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karahalloway · 2 years ago

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“Um… wait I remember! You were saying that the Duke of Karlington used his dessert spoon instead of his soup spoon?”

Bertrand stammered, “W-what sort of oddly specific blather is that?! And there is no way that a Duke would confuse a soup spoon with a dessert spoon! They aren't even beside one another on the place setting for goodness sake!!”

'oddly specific blather! Spot on Bertrand! 👌

Bertrand sighed again and Max could tell he was pinching the bridge of his nose the way their father always did when he was annoyed with him. “Maxwell, don't be ridiculous! I sent you to an all boys school because you are of a.. certain age, and being around females is distracting! Soon you’ll be driving and taking women out on dates. I don’t want your budding hormones getting in the way of your education.”

Maxwell shook his head, “I’m gay, you idiot!”

Bertrand remained silent for a moment and scoffed, “Stop being foolish. This is not amusing.”

“Wow, thanks a lot for your support. I just came out to my brother and he calls me a fool. Good talk, Bertrand. Bye.”

Yeesh! Bert does not know his brother AT ALL!

Max felt tears prick the corner of his eyes. He wasn’t sure why he assumed Bertrand would be proud of him. It’s not like Bertrand was ever proud of Max, but it still stung just the same. “Oh you didn’t know?! That’s just something that us gays do! Ya, once you come out, you have to audition for a school play. Bonus points if you get to kiss a guy on stage!”

Poor guy... Not easy dealing with Bert on the best of days, not to mention a serious conversation like this... Hope Bert comes to the play to apologise and gets his socks blown off by Max's amazing performance!

Liam chuckled, “Nothing’s wrong! Sorry if I worried you! I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Whew! Not gonna lie, I thought someone had died!!” Maxwell felt like he could finally breathe again. “So what’s up?” Maxwell felt a tap on his shoulder and when he spun around, his jaw dropped. “OMG! What are you doing here!?”

AWWWW!

The next statement he heard made him sick to his stomach. “So that’s why he got the lead role.”

“We’ll see what the parents think about this blatant favoritism the faculty is showing Beaumont. I know mine won’t be happy. They’ve donated lots of money to this school and how are they being repaid?”

OMG he's a total Draco Malfoy... 😒

Maxwell had reached his boiling point by then. He stood up and said, “Fine! If you want to audition, talk to Mr. Eldore, but there is no way you’ll get the part. You can't even remember to zip up your fly, much less memorize an entire script!”

HA! Go Max!

“I mean.. You’re just this amazing, fearless person. You’re so optimistic and funny and.. I really admire you.”

Max turned to Liam, who was still staring ahead. His cheeks held a faint blush that made Maxwell's stomach flutter. “Wow. That’s the nicest thing anyone has probably ever said to me.”

Liam looked at him with a tender expression he had never seen before. “Well I mean it. Every word.”

Liam leaned in until his forehead was touching Max’s and he tenderly stroked his jaw. “Max.. I.. I-”

A boom from the entrance to the auditorium caused them to split apart quickly. The doors had been thrown open and Mr. Eldore strode in wearing a grin. “My word, it’s true! Your Highness, I am thrilled to have you in our humble theater!”

ARGH! BAD TIMING MR ELDORE!

They looked at each other skeptically. Sam, the most senior guard, responded. “Sir, no disrespect, but you are a seventeen year old boy. Your father has charged me with looking after your wellbeing. I cannot in good conscience let you go into Lord Beaumont’s bedroom without supervision.”

😒

Geez, they are overprotective!

“Hey.. Why did the student eat his homework?”

Liam quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “Why?”

“Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!

Maxwell tapped the microphone and smiled. “Good evening, good evening. Well I’m happy to be here in Lythikos - the land of ice and snow. The only duchy in Cordonia where the temperature outside matches the temperature inside Olivia’s heart.”

So it’s Olivia’s sixteenth birthday. Tell me, Liv, what's that in people years?”

A loud guffaw from the crowd caught his attention and he saw Drake holding a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking as he attempted not to laugh.

Hahahaha! Of course Drake is going to be loving it! 🤣🤣🤣 Olivia is probably planning his murder too

Suddenly he felt the soft, gentle warmth of Liam’s hand slide into his own. He opened his eyes abruptly and looked at his best friend. It was all he could do not to squeal with joy. The two shared a smile and lay together for the next half hour, hand in hand, enjoying the music and company, until Liam had to return home.

Maxwell's Jolly Holiday Pt. 2

Book - The Royal Romance AU

Pairings -Liam x Maxwell

Synopsis- This story gives a glimpse into Maxwell’s high school days at an all boys school where he joins the drama club and performs in his first play. This is set as a prequel to my fic, Unintentional, but can definitely be read as a standalone fic too! This ‘one shot’ has taken on a life of its own and will probably end up being 3 parts.

Warnings- swearing, some crude language, a few homophobic comments from bullies

Word count- 4,150

Catch up here.

Part 2 - Like Somethin’ is Brewin’, About to Begin

The following week was exhausting and exciting as Maxwell began rehearsal and studying his lines. He had made several new friends and actually had someone to sit with at lunch time. But all too soon it was time for his usual Sunday afternoon phone call/scolding from Bertrand. He had learned how to tune Bertrand out and just respond based on the tone of voice he was currently using. He lay on his bed, reading over his lines while Bertrand was using his ‘disappointed voice’. Max had completely checked out, robotically responding with “you’re right” and “I’ll try to work on that.”

After a while, Bertrand cleared his throat, “are you even listening to me?!”

“Hmm?” Max snapped back to attention, “I mean, yes, of course.”

“What was I saying?”

Max thought for a minute and stretched out on the bed, “you were talking about.. my grades?”

“Wrong.”

“Myyyyy stunning good looks?”

“No.”

“Um… wait I remember! You were saying that the Duke of Karlington used his dessert spoon instead of his soup spoon?”

Max couldn’t help but chuckle, “Sorry, it just seemed like something you’d say.”

“Get serious. I didn’t send you to the most elite finishing school in Europe so you could fool around. I sent you so that you could grow up and learn to make something of yourself.”

“Ya right..” Max said under his breath.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“You sent me because you wanted to get rid of me.”

Bertrand heaved a long sigh, “not this again.”

“Everybody knows it! Why else would you send me to an all boys boarding school hours away from home? I was going to a perfectly good school in Ramsford and had decent grades and a ton of friends!”

Bertrand raised his voice, “To get you a proper education with no distractions!”

Maxwell sat up on the bed, gripping the phone tighter. “Distractions? What, like my friends?! You thought I’d fit in better with the snobs at this place?!”

Maxwell burst into laughter, “well you’re a few years too late on that one Bert.”

“What?! What do you mean?”

“Maybe you should've had this conversation with me when I was like.. twelve. I’m sixteen now, bro. The hormones have been running rampant for a while!” Max wiped a tear away as he continued to laugh, “And not to burst your bubble, but sending me to an all boys school was about the worst thing you could have done if you didn’t want me distracted!”

Bertrand was flabbergasted on the other line, “What are you saying? I don’t understand.”

“Are you really serious right now?”

“Maxwell, you know I hate when you do this. Just spit it out!”

Maxwell shook his head, “I’m gay, you idiot!”

Bertrand remained silent for a moment and scoffed, “Stop being foolish. This is not amusing.”

“Wow, thanks a lot for your support. I just came out to my brother and he calls me a fool. Good talk, Bertrand. Bye.”

“Wait! Wait!” Bertrand interrupted. “Why are you saying this? Are you trying to upset me?”

“I’m trying to point out what I thought had been painfully obvious for the past few years. I. Am. Gay.”

Bertrand once again went silent on the other line. So long so, that Maxwell thought he hung up. “Are you being serious, Maxwell? How can you be sure?”

Max ran a hand down his face and lay back on his pillows, “I don’t know how to tell you this any more clearly. I like boys. I am attracted to boys. I am not attracted to girls. Seriously, how did you not know this?”

“Well.. you’re still young. Maybe you just haven’t met the right girl yet. Maybe you’re just confused.”

“Don’t. Just.. no. Don’t do that.” The brothers remained silent for a long time until Max spoke up again. “I get it if you need some time to process or whatever, but I have to go.”

��Right. Uh, I’ll let you get back to studying,” Bertrand said quietly.

Feeling like he had nothing to lose at this point Max said, “Oh I’m not studying. I’m reading my lines. I auditioned for the school play, and I actually got one of the lead roles.”

“The school play? How will you have time to do your actual studies if you’re playing around on stage?!”

“Maxwell..” Bertrand sighed.

Tears streamed down his cheeks, and even though he wanted to cry, he forced his words out. “No! I’m done talking to you! I don’t know why I ever assumed that you would approve of anything I do! Even when you’re not here to scold me on a daily basis, you still make me feel like shit!”

Maxwell hung up the phone and tossed it across the room. Putting his pillow over his face, he cried until he drifted into a dreamless sleep.

____________________________________________

Over the next few weeks, Max ignored any and all phone calls and texts from Bertrand, instead focusing completely on the play. He was amazed at how naturally it all came to him. He always knew he was good at dancing, but acting was like a hidden gem deep inside of him that had been unearthed. He loved it.

While in the lunchroom one day, Max, Eddie, and the other theater kids were talking animatedly about the upcoming play.

“So a couple of the chicks from the girls' school are coming to the next rehearsal," Eddie said, smacking on a carrot stick. “It’ll be like the real deal having everyone together on stage.”

“Oh that's great!” Max smiled. “I hope they’re nice.”

Just then, his phone vibrated repeatedly. He snuck it out of the pocket of his uniform pants and checked it under the table. Liam. It wasn’t like him to call in the middle of a school day. Hopefully nothing was wrong. Max leaned forward to answer the call as discreetly as possible.

“Liam?”

“Hey Max!”

“What’s going on? Did something happen?!”

Liam chuckled, “Nothing’s wrong! Sorry if I worried you! I just wanted to tell you something.”

“Surprise!” Liam was standing before him with two palace guards on either side, scanning the room.

Maxwell jumped up and threw his arms around his best friend, holding him tightly. “It’s so good to see you!”

By that time, everyone in the cafeteria was turned to see Maxwell Beaumont hugging the Prince of their nation. Liam and Maxwell, however, only seemed to notice each other. Max grinned, looking him up and down. Liam seemed like he had gotten taller since the last time he saw him a few months ago, and his hair was longer and a little shaggier. He looked good. Really good. Max felt the butterflies return to his stomach in full force.

Liam grinned, “So I may have pulled some strings and gotten you relieved from your classes for the rest of the day.”

“Score!” Max beamed and pulled Liam down next to him at their table. He introduced Liam to his theater friends who were flabbergasted that the prince was actually talking to them. Eddie asked, “Why didn’t you tell us you’re friends with Prince Liam?”

Max shrugged, “It never came up!”

Eddie laughed, “Well damn.. I guess that’s true. You friends with any other nobles? The Queen of England perhaps?”

Max thought for a moment. “Well my brother is the Duke of Ramsford and I’m kind of acquainted with the Duchess of Lythikos, although she may or may not hate me-”

“Hold it, hold it..” Eddie froze. “Your brother is a Duke? So you’re noble too?!”

Max shrugged and the rest of the theater group gawked at him. Suddenly everyone around them was whispering and lobbing questions at the younger Beaumont. “Why didn’t you tell us? Are you rich? Are you gonna be a Duke one day? How big is your duchy? Do you have an arranged marriage?”

“Whoa guys, chill!” Max held up his hands attempting to calm everyone down.

The next statement he heard made him sick to his stomach. “So that’s why he got the lead role.”

Maxwell turned around to see Jason, one of the boys who had teased him before his audition weeks ago. His mouth fell open, but he couldn’t make a sound.

Eddie stood up and rolled his eyes. “Jason, fuck off.”

Jason got closer and stared down at Eddie who was about a foot shorter than him. “You wanna make me, nerd?”

Liam jumped up and held his hands in front of him, “Ok everyone, let's calm down.” His guards were mere inches away, ready to intervene if needed. “If there’s an issue here why don’t we try to solve it calmly?”

Jason scoffed, “Your Highness, I was simply pointing out that Beaumont clearly only got the lead role because he’s a Lord and best friends with you.” He rolled his eyes, “Do you know how many of us were there to audition? It’s not fair that we didn’t get an equal chance just because we're not noble.”

Eddie scowled at him, “You weren’t there to audition! You just wanted to hook up with the lead actress! And no one even knew Max was a noble then!”

“I'm sure the teachers did!” Jason said, “I think we should all get to audition again.”

“You don’t give a shit about this play!” Eddie raised his voice, “Stop being an asshole, just to be an asshole!”

Jason looked down at his open pants zipper and the theater group burst into laughter. He quickly zipped his pants and stormed away, still fuming.

“That was fucking hilarious, man!” Eddie clapped Maxwell on the back.

Maxwell felt a swell of pride. He wasn’t sure if that was the last he was going to hear about the whole Jason incident, but he shut him up and it felt great.

“Now that that’s been taken care of..” Liam grinned ear to ear. “..I would love it if Max could show me around. I’ve never even been to school before. All I have are private tutors.”

“Yes!” Maxwell took Liam’s hand and enthusiastically started leading him away.

Liam chuckled and waved behind him to the theater group, “It was nice meeting all of you!”

______________________________________________________________

Maxwell led Liam through the halls of his school, trying to ignore the whispers and stares of the other students who gawked at the Prince. He showed him his fencing club practice area, the stables where his horse resided, and a few of his classrooms. But Maxwell was most excited about showing Liam the theater. He pushed open the double doors and led him inside with a grin. “This is where the play is gonna be. We practice here every Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.”

Liam looked around the grand auditorium in wonder. “Too bad you aren’t practicing today. I’d love to see you up on stage.”

Max chuckled and actually felt himself blushing. “Really?”

“Duh!” Liam laughed and sat down in a front row seat. “Hey, why don’t you give me a little preview?”

“Now?!” Maxwell stepped back. “But there’s no music or any other people on stage or anything!”

“I'll go up with you!” Liam raced up the stairs and onto the stage. “Wow, it’s so big up here.. And open! I’d be terrified to be up here reciting lines in front of all those people.”

Maxwell climbed the steps and stood beside him, looking out at the hundreds of empty seats. “Well thanks for putting a new fear in my head!”

Liam grimaced, “Sorry.”

Maxwell burst out laughing and nudged his friend. “I’m joking. I don’t know why, but I actually love it. Weird, huh?”

They stood beside each other, taking in the beauty of the theater and Liam smiled, looking out ahead. “No. It’s not weird. Not for someone like you.”

Max was taken aback. Someone like him? “What do you mean?”

“I mean.. You’re just this amazing, fearless person. You’re so optimistic and funny and.. I really admire you.”

Max turned to Liam, who was still staring ahead. His cheeks held a faint blush that made Maxwell's stomach flutter. “Wow. That’s the nicest thing anyone has probably ever said to me.”

Liam looked at him with a tender expression he had never seen before. “Well I mean it. Every word.”

Maxwell stepped closer. It was as if each of them were connected by a magnetic pull and fighting the attraction was futile. Liam’s chest was nearly touching his by now and Max swallowed hard. He felt his breath start to come quickly but the warm touch of Liam’s hand on his cheek stopped his heart completely. Liam leaned in until his forehead was touching Max’s and he tenderly stroked his jaw. “Max.. I.. I-”

Liam’s posture immediately changed back to the one Max had seen thousands of times before. He was in prince mode. “The pleasure is all mine. This theater is beautiful, and the architecture is just stunning..”

While Liam and Mr. Eldore were talking, Maxwell’s mind was racing a mile a minute. Liam had almost kissed him. Liam had almost kissed him. Liam had almost kissed him! That’s what was about to happen, right? He fought the urge to lean over and ask one of Liam’s guards his opinion on the matter. No, that would be too weird. It was already weird enough that they had been right there and seen the whole thing. His palms were sweaty and he attempted to calm his heart rate before any attention was brought to him.

Liam turned to Max with a grin, “I’m actually here visiting my dear friend, Maxwell Beaumont.”

Mr. Eldore looked delighted. “Your friend?! Well, I hope that means you will be attending the play in a couple months! We would be honored to have you in our theater. Of course the entire royal family is invited.”

Liam winked at Maxwell, “It’ll just be me and maybe another one of our mutual friends, but we’ll definitely be there opening night.”

“Well that is fantastic!” Mr. Eldore bowed. “Maxwell, you just let me know all the details and I will personally see to it that everything is perfect.”

“Thank you.” Liam smiled cordially as Mr. Eldore left the building and they were once again left alone. Well.. alone plus two guards.

Max shuffled his feet and smiled awkwardly at his friend. “I think I’ve shown you everything now.”

Liam put his hands in his pockets, grinning. “Well you haven’t shown me your bedroom.”

“M-my bedroom?!” Maxwell’s voice cracked like a prepubescent boy. He cleared his throat and nodded. “Right. Ya.. of course. My bedroom!”

“Unless you don’t want to.”

“No! No, I definitely want to take you to my bedroom!” Max felt his face grow hot. “No! I mean.. I mean I can definitely show it to you.. my room, I mean!”

The two of them chuckled awkwardly and Max tried to think of a good lie to cover for his dorkiness. “It’s just a little messy is all. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Nah. Your room is always messy, Beaumont! Has that ever stopped me before?” Liam teased and the boys laughed sincerely, thankful that some of the tension had cleared.

Once they reached Maxwell's door, Liam turned to his guards. “Can you just stay outside?”

Liam flushed, “Oh my God, what do you think is going to happen in there?!”

The guards glanced at each other and Sam cleared his throat. “I.. uh..”

“Just do a sweep and let me have some time alone to catch up with my friend.” Liam looked at Sam pleadingly. “Please?”

After a moment considering, Sam nodded. Once the room had been cleared and the guards left, the boys sat on the bed together. The insinuation from the guards had left them feeling a little uncomfortable. Maxwell tried to break the tension. “Hey.. Why did the student eat his homework?”

Liam quirked an eyebrow and smiled. “Why?”

“Because the teacher told him it was a piece of cake!”

Liam laughed loudly, “That is so bad! And I love it!” Maxwell joined in and soon they were laughing uncontrollably, laying on Maxwell’s bed. Liam rolled over to face him. “You always make me laugh. Remember when you tried to do a roast at Olivia’s sweet sixteen?”

Maxwell groaned and covered his face, “First of all it was only 2 years ago, so of course I remember. And second of all, it was the day I was nearly murdered. One doesn’t usually forget that day.”

Liam chuckled, “Everyone was going up to the mic and wishing her happy birthday, then along comes Max with his note cards and just totally demolishes her!”

“Shut up!” Maxwell shoved Liam playfully. “I thought she’d like it!”

“You thought she’d like you asking how she manages to create a hairstyle that covers her horns?”

Maxwell laughed, “Drake liked it!”

2 years ago:

Liam had just taken his turn at the mic in the ballroom of Lythikos, cordially wishing Olivia a happy birthday. Max was seated across from the small stage, not so patiently waiting for his turn. He shuffled the note cards in his hand with a grin. This was going to be great. Olivia was surely tired of all the generic birthday wishes, but HE was going to give her something to remember.

He sauntered on stage and winked at Bertrand, who for some reason looked nervous by the gesture. Little did Bertrand know that Max was about to have everyone in this room rolling with laughter.

Max waited, but was only met by a crowd of shocked faces. Ok, maybe that joke wasn’t the best, but he had more. He cleared his throat and flipped to the next card. “So it’s Olivia’s sixteenth birthday. Tell me, Liv, what's that in people years?”

A loud guffaw from the crowd caught his attention and he saw Drake holding a hand over his mouth, shoulders shaking as he attempted not to laugh. Liam was seated beside Drake, staring at Max wide eyed.

Hey, maybe this was good stuff after all. Drake never laughed but he was loving it! Feeling encouraged, Max flipped to the next card. “So Olivia I love your new hairstyle!” He turned to face her and grinned, “how did you manage to hide the horns?”

Once again the room was met by silence other than the boisterous laughter coming solely from Drake Walker. Surely everyone would get the jokes soon and then the whole room would be full of joy. He glanced over at Olivia and her face was as red as a tomato. Must be from holding in her laughter. He flipped to the next card.

“Liv, there’s a saying that always reminds me of you: ‘Two wrongs don’t make a right.’ Take your parents for example.”

Drake continued to laugh and Bertrand whispered loudly, “Maxwell Percival Beaumont, get down here right now!”

Max leaned away from the mic to speak to his brother, “Don’t worry, the jokes are about to get better!” Max flipped to the next card and cleared his throat, “Speaking of parents.. Olivia’s parents are dead-”

Just then, the mic was ripped out of his hand by his brother. Bertrand forced a chuckle and spoke into the microphone. “Um, best wishes on your sixteenth birthday Lady Olivia. My brother and I are very grateful for the invite to your party but I’m afraid something urgent has come up and we must take our leave. Goodnight everyone.”

Bertrand quickly ushered Maxwell out of the ballroom and down an empty hallway before turning to face him. “ARE YOU INSANE!?”

“What?”

“You used her birthday party to insult her? And you were about to ridicule her dead parents!”

Max shook his head. Of course Bertrand had no idea what comedy was. “It’s not insulting, it’s called a roast! It’s the highest honor you can give someone!”

Bertrand ran a hand down his face, “My God, Maxwell. We have to get out of here.”

“Why?”

Just then, the ballroom doors slammed and the sound of high heels stomping down the hallway grew closer and closer. Olivia rounded the corner, looking like a wild animal, and pointed at Maxwell. “YOU!!!”

“Run, brother!” Bertrand shouted and Max took off as fast as he could. Why was Olivia so angry? Maybe she needed someone to explain what a roast was, but Max wasn’t about to stop running to do so.

Eventually he gave her the slip and crammed himself in a dumbwaiter to hide. A terrifying hour later Olivia gave up hunting him and returned to the party. He and Bertand slipped out and weren’t invited to Lythikos ever again.

“I still don’t think she knows what a roast is!” Max chuckled and shook his head, laying next to Liam.

Liam laughed, “Maxwell Beaumont, you are the only person in the world brave enough or crazy enough to ‘roast’ Olivia Nevrakis.”

The two lay together in contented silence, simply enjoying each other’s company. “When do you have to leave?” Max asked quietly.

Liam sighed, “Soon probably.”

Maxwell felt his heart drop. “Oh.”

Liam checked his watch with a frown. “I have a stupid meeting early tomorrow morning with Leo, my father, and the council. I have to start learning about amending treaties and other bullshit.”

“Well we have at least a few more minutes together.” Max turned over to face Liam and smiled, “Wanna hear some new music?”

Liam smiled, “Sure.”

Maxwell grabbed his phone and scrolled through to his newest favorite album. It wasn’t dance music like he usually favored, but had more of an indie romance vibe. Max closed his eyes, heavily in his feelings about listening to love songs next to Liam. His body was so close, Max could feel the warmth radiating from him and he was trying his best not to get too excited.. In more ways than one.

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kayteewritessteve · 6 years ago

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If Only You Knew - 1/19

Description: You arrive home one day to find a wedding invite for two of your best friends from high school. You knew this day was going to come eventually, but even with that said, you weren’t prepared to return home. At least not after 7 years of avoiding Buckhannon, West Virginia. Or rather, avoiding him; your ex-best friend and the secret love of your life. But maybe it was finally time to face your past, to face him, and everything else that happened on that horrible night. Who would have knew that your prom would end up being a total disaster, and the very last night you’d spend in Buckhannon for the next 7 years? you certainly didn’t. That’s for sure.

Catch up HERE.

Word Count: 6,790 ish. This one is a giant, you’ll get that reference soon! ;)

Pairing: Modern!Steve Rogers x Reader.

Rating: 18+

Warnings: Violence. Drinking. Flashbacks to moments of abuse and near rape. Possible triggering thoughts, feelings and emotions. Moments of bullying and harsh name calling. Lots of curse words. And a very sloooow burn.

A/N: I sadly don’t own any of these characters. And no beta reader, so I do proudly own all the errors and this story, so there’s that.

Posting this chapter now, instead of the 14th because I’m weak and impatient! Hahaha.

FYI. I few things to know before you start. This chapter will be the hardest one to get through, IMO. And I have used both the Marvel movie characters and a few from the comics, but I decided to keep the antagonist and friends as OC’s. This story will flip back and forth from readers POV and Steves, each chapter. Oh, and also, this is a total AU, so I have created familys and backgrounds for all the Marvel characters. So just go along with those! Haha. But anywho, I hope you enjoy the ride!

January 2018.

As you began to trudge up the stairs to your third floor Boston apartment, you cram your mail into your over the shoulder bag for safe keeping. The same mail you had just retrieved from your mailbox, located right inside the front doors of your apartment building.

The building itself wasn’t anything special, it had a basic cream stucco exterior, with outdated features. There was minimal decor in the lobby aside from a couple fake floor plants and an ungodly large gold framed mirror, that sat hanging on the ugly ivory coloured walls. The elevator in the lobby was the same metal gold colour as the mirrors frame which also matched the mailboxes, and the frame around the front door. They all looked like they had never been updated in the 30 years since the apartment was built.

Speaking of outdated, the elevator had clearly also never been replaced, the thing was older than you. You’d vowed to never use the damn thing ever again after it had gotten stuck, within a week of you moving in. And yes, it had broken down with you trapped, alone, inside it. Long story short, a few handsome men from the local fire department had to come rescue your ass, but that was after almost 3 hours of you sitting on the floor, of the malfunctioning death trap. 3 hours you spent alone in a damn elevator before anyone even realized you were there. No, you and the elevator were not friends. Stairs were much smarter, much less likely to kill you in a freak accident, and helped keep your butt lookin’ good. Or at least that’s what you told yourself every time you’d find yourself standing at the bottom of them.

You reached your suite’s door, which was located on the left, at the very end of a long hall. You had lucked out and gotten a west facing corner unit, which gave you more windows and glorious sunshine in the afternoon. Though, being that it was mid January, the sunny days were few and far between. You grabbed your keys out of your bag and unlocked the door, as you walked in you pulled your bags strap over your head and set it on the kitchen counter. Your foot gently tapped the door closed, then you toed off your shoes and headed for your bedroom. The apartment wasn’t anything fancy either, the walls were all basic white and the fixtures were older, but you made it your home nonetheless.

You changed into some comfy clothes then headed into the kitchen to grab your bag off the counter, having a few tests to finish grading before you could fully relax for the night. Being a middle school teacher was both challenging and rewarding, but you loved every second of it. You had only been a full time teacher for about 6 months now, but you couldn’t imagine doing anything else. Your students had become such a huge part of your life, feeling almost like having a bunch of nieces and nephews around all day. They were a handful somedays, but you adored them all, and saw the true potential in every one of them.

You plopped down on the couch and opened your bag, pulling out the folder with the tests you needed to grade. As you did the mail you had picked up on your way in, fell out of your bag and onto the floor. You reached down to pick them up then started to sift through them, mostly all bills, as per usual. However, then your eyes landed on a beautiful embossed ivory envelope in the stack. You put the other mail down and turned it over in your hands. It had a ruby red ribbon tied around it, near the end width wise. The envelope was sealed with the initials ‘N&B’ pressed into red wax on the back. You slipped the ribbon off and broke the wax seal, pulling out a gorgeous ivory card with black and red cursive writing. It was clearly a wedding invitation. You’d be lying if you said you hadn’t expected this invite to show up one day, they had both basically been made for each other. You’d never known two people who worked better together than they did. Or at least, two people in an actual relationship who worked that well together.

“So Nat and Bucky are finally making it official,” you said out loud to yourself as there was no one else in your apartment, “took them fucking long enough.” You laughed. But then abruptly stopped when the realization hit you. The only way you could attend this wedding was to return home, to Buckhannon.

Your eyes sought out the wedding date, partially hoping it would be an inconvenient time and you could use it as an excuse. But another part of you also hoped you could maybe attend, that this could maybe be your excuse. You counted quickly in your head, it was 6 months from now, so mid July, and by that time it would be damn near 7 years since you’d left. 7 years since you had last stepped foot in that small town. And 7 years since that awful night that drove you away from the town ….and him…

July 2011 - 6 ½ years ago.

You arrived at the outdoor prom after party, on the arm of your date, Brock. He had asked you almost two weeks ago to prom but you had stalled for a week, that is until you heard the news, and finally agreed to go with him. Knowing full well it was your only option now. Well, aside from going alone that is.

As the night continued on, Brock insisted on constantly supplying you with booze, all night. It became like his damn life’s mission to make sure your drink was always full and to your lips. You weren’t a big drinker, so you knew you’d be fall down drunk in no time, at the rate things were going. So whenever he’d turn his back to you, to talk to someone or whatever, you’d dump most of your drink out. Followed by quickly bringing it to your lips to act like you had actually chugged it. Always receiving an amused smirk from Brock, each time he thought you’d polished off half your drink in one go.

Your eyes would often drift over to the other side of the party, off near the tree line, where your so called best friend stood with his date. And each time they did, you’d take an actual chug of your drink then avert your eyes, before anyone noticed you staring. How he could come here with her pissed you off. He knew how she treated you. The hell she put you through. Yet, here he was, with her. Fucking Madeleine. Or ‘Madi’ as only her inner circle called her.

She had single handedly made it her high school mission to make your life a miserable hell. And she had been pretty damn successful at it. You didn’t think you’d have made it through high school if it wasn’t for Wanda, Nat, Hilde, Clint, Sam, Bucky and Steve. Though, if you were being honest, Steve was the true reason you had made it through.

From basically the moment you both had met, he had always been there for you. He’d quickly became your best friend—that is until recently. Your eyes wandered back over to him and Madeleine again, standing near the tree line, talking to Madi’s friends. You couldn’t even begin to describe in words how much you loathed Madeleine. You hadn’t even realized you were glaring at her till something beside her shifted and caught your eye. You flicked them over and they locked instantly on to his. Steves. He was watching you. For how long? Who fucking knows. But he had seen you looking, that much you knew. Shit!

You quickly turned your head to face Brock again, taking a generous gulp of your drink as you did. Brock smirked at that and you gave him a tight lipped smile in return. You had just been caught aggressively shooting daggers at your best— was he even still that? Let’s go with just ‘friend’ for now— at your ‘friends’ prom date. Or as you liked to call her, the She-Witch aka your archenemy. Fucking Madeleine Karlington—

“How you doing?” Brock’s voice cut through your thoughts, and you instantly felt kinda bad for basically ignoring him all night, while you jealously seethed over Steve bringing Madeleine to prom.

“Good,” you said and faked a happy smile.

“I mean, how are you feeling?” He asked as he gestured to the drink in your hand.

“Oh,” you clued in to what he meant, then nodded, “Drunk.” You lied as you realized he currently thought you had actually been drinking all the beverages. You know, the ones he had been supplying you throughout the whole night. Or rather, the whole after party.

“Good,” he nodded, “do you need another?”

You shook your head and lifted up your red solo cup to show him it was still like half full. Then your eyes wandered again, except this time they widened slightly once they reached their targets. Madeleine was now facing Steve, and just as you locked onto their figures, she basically pounced and started aggressively making out with him. You saw him tense up upon impact, you assumed it was just from the shock of her abrupt assault. Your eyes narrowed as you watched, telling yourself to look away but you just couldn’t do it. You couldn’t peal your eyes from them, it was like a car crash and you were watching as it happened. Your morbid curiosity getting the better of you.

After a few seconds Steve pulled away from the kiss, and removed Madi’s arms from around his neck. His eyes then snapped over to you and it instantly broke the weird trance you had been in. You clenched your jaw then turned back to Brock.

If Steve was going to be here and be all over his date, then why shouldn’t you do the same? This was your prom night after all, you had a date just like he did, why shouldn’t you also take advantage of that. And you really shouldn’t be this fucking affected by him kissing someone else, but you were. This 2 year long crush was getting really fucking old. Really fucking fast.

Still feeling Steve’s eyes drilling into you, you decided to give him the show now. It was petty and childish, and you knew that. But in all honesty, you also knew it would never have had the same effect on him, not like him kissing her had had on you. But you hoped it might at least piss him off, even if it was only in a brotherly type of way. That’s basically what your friendship was, you were the lovesick girl, pinning over the boy she could never have. Dreaming about him and the love story that you’d never share. All while he was the boy that saw you like a little fucking sister, and that was it. So you kept your feelings to yourself, buried them down deep, and pretended like they didn’t exist. That is till something would trigger them and force them to bubble to the surface. Much like right fucking now.

You grabbed Brock by the back of the neck and pulled him into a spur of the moment kiss, pulling back a few seconds later as your fingers flew up to touch your lips. In your jealous rage, you had just given away your very first kiss to Brock. Completely forgetting that’s exactly what it would be, your first kiss. It was nothing like you had imagined, and it wasn’t very good at all. Nor was it with the person you’d dreamed it would have been with. Damnit. Way to fucking go.

“What was that for?” Brock asked with a raised brow.

“Nothing,” You shrugged nonchalantly, trying to play it off as less then it actually was to you. “Just felt like it.”

“Wanna go for a walk?” He asked.

You quickly glanced over at Steve, who was now glaring at you, he looked fucking pissed. He also knew that had been your first kiss. But let’s be honest, he knew everything about you. More so than any other person. Well, maybe besides your dad. His fists were balled up tight at his sides and before you could analyze any further, Steve abruptly started to stomp towards you. Your plan had both worked and backfired, all at the same time. And if he reached you, it was not going to be pretty, nor would it be a fun little ‘chat’. No, you had fucked up and he was very much going to tell you exactly how much. Like always. Shit!

You frantically turned and grabbed Brock��s hand, “Yes!” You said a little to loudly. Who are you kidding, you damn near screamed it. “Let’s go for a walk!” Then you started to drag him towards the woods, in an attempt to get as far away from Steve, and the ‘brotherly’ talk he was about to dump on you. That was his way, if you ever stepped out of line in his eyes, he’d fucking tell you. In thee most annoying and dad like way he could. Yes, he acted more like an older brother but when he’d lecture you it was more like a dad. It frustrated the hell out of you, as you already had one awkward, and overbearing father. You didn’t need another. Especially not fucking Steve, not the secret love of your life. No fucking thank you.

You dragged Brock some ways into the woods then stopped abruptly. Feeling like you had gone far enough, you spun around to face him now. He had that stupid amused smirk on his face, again—Okay, that was a little harsh, it wasn’t ‘stupid’, you were just clearly cranky from everything that had just happened.

“So what do we do now?” He asked.

“Ah,” Your brows knitted together, you hadn’t really thought that far ahead. “We could ah, get to know each other a little better? I barely know anything about you.” You paused as you thought it over a bit more then smiled, “Oh! I know! We could play 21 questions!”

He shook his head, “I think we can figure out a better way to ‘get to know each other’.” He smirked and you furrowed your brows in confusion, not really sure what he was implying.

“What did you have in mind?” You asked.

He started to step towards you and in turn you stepped back, trying to keep a bit of distance between you both. But then you backed right up into a tree, with him now only inches away from you. “I’ll show you.”

“Oh, that’s alright,” you waved a hand dismissively, “I don’t think you need to do that—“ But he cut you off as he damn near jumped at you, his lips crashed into yours and his hands started to roam your body, as his hips pinned you to the tree. You had been caught off guard originally but then you landed your palms on his chest and forcefully pushed him. He barely moved though, as he was much bigger than you. But you managed to move him just enough, to gain the space to turn your head away from him. “Please get off of me.” You requested firmly. However, he ignored you and didn’t move away, he just continued his advances on you.

“Brock! Get your hands off me!” You commanded, your voice was rising now. Panic was starting to sink in, he was so much stronger than you, and if you couldn’t get him to stop soon, he may not stop at all.

He finally tilted his head back to look at you, “Oh, so you can put out for every other guy in school, but you won’t put out for the one that takes you to prom?”

You were momentarily taken aback by his comment. What the fuck— “What are you even talking about?!”

“I heard all the stories Y/N, I know what type of girl you actually are. So no need to play coy.” Before you could answer he was back on you, crushing his lips into yours and pulling at your dress. You realized asking him clearly wasn’t working, so you attempted to push him away again. This time as hard as you could, which again was futile. So you started to scream and thrash against him and his advances.

Your screaming instantly caught in your throat when you felt him shift and he forcefully grabbed your upper arm, yanking you away from the tree and throwing you to the ground. And fucking hard at that. Then he stepped over you, “Shut up, would ya? Someone is going to hear you!” He seethed.

“Good!” You defiantly yelled and started to scream again. He raised his hand up and backhanded you across the face, the shock of the hit abruptly shutting you up, as your hand flew up to cover your cheek. The tears started to well in your eyes from the sting of the hit.

Then he started to pull at your dress again and your blood ran cold as you realized where this was all going. “B-brock, please, please don’t do this. Please stop,” you begged, “I don’t know what you heard but I haven’t ever slept with anyone before.” And that was the truth. You hadn’t even so much as dated a guy, let alone slept with one. Hell, tonight had been your first kiss for crying out loud. All through high school no one had ever even so much as paid attention to you, at least not romantically, let alone slept with you. Brock was the first guy to ever even ask you out, granted it was to prom, so not an official date, but still—Shit, not the fucking point right now! No, right now you were wholeheartedly regretting ever accepting his offer. He was clearly not the boy you had thought he was.

“That’s not what I heard—“ he started to say but was cut off when a giant form came out of fucking nowhere and grabbed Brock by the back of his shirt, yanking him away from you and flinging him in the opposite direction.

“She said no!” The giant form yelled and you instantly recognized the voice. It was Steve. He was here now. Thank god.

Brock quickly pulled himself up to his feet, “Are you fucking kidding me? What the fuck’s your problem, Steve?”

“Do I look like I’m fucking kidding? I warned you, Brock. Not once but fucking twice!” Steve growled out. “And my problem is, is that she told you to fucking stop, more than once, yet you continued anyways, you piece of shit!” He spat out.

“Will you just fuck off already, Steve! Your just jealous that I stole your whore for the night!” He spit back.

Steve punched him in the face, and fucking hard at that. “Don’t you fucking call her that!”

Brock stumbled back a few feet from the hit, regaining his balance quickly as his hand wiped the blood from his mouth, “I just call them as I see them. And that’s what she is!” He stepped up into Steve’s face, clearly unaware of Steves track record in fights, he never lost. And he had damn near a foot on Brock. “I heard all the stories about the guys she has slept with, Steve. So obviously your threats didn’t fucking work. And I forked out all this money to bring her ass to prom, the least she could do is fucking put out!” And Brock saying that was clearly the last straw for Steve, as he lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. As they both hit the ground Steve quickly straddled Brock’s waist and started punching him with both fists, alternating.

After a few seconds you realized he wasn’t going to stop, you had only ever seen him this mad once before and he damn near killed the kid. Luckily for the boy, Bucky and Sam had been there to pull Steve off before he could do any fatal damage. “Fuck!” You yelled as you jumped up and scrambled over to them. As much as you felt Brock deserved this beatdown, it wasn’t going to end just a beatdown. No, Steve wouldn’t stop, and you couldn’t let him kill someone. Especially not for of you, or, because of you. “Steve!” You screamed as you tried to pull him off Brock, “Stop!”

You grabbed one of his massive arms, but he abruptly slammed his elbow back into your stomach, clearly trying to break the hold of whoever was currently attempting to stop him. You went flying backwards into the ground, “Steve!” You gasped as you did. It was then that his punches halted completely and his head whipped around to look at you. His face was twisted in anger for a couple seconds, then instantly softened when he realized it was you he had elbowed, you were the one trying to stop him.

“Y/N!” He yelled as he jumped up off the now bloodied Brock and ran over to you. Brock took this opportunity to get up off the ground, “Screw this! That slut isn’t worth it!” He spat then hightailed it back towards the party. But Steve didn’t even take notice of Brocks exit, or his comment towards you, as he was to focused in you now. But you’d heard it.

Once he reached you he crouched down in front of you, “Oh god, I’m so sorry, Y/N. Are you okay?!” He looked you over for a moment then froze, his eyes locked on part of your body. A blush quickly covered his face then he shook his head. “Shit,” he said as he abruptly stood up and turned around. You looked down and saw that Brock had managed to rip part of your dress and snapped one of the straps, so now most of your bra covered chest was exposed. You quickly brought your arms up over your upper body in an attempt to conceal yourself.

Steve still just stood, with his back to you, as he removed his tux jacket and held it out behind himself, towards you. “Here,” he said as he wiggled it at you.

You stood up and took the jacket, putting your arms in the sleeves and wrapping it tightly around your body. It was massive on you and ended damn near at your knees. While the sleeves well surpassed your hands, making you look like you didn’t even have hands at all. Basically you were swimming in it. “Okay. All covered,” you said quietly.

He turned around then stepped closer to you, cautiously, “Are you sure you’re okay? Did he-did he hurt you?” He nervously asked as he went to reach out to you.

You flinched away and waved him off, not really wanting to be touched at the moment, even by him. “I-i’m okay. He ah, he didn’t get the chance to,” you trailed off as your eyes welled up again. You knew you couldn’t finish that sentence, not without bursting into tears at least. Then you cleared your throat and whispered, “Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks to you.”

“Y/N, I’m so sorry I didn’t get here sooner,” You could hear the guilt in his voice but then it quickly changed to frustration. “But what were you even thinking coming out here alone, with Brock of all people!?”

Had it been anyone else treating you like this, at a moment like this, you would have snapped on them. But this was just how Steve was with you, and you were entirely used to it. He was the only one you allowed to be this way with you, he had earned this right, a hundred times over. Tonight adding yet another reason as to why he was allowed to. “I just,” you tried to defend your actions but trailed off, as you realized you’d have to admit that seeing Steve and Madeleine kiss had made you so jealous. Jealous enough to stupidly isolate yourself with a guy you barely knew. You shook your head then lowered it. Admitting defeat, “I clearly wasn’t.”

The sound of small branches snapping made you look back up. He had stepped closer to you, now only about a foot away. And his whole demeanour had softened. His eyes dropped from yours, down to your lips then back up to meet yours again. You knew he wanted to bring up you kissing Brock, and probably scold you for foolishly wasting your first kiss on an assclown like him. He opened his mouth to speak, and you prepared yourself for the brotherly scolding he was about to unleash, but then he snapped it closed again. And to your luck, and slight dismay, he didn’t say a word about it. He just turned his head away from you then sighed and rubbed the back of his neck with one of his large hands. “Why did you agree to come to prom with him?” He looked back at you.

You scoffed, “I didn’t really have any other options, Steve. It was either go with Brock or go by myself.” You crossed your arms, you clearly hadn’t managed to avoid all the brotherly scolding. Just some of it.

“Why didn’t you tell me he had asked you again?” He shook his head, “I had to hear it from everyone but you. I thought we were closer than that.”

“Again?” You asked quietly, confused by what he meant by that. Your brows knitted together momentarily, but then the rest of what he had just fucking said started to sink in, and your blood began to boil. Is he being fucking serious right now?! He wants to talk about ‘thought we were closer’?! About ‘why I didn’t tell him’?!—

“You’re fucking kidding, right?” You gaped, wide eyed, “When could I have told you, Steve? Huh? Fucking when?!” Your voice rising with each word. You scoffed again, “And you thought we were closer than that?! How do you think I felt!” You shook your head.

He looked taken aback, his eyes widened at your outburst, you’d never raised your voice at him before. Not once had you ever had a reason to, at least before tonight. His brows furrowed, “What are you talking about, Y/N?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you replied sarcastically, “maybe the fact that you’ve been ignoring me for 2 fucking weeks! Maybe that’s why I didn’t tell you about Brock!” You started to pace, you weren’t thinking about what just happened to you anymore, you were seeing red at how your so-called best friend, the secret love of your life, could just up and drop you like it was nothing. Like you were nothing. “And then you have the audacity to say ‘I thought we’re closer than that’!” you mimicked Steve’s stupid voice as best as you could, “Are you fucking kidding me?!”

“It’s not like that Y/N, and you know it.” He sighed and hung his head, quietly adding, “I didn’t ignore you because I wanted to.” But you barely heard the end of what he said, the anger and hurt you were feeling was too distracting.

“Oh?” You abruptly stopped pacing, “It’s not like that?” You stomped passed him to where your clutch was laying on the ground, picking it up and opening it to get your phone out. You turned back to face Steve, who was watching your every move, as you stabbed in your passcode and aggressively tapped the screen till you had opened your text window with him. “That’s funny because you haven’t responded to a single text from me in 13 days. 13 fucking days, Steve!” You turned the phone screen to faced him, then you scrolled up to show all the texts you had sent. A few everyday, yet not a single reply from him. “So please, enlighten me as to ‘what it’s like’ and ‘what I know’!”

He stepped towards you and grabbed your phone from you, “I only ignored you to protect you!” He clicked the lock button then grabbed your clutch and threw your phone back in it, snapping it shut.

“Protect me? HA!” You laughed bitterly as you snatched your clutch back from him. “My best friend, my fucking rock, the only person who got me through fucking high school, drops me like I mean nothing and I’m supposed to believe it was to protect me?!” You flung your arms up in the air, “That’s the stupidest thing I have ever fucking heard!” then you spun around and headed back to the party, or rather, headed back to the exit so you could call your dad to come pick you up.

“Y/N wait!” He yelled as he ran to catch up to you, “Just hear me out—“

You spun around to face him, “No!” You yelled as you pointed a finger in his face. “You don’t get to ignore me for almost 2 weeks, then bring the one girl in school, who made my life fucking hell, to prom and expect me to stand here and listen to you tell me it was all to protect me!”

He glared at you, and you could tell instantly that he was now just as pissed as you were, or at least close to it. You knew him better than anyone, your words had angered him, just like his had angered you. “Oh, so that is what this is all about? Me bringing Madi to prom? You’re only pissed at me right now because of just that?” He scoffed and crossed his arms, turning his face away from you. You glared at him. He was so fucking dense!

“That’s a huge part of it, yes! But not the only fucking reason!”

Then he lowered his arms slowly and turned to look back down at you. When he spoke it was calmer, almost curious. “Why? Why are you so pissed I brought her?”

You opened your mouth then snapped it shit again and furrowed your brows. Because I love you. But you couldn’t tell him that, especially not in a moment like this. So you told him the only thing you could think of, “nope, I lied, that is the only reason, and it’s because she made my life hell, Steve. Fucking hell. And you, more than anyone, knows that. Yet you still took HER, of all fucking people.”

“I had too,” He urged, “I had no fucking choice.”

“Bullshit.” You mumbled and shook your head wildly, you had now reached the ‘fuck it’ stage of being mad, you were no longer yelling. You were done with this conversation and maybe even this friendship. He had basically betrayed you when he picked her over you. “You weren’t forced to bring her, you asked her. Big difference.” You said in a surprisingly calm manor. You turned around again, needing to put as much distance between you and Steve right now as you fucking could.

“Please, Y/N, just hear me out,” he pleaded.

“No, I’m done,” you said over your shoulder as you started to walk away. You went to pull out your phone to call your dad. But before you could you felt a large hand gently, but firmly, grab your elbow, urging you to turn around. You reluctantly did and came face to face with Steve’s stupid blue eyes again. Sadness and fear swimming in them now. You figured it was because you’d never been mad at him before, he clearly wasn’t taking it well.

“Y/N, please—“ he started but was cut off by an irritating sound nearby. The one voice that would always instantly make you tense up and send a chill down your spine. Both things you did in this exact moment, when you heard her speak.

“Y/N, what are you doing with my boyfriend?” Madeleine sneered.

You shut your eyes tightly and took a deep calming breath. Trying to will yourself to not react to her words. Or rather to her straight up claiming Steve as her own.

“We aren’t datin—“ Steve started but this time you cut him off.

“Absolutely nothing, Madeleine,” you replied as you opened your eyes and looked over at her, with an obviously fake smile plastered on your face, then you turned and made eye contact with Steve, “He’s all yours.” And with that you yanked your arm from his hold then spun on your heels. You didn’t miss the hurt in Steve’s eyes at your words though. You knew your last comment had cut him deep, but you were done being second best. Done pinning over a boy you’d never have. Done with this whole fucking town and everyone in it.

You called your dad and the second you got off the phone with him you burst into tears. This had been hands down the worst night of your life to date. You’d been betrayed, attacked, tossed aside and humiliated. And almost all of those things were done to you by your so called ‘best friend’. By your first love. By the one person you never expected that from, the one person who had promised to always have your back. Yet, in the end he didn’t, not truly. He had ignored you for 2 weeks, 2 fucking weeks. You clearly didn’t mean a damn thing to him.

10 minutes later your dad pulled up and you quickly tried to wipe away the tear smudged makeup from your face. Knowing that it was futile as it was probably quite obvious that you’d been crying. That thought was answered when you got in the truck, and he instantly started asking questions as to why you were in a tux jacket, and why you’d been crying. You told him you didn’t want to talk about it, but assured him that you were okay and nothing happened. He didn’t want to drop it at first, but you looked over at him and simply said, “North Korea”. He narrowed his eyes at you, then sighed turning to look out the front window as he put the truck in gear and began to drive home.

You and him had come up with this ‘safe word,’ of sorts, when you were around 14. It was your dad's idea, he had told you that if you ever needed a ride, or to be picked up from somewhere you didn’t feel safe, that he always would. Regardless of if you were drunk, high or whatever. But if you didn’t want to tell him exactly why you needed to be picked up, all you had to do was say ‘North Korea’. And he would never ask about it again. He said it worked as no one ever knows anything about that country, unless they release the information themselves. And no one really ever asks. That was exactly what it stood for. No questions and no talking about it.

Once you both got home, you ran up to your room and slammed your window shut then locked it. You were not interested in Steve sneaking into your room tonight to ‘talk’ it out. That was a regular occurrence throughout the years. He snuck into your room often, it was always completely innocent, and occasionally he’d pass out on your floor, but usually he would just come and talk to you, after a particularly difficult day. He’d normally stay till you got everything out or passed out, whichever came first, then he’d climb back out your window and go home. Or at least most of the time.

The first time your dad had caught him passed out on the floor, he woke you both up and escorted Steve down to the front door. You couldn’t make out everything said but you did hear your dad tell him to not make a habit of this, and if you absolutely needed him to stay over, he was to ‘keep his hands to himself or else’. It was fucking awkward, but nowhere near as awkward as the rambling sex and protection talk he had with you directly after Steve left. Which was hilarious, as Steve was probably the very last guy on earth who would want to sleep with you. Finally you’d had enough of the talk and actually yelled, “I’m still a virgin dad! and probably will be till I’m fucking 80!” Then you stormed off to your room. God, what you wouldn’t give to have mom back for the dreaded ‘birds and the bees’ talk. She was always so much better at this stuff then your dad. He was a bumbling mess most of the time, but he loved you and you loved him. You were all each other had now a days, since she died.

That night you passed out on the couch, surprisingly fast. Probably because you had the TV on, some random infomercial drowning on in the background. That always helped you sleep, it was your plan B option, if your plan A couldn’t come over that night.

You woke up early in the morning to the TV off and a note from your dad saying there was breakfast in the oven, but that he had to run to the shop to deal with a few things but he’d be back shortly. When he got home an hour later, you’d spent the whole time thinking and ignoring your phone. Or rather, the endless calls and texts from your friends and Steve. You ended up blocking Steve’s number shortly after you woke up, just so your phone would shut up.

You’d sat your dad down, and asked if you could go stay with your Aunt Carol, in Boston for the summer. You reasoned that she was closer to Hartford University, which was where you’d been accepted to, and would be starting up classes in the fall. So you’d be able to travel down and check out the campus whenever you’d like. He wasn’t a huge fan of the idea, or maybe it was more the fact that you’d conveniently brought this up, the day after he had picked you up crying, in a ripped prom dress, and obviously Steve’s tux jacket. But North Korea had been called, so he couldn’t ask nor bring that up. He called your Aunt to ask her permission, you heard her excited screaming through the phone, from a totally different room. Clearly that was a yes. Then you ran upstairs and packed your bags, you only packed what you’d need for the summer. As you’d come back and fully pack up for school, closer to classes starting.

Though, unbeknownst to you as you loaded up your bags into your dads truck, so he could drive you to the bus depot, this would be the last time you stepped foot in this town for almost 7 years. Your dad would end up packing up all your belongings and driving the 11 hours to drop them off to you before school started.

But you got on the bus to Boston, waving goodbye to your dad as it pulled away. And watching as the small town of Buckhannon, West Virginia slowly drifted into the horizon. During the 11 hour ride you texted all your friends, explaining that you had left town for the summer, well all except one. They were all pretty butt hurt at first that you didn’t even say goodbye. But they would soon learn the truth of what had happened with both Brock and Steve, as gossip always spread like wildfires in small towns. Especially Buckhannon, with it’s population of just shy of 6,000. And after that they all understood 100% why you left. You kept in touch with them over the years. Well, all except one.

January 2018.

Your fingers ghosted over the words on the wedding invitation, the wedding date being almost 6 months away meant it landed smack dab in the beginning of summer break. You’d be off work and maybe it was finally time to return home. Maybe it was finally time to face everyone. To face him. You had no idea how that was going to play out, but before you could talk yourself out of it, you typed the RSVP link into your phone’s browser. And quickly filled out the small form, selecting just you and no date, then hit send. Whelp, there it is. You had officially RSVP’d and were now obligated to go back. There was no avoiding it now …..Fuuuck. What have I done?!

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