have had such a bright futureā¦ So, you simply silently gestured for Steve to hold you.
You weren't sure how long the two of you stayed like that, just holding each other and crying, but the moment was interrupted by Dustin's voice calling through the door, "Did you ask yet?"
Both you and Steve couldn't help but laugh at the muffled question, pulling away from each other and wiping your tears as he replied, "Yeah! You can come in now!"
When the door opened and Dustin came in, he looked tired and emotionally drained, but he still gave you a smile and a hug as he said, "I'm happy for you two. Really. Even if I was pissed when I first found out."
You laughed quietly, telling him, "And I really am sorry about not telling you. We just wanted privacy, that's all."
"Yeah, you know how you get when you're right," Steve said, wrapping him in a gentle headlock and ruffling his hair.
"Oh, I would have been insufferable," Dustin said as Steve released him and he sat in the chair beside him. "One of my best friends and my sister dating? First of all, ew. Second of all, there would have been an open door policy. Third of all-"
"See!" both you and Steve said at the same time, looking at each other as you did.
Dustin sighed and rolled his eyes, laughing quietly before he told Steve, "Fine, fine! You were rightā¦ Happy?"
"Yup," he said as he took your hand in his once again, running his thumb over the sparkling ring. He huffed out a laugh as he said, "Nothin' like almost falling off the Squawk radio tower to teach you a little somethin' about perspective."
"Wait, what?!" you asked, shock evident in your voice, your eyes wide as you stared at Steve.
"Don't worry, Byers caught me!" Steve said, glossing over the situation a little too quickly for your comfort.
There was no time to ask further questions, because right before you could, the door opened again to reveal your mom with your food in hand. She greeted the two boys warmly as she sat the food down on the bedside table, apologizing for not knowing they were coming to visit or else she would have gotten them food as well. Before she could start opening the bags, you gave the boys a quick glance before saying, "Hey, Mom! Guess what!"
When she looked up, you flashed her the ring on your left hand, a wide smile on your face as you watched her reaction. At first she gasped, covering her mouth as her eyes widened, but her hands quickly left her face in favor of holding your hand to examine the gorgeous ring. "Oh, it's so beautiful! Congratulations, sweetie!" she gushed, leaning in for a hug. She rounded to the other side of the bed to give Steve a hug, directing her question to Dustin as she asked, "Dusty, did youā¦?"
Dustin nodded, sending Steve a smile as he said, "Yep. Got my permission on the way in!"
She wiped a few tears away from her cheeks as she smiled at the three of you. So much had changed within days, but it all seemed to be good change! She wasn't sure what had happened, but she was happy to see the three of you all talking again. She was happy to see you happy. When she cleared her throat, she asked brightly, "So, when do we wanna have this wedding?"
a/n: lots going on in this one! you guys know me, i live for the drama so naturally something had to happen to keep her from helping out more with the Upside Down! i hope the wait for Reader and Dustin to make up was worth the tension! it felt really cathartic to finally write the makeup scene (and sprinkle in the signs of a tension pneumo throughout the scene disguised as emotions and anxiety hehehe) but alsooooo!!!! they're engaged!!!!! so exciting! one of my favorite things to write is a couple making big moves spur of the moment because it just feels right in the moment, rather than waiting for the exact perfect moment. that's something we all have to learn to do: live in the moment and make the most of every single one because we never know when we'll have our last.
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! war, violence, loss of limb, mental illness, medical talk and treatment, forced drug use, language, drinking, tense family situations, smut, pregnancy stuff, sickness, explosives. thereās fluff too, i swear!
Multiple lifetimes. That's how long Walsh's prison sentence was, granted by a federal grand jury after three long years. As you heard the sentence read out, you collapsed into Bucky's arms, a sigh of relief heaving out of your chest, followed by a quiet sob as tears began cascading down your face. Bucky's right hand was immediately laced through your hair, holding your head close as he held back his own tears in response to the verdict.
A sense of relief andā¦freedom washed over the two of you as controlled chaos began in the court room as Walsh was escorted away. You were finally free of the paranoia and the fear of something happening to you or your family. You were finally free of the guilt that came with the manipulation he put you through. The trauma of everything would stay with you, no doubt, and you were sure you would still be haunted by nightmares for years to come, but as long as they couldn't come true, you felt a sense of security.
In the years that Walsh had been investigated, the Avengers had continued working hard on taking down every single HYDRA cell they could get their hands on. Their numbers and power were dwindling, and their influence on the world was nearly non-existent. Getting rid of HYDRA left vacuums that other individuals or groups tried to fill, with corruption and destruction being the forefront of their goals. The Avengers had taken it all in stride, though, doing their best to take down every power-hungry entity that tried to disturb the peace they worked so hard to create.
But now, it was time for a break. At least for one evening.
"You two should go out! Celebrate! This is a big win!" Steve told the two of you as you all congregated outside the courthouse.
"We told Winnie we'd be back tonight, thoughā¦" you replied quietly, a slight sadness in your voice. The trip to DC for the trial ending had been the longest you had been away from your daughter, and even though Jacqueline and Manny had video chatted you with her multiple times a day, there was a Winnie-shaped hole in your heart that longed to be filled.
"What's one more night?" Bucky asked as he wrapped an arm around your shoulders and placed a kiss to your temple. "Gotta promote independence and all that."
"Or you just wanna get laid in peace," Natasha smarted off, a devilish smirk on her lips before she laughed quietly when Bucky's cheeks lit up in a flustered blush.
"Or I want an evening out with my wife to celebrate the sentencing of the monster who could have killed her and Winnie," Bucky countered once he regained his bearings.
"I think it's the first one," Steve said with a chuckle and a light punch to Bucky's shoulder.
"Oh, watch out, here comes the swarm," Natasha mumbled as she clocked a group of interviewers approaching.
"Five minutes, then we're outta here," Bucky said as he checked a notification on his phone that alerted them that Happy was on the way, just stuck in traffic.
As the two of you approached the fancy restaurant Bucky had gotten the pair of you a reservation at, you couldn't help but laugh quietly before gently nudging his shoulder, saying, "Wow, you really are trying to get laid, Barnes!"
After you said this, the two of you took your place in the foyer, waiting for his name to be called to head back to a table. While you waited, he pulled you close, your back pressed against him while his arms loosely draped around your front. His voice was soft in your ear as he leaned in close to murmur, "As if you could resist a night alone together."
The slight rasp in his voice sent a jolt of pleasure south, your breath hitching for a moment as he placed a kiss behind your ear. You couldn't even come up with a clever response to the statement before the hostess was calling your last name for the reservation. All you got was a playful squeeze of your hip from Bucky before he began following the woman, taking your hand in his as the pair of you followed her to the cozy corner booth.
As fantastic as the meal and service was, the whole time, all you could focus on was Bucky - how he looked at you with total adoration in his eyes, how he kissed you gently every chance he could, how he spoke so lovingly to you the entire meal. Not that it was a change from your every day, but something about it just feltā¦different. More intimate given the setting and circumstance. You once again felt like when you first met, when it was just the two of you with only the goal of laying low and figuring out how the hell you were going to clear his name. You knew the two of you would soon get back to the hustle of being part of the Avengers, back to the responsibility of being parents, back to the spotlight of being public figures, but for one evening, it was just the two of you.
The evening didn't stop with dinner. Bucky had managed to find a dance hall that was hosting an evening themed around the 40s. There were drinks and games and music that matched the theme, and even though you had never been one for dancing, Bucky managed to get you out on that dance floor on more than one occasion!
The evening felt light as the two of you walked up the sidewalk to the Airbnb you had rented for your trip to DC for the trial. You had a spring in your step and a sense of whimsy about you as you hummed and swayed to music from the dance hall that was stuck in your head as Bucky unlocked the door. Bucky couldn't help the love-stuck look he got as he watched you walk into the rental house, a soft smile on his lips before he teased, "Surely those drinks didn't make you that tipsy, Sugar."
"Nope," you replied lightly, spinning around and into his arms, draping your own around his shoulders as you rested your head against him. A content sigh left your lungs before you kissed his cheek, telling him, "I'm just really happy."
"Me too," he said, leaning in for a quick kiss.
When he pulled away, you looked up at him and could see the gears turning behind his eyes. He was distracted, deep in thought about something. "What's on your mind?" you asked, running your thumb over his jawline as you studied his blue eyes.
"It's nothin', really," he replied in that far-off voice he used when he was contemplating things. He leaned in for another kiss before saying, "Let's watch a movie. One that isn't animated and doesn't have a lesson about the power of friendship or whatever."
You huffed out a laugh at the last part, choosing to let go of the subject of his contemplation for now. You didn't want to ruin a perfect night by asking. That would be a question for another time. So, you nodded, and told him in a teasing tone, "I'll go get into my pj's. You go find a manly movie on TV."
"You got it," he replied with a chuckle, giving you one last lingering kiss before the two of you parted for a few minutes.
After you had changed into your sleepwear and were in the bathroom taking off the day's makeup, you felt a pair of arms wrap around your waist. Taking away the makeup-covered cotton pad from your eye, you smiled when you saw Bucky standing behind you, a look you couldn't quite place in his eye. "What movie did you end up picking?" you asked as you began finishing up taking off the makeup.
"Iā¦ I think I have something other than a movie in mind," Bucky replied, a slight shakiness in his voice that indicated his nerves. Over what, you weren't sure, maybe it had to do with what was on his mind before.
Trying to ease the tension you could feel in his muscles, you joked, "Does it happen to do with what Nat suggested earlier?" Bucky let out a half-hearted laugh in response. You could feel his chest slightly heaving with nerves, so you turned around when all of the makeup was off, once again draping your arms over his shoulders as you looked into his eyes before asking sincerely, "Is everything okay?"
"I- Yeah, I justā¦" he started with, but faltered, unsure of how to finish his statement besides bluntly. Opting to give him time to answer worked out, because a few seconds later, he finally blurted, "I want another baby."
The statement shocked you for a moment, your lips forming a small 'o' as you tried to figure out what to say in response to the confession. Before you could respond, Bucky rushed forward, saying, "I justā¦ It feelsā¦safer now that Walsh is sentenced and HYDRA is almost completely dealt with. Plus, you know how Winnie's been lately, always asking for a sibling to play with. It justā¦it feels like the right time."
Bucky must've been thinking long and hard about this, because, once again before you could gather any words to say in reply, he barreled on, telling you, "And Iā¦ I know how hard it was on you before with Winnie, but thatā¦that was before the transfusion. Before the serum. Your body's changed a lot since then. Can endure more. You've said on the job injuries have been less painful." He looked down at your joined hands, fiddling with your wedding ring as he said in a softer tone, "But, I get it if that's not something you want."
Rather than responding with words, you eased your hands out of his, a slight shake in them as you cupped his face and leaned in for a searing kiss. You were met with fervor, Bucky's hands each finding purchase on a different part of your body, pulling you in closer as he deepened the kiss. Suddenly, you were being lifted off your feet, your thighs meeting the cool counter top as Bucky parted from your lips, asking, "You sure?" between panting breaths.
"One hundred percent," you replied, leaning back in for a quick kiss. As you pulled away a moment later, you gently bit his lip, letting it go as you moved away, causing him to chase after you, crashing his lips back into yours as his body began taking over his actions.
In a blur of kisses and hickeys being planted on your sensitive skin, Bucky got you out of your prosthetic and into bed, his body hovering over yours as he rutted his clothed hips into yours. "Fuck, I need you so bad, Dollā¦" he whispered, his voice gruff with restraint. "But you know the drill, I gotta get you ready firstā¦"
"Ohā¦fuckā¦!" you whimpered as suddenly your sensitive clit was being assaulted by his skilled fingers.
"God, you're so wet already, I've barely even touched youā¦" he murmured. Another kiss was placed to your neck before he asked, "You been thinkin' 'bout this? Huh?"
"Y-yes!" you replied, another whimper slipping past your lips as his own moved down to your collar bone. "I-I've been thinking about you a-all night. I couldn't ev-ven concentrate at dinner. Wanted you. Your-"
"Mouth?" Bucky finished for you, latching his lips and teeth to the sensitive skin surrounding one of your nipples, the beginnings of a hickey being left as he hummed contentedly. He chuckled when he grazed the cool metal of his left hand over your other nipple, the sound you made absolutely intoxicating to his love-drunk brain.
"And-"
"These?" he asked as he removed his fingers from your clit, slipping them through your folds, quickly finding their way inside and to that spongy spot that made you weak. You couldn't even form words as pleasure took over your brain, only able to sigh as your head fell onto the pillow behind you.
"You know you don't have to hold yourself back, right?" Bucky asked as he hooked his fingers and began his assault on the spot, taking pride in the way your face contorted with pleasure because of him. He began playing with your nipple once again, silently daring you to make the noises you hadn't been able to make in a long time because of Winnie.
A wicked grin made its way onto his lips, and Bucky's cock throbbed in his slacks when you finally let out a loud moan, the sound like music to his ears. "Just like that," he whispered adoringly, a low groan of his own making its way past his lips as more blood than he imagined possible made its way south.
The next few minutes saw clothes discarded and kisses exchanged as Bucky brought you right to the edge of orgasm before backing off. The teasing was relentless, but the reward was less and less clothing between the two of you each time you were able to hold on and not topple over the edge of pleasure.
Your body was absolutely buzzing with bliss, your head dizzy from the whole affair as Bucky finally loomed over you, preparing himself to push into your plush center. He leaned in to place another kiss to your neck, a shaking breath passing his lips as his bare cock brushed against your clit. You wrapped your arms around him, pulling him closer as your eyes closed with absolute pleasure.
Bucky's hips pushed forward once more, the underside of his cock skating through your wetness as he tested the waters of something the two of you had never done before. Ever since that night when you conceived Winnie, the two of you had made sure to be careful with sex, so you had never done anything without a condom out of fear of another unplanned pregnancy. But nowā¦it felt like the first time all over again. The two of you had tried almost everything in bed, but this was one of the few you hadn't. It was nerve wracking.
"You're sure about this?" Bucky asked again, his voice quiet and shaking, but also strained as he held himself back from ruining you too quickly.
"Ask me again and we may end up in the same position we were when we got Winnie," you whispered, a quiet laugh passing your lips before you leaned forward to kiss your husband softly.
"We've got all nightā¦" Bucky commented after he pulled away from your lips for a moment. He looked deep in your eyes before whispering, "I love you, so much."
"I-" you began to reply, but were cut off as, with one more thrust, Bucky glided into your entrance, the raw velvet of his cock feeling like absolute heaven. A pleasure-filled moan slipped past your lips before you finished with, "-love you too."
Bucky couldn't even reply, so lost in the pleasure of you as he thrust all the way in, not meeting any resistance as you greeted him readily. Everything felt different. It felt blissful, ecstaticā¦raw, as Bucky established a rhythm, trying not to lose it too quickly as he drank in the pleasurable feeling. "God, you feel amazing, holy shitā¦" he grunted, his mind absolutely gone as he felt your bodies joining together in the most intimate way possible.
He was so lost in the feeling and in your lips, that he barely registered the pleasure pooling in his belly reaching its peak. You knew his tells, though. When his thrusts got less rhythmic, faster, you pulled him into a kiss before resting your forehead on his as you whispered, "I love you. I can't- I can't wait to be a mom again."
Bucky couldn't even respond, the only sound able to escape his throat a groan of pleasure as he buried himself to the hilt and came inside of you, loosing every bit of himself into you as your own orgasm hit. It took a few moments for Bucky to come back to himself, thrusting shallowly as the both of you started to come down from your highs.
When he came back to his senses fully, Bucky heaved out a sigh of pleasure we he rolled onto his back, his half-hard cock slipping out of your entrance with ease. When he did, you let out a noise of discontent, one because of him leaving your warmth, but two because of the odd feeling of his release leaking out of you and down your thighs.
A few minutes passed before Bucky grunted as he sat up, mumbling, "We should get cleaned upā¦"
"Bring me a towel, please?" you asked, your voice quiet and slightly raw as you stared at the ceiling, still in a puddle of bliss.
"Sure thing," he replied, getting up from the bed and making his way to the adjoining bathroom. When he began making his way back, though, you moved your leg and he saw his release leaking out of your entrance and he immediately felt blood beginning to pool in his cock once more. "Fuckā¦" he whispered as his mind flashed to images of you pregnant again, the image enough to stir up enough confidence to ask, "One more round? Just to make sure it sticks?"
You glanced over at your husband, warm towel in hand, cock already at half mast as he drank in your body. Unless you had some sort of procedure to make sure you didn't get pregnant again after this kid, there would be very few times you'd be able to revel in the pleasure of him this way againā¦ So, you nodded, sending him a sleepy smile as you reached for him, ready for another round of bliss.
As you and Bucky sat in Beth's office a couple months later, she ran the cool gel over your stomach as she searched for the baby you were sure was in there, judging by how your body had been behaving the last few weeks. Her mouth formed a small 'o' before a smile broke out onto her face as she said, "Say hello to the Barnes twins!"
a/n: and for the final time in this story - i hope you all enjoyed! i tried to wrap some things up with a nice little bow and give you guys one last spicy moment between these two! (they should've known that doing it twice would result in twins, but did we listen to Bruce earlier? apparently noooottt...) it's crazy how different of a person i was when i started writing this. i've learned a lot and changed a lot over the course of plotting and writing and uploading this, and i feel like i am better for it. thank you to anyone who supported this little project of mine! i've got lots of stories still in store if you keep track of my page, so i hope you guys check those out, too!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! see you in the next one! xo! <3
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 2,602
chapter summary: the night your plan is officially set in motion / or: the night you make daniel start falling for you
"How do I look?" you asked BB as you emerged from your shared bathroom, checking your teeth one last time for lipstick stains in your compact mirror before tucking it into your clutch.
"Like a million freakin' bucks!" she gushed, taking in your hair, makeup, and outfit for the evening.
"Awwe, thanks, BB!" you replied, your eyes darting to the ground upon hearing the praise. It was honestly a rare occasion that you got dressed up to go out, even though you lived with BB, who had quite the active social life. Since you had started your journey to becoming a nurse, you spent many late nights studying while BB was out on a story or gathering intel from drunk bar goers. Once you had gotten your license, you spent your work nights relaxing and preparing physically and mentally for the next shift, unable to go out with BB on many of her late night outings. With nearly a week off and a plan to get Fisk out of office, thoughā¦
You were snapped out of your thoughts when BB said, "Talking points, let's hear 'em!"
"The Mets haven't had the best last few seasons, but I've just got this feeling they're gonna make a comeback this year," you said with a quiet laugh as you adjusted the strap on your wrist that was attached to your clutch.
"What else?"
"He's a sneaker-head, I just bring up whatever shoes he's got on and I'm set for at least half an hour."
"And if he asks about you?"
"Give him enough to be curious and end up offering his number. Flirt from across the room after excusing myself. If anyone tries to make a move on me, get away and then find him across the room again," you replied, recalling every move you had seen in movies and TV shows over the years that tended to always land.
"What about sex?"
You laughed, telling her, "Tell him he's gotta earn it."
"I think you're ready," BB said, giving your shoulders a squeeze like a proud mother would her child. "Make sure you have your phone on you at all times, don't leave your drink alone, and call me if you need anything, okay?"
"Yes, Mom," you teased with a laugh as she jokingly flipped you off.
As you walked into the crowded club that had music bumping loudly, you breathed a sigh of relief when you saw one of your co-workers standing at the bar, her arm around her partner's waist as they waited for their drinks. "Hey!" you called as you approached her, a bright smile on your lips. You gave both of them a hug, saying, "I'm glad you two could make it!"
"Hell yeah! I didn't know you knew how to let loose, so when you invited us outā¦" she replied.
After you placed your own order with the bartender and gave him your debit card for the tab, Holly's partner asked, "Did you bring anybody? Or are you looking?"
You turned your back to the bar, casually leaning against it as your eyes turned toward the crowded club, looking for one face in particular. With a small smile on your lips, you told her simply, "Looking."
"Ooh!" they both said at the same time, causing all of you to laugh.
Between talking about annoying coworkers and workplace rumors, you finally saw your target enter the club. He walked in with two friends, each laughing at something he said as they walked over to the bar. So he's funny, you thought to yourself as your eyes trailed after the little posse. You guessed you weren't that subtle with your glances, because before you could even bring yourself back to the conversation at hand, Holly's fingers were snapping by your ear as her partner said, "I think I know who she's got her eyes onā¦"
"Sorry, I didn't mean to space out," you apologized sheepishly, scratching the back of your neck as you did.
"No, no, spacing out is good!" Holly said, sending you a wink.
Before you could even think, her partner was gently nudging you back toward the bar, telling you, "Go! Go tell the bartender that you're paying for his next drink or something!"
You laughed at their antics as they both shooed you off toward the bar, grateful all the while that you had invited them because you would have been clueless otherwise. You can spout off what you'd seen in movies, sure, but putting it into practice was a whole other beast... After ordering another drink and informing the bartender of your intentions, you made your way back to your coworker, the three of you dancing to the upbeat songs as they came over the speakers.
You kept your eyes on the bar over the next few minutes, trying to spot when the bartender made Daniel's next drink. You suspected that he opted for shots the first round, because the second drink he ordered came rather quickly. You watched as he stood talking to the bartender, who pointed you out across the room. When Daniel turned to look at you, you subtly raised your glass, lining your lips with what you hoped was a sweet, yet mysterious smile.
He didn't immediately come your way after he got his second drink and sent his friends back to the bar for their own second round. Respectful, you thought as you realized that he had only ordered for himself on your dime and not his friends, too. Over the next short while, you kept glancing over in his last known direction, seeing if you were also in his sights. As luck would have it, every time you looked his way, you made eye contact with him before intentionally moving your little group to a different area of the club to see if he would track you.
While you danced with your friends within the sea of bodies on the dance floor, you felt a hand suddenly on your waist. Turning to see who it was, the man hovering behind you wasn't who you'd hoped it was, instead being a guy who looked incredibly wasted and overly confident with himself. "Hey, sweetheart, 'ow's about you and me get out 'f 'ere?" he slurred, pushing his body against yours as his hand began trailing up toward your chest.
"How's about you fuck off?" you said firmly, shrugging him off and shaking your head as the three of you moved yet again to a different area of the dance floor. As you went, you couldn't help the smirk that lined your lips when you saw Daniel's friends hooping and hollering and shoving him toward the bar. You hoped that was a good sign because you were getting close to your limit for the night and you weren't sure how long you could hold out for him to approach you.
After a particularly excited rendition of the Taylor Swift mix that the DJ played, Holly and her partner excused themselves to the restroom, leaving you alone with your third drink of the night and the swimming in your head. You made your way toward a wall to lean against for balance, starting to think that when Holly went to the bar after you, she changed your last order to a double.
You weren't alone for long, though.
As you stood against the wall and people watched, you heard a voice from beside you ask, "Espresso martini, huh? Little fancy for a place like this, don't ya think?"
Turning toward the strong Staten accent, you sent Daniel a smile before saying, "Well, if I'm already gonna have a headache, it might as well not be from caffeine deprivation."
"How's about another? To make up for the drink you got for me?" he asked as he eyed the near empty glass in your hand.
In an attempt to be bold, you lightly brushed your fingertips over his lower arm as you started toward the bar, telling him, "My hope was to get a chance to talk with you, but if I'm also getting a free drink out of it, then I'm in for sure."
As the two of you settled into standing at the bar, he said, "I come here pretty often, if we're honest, and I've never seen you before. What's your name?"
You gave him your first name, watching the smile grow on his lips as you asked, "What about you?"
"Daniel," he replied.
Giving him a quick once-over, you noticed that his outfit was nice, far nicer than the t-shirts and jeans his friends were wearing. It was chic yet casual, but still paired with a nice looking pair of high tops. Bingo. When your eyes met his, you subtly shifted to hold your balance against the bar as you nudged the toe of your shoe against his, saying, "I like your sneakers, they look really cool!"
Daniel's face lit up at the compliment, his voice just as excited as he told you, "Thanks! They're a limited edition run that my favorite brand did a few months back! Super supportive yet stylish! Just what you want in a sneaker!"
"Very cool! What kind of support do they have?" you asked, leaning in a little closer to him as more people gathered at the bar. Your knowledge on sneakers was limited, even with how often you heard one of your coworkers talk about his collection, but you knew about supportive shoes, so you started there.
Just as you predicted, Daniel went on for a good while about sneakers and all the kinds he had in his collection. Between tangents you both got off on during the conversation, you realized how easy it was to talk to him. He was funny, kind, passionate. It was a wonder he was working for someone like Fiskā¦
You hadn't even realized how much time had passed until Holly and her partner were coming toward you and Daniel as you stood on the outskirts of the dance floor chatting. They both gave you wide smiles before giving you a hug, with Holly saying, "Thank you for inviting us out! It was great! But we've gotta head out!"
Her partner, who had gone the route of taking shots instead of sipping on drinks, giggled and hooked onto Holly's arm, slurring, "And by that, she means head out to our apartment so we can fu-"
"Alright, let's not finish that sentence in front of strangers," Holly said with a laugh and a blush on her face as she wrapped an arm around her partner's waist to begin the walk to the door. "See you next week!" she called over her shoulder as you laughed and waved back.
"Well, she's got her hands full for the rest of the night," you said with a laugh as you watched their retreating backs. When you turned your attention back to Daniel, you asked, "Your friends give you the slip, too?"
He chuckled before nodding, saying, "They went to a different club right after I came to talk to you."
"What friends we have, huh?"
"Yeah, almost like they planned it," he replied.
"Well, the night doesn't have to end because they left," you told him, hoping that he would get the drift and offer to leave the achingly loud club atmosphere.
"You have anything in mind?" he asked as the two of you began drifting toward the exit of the building.
"I'm gonna be honest, as long as there's food and less noise involved, I'm game," you replied, giving the bouncer a small smile as you made your way out the door and into the cool night air. As the air hit your face, you took a deep breath and sighed, closing your eyes as your head finally felt like it wasn't being bombarded with noise.
"Hey, there," came Daniel's voice as he reached forward to balance you when you started to stumble as your sense of sight was temporarily gone.
Your eyes snapped open when you felt his hands on your waist, fumbling out a quick, "Oh, sorry, I- Wow, I guess I'm a little further gone than I thoughtā¦"
"I bet some food'll put you right," he suggested, his hands lingering on your waist for a few seconds more before letting you take a few steps on your own.
Despite the hour of the night, Daniel managed to locate a street vendor and bought the two of you a hot dog each, presenting yours to you as you sat on a nearby bench. You eyed the food warily, earning an exasperated, "Oh, c'mon! You can't tell me you've never had a street dog before!"
"The fact that they're called street dogs is what scares me," you said with a laugh as you took the hot dog from him. You sent a look toward the cart and didn't see any steam or grill smoke or anything, so you joked, "I'm off for the next three days, if this street dog is what lands me at work early, I'll never forgive you."
"Ah, don't worry about it! It'll be fine!" he said before taking a bite of his own. He swallowed his bite before asking, "What kind of work do you do?"
"The kind where I've seen enough- Actually, I won't finish that sentence while we're eatingā¦" you mumbled before shaking the thought from your head and taking a bite of the hot dog. When you finished your bite, you said, "I'll have you know that, yes, I have had these before, but it's been at leastā¦seven years since I've had one."
"Seven years?" he asked incredulously, his eyes widening. "How do you live in this city and go seven years without having street food?"
"Find out what kind of work I do and maybe you'll realize," you teased as you stood from the bench and began walking down the sidewalk toward a busier area where you'd be able to flag down a cab.
"Well, if you'd just tell me, then I'll tell you about my job," he bargained as he followed beside you.
You hummed thoughtfully before shaking your head as you said with a smirk, "That sounds like a chat for sober me, seeing as I can barely filter my brain from blurting out things most people don't like hearing about." Right as you finished the statement, you noticed a cab and raised your hand to flag it down, turning back toward Daniel expectantly while you waited.
He looked at you for a moment before getting the hint, handing you his phone to put your number in as the cab pulled up. As you typed it in, he asked, "How about coffee? Tomorrow or the day after? I've got work, so it might have to be a bit early, butā¦ I'd like to see you again."
"Coffee sounds great," you replied as the cab pulled up beside you. Before you could even reach for the handle, Daniel already was, opening the door for you and putting a steadying hand on your waist as you ducked down into the back seat. You sent him one last smile as he went to close the door, telling him, "Goodnight, Daniel."
"Night," he replied, closing the door and watching the cab pull away from the curb. Your phone buzzed moments later with a text from an unknown number that said Thanks again for the drink! As you replied the same in return, he smiled. He hadn't planned on his night ending the way it did, but man, was he happy it did.
a/n: gosh, i love how playful and funny these two are together! and it only gets better from here!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
installment list / previous chapter / final chapter
word count: 4,210
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! war, violence, loss of limb, mental illness, medical talk and treatment, forced drug use, language, drinking, tense family situations, smut, pregnancy stuff, sickness, explosives. thereās fluff too, i swear!
The day had finally come. Your wedding day. The day you had dreamed of for months. It had been like your lighthouse in the storm of your pregnancy, sometimes being one of the only things that motivated you to keep pushing through the pain. It all felt a little surreal, if you were being honest.
Your mind was busy and distracted as you went through the motions of the early hours of preparation for the day. You felt like you were barely there as you got your hair and makeup done. Winnie ate when she always did, like clockwork, and you felt like a robot as you fed her. When she got fussy, you hurried over to her bag and got her exactly what she needed to calm down. Being around so many people in an unfamiliar place made your little girl more anxious than you anticipated, though, so most of your attention was on her, even as stylists tried their best to get you and Natasha dolled up for the upcoming ceremony.
What snapped you out of it was Natasha gently coaxing Winnie out of your arms and into the arms of Wanda. "Hey, what-"
"Ah, ah," Natasha said, putting her hand up to stop you. "This is your day. As much as it means to be Mom, today's about being Bucky's girl. Today is about you. Let us handle the messy parts."
You finally nodded a few moments later when you saw the little smile on Winnie's face, her tiny giggle filling your ears as Wanda showed her a vision. It was one you were familiar with after she had shown it to you before getting your permission to use it on Winnie when she got fussy. It was a child's fantasy world, filled with images from bedtime stories and fairytales, colors and toys, and everything a child could want. It was Wanda's promise to change it as Winnie grows older, and you honestly looked forward to what kinds of interests would fill her imagination in a few years time.
Knowing that Winnie was in good hands, you finally were able to look in the mirror and truly see how gorgeous the makeup that had been put on you looked. Stark had opted to use his stylists, and just as they had done for Natasha on the day of the Gala all those months ago, your makeup and hair were done to absolute perfection. "Iā¦wowā¦" you breathed as you looked at yourself in the mirror.
"You look amazing," Natasha told you, a certain warmth in her voice that only came out around those she was closest with. "Now, how about we go on a walk through the venue real quick? Get some fresh air?"
"That sounds great," you told her, taking a deep breath and closing your eyes for a moment after the statement.
Before the two of you could leave the dressing room, Natasha activated the com link in her ear, asking, "'Lena, are the guys anywhere outside right now?"
It took a few moments before the blonde's reply came through, telling her sister, "No. They're all in the game room playing pool. Backs are turned to the windows, but I can tell you if that changes."
"Copy. Thanks," Natasha replied, gesturing toward the door for you to start making your way through.
As you walked through the door, you couldn't help the quiet laugh that left your lips, saying, "I forgot we were using Yelena for security."
"One of the best in the business," Natasha told you. A smirk made its way onto her lips as she added, "Aside, of course, from me. But, Maid of Honor duties call."
You laughed again as you gently shoulder checked her, adjusting your white satin robe afterward from the jostle. As the two of you walked through the courtyard that was bustling with florists, you began to truly take in the venue for the first time since you picked it out. It felt like something out of a movie as you passed by the statuary. There were little fountains of water spurting out from the stonework occasionally, the sound soothing to your ears as the water flowed lazily though its well-worn path. The flowers that were being assembled all over the place made everything feel intimate and secluded, the combination of your wedding colors a treat to look at as everything began coming together.
After your walk, a feeling of peace settled over you. As you and Natasha walked back into the dressing area, your shoulders relaxed, and the tension in your muscled eased. Your eyes first darted to Winnie, who was, by then, fast asleep in Wanda's arms, a tranquil look on her little face as she dozed. While you were away, the stylists had managed to get her into the dress she would be wearing for the ceremony - the littlest dress you had ever seen. It made you emotional just looking at it on the rack, but seeing it on your little girl brought tears to your eyes once again.
"Oh, she looks perfect," you cooed, taking out your phone to snap a quick picture of her.
"And you're about to look even more perfect," Natasha said as she pointed toward your dress that was hanging on a rack being pushed into the middle of the room by one of the stylists.
"I can't waitā¦" you whispered, running your fingers through the fabric of the dress hanging in front of you. It was everything you had ever imagined you wanted in a wedding dress. Every little detail on it was perfect, from the color, to the fabric, to the cut - everything was just as it was meant to be.
You had cried when you tried on the dress the first time after having Winnie, and now, as you looked at yourself in the full-length mirror, you had to hold back your tears to prevent yourself from ruining your makeup. As the stylist fixed the veil onto your head, Natasha couldn't help her own emotional smile as she said, "Let's go get you married."
"Earth to Barnes, anyone in there?" came the joking voice of Sam as he gently poked Bucky in the side with the end of his pool stick. He had taken his shot and missed almost a full minute ago, unintentionally setting Bucky up with a damn near perfect shot for him to win the game.
"Right. sorry, I-" he started, shaking away his anxious thoughts as he turned his attention back to the pool table. He couldn't help the incredulous look on his face as he saw the shot lined up for him, sending Sam a look that silently asked How the hell did you set yourself up to lose so perfectly?
Sam gestured toward the table, rolling his eyes playfully as he said, "Oh, don't give me that look, man!"
"Only you could set yourself up like that," Bucky muttered as he took his last two shots, sinking the pool balls into the pockets with ease.
"I blame the bar Stark went ahead and opened before this thing even started," Sam joked before drinking down the dregs of the liquor he had in the glass.
"Speaking of," Steve said, "can you see if Thor got back with the Asgardian ale for later?"
"Can do, Cap," Sam replied with a two-finger salute, walking away from the parlor and leaving Steve and Bucky alone.
When Sam was out of ear shot, Steve cleared his throat and asked, "What's on your mind?" as he began setting up the game for the two of them. Bucky was quiet for a few moments as he tried to form his tumultuous thoughts into words. When there wasn't an answer after almost a minute, Steve chuckled before joking, "Not getting cold feet, are you?"
"No, never," Bucky replied immediately, his eyes shooting up from where they were focused on the table to look at Steve, who was sporting a small smirk on his lips.
"I know, I know," the blond said, walking to the side of the table Bucky was on and gently shoulder checking him out of the way so he could break the pool ball triangle. Once he lined up his shot and the resounding sound of clashing pool balls filled the air, Steve asked once again, "So, then what is it?"
A deep sigh left Bucky's chest as he positioned himself to hit one of his now assigned striped targets into a pocket. Only after he took his shot, did Bucky admit, "I dunno, I justā¦ I feel like I don't deserve this. A wedding and a happy ending isn't something someone like me should getā¦ The number of lives I've changed for the worseā¦ What about that earns a fairytale wedding like this? Andā¦"
Bucky had to take a moment to breathe, the air returning to his lungs shaking as he tried not to cry. Your name passed his lips, the sound shaking like a leaf in the wind, before he plowed forward, saying, "She's just soā¦good. She puts her neck out for others and doesn't ask for anything in return. She takes care of those who can't take care of themselves. She deserves someone not soā¦broken. Someone who doesn't have such a haunting past. Someoneā¦normal. I just don't get why she chose meā¦"
"You're letting your past talk, Buck. You can't let it, remember?" Steve asked as he placed his pool stick down on the table, retiring the game for the time being. "Your past is just that. You can't change it. What's done is done, but what matters is what you've done moving forward. And I know it's hard, and your brain likes to bring it up at times when you least need it to, but you've gotta ignore it, pal."
"I know, it's justā¦hard," Bucky replied, looking down at the pool table, seeing a tear land on the metal of his left hand.
"I know it is, but listen," Steve said as he came to stand beside Bucky, clapping a hand on his back. "That girl is head over heels in love with you. Has been the entire time I've known her. And that love's only grown stronger. You know, she feels the same way too?"
"W-what do you mean?" Bucky asked, looking up at Steve with his eyebrows knitted together in confusion.
"All I know is that Nat said she's been feeling like she doesn't deserve you," Steve told him. "How I see it, though, is that two broken people came together and are working on becoming whole. It isn't about earning your worth, and it isn't about how haunted you are by your pasts. It's about how you both make each other feel and how you help the other through it without a second thought. And that is what makes the two of you work so well together."
Bucky nodded as he wiped the wetness from his cheeks, pulling Steve in for a crushing hug when he was through. "Thanks, Steve," he muttered into his shoulder.
"Anytime," he told him warmly. He glanced at the clock on the wall before adding, "It's getting close to time. Let's hit the dressing room and then get you hitched!"
Despite Steve's best efforts to calm Bucky down while they were getting dressed, Bucky couldn't help the feeling of nerves in his stomach as he stood at the flower-adorned archway, waiting for you to walk down the aisle. His nerves only got worse as the music began playing - live string music from a quartet that had been prepared with every single song you could possibly want at your wedding.
The two of you had decided on a small wedding party, only opting to have Steve and Natasha as Best Man and Maid of Honor respectively. Seeing the pair walk down arm in arm settled Bucky's nerves a bit, his mind wandering off a little as he imagined one day the two of them getting their happy ending, just like he was with you.
His nerves were calmed further when, turning the corner, he saw his sister, gorgeously dressed, pushing an equally as adorned Winnie in her decked out stroller. A small device was fixed to the stroller, occasionally shooting off flower petals as the two made their way down the aisle. They both wore smiles on their faces as people aww-ed and cooed at the little girl in the stroller. Before Becca could sit down with the baby in the front row, Bucky gave both of them a kiss on the forehead, whispering that they looked beautiful.
The next to emerge around the corner was announced by the chiming of a little bell. Coos of adoration were given as Alpine made her way down the aisle, a little basket with the rings in it held in her mouth. When she got to the steps of the altar, Steve crouched down and revealed the treat in his hand, telling her, "Good girl!" as Natasha took the little basket. Steve kept the cat secure in his arms as the music began to swell once more, signaling that you were about to make your way down the aisle.
From around the corner, you were looking toward your coordinator, waiting for the signal to walk. Your hands shook visibly as you held your bouquet of flowers, the nerves beginning to get the better of you once more. "Hey, hey, you've got this. You're okay," came the voice of Manny from beside you as he adjusted his tie one more time. His tone turned teasing as he said, "You've faced down bombs and guns, but this is what you're nervous about, kid? C'mon!"
The joke broke your nerves, a quiet laugh slipping past your lips before you nodded and said, "You're right. What's walking down an aisle compared to those?"
"Absolutely nothing," he said. He linked his arm in yours as he added, "But also everything at the same time. One of the best everythings."
"Thank you for walking me down the aisle," you told him, a soft smile on your lips as you thought back to some of the times the two of your families had spent together over the last few months. They were some of your favorite memories. They were ones that mended your relationship with Manny.
"You're welcome," Manny replied, his eyes caught by the coordinator signaling the pair of you to move. "We're up."
So, you took a deep breath and began making your way around the corner.
When you made your appearance from around the garden's greenery, all eyes were on you. Quiet gasps sounded as guests took in your dress, and as they did, a kaleidoscope of butterflies exploded in Bucky's stomach. You looked absolutely ethereal, like something out of a dream. "Wowā¦" he breathed, unable to help the wide smile that made its way onto his lips as you approached him.
Just as Bucky only had eyes for you as you made your way toward him, you only had eyes for him. No one else registered in your vision as you got closer and closer to the archway. "Hey," you whispered breathlessly as you detached yourself from Manny's arm, giving him a squeeze before fully letting go. Bucky looked dashing, his growing hair swept and styled in a way that made him look like a prince.
"Hey yourself," he whispered, taking a few moments to memorize everything about you as you finally stood in front of him in all your wedding day glory.
"Are you two ready?" the officiate asked, a warm smile adorning his lips.
While sharing a loving look, you and Bucky nodded.
And so it began.
The officiant began speaking into the microphone about the two of you and how your crazy love story came to be. There were laughs and some tears shed during his heartfelt speech, and by the end, the small crowd of loved ones were ready to hear the vows each of you had prepared. As the two of you participated in a ceremony of pouring sand together to symbolize your unity, Steve and Natasha pulled each of your written vows out of pockets in their outfits.
When the colored sand was in the jar, you admired it for a few moments. The sand was both of your favorite colors, swirling together and making the prettiest pattern in the intricate jar you had found at an antique shop. You couldn't wait to display it proudly in your living room.
After giving the two of you a moment to admire the jar, the officiant asked, "Are you ready to say your vows?" When he was given a nod from each of you, he smiled and said, "You first, James."
Bucky unfolded the paper Steve held out for him, a slight tremble in his hands and voice as he read the words he had prepared for you. He started off with your name, the word getting caught in his throat for a second before he cleared it and powered forward, his eyes darting from the paper to yours as he said, "From this day forward, I vow to be your partner in adventure, your teammate in life, and your biggest supporter in everything you do. I promise to laugh with you in the best times, hold you in the hardest times, and create a life with you that is full of love and joy. You are my best friend, my greatest love, and my home. I promise to stand by your side through every adventure, to cheer you on in your dreams, and to laugh with you even when life gets messy. I vow to love you fiercely, to support you endlessly, and to choose youāevery day, for the rest of our lives. I give you my hand and my heart, as I give you myself. I promise to walk beside you in love and faithfulness, now and forever."
Throughout his speech, you began to tear up, by the end of it, you were fanning your eyes with one hand to keep the tears from spilling over. "How am I supposed to follow that up?" you asked, your voice tight with emotion as you tried to joke yourself out of crying.
Steve chuckled after wiping his own tears from his cheek, telling you, "He worked on those for months, good luck."
The joke further soothed you, and after a few moments, you gathered yourself enough to look at the page of vows you had written. The words were perfectly placed, everything written with intention and looked over a million times. They were edited to perfection. You practically had them memorized at this point, the paper soft from how many times you had handled it since finalizing this draft.
But as you looked back up at Bucky and your eyes met his piercing blue ones, you remembered so many things the two of you had been though since you found him in DC. None of it was perfect. None of it was edited. It was messy and real and perfectly imperfect the way it was. Just as the two of you were. And as you thought about all of the milestones and hardships the two of you had overcome, you remembered what you had realized when Bucky had come to save you from Walsh.
So, as you glanced one more time at the paper through tear-filled eyes, you crumbled it up and tossed it over your shoulder. Seeing the ball go flying, Alpine sprung into action, leaping out of where she was perched in Steve's arms to chase after the new toy. This earned a laugh from everyone as you took Bucky's hands in yours and began speaking.
"James Buchanan Barnes. The moment I met you, my whole life took a turn I never expected it to. I was comfortable where I was. I had a stable job and I was finally feeling used to the life I had made for myself after being discharged from the Army. I thought I was done with the craziness of life's shitty circumstances. But then I found you bleeding out on the side of the road."
This comment earned a laugh from the audience. When they finished, you squeezed his hands and continued with, "From that moment on, my life has never slowed down or stopped. For anything. And it took me a while to realize that there was nothing I could do to change it. All I could do was react. I realized that the only thing I could control was myself and how I react to the circumstances life gave me.
"I thought that I needed to help you learn that lesson, too. We were able to give you back control over your life, so I thought it would then be up to me to help you learn what I did that day you got me back from what would have been certain death. But nowā¦I realize that you've known it all along, too.
"You've reacted on instinct to protect me countless times since we met, even before we fell in love. As much as you hate to admit it, or fail to realize it, you are a protector at heart, and a fierce one at that. You protect me, you protect the team, and most of all, you protect our daughter - who, by the way, was one of those unexpected life circumstances."
By now, your tears had begun to fall, and you let go of one of Bucky's hands to dab away at them with a tissue Natasha had given you when she realized that the tears were inevitable. "My point is that no matter what, we will always be learning and growing together, and I think that's one of the most beautiful parts of our relationship. I know that we've been through a lot, and I'm sure we'll go through a helluva lot more before this life is over, but I know that as long as I have you by my side, I can get through anything. Even if it costs an arm and a leg."
The callback to one of the first jokes he told you made Bucky laugh heartily, tears of laughter following his emotional ones that had seeped out during your speech toward him. "God, I love you," Bucky whispered, his voice tight with emotion as he tried to gather himself, the smile wide on his lips as he took in your beautiful, shit-eating grin.
"Wow, you two really know how to make a man cry," the officiant said, wiping his own tears as he laughed. A few moments later, he cleared his throat and took the rings from Natasha. He sent you a smile before asking, "Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do you part?"
"I do," you whispered, your smile wide as you slipped the ring onto Bucky's right ring finger. It was something the two of you had discussed before. Bucky wanted to be able to feel his ring. He wanted to get a tan line where the skin beneath never saw the sun. He wanted to feel that intimate connection to you, even if you were apart.
And he did. Immediately as the ring slipped onto his finger, everything felt just that much more real as he looked into your eyes with the biggest smile on his lips. Bucky was so lost in your eyes and in the moment that he barely heard the officiant asking, "Do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, til death do you part?"
"I do," Bucky whispered, slipping the gorgeous wedding band on your finger.
"Then by the power vested in me by the state of New York, I declare you Mr. and Mrs. Barnes. You may kiss the bride," the officiant said joyfully, stepping back into the veil of flowers to give the two of you your moment.
The kiss was nothing short of magical. You didn't know how he did it, but Bucky made your first kiss as husband and wife sweeter and more tender than any he had ever given you before. His touch was gentle as he caressed your cheek, his left hand going to support your back as he dipped you backward a little, your right leg hooking around him for support.
When he straightened you back up, Bucky pulled away and placed a gentle kiss to your temple, telling you, "I love you, Mrs. Barnes."
"And I love you, Mr. Barnes," you replied, an absolutely love-struck look in your eyes as you gazed up at your husband.
Everything felt perfect. Life worked out exactly how it was meant to. You didn't know how, you didn't know why, but somehow, you and Bucky Barnes were meant to cross paths and change each other's life for good.
a/n: god, this was an emotional one! i hope you all enjoyed this as much as i enjoyed writing it! i loved all the little callbacks and jokes and being able to include Alpine one last time in this story! it felt so cathartic to write how two imperfect people felt on what is supposed to be the perfect day, and i hoped i captured it with grace and did it justice. this was originally supposed to be the end of the story, but then i wrote one final piece for it that ties up a major loose end i couldn't fit in here and gives you guys one last bit of spice with this couple (wink wink)!
as always likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
Steve Harrington x Henderson!reader (no use of y/n)
installment list / previous chapter / next chapter
word count: 5,088
story content warnings: 18+ MDNI! canon typical warnings such as violence, gore, swearing, drinking, spice, angst, as well as some sickly sweet fluff thrown in!
"Hey, Ms. K- Marsha, would you be able to give me a ride home when you're finished for the day?" you asked as you popped your head into the high school counselor's office once you were done with class for the day.
The woman laughed lightly, asking teasingly, "We've been coworkers for over a year, what's it gonna take for you to stop calling me Ms. Kelly?"
"A few more years and maybe a brain rewiring," you joked as you stepped fully into the office.
As she started packing things into her purse, she casually asked, "Steve not picking you up today? Everything okay on that front?"
"Oh, yeah! Everything's fine! He's just busy today is all," you told her, trying to hide the anxiousness in your tone as you thought about everything that could have happened in the last eighteen hours since you had communication with Steve and the others.
"Just checking," she said with a smile as she straightened up and began making her way to the door. Changing the subject, she asked, "How's the work load? You getting enough sleep? You look dead-tired."
Knowing that you could trust her to not speak about it to the others, you confessed, "I was behind on grading, so I had to stay up late to finishā¦"
"You'd be surprised at the number of teachers that happens to," she said as the two of you walked through the halls of the school.
"Really? I'm not the only one?"
She laughed quietly before telling you, "Far from it. Give yourself some grace. Rest up tonight and give yourself a fresh start for the next part of the semester."
Rest was far from what you got that evening, though.
You tried not to worry about what was going on with the party that evening. It was hard, though, because you didn't a line of communication with them, seeing as the walkie you had used the night before had been taken at some point during the day. Steve had left a note where it had been previously, his messy scrawl saying:
Sorry honey, we had to take the walkie. We're gonna be split tonight and needed the extra. You know what to do if trouble comes around. If there's an emergency, call the cops. I love you and I'll see you soon. Steve <3
Nightly chores blended into making dinner for two, with leftovers for if Steve was able to swing by or if he came home to sleep for the night. Your worry about what they were up to was a constant, leading you to shed a few tears as you got yourself into bed early that evening, holding Steve's pillow close as you tried to fall asleep on his side. The scent of his body wash and shampoo lingered on the sheets and pillow case, the smells comforting and helping trick your mind into feeling a sense of security as you slept alone in the massive house.
Sleep was apparently out of the cards for the night, because not even an hour after you attempted to fall asleep, you heard a loud and sharp knock on the front door that startled you out of the little cat nap you found yourself in. With your heart racing, you grabbed your robe off of the hook in the closet, wrapping it around yourself before making your way toward the front door as the knock sounded off again. "Coming!" you called at the door as you shuffled toward it, yawning and rubbing your eyes on the way.
When you approached the door, you looked out the peep hole. the sight before you only making your heart race even faster. It was a police offer accompanied by one of the military personnel. Were they here to tell you something terrible had happened to Steve? What about Dustin? If they were here about him, then what happened to your mom?
The raising of a fist to knock again pulled you out of those thoughts, finally turning the doorknob to open it right before his knuckles could make contact with the wood. You tried to hide the shaking in your voice as you sent the two men a tight smile before asking, "How may I help you?"
The police officer had a grim look on his face as he asked, "You work at the elementary school, correct?"
"That's correct, yes."
"Wellā¦we're gonna need a familiar face to help round up some kids," he said, the statement making your eyebrows furrow in confusion.
The military officer piggybacked quickly, adding, "We've gotten some intel that leads us to believe that kids ages nine to ten need to have some additional protection over the next few days. We're rounding them up and bringing them to the military barracks so we can keep an eye on them. We just think it would be easier on the kids to have a familiar face talking to them instead of us."
"O-oh, uh, sure! Can I have a minute to get dressed?"
"Make it quick," the police officer said with a nod, both of them turning and walking back down the sidewalk for the time being.
After you shut the door, you began panicking. The military had to do with the gate in the middle of downtown and if they thought that kids needed extra protection, you needed to tell the others! Steve had taken away the walkie you had been using, though, so how the hell were you supposed to contact them? Wait! The secret walkie! Steve had stashed one in the closet in case of emergency or if he accidentally busted one during a crawl!
So, with as much speed as you could, you began digging through drawers and feeling around on top of the shelf above the hanging clothes. When your hand hit a familiar feeling device, you breathed a sigh of relief as you tightened your fingers around it. Working quickly, you pulled the antenna up and pressed the button to speak, saying, "Stone Haven to Dungeon Master. To anyone! Do you copy?"
The sound of Joyce's voice cracked through the older radio, saying, "Dungeon Master copies! What's going on, Stone Haven?"
Glancing out the window and seeing the police officer pacing impatiently, you spoke quickly, telling her, "There's military and police at the house right now. They're asking for my help rounding up kids from the school ages nine to ten. Any idea why?"
"W-well, we're kinda doing the same thing, but why would they-?"
"I don't have much time! They're coming to the door again! What do I do?" you asked, putting the radio down to begin pulling on decent clothes.
The radio was jerked from Joyce's hand by Robin, who quickly explained, "The demos are going after kids Vecna's targeting! I don't know why or how the military would know that if they even know it, but that can't be a coincidence!"
The radio stayed active and you heard Joyce's voice say, "Well, then if that's the case she needs to go! She'll be our inside man!"
Frustration and worry crept into Robin's voice as she said, "Yeah, but they're rounding up kids who are being targeted by demogorgons! We can't just-"
A banging on the front door startled you once more, so you made a quick decision, hitting a button on the radio to tell them, "I'm going. Find a way to get those kids out. I'll do what I can to protect them. Over and out!"
After finally pulling a soft cardigan on over a tank top, you eyed the lighter you used to light candles in the bedroom. Remembering the cautionary tales Steve and Hopper had told you about the demogorgons and how hard they were to kill or weaken, you popped into the bathroom and grabbed a can of Steve's hair spray, giving it a shake to see how full it was. Judging by the heaviness and sound of it, it was damn near brand new. He would forgive you for taking it if it meant saving kids from a demogorgonā¦
On the way out of the bedroom, you grabbed your school bag, shoving the two items into the very bottom before finally opening the front door up again. Sending the officer a wary smile, you shrugged the bag toward him a bit, saying, "Sorry, I just needed to find my work bag. Has all sorts of stuff to keep the kids entertained. Still gotta do some grading, too."
"Clock's ticking. Get in the bus. We're heading out now."
"Yes sirā¦" you mumbled, walking toward the bus.
When you stepped onto the vehicle, you were met with the kind eyes of Ms. Harris, who was sitting in the first row of seats. She gave you a small smile, asking, "What a way to end the night, huh?"
"You're tellin' meā¦" you said, settling your bag onto the floor as the bus pulled away from the curb and began making its way to the first stop.
You were sure it was by design, but after the first stop when Ms. Harris got out and spoke with one of the kids, you realized that the two of you were chosen because between each of you, every student would know either one of you and give you their trust. When the name of one of your students was called over the walkie to the driver, you stood up and made your way off of the bus and to the door of the house. The officers stood on either side of you, just a little further back as you knocked on the door.
When it opened, the tired face of Valerie's dad made its appearance. He sent you a small smile and then a confused look to the officers standing behind you. "What's this about, Miss Henderson?"
"Everything okay, Dad?" Valerie asked from her place on the couch coloring in her activity book. When she saw you, her face lit up and she jumped up from her spot to come greet you. "Miss Henderson! What're you doing here? Who are they?"
You stooped over a bit to be on her level, grabbing her hands in yours as you told her, "These men are gonna take you and your classmates somewhere, okay? They're gonna take us all to somewhere safe. They just wanna watch over you and your friends and classmates for a little while. I'll be there with you."
Her dad was first to speak, asking protectively, "And if I say no?"
"I'm afraid that's not an option, sir," the military officer told him. "We're under direct orders to bring in every child ages nine to ten years old for their safety. I can't give any more details."
With a sigh, her dad finally nodded, saying, "Fine, fine." He turned and grabbed her backpack, throwing a change of clothes and some snacks in before returning. As you stood back to your full height and took Valerie by the hand to take her to the bus, he said, "Thank you for being here. She'll be less scared with you there."
"It's no problem at all," you told him with a soft smile.
As the two of you followed the military officers to the bus, you quietly reminded Valerie, "Remember the lessons from our books about being brave? We've gotta follow those now. Even if we're scared."
"Are you scared, Miss Henderson?" she asked.
With a nod, you were truthful to the young girl, telling her, "Yeah. I am. But I have to be brave so the rest of you aren't as scared. We just gotta stick together."
"We'll be brave together," she said with a nod and a smile. She saw some of her friends already on the bus when the two of you emerged into the vehicle and she made her way to them, a smile on her face that you could tell was fake, but she had taken your words to heart. As you watched her talk quietly with her friends, you had a feeling that you would have to have the talk about being brave on more than one occasion before the night was over.
After about eight hours being cooped up in the barracks, even you were starting to get restless. The chaos of kids around you didn't bother you as much as the inability to even go outside to get some fresh air. Every time you even brought up the idea to the private at the door, he shut it down as soon as it left your mouth. So, instead, you busied yourself by playing games with the kids.
Once a particularly energetic round of tag was over, you took a breather in the corner where you had stowed your bag, pulling out a bottle of water and taking a long drink from it. When you turned your head back down to look out at the barracks, you jumped when suddenly Derek Turnbow was practically right in your face. "Whoa! Geez! Hi, Derek! How can I help you? Need any snacks or anything? Water? Coloring supplies?"
His tone was urgent as he said, "We don't have much time! I need you to listen close! This message is from Dungeon Master. There are eleven kids being targeted by Vecna - I'm one of them - who've all been seeing him as a man named Mr. Whatsit or Henry. He's sending demos after them. The party is gonna use the tunnels to get us out. When I give you the signal, the plan starts. You distract, I send kids to be extracted. Got it? Good. Bye!"
Just as quickly as he appeared, he disappeared, shouting, "Tag! Miss Henderson's it!"
As you got back up from your sitting position, the officer by the door shot you a sympathetic look that you shrugged at before jogging off after a fleeing kid. The game was a good distraction for a few minutes as you tried to process everything you were just told. There was so much risk involved, so many moving parts, and so many lives on the line with how many kids were being targeted!
You tried to think through how they were going to pull off this crazy escape plan and began thinking of how you would keep the officers from noticing kids going missingā¦ Your thoughts were interrupted by the small group of girls from your class who you had talked with previously about their imaginary friend - who you now knew was the monster that attacked and damn near killed youā¦ You couldn't believe he would target such little kids, each so innocent and blissfully unaware of the nature of their new "friend."
Swallowing the lump forming in your throat, you forced a smile onto your lips as you said, "Hey girls! What can I do for you?"
Debbie was the first to speak, quietly asking, "You remember Mr. Whatsit?"
Pushing back the disgust and fear you usually had when talking about the monster, you nodded, keeping your voice warm as you said, "I do. He's you girls' imaginary friend, right?"
"Right," Debbie said, her eyes flicking to the ground for a moment. Her voice remained timid as she said, "Remember how we told you that he said he would get us to safety? How he had a plan to take us away from the military and the helicopters?"
You had to fight off a wave of nausea that washed over you when she said this, realizing as you remembered the conversation that if they had been talking with him in class a few days ago, that Vecna had been in your classroom. Your safe space for the kids. The place where you encouraged them to be themselves. Where you encouraged their friendship with him. Had he been there listening that whole time? God, you despised the ideaā¦
Snapping your mind back to the situation at hand, you nodded, telling her, "I remember."
Valerie's voice rang out next, telling you, "Well, Derek told us that he knows Mr. Whatsit's plan on how he's gonna get us out of here. I dunno if I believe himā¦"
Rebecca nodded, saying, "Yeah! Why would Derek know Mr. Whatsit? Why would he give him of all people the plan?"
Knowing what was at stake here, you had to let your feelings about Vecna go for a few seconds, telling the girls, "Well, maybe Mr. Whatsit could only tell one person because he didn't want to get in trouble. He didn't want any of you to get in trouble! He has to work carefully."
"But it's Derek!" Rebecca said, a pout on her lips as she crossed her arms over her chest.
"I know, honey, and I know Derek is a bully, but maybe he was chosen by Mr. Whatsit for a reason, yeah?" You snapped your fingers like you had come up with an ingenious idea, adding, "Maybe it's a test from him! Seeing how much you trust him! If you trust him enough, you'll see past your differences with Derek and get to safety!"
A smile made its way back to Debbie's face as she nodded, telling you, "Maybe you're right!"
Valerie nodded, too, telling the girls, "We just gotta be brave. Stick together. Get to safety."
"Together," Rebecca said with a nod and a smile, the girls walking back toward the little corner they had set up for the day.
It was evening before Derek gave you the first signal to head to the bathroom as he began gathering kids to send in one by one. You went in after a little girl from your class named Ashley, sending her a warm smile as the two of you passed each other. The sound of shovels hitting the plywood beneath your feet was loud, making you cringe each time it hit. You kept your eye on the door, though, because holy hell was the sound loud to your anxious mind. You were afraid the officers in the barracks could hear it, even over the sound of screaming kids who somehow still had energy.
When the floor finally busted open, you crouched down to be more level with whoever was going to come through. When a goggled Lucas poked his head through, he sent you a smile as he said, "Howdy. Crazy seeing you here."
"Oh, hush, Sinclair," you said, rolling your eyes as you helped him break the splintering wood off so the kids could get through easier. "So, what exactly is the plan here?"
"Get the kids through here, we'll take them through the tunnels, then to Murray's truck. We've got a secondary location to take 'em to til we figure all of this out."
"Got it," you said with a firm nod.
He looked back, telling you, "Mrs. Byers is signaling for the first kid!"
So, you waited for the door to open, giving Debbie a warm smile when she appeared, crouching down as you told her, "Okay, sweetie. I just met with one of Mr. Whatsit's helpers! He's gonna help you down through that hole in the floor. You'll meet some other, really nice and really brave helpers of Mr. Whatsit's. You gotta listen to everything they tell you, okay?"
"Okayā¦" she said, glancing over to the gaping hole in the floor.
You gave her a quick hug, telling her, "You're so brave. Keep it up."
Things were going well getting the kids down into the tunnels. Until they weren't. As you helped usher Rebecca down the ladder, a pipe in the bathroom burst! "Uh, guys, need a little help here!" you called down into the tunnel as water began flooding the floor.
"Coming!" Mike called back, quickly climbing up the ladder to see what the damage was.
"Shit!" he whispered, ushering Will up the ladder before the two of them began trying to stop the water from spewing further.
"Is there not an emergency shut off!?" you whispered sharply as the door opened to reveal Joshua, who slipped on the water coming in. You had to catch him before he fell, giving him the same speech you did to the others before sending him down to Lucas.
Right as the door closed, you saw Ashley's curious eyes looking toward the restroom. Seeing all the water beginning to seep out from the room and knowing that sometimes Ashley's curiosity got the better of her, you made the split second decision to head out of the bathroom. Right before the young girl could reach the door, you swept into her path, crouching down and saying, "Hey! I was really impressed with your last art project over the book we read! I was just wondering if you could tell me more about how you made it!"
"Oh, sure! It was so much fun!" she said, her face lighting up as you stood and she began leading you to her bunk, where she had her notebook and school supplies.
As Ashley pulled out her notebook, water began leaking out of the bathroom at an even faster rateā¦ You gave it a side eye as the girl began talking, but as your back was turned, you didn't even notice the military officer begin to make his way toward the bathroom to investigate the leak. Luckily, Derek did, shouting a desperate, "Run!" directed at the targeted kids who were left in the barracks.
From there, all Hell broke loose.
Gone were the delighted screams of kids playing, replaced by screams of terror as the military men began trying to break into the bathroom that was now being held closed by Mike, Will, and Derek. Your attention was torn away from Ashley as Valerie pulled on the hem of your shirt, tears streaking down her face as she cried, "I didn't go! I let him down!"
"Hey, hey, hey, hey! It's okay, honey!" you assured her, bending over to pull her into a hug. You held her head close as you said, "Just stay with me for now, okay? We'll find another way to Mr. Whatsit."
"B-but I- He- We aren't-!" she babbled, sobbing into your shoulder.
"Let's just take some deep breaths, okay?" you asked as you held her at arm's length and tried to get her to follow your breathing pattern. She began to try, but was distracted by the military officers breaking into the bathroom finally and shouting at the occupants. "Hey, eyes on me," you said in a firm, yet warm tone. "Just breathe. In and out. Smell your favorite flowers. Blow out your birthday candles. Just like that!"
In the middle of you calming the young girl down, a group of people started to be taken from the bathroom, their shouts igniting more chaotic screams from the kids in the barracks. You pulled Valerie close as they were marched by, the group consisting of Joyce, Mike, Will, Derek, and one of the other girls from Ms. Harris' class: Mary. As they passed, Joyce sent you a look that said everything it needed to without words: protect the kids.
So, that was what you needed to do.
Once the group was outside and Ms. Harris started the effort to calm everyone down, you held Valerie at arm's length again as you said, "Valerie, this is very important for me to know: do you know who else has seen Mr. Whatsit?"
"Well, there's Debbie and-"
You shook your head, gently cutting her off as you said, "No, sweetie, I mean who in this room right now has seen him. I know Derek was talking to everyone. I need to know who else besides you there is."
The little girl thought hard, trying to remember the day's events, her eyebrows furrowed as she combed through the memories. Her face finally lit up about thirty seconds later, beginning to look around to find the faces she was missing. Her face fell, though, as she whispered, "Th-they're not here! I-I'm the only one who didn't-!"
"Hey, hey! It's okay, sweetie!" you said gently. "You were scared. You have every right to be scared. That's okay. I promise." Right as you said that, though, the lights in the barracks began to flicker. Shitā¦ You didn't have time to even think before you heard a deep rumbling, followed by feeling the ground shake, your footing becoming uneven where you stood.
You felt like the room was spinning around you as you tried to process everything and make a decision on just what the hell to do to save these kids. To save Valerie. The door to the bathroom was being guarded by a military member and it would be suicide to just run out of the barracks with herā¦
So, as you heard the screeching of the monsters outside, you froze. These were vicious, blood-thirsty monsters of the Upside Down that have been known to kill men in one swipe. They showed no mercy. And they had their eyes set on the little girl under your care because you were the only one who knew what was comingā¦ As you thought about that was when you heard it: demogorgons, and lots of them. For every screech, there was the sound of gunfire and screaming, and you could only imagine what the hell was going on outside.
You felt completely and utterly screwed.
As that fear and emotion began welling up in your chest, an all-too familiar voice popped into your head, the deep timbre just as haunting as the first time you heard it. It was Vecna, saying, "You're just as weak as beforeā¦ You let fear control you. You'll never be able to save that little girl from my pets. See you in your nightmaresā¦ That is, if you survive."
After the voice left your head, you let out a ragged breath, holding yourself up against the bunk bed as a sense of doom began creeping up your spine. A terrified shriek of your name brought you back to reality, your eyes flicking to Valerie, who had taken shelter under the bed you were leaning against. When your eyes locked with hers, you remembered the conversation you had with her on the way to the bus the night before. The conversation about bravery.
The conversation reminded you of something you heard Dustin say a long time ago: that you inspired him to be brave. That you teaching him to play D&D helped him embrace who he was and to be brave, even in the face of bullies. So, maybe even in all of his anger, Dustin was right. Maybe you just needed to follow your own goddamn advice.
As the words rang through your head, you called out to Ms. Harris, "We don't need them under these things, we need to make a barricade!"
"W-what!?" she shouted as she protected another child's head as they were ushered under the bunk bed.
"Just do it!" you shouted, going to an empty bunk and shoving it over. Months of strengthening in physical therapy had finally brought you back to a semblance of your former strength, using every bit of it to shove over the first bunk bed to use to form the barrier. The kids and Ms. Harris saw the determination in your eyes as you worked and began following suit, toppling over bunks and creating an almost sculpture-like arrangement of beds, the legs and ladders stacked and intertwined to give little pockets for each child to hide in. At the center of the structure was you, your work bag at your feet, your lighter in your left hand, and Steve's hairspray in your right.
All was quiet in the room as the kids held their breaths in anticipation for what could come. Every little noise had you on edge, straining your ears to listen for the sound of fighting getting closer. For anything that could point to a demogorgon getting closer. Even with your vigilance, you had no such luxury. Without so much as a warning scratch, the flimsy metal that formed the top of the barracks was torn through and a demogorgon crashed in from the air, landing right in front of the door guard!
"Son of a-" the man shouted, barely even able to get two shots from his gun off before he was clawed down and left to fester in his own blood on the ground.
The sound of screaming kids and gunfire from the officer at the back of the room was immediate, but so was your ignition of the lighter. With a determination in your eyes, you began spraying the Farrah Fawcett hairspray, the mist igniting midair when it met the flame of the lighter and setting fire to the creature! As it screeched, you screamed, willing it to die and leave the poor kids alone.
There would be none such luck, thoughā¦
Even though the hairspray lit the thing on fire and pained it, the makeshift flamethrower was nowhere near as strong as it needed to be to take down a fully-grown demogorgon. So, with another rallying screech, the beast powered through the spray of fire, its razor-sharp claws coming down on your arm, crossing onto your chest as you began to cower away from the impact.
The pain was blinding, lighting up your entire body as you hit the floor, the lighter and hairspray clattering on the cement in time with you. Every breath was painful, the torn skin feeling white-hot with every expansion of your lungs. You could breathe, though. That was good. You tried to move your arm but barely managed it as it, too, lit up in pain. Against your will, a scream of agony tore from your chest, along with a sob due to the excruciating pain you were in. The pain was all you could feel, blood all you could smell, ringing all you could hear.
That was until you heard your name being screamed in terror. By Valerie. You snapped your eyes open and saw her being dragged away by one of the hulking creatures, reaching out for you and screaming for help. You tried to get to her, you did, but the second you tried to prop yourself up with your left arm to stand, a fresh wave of pain overtook your body. With a shout of agony and of the little girl's name, you collapsed back onto the ground. The last thing you saw before losing consciousness was her pulled into a nasty looking red portal you could only assume would take her to the Upside Downā¦
a/n: uh oh... i promise happier times are coming! we just have to get through a bit more angst! god, just imagine KNOWING that the monster that had tried and damn near succeeded in killing you was RIGHT there and you just couldn't see it!! TERRIFYING!! and then having to justify what he was telling them just so they can potentially survive?? insane...
i hope you all enjoyed! likes, comments, and re-blogs are greatly appreciated! i love hearing from you guys! until next time! xo! <3
"I alreadyĀ toldĀ you, you need to input the population info first, thenĀ the stats for each individual borough,"Ā you muttered to yourself as you read an email from Starla, one of the analysts that worked on your team.Ā "That's why your numbers are off."
You had just gotten back in the office after taking the previous two days off to mourn Vanessa and was trying to follow up on tasks that had been relegated to others in your department.
You replied to Starla as such and were contemplating going get another cup of coffee when your phone lit up with a text from Sheila.
The Mayor would like to see you,Ā it read.
You sighed. You hadn't spoken to your father since the repast ā you had returned home to deal with your own personal business while he had continued to field sympathy and prepare to settle Vanessa's estate, but apparently whatever it was he needed to speak with you about was important enough to summon you.
You picked your phone up.Ā I'll be right there,Ā you texted back, then got up and headed out of your office and to the elevator.
You rode up to the floor your father's office was on, then walked down the hall.
You knocked on his door then opened it, pausing when you noticed that the chair in front of your father's desk was already occupied. "You wanted to see me, sir?"
"Ah, yes," your father said. "District Attorney Hochberg and I were just finishing up, weren't we?"
"Oh, er, yes, of course," the DA replied before standing. "Miss Fisk, always a pleasure to see you."
"Mmhmm."
"I'll see you at the trial?"
You nodded. Karen Page had been captured and taken into custody at the protest in front of City Hall a few nights ago and was being brought to court later that day. "Of course."
You waited until he had left before taking a seat in the chair in front of your father's desk.
"District Attorney Hochberg is a interesting fellow, isn't he?" your father said.
In all honesty, you hated the man. "He's a veryā¦Ā skilledĀ litigator."
Your fatherĀ harrumphed. "He makes my skin crawl."
You chuckled. At least he technically agreed with you.
"Lawyers," your father continued. "You know, theyā¦ use words to twist the truth, don't they?"
You thought back to your father's unjust trial so many years ago. "I think I know what you mean."
Your father nodded. "I imagine you do."
You paused. "I've been meaning to check in with you. How are you, Dad?"
"I don't know. I haven't been asked that." Your father sighed. "I always accepted love as a prison. Not the love between a father and his child, of course, but the kind of love a man has for a woman. I justā¦ never expected to be in it alone."
You nodded. You could never fathom losing Buck the way your father had lost Vanessa. "Condolences are meaningless. Thoughts and prayers do nothing. No one tells you the truth in times like this, which isā¦"
You sighed. "This is going to hurt. Losing Vanessa for me is not the same as losing her is for you, so we don't know when or evenĀ ifĀ it's going to end for both of us."
"No." Your father paused. "Wellā¦ I uh, I appreciate your words."
He opened his desk drawer. "The reason I wanted to see you was, wellā¦"
He took something out of the drawer and set it on his desk, then pushed it towards you.
Your blood ran cold as you recognized the twin to Vanessa's diamond-and-ruby earring that was still in your purse. "Dad, I amĀ soĀ sorry," you began. "I, uhā"
Your father shook his head. "You don't have to apologize, she would've wanted you to have them. It's just curious, the things we do on impulse ā isn't it?"
You chuckled softly to yourself. "I would've liked to have thought I'd have more control over myself than that ā or at least have taken both of them so it wouldn't be as noticeable."
"Ah, but you didn't." Your father folded his hands together in front of him. "I know you've always thought of the work I do asā¦Ā unsavory,Ā but I would hope that since you've been home you might would have changed your opinion and would reconsider joining the family business."
Your eyebrows raised in surprise. "YouĀ do?"
"Purely behind-the-scenes," your father clarified. "Anā¦Ā administrativeĀ role, so to speak. At least until you became comfortable enough to be more hands-on."
You thought for a moment. You couldn't help but feel proud that your father trusted you enough to ask you to reconsider joining his empire, and besides, youĀ wereĀ dating and even living with his most trusted associateā¦
You took a deep breath. "Can I think about it for a bit? I'd like to talk to Buck before I make a decision."
Your father nodded. "Yes, of course."
You picked up Vanessa's earring and stood. "If that was all, I have some things I need to get back to."
You turned to leave, slipping the earring into your pants pocket.
Your father said your name. "One other thing."
You turned back around. "Yeah, Dad?"
"No matter your decisionā¦" Your father smiled softly at you. "Buck is a good man. Hold on to him."
You smiled back at him, your heart warming. "I will."
You left your father's office and headed back to yours, then grabbed your phone.Ā Are you at City Hall?Ā you texted to Buck.Ā I need to talk to you about something important.
Your phone buzzed with a reply.Ā I'm not at the moment, but will be within 10 minutes.
You looked at the time.Ā Meet me at the fountain?
Okay. See you there.
You grabbed your purse out of your desk drawer and scrawled a note on the whiteboard attached to your office door.Ā Taking an early lunch, back at 12:15 pm.
You texted Sheila to let her know as well then left the office, walking across City Park to the Tony Stark Memorial Fountain before taking a seat to wait for Buck.
While you waited, you weighed your options. If you rejected your father's offer, you could continue to claim plausable deniability as to what exactly he was involved in. If youĀ accepted, however, you felt like you'd be able to figure out how best to protect both himĀ andĀ Buck if things ever went south again.
You smiled as you noticed Buck walking up to you. "Hi, sweetheart."
Buck smiled back at you then gave you a soft, slow kiss. "Hello, my darling."
He sat next to you. "What is it you wish to speak to me about? Everything okay?"
You nodded. "Yeah, I justā¦"
You paused, trying to figure out how best to word things just in case anyone nearby happened to be listening. "My dad asked me to join hisā¦Ā otherĀ administration."
Buck nodded. "And are you considering it?"
"Actually, kinda, but I wanted to talk to you firstā" Your eyes narrowed at the nonplussed look on Buck's face. "Wait a minute, you knew. YouĀ knewĀ he was going to ask me and you didn't say anything!"
Buck winced. "Your father asked me my opinion on the matter and if I thought you might be open to the idea, but he also specifically forbade me from mentioning the possibility to you because he wanted to speak to you himself."
Yeah, okay, that makes sense,Ā you thought, your irritation immediately evaporating.
You let out a fake huff of annoyance. "Stop being reasonable when I'm trying to be mad at you," you grumbled.
Buck chuckled. "My apologies, darling. Would you like me to vex you further? I can steal your lunch out of the staff refrigerator or leave the toilet seat up at home."
Your lips quirked up in a smile. "Nah, that's okay. So howĀ wouldĀ you feel if I joined the family business? I'm assuming you told my dad you'd be okay with it?"
Buck nodded. "I did, although I would think that he would have asked you even if I had tried to discourage him. You're a brilliant woman with a head for business and I think you could make your father's enterprise grow even more exponentially."
He bit his lip. "And honestly I feel like I can better protect you if you're fully aware of your father's business dealings."
You nodded. "And you don't want to betray his trust by involving me without his knowledge."
"Exactly." Buck put an arm around you and pressed a kiss to your forehead. "It's entirely your decision, of course, but IĀ doĀ appreciate you asking me about my feelings on the matter ā even if I already knew about it."
"Of course. This doesn't just affect me, it affects you as well." You took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I love you."
Buck squeezed your hand back. "I love you too."
He stood. "Are you expected back in the office any time soon? Because the food truck I passed on my way here smellsĀ amazing."
You shook your head. "You're in luck ā I happen to be on an early lunch break and don't have to be back for another 45 minutes."
Buck grinned. "Well then, what do you say, darling?"
You stood as well and squeezed his hand once again. "I say let's go get in line."
You pulled your phone out of your pocket to text your father as you and Buck walked back towards City Hall together.
chapter summary: you and your roommate are upset over the election of Wilson Fisk as Mayor of New York City and begin planning on how to get him out: starting with a member of his communications team.
"What's got your panties in a twist?" you asked your roommate as you walked into the apartment. Your voice was slightly strained as you hauled your heavy work bag onto one of the hooks by the door, adding, "I mean, besides the shit-ass new reality that we live inā¦"
"That's exactly what I'm upset about, thanksā¦" she mumbled, sighing deeply as she scrolled past the same story that had been flooding her feed the entire afternoon.
"What happened today?" you asked, taking your shoes off and dumping them into the designated bin you put your work ones in so they wouldn't touch the others.
"Just fuel added to the fire that Fisk is gonna save the city," she said sarcastically, the look on her face exactly matching her tone.
"Bastardā¦" you mumbled as you began making your way to your bedroom to change out of your scrubs for the evening. Once you were in your pajamas, you came out of your room, sighing before saying, "I just don't get how people can ignore that the guy was imprisoned for racketeering and elect him mayor!"
"Yeah, not to mention all the murderā¦" she sighed. "But people wanted change, so that's what they voted forā¦"
"You still planning on trying to prove it?" you asked, referring to her comment on the one murder you knew was on her mind - because it was on yours, too.
She shrugged, staring up at the ceiling as she replied, "I mean, obviously I want to, butā¦"
"But nothing! You're BB fucking Urich! Since when have you ever given up on telling a story that needs to be told?"
BB said your name as she sent you a look that showed her emotional exhaustion on full display. "It's been twelve years. If the FBI couldn't find anything or prove that he killed Uncle Ben, how the hell am I supposed to?"
"Put the investigative part of your title to use, that's how," you told her, settling onto your side of the couch with a groan. Your shift had been taxing on your body and the unit was, of course, understaffed, so everyone was helping each other out when it came to patient care. As your tight muscles started to loosen, you said, "Don't get old, kidā¦"
BB laughed and lightly hit you with a throw pillow, saying, "I'm only a few months younger than you, you ass."
You stuck your tongue out at her teasingly before reaching out your hand and making a come here motion to signal her to give you her phone. "What? Why?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowed as she angled the screen toward you.
"Just let me look at what you're seeing that's making you such a black cloud right now. I didn't have time to get on my phone at work today, so I have no clue what happened," you explained, settling closer to her on the plush couch.
"It's just a stupid video of Fisk getting out of his car and ordering a construction team to fill a hole in the road. Then he gave some speech about how he promised to 'get things done' when he was electedā¦" she told you as she hit play on the video taken from a bystander's cell phone.
"Hashtag Fisk can fix itā¦" you mumbled while rolling your eyes and shaking your head. As you watched the video loop again, you pointed to someone standing to the side of Fisk, asking, "Who's that?"
"The lady? That's Sheila Rivera. She's worked the political scene for years. Think Ben knew her once upon a timeā¦"
"No, no, the young guy. Looks around our age," you told her, zooming in on the guy in question.
"Iā¦dunno, but I'm sure I can find out. Why?"
"Well, what did Ben always say about following any lead you can?" you asked, reaching back into your memories of when the two of you would sit around Ben's office at The Bulletin when the two of you were out of school and your families couldn't afford daycare.
"What are you implying?" she asked, narrowing her eyes as she looked at you. She gave you that look you had seen more times than you could count since you were young, the one she gave you when she could tell you were formulating a plan founded on lofty goals and aspirations alone, rather than solid evidence and proof that it would work.
"I'm just saying, we get in with Mr. Pale and Mysterious and you might be able to weasel your way into information you need to expose Fisk's bullshit for what it really is: a move to grab more power for his own personal gain. That's how it always is with guys like him."
"We?" BB asked, eyeing you incredulously.
"Yes, we!" you told her, wrapping an arm around her shoulder. "Think about it! It's way too obvious if you with the famous blog try to get in with him. But if I hook him, we hang out a time or two and I mention that my best friend is a reporter who would love to get an interview with the Mayor. If the cards are played right, you get the beat on all things Fisk and maybe we can get inside information from Mr. Yet To Be Named, to maybe be called Baby Fisk!"
"Okay, I will be finding out this guy's name immediately so you can stop coming up with nicknames for himā¦" BB said with a laugh as she gently shoved you off of her. As she typed away on her phone, she asked off-handedly, "By the way, just how do you think you're gonna do this, Miss ICU nurse? When do you have enough days off to help me figure out who this guy is, find out where he hangs out, who he hangs out with, and then chat him up?"
"I'll have you know that sometimes Kaci is generous and I happen to have damn near a week straight off, starting tonight!" you replied smugly, leaning back and cradling your head in your hands.
"How the hell did you manage that?"
"Work the front half of the week this week and the back half of next week. Makes travel easy. That way, if shit hits the fan, I have PTO to fall back on. You just gotta be smarter than the system!"
"It sounds like you're not letting this go, huh?" she asked, rolling her eyes playfully as she scrolled through another search that got her closer to the guy in the video's identity.
"Nope!" you replied, popping the 'p' before laughing quietly. "Mom may have practically forced me out of being a journalist, but I'll never forget everything Ben taught us or what I've seen him do to chase a story and reveal the truth. If there's even a chance that we can help get Fisk out of office, I'm more than willing to take it."
BB stopped scrolling for a second when she finally landed on what she was looking for. Instead of revealing the information, her voice was quiet and reflective as she said, "It could be dangerous. You know that, right?"
"I know," you replied solemnly. You squeezed her shoulder gently as you added with a small smile, "That's why I want us to do this together. You and me against the world. Just like it's always been."
"You and me against the world," BB agreed, a smile finally making its way onto her lips as she nodded once. Right when she finished saying that, a timer started going off in the kitchen and it finally brought your attention to the delicious smell of food lingering in the air of the apartment. As you went to stand to retrieve the food from the oven, you heard BB say, "Daniel Blake."
"Sorry?" you asked, pausing as you passed through the kitchen's threshold.
"The guy. His name's Daniel Blake. Looks like he's working on the communications team for Fisk," she replied.
"You're amazing, BB," you said, pointing finger guns at her as you continued into the kitchen before dinner burnt. Your voice carried through the kitchen and into the living room as you said, "Now all you need to do is-"
"He hangs out at this one club in Midtown a lot it looks like," she interrupted, the smirk audible in her voice as she told you the information.
"What's the name? It sounds like I need to go shopping," you said with a quiet laugh as you placed the baking sheet onto a cooling rack. "Operation Infiltrate the Fisk Administration is a go!"
a/n: and here we go! i've got a lot up my sleeve for this one! it definitely is a little self-indulgent fic that i just wanted to write, but i hope it's enjoyable for you guys! (i say as i'm sure the daniel blake fandom is quite small, but he's my blorbo and i love hiiiimmmm)
anyway! likes, comments, and re-blogs are appreciated! until next time! xo! <3
