#i wonder how he felt knowing that it means that despite his wish linc still got sucked into all of this

[zroqravity]

I wonder how Grant and Marco felt watching their baby slowly animorph into the weirdo child they survived the titanic with

[et-lesailes]

missing linc // chapter six

series masterlist

pairing: ceo!dad!steve x reader

word count: 2093

chapter summary: reader and steve come to an important decision.

taglist:  @viarogers , @evanstush , @chibi-crazy , @cevanswh0re , @songforhema, @sebabestianstan101 ,  @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @poerebel , @gogomez-509 , @patzammit, @a-distantdreamer, @jbug491writinghelp, @broklynbby, @lille-kattunge,  @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @firstangeldragonranch, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @honeyloverogers, @capsiclesdoll, @qrndevans, @mcueveryday,  @bangtan-serendipity, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyiamthatbitch, @captainscanadian, @kaithezaftig, @morganhoran1671, @booktease21, @hista-girl, @steeeeverogers, @okilover02,  @sadella-adams, @rumoured-whispers, @aletteredaffair, @shannon124, @isawritesstories, @knuffeltuff, @wxntersoldiers, @kelbabyblue, @macgruberrr, @troublermalik,  @societalfailure, @brastrangled, @hidden-behind-the-fourth-wall, @anxiousstark, @captainsbxbygirl, @barbar126, @cevanswhores, @whimsicalatbest, @amazonian-strap-queen​, @bookish-shristi​, @hannie-stark​, @beardburnsupersoldiers​, @babyhua​

notes: this chapter is a bit of an “in-between” kind of chapter, promise the next one will be more eventful. would love to hear your thoughts though, and feel free to send me guesses as to what you think will happen next!

It was around 9 PM when your phone screen lit up with a call from Steve. You had come home with a blend of emotions, mainly disappointment and even a little irritation. You had been considering reaching out to Peter and asking if he wanted to hang out, but you felt too disheartened even for that. All you could think about was what you could have done wrong, or what could have possibly happened in 24 hours that made Tiana and Steve want to fix all of their issues. Were you selfish for being upset about that? Wouldn’t this be better for Linc? What were you thinking, anyways, even envisioning that you and Steve could work out together? He was a grown man, for God’s sake, what would your friends and family think? 

And so you declined the call, too upset at this point to even want to hear his voice. He was persistent; he tried two more times and you hit the red icon, adamant in your decision. You wondered if he would send a text, and sure enough, a message appeared.

Steve: Let me explain everything. Please. 

You bit on your lip. Was he simply going to explain why he was rejecting you over the phone? You weren’t sure if you had the strength to listen to that right now. 

Y/N: I don’t want to talk right now Steve.

Steve: Just for five minutes. It’s not what it looked like back there, I promise. I just couldn’t say anything in front of her. 

You blinked as you read the message, unsure how to feel. In a way, it was relieving, but it still felt wrong. If you were somehow going to be with him, would it have to be a secret the entire time? You supposed you wouldn’t know if you didn’t talk to him. 

Y/N: Five minutes.

He called you immediately after and you felt your heart pounding, unsure if you were more nervous or heated. You answered, trying to sound as indifferent as possible. “Hey.” 

“Y/N. Thank you so much for answering.” He sounded genuinely grateful and relieved and you almost began to feel guilty for not wanting to talk to him, but you snapped yourself out of it. He was in the wrong here, not you. “Are you and Tiana an actual thing now?” you questioned bluntly, past the point of beating around the bush. “No. No, we’re not. I actually told her about us, and how I want to pursue something with you.” You blinked in surprise, sitting up straighter in your bed. “And what did she say…?” 

“She was… upset, at first.” He sighed and you could hear the stress in the mere exhale itself. “There’s a lot about our relationship you don’t know yet, Y/N, and I want to tell you everything. But that has to be in person. So we had a bit of an argument, but… I finally got her to agree to a divorce.” Your eyes widened, but you were only more confused than before. “So then, this weekend…?” you asked, barely frowning

“She wants to have one last weekend, just, you know, a trip to at least end everything on a good note. And… to be honest, it’s the least I can do for her. Again, I’ll explain everything in person. But our relationship, it’s done. After this weekend, everyone can just… move on. How she was acting today, it was rude and unnecessary, but I guess she just felt threatened. Jealous. And I tried talking her out of asking you to watch Linc. It feels fucked up that you would have to do that given the circumstances, but--”

“I don’t mind,” you cut him off, feeling like you had to make that clear before addressing everything else. “I really care about Linc, Steve. Taking care of him, to me, is separate from… whatever you and Tiana are.”

“Divorcing. Very soon.” He responded immediately, and you could tell that he wanted nothing more. Still, you were not exactly feeling relieved and ecstatic about all of this. “Steve, how exactly do you think this weekend is going to go…?” 

There was a pause. You resisted the urge to sigh. He may have been older and more experienced, but clearly, he was still a typical guy when it came to girls and relationships. 

“Pretty… casual,” he finally responded carefully, and you could tell that even he was unsure. “It’s not romantic or anything, Y/N, I assure you. It’s just... two friends hanging out. Yeah, there may be some conflict and we might have some serious conversation about our relationship. But she knows I want to end it, and she’s accepted my terms. I promise, there’s nothing to worry about.” You barely frowned, unsure how much you believed this. Considering the woman could cheat on Steve with no problem, you had a feeling she may have something up her sleeve. But seeing that Steve had pointed out that you did not know about their whole relationship just yet, you decided to think more fairly. 

“You said you wanted to explain things to me in person.” You continued to speak candidly. “Can we do that before you leave this weekend? I think you owe me that at the very least…”

“I… I’m not sure if I can. I have meetings every single day this week, not to mention conference calls with business partners overseas, I--”

“Then what’s the point of this, Steve?” you cut him off, now more frustrated than before. “Where were you seeing this going? We’d just go on dates whenever it’s convenient for you, all while you’re dealing with this shit with your wife? Did you… did you even think this through?” You were becoming more upset by the second. You had thought of Steve as someone mature, someone who was different from all of the juvenile and reckless boys your age. Was he just as naive as the rest of them? He sounded flustered as he answered. “No, no, it’s not like that Y/N-- I’m just--” he paused and sighed heavily, and you could tell he was stressed. “It’s not any excuse, I know, but there’s been a lot going on with Tiana and I for years now. I guess it’s just overwhelming for me to be juggling that with suddenly having feelings for someone else. I.. I fell out of love with her a long time ago, to be honest. But even since then, I had never come across someone I felt something for until I met you. This is new to me, Y/N, I haven’t done this kind of thing in over ten years.”

You had to admit, you felt sympathy. Maybe you were asking too much for him to figure all of this out at the same time. But maybe that also meant you should step back until he was done with Tiana for good. The very thought broke your heart, but you knew it made the most sense. “I’ll still help you guys out with Linc whenever you need it. But I think we need to stop having these personal conversations until you get everything straightened out with her. It doesn’t feel right.”

There was silence for a few moments before he finally sighed lightly, and you could hear him smile through his words. “You know, if I was as mature as you are when I was twenty-- hell, as mature right now-- my life could be very different.” He paused before continuing, “I hate to say it, but you’re right. It was selfish of me to try to balance both of you together when it should just be one or the other. I didn’t think of it like that because I was just so focused on ending my relationship with her. But it’s a process, and it’s not fair to be stringing you along during it.” You were almost disappointed that he was agreeing so easily, but you knew it was childish to think like that. He was agreeing because he could understand what was best for both of you at the moment. “But I promise you, Y/N, this doesn’t mean I’m just letting you go. I know now more than ever that I want to explore whatever this may be. And so when I finalize everything with Tiana, I.. I want to pursue you. If you’ll still have me.”

You listened feeling bittersweet; you wished you could have him now, but you were at least happy to know that this was the right choice and that he still wanted you. “There’s a lot we still need to know about each other,” you spoke softly, still unable to help but feel curious about what he wanted to tell you upon meeting face-to-face. “But we’ll get to that point once you’re ready to. I… I’m not going to lie to you, Steve, I’m not just going to sit around and wait for you. I’ll keep living and doing my own thing, whether it’s alone or with someone else. But I really do like you, and I really.. really hope this can somehow work out one day.”

“I understand.” He spoke sincerely, though you could tell he sounded a little melancholy at the same time, just like you. “I’m sorry for all of this drama. I never meant to drag you in the middle of all of it. Are you sure you feel comfortable watching Linc despite all of this?”

“Of course. I care about him a lot. I have ever since I met him, before I even met you. I want to do this for him, at the very least.”

“Thank you, Y/N. That means a lot.” He paused before adding quieter, “Another reason to fall for you even more.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you bit on your lip harshly. How badly you wanted to reciprocate his flirting, to talk to him in such a playful manner like how you used to. But you had to stay strong. “Goodbye, Steve. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Goodnight Y/N. You can bet on it.”

The next day went by surprisingly smooth. You had been a little nervous about drop off/pick up, considering it would now be awkward no matter which parent was there, but it was Tiana and she did not seem too fazed or upset by you. You were almost wondering if you should even believe that Steve told her he was interested in you. Perhaps she figured if she had a boyfriend on the side, she couldn’t exactly be upset. You still had many, many questions you wanted to ask Steve, but you knew you had to be patient.

As you checked your phone at the end of the day, you were welcomed with a text from Peter that had been sent about half an hour prior. Hey! Wanna come hang out at my place tonight at around 8? I’m having a few friends over, probably just going to chill and have some drinks. You realized that not everyone had summer jobs like you-- they were probably taking advantage of their free weeknights as much as they could before school started again. You were almost going to decline the offer because of work, then stopped to think about it. It wasn’t as though you had to go and get trashed, and besides, maybe hanging out with people your age was exactly what you needed. Since the two of you were in the same classes, you might even know some of his friends anyways.

Y/N: Sounds good! Might have to leave early tho bc work tomorrow. Text me the address!

You drove home and started going through your closet, deciding on a simple but cute tank top with jean shorts. It was almost as though every time Peter reached out to you, you were brought back to reality and would wonder what the hell you were doing with your life, pining after a thirty-eight-year-old man. This was what normal twenty-year-olds did-- got dressed up nice and cute, went out, gossipped, met other students, participated in a little underage drinking-- the usual. What would you and Steve do even if you did miraculously started dating? What if you had absolutely no common interests?

You pushed these thoughts out of your mind. You could return to them later. Right now, you wanted to focus on your friendship with Peter and actually having a little fun tonight. You felt as though you deserved that much.