#this year I’ve got a fifth grader; fourth grader; second grader; first grader; preschooler; and a toddler along for the ride

[septembersung]

Poetry notebooks: made

First week checklists: ready

Books: present and accounted for

Shelves: mostly organized

(Kronk voice) It’s all coming together.

[thank-you-for-the-vampire-money]

A MIGHTY HOMECOMING

Request: N/A

A/N: just thought I’d write something to let you guys know I’m not dead 😊

Dad!Steve x reader

Word count: 1507

Summary: You and Steve became parents a few years ago. You knew it would be difficult, but with Steve going off on missions all the time, it gets really hard.

Warnings: smidge of angst, big parenting decisions? idk

 (GIF not mine)

           “I miss you, daddy,” your three-year-old little girl sighed, leaning her elbows on the desk.  Steve let out a deep sigh as well, copying his daughter's movements, “I miss you too, sunshine,” he said, smiling weakly.

Steve had been away for almost a month on a mission in the Netherlands.  This was his fourth mission in a row and he had another one two days after he’s supposed to come back from this one.  It seemed like the only time you ever saw him, were the two-day periods in between each assignment, and on video chats.  Needless to say, you and your little girl, Brooklyn, really missed him.

   “When are you coming back, daddy?” Brooklyn asked, scootching closer to the computer monitor, “I’ll be home in two weeks,” Steve answered, “but I’ll only be back for the weekend, then I have another two-month mission.  B-but after the next mission, I’ll be home for three whole weeks!”. Steve was grasping at straws to cheer Brooklyn up.  She asked him every day when he would be home, he'd always answer 'soon' or 'before you know it'.  Especially if it was a long period of time before he would return.

Brooklyn nodded dimly.  She had barely seen her father in the past eight months, with missions, training, meetings, etc.  But, anytime she did get to see him, she was absolutely elated!  It was cute to see her and Steve interact with each other; tons of kids idolized Steve because he was Captain America, but Brooklyn adored him because he was Steven Grant Rogers, her dad.

“Tell him what you did at school today, sweetie,” you reminded, rubbing her back and glancing at Steve’s image on the screen. Brooklyn excitedly hopped down from the chair to go get her art project.

“Mr. Ramirez told us to draw what makes us happy!” the little girl explained, sitting back up on the chair with her big piece of paper and holding it up towards the camera, “he said I was best in the class!” “he told me she has your talent,” you added, smiling at your daughter, playing with her blonde curls, "I would have to agree,".

Steve looked at the drawing and almost wanted to cry. It was a picture, a beautiful picture, that looked like something drawn by a fifth grader and not a preschooler. She definitely had his artistic talent, and she was only getting better.  too bad Steve wasn't there to watch her grow.

The picture, was of you and Brooklyn, waiting at the top of Stark Tower, while Steve was up in a jet, waving to the other figures on the page.  When Brooklyn first showed it to you, you had suggested hanging it on her bedroom wall, but she said she wanted to wait and show her dad.  She always wanted to show Steve her art, it made him happy.

“It’s you coming home, daddy!” Brooklyn cheered, "do you like it?".  Steve had to wait a second before answering.  “It’s beautiful sunshine, you’re getting better and better every day,” Steve choked, trying to hold back a sob, “I’m so proud of you,”.

Before Brooklyn could ask why her father was crying, you told her to say goodnight and hop into bed, “I’ll be by to tuck you in and read to you in a few minutes, okay?” you said, kissing the top of her head. Brooklyn hesitated for a moment, but she obeyed and hopped down from the office chair.  "Goodnight, daddy!  I love you!" she waved, making sure he could see her on the screen before she blew him a kiss.   "Night baby, I love you too!" Steve smiled, catching the kiss and holding it to his cheek.  Brooklyn waved goodbye and skipped to her room across the hall.

 You sat in the chair with a heavy sigh after you closed the door to the master bedroom.  “Steve?” you called, making sure he was still paying attention.  He perked up and looked at you through the screen. “Is this healthy for her?”.  He didn’t exactly know how to respond.  He had spent many a night thinking about that.

He was an Avenger, this was his job, and it took up a lot of time and energy.  But he was also a father and husband, which took up just as much energy, if not more. When he was at work, he felt like he was neglecting his family.  And, when he was with his family, he felt like he wasn't pulling his weight at work. Where was the balance?

“I don’t know, (Y/N)…” he sighed, resting his face in his palms, “I don’t think I should be away this much, but I still have a commitment to the team,”.  You sighed and slumped back in your chair, “is it possible to ask for fewer missions? Maybe have someone else take charge for a few of them?” you suggested, “I’m sure Bucky, Natasha, or Sam would be perfectly capable of leading a few missions without you,”.  Steve sat silent.

You felt almost guilty for suggesting it. You knew Steve was very hesitant to give up his responsibilities, he felt like he was betraying his team if he did. But, he did have a responsibility to you and your daughter, the Avengers weren’t the only big priority in his life.

“I’ve got to go, I’ll call you guys later,” Steve mumbled, almost angrily, turning his face away from the camera so you could barely even see his profile.  “Oh, okay…” you nodded, “I-I love-” Steve ended the call before you could finish your sentence, “you… rude…”.

 A few days passed by and Steve hadn’t made any moves to contact you.  You had called him a few times, but he never picked up.  You had texted him a few times, but he never answered.  Brooklyn became very concerned by this.  “What if the bad guys have got him?!” she would ask. You would always tell her that daddy was okay and that he would never leave you two behind.  But, deep down, you were wondering if something bad really did happen to Steve.

 “Is daddy home yet?” Brooklyn asked as you strapped her into her car seat, “no sweetheart, he won’t be home for another week and a half,” you answered, closing the door to your car and jogging over to the driver’s seat.  Brooklyn just nodded.

Once were on the road, driving away from the preschool, you looked in the rearview mirror and saw that Brooklyn's sad little face. Her eyes were dull and her head hung low as she watched the city pass by outside her window.

“Mommy?  Does daddy not like us anymore?” she asked, her voice innocent and genuine, “what? Of course he likes us!  He loves us!” you responded, slightly shocked by what she said, “why would you think he didn’t?”.  Brooklyn looked at you through the mirror, hesitating a moment before a moment before answering, “daddy is never home anymore, and he hasn’t talked to us in a long time...” she reasoned, her eyes glaring over with tears, “if he loved us, wouldn’t he want to see us?”.  Your heart broke in half at her admission.  This poor little girl thought her own father, her father Steve Rogers no less, didn’t love her anymore…

 Turning the keys and opening the door to your apartment, you and Brooklyn walked inside, taking off your coats as you walked. "Go change out of your school clothes and I’ll make us some lu-” you began to speak, but the sight before you stopped you from continuing.  he sat on the couch, still dressed in his Captain America suit, but he stood once he caught a glimpse of you two.

“Daddy!” Brooklyn cheered, dropping her backpack on the floor and running into her father’s arms.  Steve greeted her with open arms and embraced his little girl tightly, kissing her forehead and cheek as he held her close.  “Steve?  I thought you would be gone for another ten days?” you pondered, dropping your purse and slowly approaching him.  “I was, but… I missed my girls too much, so I had to come home,” he smiled, cupping the side of your face and kissing your lips, “so, I put Nat in charge and flew back here.  And, I’ll be home for the next two-and-a-half months,”.  Now it was you who was holding back tears.  You smiled and rushed up to hug him tightly, never intending to let go of him.

Steve kissed the top of your head, basking in the warm, loving welcome.  He didn't realize how much he really missed you guys until he held you both in his arms. He buried his face into your neck, kissing it softly as he whispered, “I missed my girls…”.

TAGLIST:

@buckyshattergirl @paranoid-borderline-insane

[ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult]

Her Secret, Part IV-Jason Dilaurentis Imagine

Requested: Yes

Warnings: some suspense and violence towards animals

 After the night of Noel’s party, things went downhill and fast: A was pushing us to do more, insane things; secrets were extremely close to being revealed; we were put in dangerous situations at least once every week; and on top of all that, we still had to go to school and act as though everything was still normal. Fortunately for me, I was doing pretty well back in Rosewood, minus the fact that when I wasn’t freaking out about A or studying my brains out, my mind would wander to Jason.

   I would wonder how he was doing, if he was okay, or if A had ever decided to pay him a visit. I hoped that he was safe and I felt bad for bringing him into this mess, this mess that he had no idea about. Plus, I felt sick for still having nagging feelings for them. Most days, I longed for the times when I could get extremely intense with a guy and leave with no strings attached. Somewhere along the line, I got attached to Jason and it was bad. I thought I had gotten over him in rehab while I was in Japan. I was so deep in meditation that I didn’t get stressed out when I heard Allison’s name or the mention of firecrackers. But seeing Jason again and nearly kissing him had done something to me.

   “Hello, earth to Y/N?” Spencer asked.

   I blinked and looked at my brunette friend. “What?”    “I asked you what did you write down for who was responsible for the Seven Years’ War? You know Mr. Dawkins only accepts essay-esque answers,” Spencer said.

    We were currently sitting in her living room, going over AP European History homework. When I first told Spencer that I tested into the class, she had been stunned since my grades typically were a C-average, but focusing more on school rather than parties helped me a lot.

    “Oh, yeah, uh, technically Austria started it since they tried to take Silesia from the Prussians, but there was also the conflict between Great Britain and France over colonoization,” I said.

   “Okay, that sounds good,” Spencer said as she jotted it down.

   “Thanks.”

   “What’s going on with you? You’ve been acting out of it since you got back this summer. I thought meditation was supposed to make you focus,” she teased. 

   “It did, I just have so much on my mind.”

  “Like?”

  Like the fact that I may be in love with Jason Dilaurentis and I can’t tell anyone and A is manipulating me with that fact.

   “Like college,” I said. “There’s no point in me applying since I’m hardly a Hastings, or an Aria, or an Emily, or a Hanna, I’m just Y/N.”

   “Thank God you’re not a Hastings. I’ve been prepping for the SATs since fifth grade,” Spencer said. “You’re a normal person and you get to worry about that more next year.”

   “Is that supposed to be a good thing?”

   “Yeah, and don’t compare yourselves to us, Y/N. You’re the most confident out of us and you can use that to get anything you want.”

   “You think so?”

   “Yeah, not many four-year-olds have the guts to stand up to a fourth grader when they’re teasing a preschooler,” Spencer said.

   I shrugged. “I don’t like bullies.”

   “Then, how were you friends with Allison?”

   I hesitated. “Because she wasn’t always a bully. She used to be bossy, but I usually ignored her. When she became a bully, I just went along with it but I did my own thing.” I looked up at Spencer. “What about you, Spence?”    Spencer glanced at her phone. “Crap, I’ve gotta go.” She began shoving her books into her bag. “Mom will kill me if I’m late to dinner.” 

   “Uh, okay,” I stood, “I’ll text you?”

   “Yeah, cool.”

   Charlie stood up and sniffed at Spencer. She bent down and stroked his head.

  “See you, Charlie.” 

   When Spencer left, I frowned. She certainly reacted strangely to my question. It was no secret that all of us fell under Allison’s spell, but some of us were worse off than others.

   I turned to the homework spread across the table and sighed. At least I had gotten history done. Maybe diving into schoolwork would help me keep my mind off of Jason. 

   An hour later, I had finished all of my homework and had nothing better to do than play with Charlie. I led him out into the spacious backyard with his favorite green squeaky toy in tow. He continuously jumped on me, trying to get it, but I laughed and held it out of his way.

   “You know the rules, boy.” I pointed and he ran a few hundred feet away. 

   I tossed the squeaky toy and he sprinted after it. He picked up, brought it back to me, and set it at my feet.

   “Do you want me to do it again?”    Charlie barked in response and I threw it a little farther this time, laughing at his eagerness. We played for about fifteen more minutes and the final time I threw it, it went into the forest since our backyard led into the forest. Charlie disappeared into the brush and I laughed at his barking.

    Twenty seconds past, and he hadn’t returned. Then, it was a minute. Charlie never took this long to come back.

    “Charlie?” I called.

    Nervously, I let out a whistle.

   “Charlie bear, did you get lost?” 

   It was only five o’clock but it was beginning to get dark and though Rosewood forest fauna did not exactly pose a huge threat, I had a bad feeling of what might. Quickly, I grabbed my old metal bat from my soft ball days off the porch and marched into the forest.

   “Charlie?” I whistled. “Charlie, where are you boy?”

   I searched for the familiar white, brown, and black fur but all I saw was brown bark and green leaves. As I continued whistling and calling out to Charlie, my panic began to set in. Charlie and I knew this area like the back of our hands and it was unlikely that he would get lost. Something must have happened.

   I didn’t know how long I had been wondering around when I got a text. I opened it and my heart stopped.

    Charlie’s a great sport

     -A

    Along with that A had sent some coordinates. My fingers shook as I typed them into the navigation setting on my phone. Charlie was a couple miles away from me and I broke into a sprint.

    “CHARLIE!” I screamed, tears brimming in my eyes.

    I was terrified, frustrated, but mostly furious. If A did anything to my innocent dog, I’d....I’d.

    Finally, I found Charlie. He was lying in a pile of leaves, the squeaky toy inches away from him. He was whimpering and shaking. I approached him slowly and saw that his front left paw was tucked closely into his chest.

    “Charlie,” I whispered.

    I reached out to touch him with my free hand and he jumped, growling, but relaxed when he saw it was me. Tears began streaming down my face as I stroked my dog’s head. What kind of animal would go after Charlie like that? 

    Suddenly, I got knocked over and sent tumbling away from Charlie. When we stopped, I looked up and saw a figure in all-black standing over me. I reacted quickly and began hitting him with my bat. I got them over the head and chest, but this person was strong. At one point, we were fighting over the bat and they pressed the bat against my throat. They were breathing hard and I tried to get a good look at them, but I couldn’t. They began crushing my windpipe and I couldn’t speak or even defend myself.

    Was this how I died?

    And just like that, my attacker was off of me and I realized it was because of Charlie. He was now biting the assailant and trying to fight him. Unfortunately, Charlie got shoved away and the person disappeared into the forest. I pulled Charlie into my chest and he licked my cheek.

    “You’re a good boy, you’re such a good boy,” I whispered.

    My hand shook as I dialed 911.

   “911, what’s your emergency?” the operator asked.

   “There’s been an incident,” I whispered.

     Fifteen minutes later, I was sitting in Rosewood Animal Hospital with my knees drawn up to my chest and several band aids on my fingers and arms since I had gotten pretty scratched up. No one was telling me anything about Charlie, which was making me even more anxious. I wanted to cry and I wanted to beat the crap out of A. I knew it was them but I didn’t know who they were.

    “Y/N!” Spencer and Aria ran towards me, but I couldn’t bring myself to stand. 

    They sat on either side of me and hugged me.

    “What happened?” Aria asked.

    “I was playing with Charlie and threw the toy into the woods. He usually comes right back and...and he didn’t. I got scared and went after him and...and then A sent this.” I showed them the message and their eyes widened. 

    “A hurt Charlie?” Spencer whispered.

    “I am so sorry,” Aria added.

    “Then I found him and...and someone tried to attack me. I hit them a couple of times with a bat but, they almost killed me. Somehow, Charlie was able to protect me and get him off me.” The tears welled up in my eyes. “I get why A wants to come after me but Charlie? He’s just a sweet dog.”

     “Don’t worry, we’re going to find out what happened,” Aria said.

     “You wouldn’t have happened to have gotten a good look at them?”       “Spencer!”

     Spencer shrugged. “It would be useful information.”

     I shook my head. “All I saw was black, no face. But I think it was a man. No girl is that strong to have pinned a bat against my throat.”

    “Good point,” Aria muttered.

    Emily and Hanna came a few minutes later, both extremely sympathetic to my situation.

    “If A is willing to get physical now ,there’s no telling what they’ll do,” Emily said.

    “They went after Charlie,” I whispered.

    Then, they all hugged me and it did help comfort me somewhat. Dr. Allen walked into the waiting room.

    “Y/N Y/L/N?”     The five of us stood.

    “That’s me,” I clarified. “How’s Charlie? Can I see him?”    “He’s in surgery right now. His left leg was fractured quite severely but it looks like he’ll make it.”     I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Doctor.”

   “In nature of the injury, I must ask just what you were doing with Charlie, Y/N?”

   I paused. I couldn’t tell the doctor about A or they might actually kill me.

  “Playing catch, he ran into the forest and got himself tangled up somewhere,” I said.

   “There wasn’t much mud to suggest that.”

   “Well, maybe it was an animal, I don’t know,” I snapped. “All I know is that when I found him, he was crying and whimpering.”

   “And what about your own injuries?”

   “I tripped, I’m a klutz sometimes,” I said.

   Dr. Allen looked skeptical, but she didn’t push any further. “Very well, then. Your parents have been notified and they are on their way. I will keep you updated.”

   I sighed and ran a hand through my hair. “I can’t believe I just did that.”

   “We’ve lied thousands of times before,” Hanna said.

    “Which means A is winning and after what he, she, it, they, whatever hurt Charlie, I can’t let them win,” I hissed.

    “Calm down, Y/N, we’ll figure something out,” Emily said.

    “We need to because who knows what A’s gonna do next? They could go after my parents or...or someone else we care about.”

    “Don’t you think we’re all scared of that too, Y/N?” Spencer asked. “We need a plan.”

    “A good one,” Aria added.

    None of them had had their oldest best friend sent into surgery, but I decided not to push any buttons. The “spa” had taught me to calm down and reign in my emotions before they got too out of control. I managed to slow down my breathing and sat back down.

   “I need a drink,” I muttered.

  “I thought you were sober,” Aria said.

  “It’s being tested.”

   My night couldn’t have gotten worse.

  “Y/N,” Jason said.

   My eyes snapped up and I stared at him. He looked calm as he stood a few feet away from my friends and me.

   “Jason,” I said, standing slowly. “What are you doing here?”

    “I heard about Charlie and I know how much he means to you.” Jason looked over my injuries. “What happened to you?”

   “I tripped and fell in the forest when I was looking for Charlie.”

   “You’ve lost your knack for lying,” Jason said.

   I smirked and stepped closer to him. “How did you know about Charlie?”

  “It’s a small town, Y/N.”

  “Oh, right.” 

  I wanted to tell him so much right there in that moment, but I couldn’t. Not with my friends who had no idea about our past relationship nor with my emotions.

  “Jason----”

   “Get away from my daughter!”

   My body stiffened as Jason and I both looked at the entrance. My parents were standing there, Mom looked anxious and disappointed while Dad looked as though he was going to explode.