#🤍— [five seconds flat].event

[mermaid-trash]

PVA Nights

Hi! I'm having a bad day :) so I decided to write this, it's barely been proofread but I hope you enjoy it anyway 💕

Summary: literally just a Steven Grant x reader comfort fic, kinda angsty but also pretty sweet

🤍 my requests are open! see my pinned post 🤍

It was quarter to five in the afternoon. Steven hadn’t heard from you all day, and the anxiety was starting to consume him. Usually, you would text back and forth all day while he was at work; he had almost gotten in trouble  with Donna countless times but he had quickly gotten better at hiding his phone inconspicuously underneath the counter of the gift shop while he texted you. 

But today, he had texted you several times and received no reply. At first, he had assumed you were busy, and he tried to focus on work, but the cheap plastic toys and strange see-through erasers in the gift shop weren’t much of a distraction. You hadn’t even replied when he sent you a picture of a cute dog he had met on his lunch break. It was unusual. Steven stood behind the gift shop counter with a distant expression and watched the seconds tick by anxiously, waiting impatiently until he could leave the museum and find you and find out why you were ignoring him. 

The last time Steven had seen you was just a couple of nights ago, he had thought that everything was great between you- fantastic, even. He had surprised you with a picnic date, producing a basket of food that he had prepared and a soft blanket, and he had been ecstatic at the grin that unfurled across your face slowly as you took in his nervous appearance and hopeful expression. Now, he anxiously replayed the events of that afternoon and carefully analysed his actions, trying to ascertain what had made you change your mind about him. Maybe you were bored with his long lectures about Egyptian mythology. Maybe you were tired of his awkward, jittery nature. Maybe you had just realised that you deserved better than he could offer.

His anxiety rose steadily as the minutes passed, his chest grew tight and his breathing shaky, until finally 5pm came and he left before Donna could tell him to stay any longer, his legs carrying him as fast as they could to the bus stop. 

Once Steven was on the bus, he sent you another text.

Just got out of work. Is everything alright? Haven’t heard from you all day, I hope you’re okay.

Again, no reply came. His leg bounced nervously the entire bus ride to your flat, and when he found the elevator to be broken, he instead took the stairs two at a time. By the time he had finally reached your door, he was out of breath and probably looked a mess. He took a moment to compose himself, taking a shaky breath, before knocking on your door. 

After a moment, he heard faint shuffling from inside your apartment. He waited, but the sound wasn’t moving towards the door. He knocked again, and called your name softly.

“Are you there?” He asked, but only silence followed. 

Steven felt his heart fracture, and he sighed deeply. If you didn’t want to talk to him, he wasn’t going to force you. He turned slowly to leave, his feet weighed down by his broken heart, but only made it a couple of steps before the sound of your door swinging open made him spin around. The sight of you made his heart ache, and all thoughts of his own anxieties were rapidly forgotten. 

You stood in your doorway, shoulders hunched and teary eyes fixed on the floor. Your hair was a mess, your hoodie and joggers were rumpled and looked as though you had been wearing them for several days. Steven could tell you had been crying, and he instantly felt horrible for his own downward spiral. 

“Steven,” you croaked, rubbing your eyes with the heel of your hand, “what are you doing here?”

Guilt tickled somewhere at the back of Steven’s mind; he shouldn’t be here. You didn’t want him here.

“I’m sorry, I j-just, um, I came by to see if you were okay…” he hesitated, shuffling awkwardly on his feet, “I texted you…”

“Oh,” you looked over your shoulder into your flat, trying to spot your phone among the mess; Steven followed your gaze and could see the heaped mess of blankets strewn across the couch and the piles of crumpled up tissues that littered the floor. A stack of dirty plates was perched precariously on a side table, and your laptop sat open on top of the blankets, the light from the screen blaring in the shadowy room. “I’m sorry, I’ve just been…”

Your sentence hung in the air, unfinished, as you searched for an excuse. When you didn’t find one, your face crumpled. Steven watched in panic as your head dropped and your hands covered your face, you shoulders beginning to shake with silent sobs. His hands gripped your shoulders and he walked you carefully back into your flat. As soon as your door was closed, he pulled you against his chest and wrapped his arms around you, stroking your hair gently with one hand.

“Hey, hey, shhh, it’s okay,” he mumbled against your hair. Every sob that wracked through your body felt like a knife to Steven’s heart.

He didn’t know how long he stood there with you, comforting you as best he could, but eventually your sobs had reduced to sniffles. 

“I’m sorry,” you said. Steven shook his head firmly. 

“You don’t have to apologise.” 

You pressed your palms flat against his chest and pushed yourself away from him slightly, looking up at him through your lashes which had clumped together with the tears you had shed. Steven couldn’t help but think about how beautiful you looked, before chiding himself internally for thinking about that while you were so obviously emotionally vulnerable. He felt like that was taking advantage of you, somehow. 

“I mean, for not talking to you today. I’m sorry. I’ve just been, I dunno…” you gestured weakly at the spot on the couch where you had clearly spent most of the day. “Wallowing in self pity, I guess.” You finished with a half-hearted chuckle. 

You pulled away and sat on the edge of the couch, pushing your laptop and blankets aside so Steven could sit next to you. 

“Did, um…did something, happen?” He asked cautiously. The last thing he wanted was to make you cry again. 

“No, I just feel bad.” You explained in a low voice, shaking your head. “Really bad.”

“What’s wrong? Is there anything I can do to help?” He asked, desperation creeping into his voice slightly.

You shook your head, eyes welling up with tears again. 

“Not really, just…” you hesitated, your eyes searching has face, before you looked away, shaking your head. “No, it doesn’t matter.” 

“It matters to me.” He said earnestly. “Please, just tell me what to do, I’ll do anything you need me to. Unless you need someone beaten up, I don’t think I’ll be much use in that case.” 

His attempt to make you smile was successful, he felt a wave of pride when the corners of your mouth lifted up slightly and you breathed out a laugh.

“Can you just…hold me? Please” You ask quietly, and Steven’s heart leapt at the opportunity.

“Yeah, yeah, of course,” he stammered.

You leaned into his side and let out a soft sigh when his arm wrapped around your shoulder. Your cheek was pressed against his chest, and you moved to drape your legs across his lap. His arms tightened around you and he hoped that you couldn’t hear the way his heart hammered against his rib cage when you nuzzled against his shirt. He studied your face, still flushed and damp, and watched a small tear escape your eye and trickle slowly down the curve of your cheek. 

“I just feel…” you began, heaving out a great sigh. Steven waited patiently for you to find your words. “I feel like I’m falling apart. Like I’m being held together by something that’s slowly disappearing, and everything’s falling to pieces and I’m just watching it happen because I don’t know how to put it all back together.”

Steven’s chest ached as you spoke. He blinked back the tears that were threatening to form in his own eyes. 

“You’re not falling apart, love, I’ve got you.” He whispered, and pressed a soft kiss against your forehead. Another tear slipped from your closed eyes.

——————————————————

When you woke the next morning, you were aware of only two things; you were drowning in blankets, and Steven was gone. You raised your head from the pillow, casting a weary eye over your living room, and sat up suddenly. 

The many tissues had been cleaned up from the floor. Your phone was plugged into a charger on the floor next to the couch. The stack of dishes that had piled up beside the couch were gone, and you knew that Steven had probably done your washing up for you. You glanced down at the three blankets that covered you, and realised that Steven had tucked you in and cleaned your living room for you. You didn’t know whether to smile or cry. 

So instead, you picked up your phone, scanning the texts he had sent you yesterday, until you came to one received only a couple of hours ago.

Morning love, hope you’re feeling better today. X

You replied:

I am. Thank you for holding me together.

#steven grant x reader #steven grant #moon knight #steven grant fanfic