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fortheloveoffanfic · 5 years ago

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Young! Keanu Reeves x Reader. Requested (A/n-buckle up friends, it’s a long one. Seriously, I only realized that it should have been split in two when I was almost done. Sorry not sorry. Even this note is long. Also, to the person who requested this months ago, sorry it took so long, but if you’re still here, I hope you can forgive me and that you like it) (Since the beginning is weird, I’ll just drop a very vague summary- Follow Y/n and Keanu’s growth from childhood friends to adulthood as they navigate life and their feelings)

Summer, 1970 A pink hair bow haphazardly placed by chubby, clumsy fingers. A dress two sizes bigger that her sister had long cast to the dress-up chest. And finally, a pair of mismatched heels that she had managed to swipe from her busy mother’s closet.

Next to her, in the drying, muddy back yard, stood Keanu, just about her height though one year older, dressed in a combination of his stepfather’s and her brother’s clothes. Most of it mismatched. A plaid tie that was too long, a suit jacket that seemed to swallow him up, socks, but no shoes and a ridiculous hat that he had found when they were looking for their ‘fancy clothes.’

Mr. Snubbs, Y/n’s cat doubled at the trusty, though rather silent officiant, his only words being the occasional ‘meow.’ They had asked his younger sister, but she had quickly lost interest, opting to play tea party with their neighbors down the street.

In her hands, Y/n held a small bunch of wildflowers from her mother’s garden, the petals a little bruised from the manner in which they had been picked by an over excited Keanu for his ‘bride-to-be.’ At that point, they should have long been married, considering they had played the game dozens of times, always marrying each other. It was sort of second nature, that every time one of them suggested it, they would play the parts of the couple.

“I think it’s time to say our vows,” Y/n giggled and Mr. Snubbs licked his paw, very disinterested in the ceremony before him. How foolish of them to hire such an incompetent feline!

“Okay,” Keanu beamed, turning to Y/n, wild hair falling in his face. His mother was always trying to take him for a hair cut, and it always ended in a fit of angry tears. “Do you want to go first? Mrs. Mena in school always says ladies first.”

“Yeah,” Y/n smiled, trying to jump in her place, though, her mother’s shoes almost fell right off, tripping her. “Keanu,” she began cheerily, “I promise to always be here for you. I’ll always give you half of my cheese sandwich and I think your hair looks great!”

Keanu’s smile widened and he prepared to recite his own ‘vows’, “Y/n, I promise to always be your best friend, we’ll always have sleep-overs and I’ll never cut my hair!” He giggled wildly.

Y/n laughed too, and just realizing that she had forgotten something, interjected; “Oh! And I’ll always be your best friend too.” Their wedding ended with cheek pecks and long hugs while Mr. Subbs submitted to a high noon nap and Y/n’s mother called them in for a snack.

Summer 1983 “England.....” Keanu breathed. They were sat on the hood of his car, drinking beer that they had managed to steal of her parents before driving out to the beach, just an hour away from where Y/n still lived. Keanu had moved several times since they were children, but they always stayed in contact. And now that he had a car, though at times it was quiet unreliable, he’d still drive out to see her. His best friend from a small town in Canada. His arm was draped around her as they stared out at the waves in the darkness, but neither of them thought much of it. They had been friends for almost as long as they had been alive, close contact like that was as normal as breathing for the two.

Y/n slipped the letter back into her bag, taking a swing of her beer, “Yeah.” She smiled widely, just as she had when they were kids, but this these days, she looked different. When she smiled, Keanu no longer just saw the pig-tailed girl he grew up with, he saw a young woman with big dreams, who wanted a penthouse in a big city and a corner office.

“That’s far away,” Keanu mused, playing with a loose thread on her favorite sweater, “Are you sure you want that?”

“Are you sure you want to move to Los Angeles?” Her question wasn’t a sarcastic jab or anything of the sort, it was just a reminder that she wanted to realize her dreams, just as he did his. “This is everything that I’ve been working for Ke, I have to go.”

“Okay,” he determined, “Well, I support you. No matter what. And I can’t wait to see you walk across that stage at Oxford.”

“Thank you,” Y/n turned in his embrace, pulling Keanu into a hug. They lingered in each other’s arms and when they pulled away a little, she found herself almost drowning in familiar chocolate pools. Fifteen years of familiarity, comfort and something else, something that grew inside of her when she had given up dolls for make-up. Something that she had felt for other boys, like Jimmy Kent from English, but strongest for Keanu. Her best friend, the boy who she’d traded lunch with, her first phone call when she was crowned Homecoming queen, as if it were the greatest honor. Her closet confidant, her everything.

Keanu stared back at her, lips slightly parted, breathing her sweet scent of jasmine mixing with the salty sea breeze. Her pink lips stood out against her wind blown skin and Keanu cocked a lop-sided smile as he brushed away an escaped strand of hair. It would have been so easy to just lean forward and kiss her, see if she tasted like beer, the popcorn they had had at the movie earlier or something entirely different. It would have been easy, but for some reason, the thought didn’t even reach the front of his mind. She was his friend and probably didn’t even see him as anything more and besides, they would be separated by the end of the year, for months, probably years.

That night, they broke apart, feeling like something was missing as Keanu drove them back to her place, he was sleeping over, except that night, like every other night since they were twelve, he slept in the spare room, dry wall between them. As they laid in bed, they tried to decipher what had changed while they sat on the beach, but neither of them could figure it out. So instead, they just laid on their backs, thinking until finally losing the battle to sleep.

1991 “I watched it last night!” Y/n squealed, covering the mouth of the phone as she sat in her small office at a law firm in San Francisco. It had been eight years since that night at the beach, though neither Keanu nor Y/n had managed to figure out what was missing that night. Since then, when ever they saw each other, there were always little self-contained moments much like that one, but they had somehow managed to keep brushing it off. They had also managed to remain close despite the distance, often exchanging long phone calls and meeting when schedules allowed it. Just a couple months ago, he had flown to the city for her birthday.

“Yeah?” Keanu asked, smile audible even if he were miles away, “And what did you think?”

“What do you think I thought?” Y/n exclaimed, hoping the person in the other office wouldn’t hear her, “It was amazing. Though Swayze gives you a run for your money. You’re gonna have to step up you game Reeves, or I’m going to replace that poster of you in my living room.”

“You wouldn’t dare,” he scoffed, trying to suppress his laughter.

“Don’t test me,” she warned playfully, “You know I’ve loved him since Dirty Dancing.”

“No one puts baby in a corner,” he quoted with her, finally bursting into an episode of loud laughter.

As Y/n started laughing too, a senior attorney stuck his head in her office, offering her a pointed glare. Grimacing, she quickly contained herself, offering Keanu a hurried good bye, “I have to go,” she whispered, “Duty calls, petty criminals to defend, you know how it goes. I’ll call you later. Love you.”

“Okay. Later,” Keanu smiled sadly on his end, wishing she didn’t have to go that soon, “Love you too.”

1997 Countless successful movies and even more court cases later, found Keanu and Y/n still just as close, though finding less and less time for each other. She had just been the youngest woman to make partner at the firm and he was traveling the world again, promoting another movie. This one had peaked Y/n’s interest just a tad more than the others and when Keanu had first gotten the script, she was his first phone call. It was a supernatural mystery with it’s protagonist as a lawyer.

They had tried to make time for each other, they really had, but things kept getting in the way. Y/n was supposed to visit him in L.A a few weeks before, but ended up cancelling her fight because of an emergency hearing. And when Keanu was due to drop by her place while waiting for a connecting to somewhere in Europe, he had gotten caught up with an impromptu press event at the airport and had only been able to offer a quick call to her assistant’s desk as cancellation.

San Francisco..... Y/n sat on her sofa, curled up, clutching a glass of wine as she stared at the television. All the lights were off but a glow from the streetlights and the full moon washed her hardwood floors in a wide pool through the French windows on both sides of her living room. There was a thick blanket draped over her legs and an old sitcom played on the screen. Y/n had seen the episode several times before, thus no longer finding it humorous.

Most of her free nights went that way. Her routine revolved around work, home and sometimes, when the circumstances allowed it, working from home. By then, nearing her mid-thirties, long nights out with friends had become rare. Most of her work friends were in relationships or were already married with kids which meant that they were long past days of partying. Y/n herself was usually so wrapped up in work that she hardly made time for anything else. And the only person she was willing to make time for, didn’t have time for her. It was ironic, even if it wasn’t really ironic.

She missed him. In the truest sense of the word. Y/n knew that they were still just as close as they were twenty years ago, that she could still call him, for anything, even if was just to vent about an upsetting day. But it didn’t feel like that, by then, she had started to feel the effect of distance and equally busy lives. Taking a long drag of her wine, she sighed quietly, snatching up he remote, hoping to dig herself out of self pity with the rest of her wine and an interesting television show. She maintained pressure on the channel button, stations changing quickly, only stopping when she noticed a familiar movie. She had seen it before, obviously. Once after it’s initial release at the cinema and then after she had bought it on tape. Still, Y/n stopped channel surfing, favoring to watch a younger version of Keanu on television, even if it just made her miss him more.

He was one half of the lead, and unlike that the sitcom that played before, this never failed to make her laugh. Though, even the laughs and seeing him in the early days of his career, playing air guitar without a care in the world wasn’t enough to ease the hollowness in her heart. Sighing, Y/n pulled on a little metal chain to turn on the lamp on the end table next to her, picking up the framed photo that sat beneath it. It was one from her graduation; as promised, he had made it to England, cheering as loud as her parents as she crossed the stage to collect her degree. And afterwards, her father had taken that picture of them, on the steps of the university. Keanu’s arm was draped proudly over her shoulders and her head rested on his shoulders. People had thought she was his girlfriend. She had dismissed them with a playful wave, ignoring a pang of disappointment in the lowest pits of her stomach.

Maybe that’s what the feeling was. The one she had every time they were together. The reason she measured past boyfriends to Keanu. The feeling she got when they were together, the kind of comfort that buzzed with undertones of something she couldn’t recognize. Y/n was in love with her best friend. The question was; did he feel the same?

France... Keanu stumbled into his hotel room, more tired than he had been in a while. It was just past midnight, and his eyes were heavy as was his body, a gnarly combination of jet lag and plain ‘ole tire leaving him completely drained.

With and audible sigh that sounded more like a groan, Keanu slapped his hand against the switch, turning on the lights as he dumped his bags to the floor. He couldn’t even be bothered to ensure that they had made it to his bedroom safely. In fact, all he wanted was a hot shower and to flop face down in bed.

It might be better if Y/n were here.

What?

He had no idea where the thought came from, though the minute it entered his brain, he couldn’t get it out. She always made things better, her smile, they way she never let things bother her, her jokes that he poorly pretended to hate. She was his best friend.

But could she be more?

With furrowed brows, Keanu dragged himself to the shower, tossing articles of clothing to places that would leaving him searching when he was ready to pack up in a few days. Just about fifteen minutes later, he was dropping into bed clad in only a pair of sweats, ready to submit to dreamland, or black nothingness for the next five hours. Whatever came first or at all.

Unfortunately, neither of it came, and an hour later, Keanu still laid in bed wide eyed. There was no real issue, but thoughts of Y/n kept him awake. Nothing in particular, it was more like a jumble of everything over the past two decades. Well three, kind of. Twenty nine was the exact number. They had met when she was three and he was four, at a park in the town they had grown up in. He was the new kid and she was the girl who had been nice enough to be his friend. They had been inseparable since then.

And now they were thousands of miles apart and she was all he could think about.

Without thinking much of it, Keanu turned on his side, grabbed the phone and without caring about excess charges or the time, he dialed the number for her apartment.

It rang for a while and the disappointingly went to voicemail. He huffed and frown. Then it really hit his sleep-deprived mind; the time difference! After checking the old-fashioned alarm clock and some quick calculations, Keanu found that it was probably just around four pm, which either meant she was still at her office or in her car, on her way home. And for the sake of being able to fall asleep soon, he hoped it was the former.

Quickly, he punched in the numbers and waited for her secretary to pick up, hurriedly asking to be put through to her office, neglecting to provide his name. “Hello?”

“Y/n, hey,” he smiled at the sound of her voice, just that was enough to make the make the night better.

“Keanu!” Y/n greeted with a little more enthusiasm, “Wait, isn’t it like one in the morning there? What the hell are you doing up?”

Keanu laughed quietly at her concern, “It’s quarter to two,” he corrected, “I don’t know, I guess I just wanted to hear your voice.”

Thankfully he wasn’t there to see it when Y/n blushed, “Well aren’t you sweet?”

“Oh please,” he scoffed, he didn’t even feel tired as he fell into easy conversation with her, “Like you didn’t already know.”

She hummed, searching for a witty come back, “Well, even if I did, we haven’t spoken in so long that it’s easy to forget.”

“Ouch,” Keanu feigned offence, slapping his hand to his bare chest, “Twenty-nine years and I’m still forgettable.”

“Oh shut up,” Y/n playfully dismissed with a giggle. Her tone sobered when she asked, “It really has been that long, hasn’t it?”

“It has. I can’t believe we still like each other. You put cream in your coffee,” he noted with mock disgust.

Y/n rolled her eyes, “Okay Mr. Four-Sugars.” The line went silent or a while and Y/n thought that he might have fallen asleep on her, picturing him with the phone forgotten in his lap as he slouched down, lashes fanning over his cheeks as soft snores controlled his even breathing. “You still there?” She probed quietly.

“Yeah,” Keanu breathed, “Just thinking.”

“About?” Y/n’s voice was musical and soothing and Keanu itched to tell her how he really felt. The only thing holding him back was the feeling that he should do it in person instead of over the phone. That and the worrisome thought that she might not feel the same.

Despite the debate going on his head, his confession almost left his lips, I’m in love with you. Almost. He missed the moment by a hair and Y/n hurriedly blurted out, “I have to go! One of my clients just got arrested. Again,” before she could even finish, it sounded like she was packing up to leave.

“Is everything okay?” Keanu asked, worry edging his tone.

“Yeah,” Y/n searched under a stack of papers for her car keys, “It’s just, you know, he’s one of our biggest clients. And I’m his lawyer. And the IRS has been investigating him. So you know, no big deal or whatever.”

“It sounds like a big deal Y/n. Are you going to be okay?”

Y/n huffed on her end, finally taking a breath, almost swooning at Keanu’s concern, “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I have to go, but thanks for calling. Bye.”

“Bye,” the line clicked dead and Keanu replaced the receiver and leaned back into the headboard with a defeated sigh.

Opportunity; missed.

1998 Months after his missed opportunity over the phone; Keanu still hadn’t confessed his feelings. After that, the moment never seemed right. There was always an interruption or too many people around. Too quiet or too loud. It was never really right. Worst yet, Y/n seemed oblivious to the whole thing. She kept going on dates, rambling on about that one guy from accounting. Keanu didn’t admit it, but it kind of stung.

Even as he stood outside of her front door, Keanu tried to think of the right moment, a way to get her alone. It was the night of her thirty-third birthday party. He had helped her plan it, mostly over the phone, listening to her get excited over music and decorations. Keanu had listened for an uncountable amount of hours, and he would again if it meant spending time with her.

Letting out a shaking breath, Keanu tried the knob, eyes widening at the amount of people filling her living room and kitchen. After a few minutes of searching, Keanu found her near the drinks table with a cup in hand, surrounded by female friends, “Y/n,” he smiled, trying to integrate himself without drawing too much attention.

“Keanu!” Y/n’s face lit up and she pulled him into a hug, “You’re here!”

“Of course,” he laughed, giving her an affectionate squeeze, ignoring the stares of her friends, “It’s your birthday. Happy birthday Y/n.” When they broke, he held out a bouquet of flowers, the little card reading, ‘Wishing the greatest girl the happiest of birthdays’. The words were scribbled in his handwriting. “It’s the worst card, I know,” he dismissed.

Y/n dropped her shoulders, “I love it. Thank you,” she kissed his cheek, “I’m going to put these in water. And away from the drunk people. Come with?”

“Sure,” Keanu followed her to her crowded kitchen, offering a quick hello to her family. Then, he trailed behind her as she headed for her bedroom, placing the glass vase near her bedside.

Then it hit him; they were alone, tucked safely away from intrusive eyes and ears. There couldn’t have been a better moment.

She was already near the door when he tried to stall, “You changed the color,” Keanu gestured to the walls.

“Uhh, nope. Just had a fresh coat put on. When powder blue starts looking like grey, you know it’s time to repaint,’ Y/n smiled, already turning around.

“Wait!” He called, probably louder than he needed to.

“Alright,“ Y/n seemed confused, but she had entertained stranger moments with him, “Everything okay Ke?”

“Yeah,” he breathed, “Can we sit?”

“I don’t see why not,” Y/n was first to plop onto the bed, patting the spot next to her. He hesitated, but finally sat so their knees were touching. “Are you gonna say something or....”

“I am. I want to,” he rambled, suddenly more nervous than he had ever been, “Y/n,” he began with a deep breath. There he was, going to lay it all on the table, hoping he might be in good enough graces so she’d feel the same. If she didn’t, then he might lose his best friend, his rock for the past thirty years. His one constant, the woman who had gone from just a girl down the street who he’d have lunch with every day, despite the teases that he was friends with someone a grade younger, to his home. That’s what she was, four letters encompassing everything that Y/n was. Home. “Y/n,” he said again, “I think......I think I might be in love with you.”

Y/n pulled her lower lip between her teeth, tiling her head as she shifted to regard him curiously, keeping her hands clasped loosely in her lap. She felt the same, she had for a long time, but Y/n never expected that she’d get a moment like that. One where he confessed his feelings. In fact, for almost a year, she had thought that something like it could only exist in her fantasies, but there they were.

Her mind raced, recalling memories, him telling her about other women he was interested in; she had been privy to the retelling of secret dates and the times where he’d tell her that it wasn’t going to work between them, that he didn’t want to hurt anyone but he didn’t see things going anywhere. Or worst yet, when they had broken up with him. God, she had hated seeing him heart broken. Not moping really, but putting up a façade that was only dropped around her. The little despondent frown that he’d wear for a few weeks, the long talks on the phone where she’d tell him that it was their loss, that he was great, that any woman would be lucky to be in his life. That she’d take all the heartbreak away if she could. Keanu would just chuckle sadly and say that he was just glad he hadn’t lost his favorite girl.

“Y/n,” he interrupted her thoughts, “Look, maybe I shouldn’t have said anything. Can we just go back and pretend it didn’t happen?”

Y/n scoffed a quiet laugh, “That would be a waste wouldn’t it?”

“What do you mean?” His brows furrowed, half with worry half with confusion.

“Well,” Y/n’s hand rose to cup Kean’s face, her thumb caressing his cheek, “I‘m in love with you too.”

“I......” Keanu trailed off. Of all the scenarios he had cooked up in his head, they all ended in rejection of some sort. In fact, he hadn’t come up with one version where Y/n had returned his feelings, “I...don’t know what to say.....”

“Then, maybe kiss me?” She giggled and suddenly it was the best sound in the world.

“Okay,” Keanu leaned in, but as they were nose to nose, he paused again, “For the record, I thought you were gonna-”

He didn’t finish as Y/n pressed her lips to his, fingers sliding to curl in his hair. Their slow, sweet kiss felt different to everything that either of them had ever experienced. If felt filled with love, passion, decades worth of it. When they broke for air, Y/n laughed quietly, pressing her forehead to his, “You know, for a man of few words, you talk a lot.”

“Shut up,” he teased, caressing the back of her neck, “Can we do that again?”

“I’d hope so,” with that, he pulled Y/n back in, his lips moving against hers.

And just like that, two kids from Canada found that maybe, just maybe, all those summer afternoons spent playing ‘wedding’ might turn into something that wasn’t just a game. Maybe, even if it had taken thirty years, they could spend the next three decades and counting becoming what they had dreamed of.

(Another) A/n-Soooo......I loved doing this, a lot. Would you guys be interested in a drabble or, dare I say, a fic on their lives some years after? I might write that *shrugs in indecision*.

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