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unsent-voicemail · 4 years

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[Part 1] Box of Chocolates (Forrest Gump!Steve Rogers x Female!Reader)

Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.

tw’s: bullying

* You can probably tell I rewatched the movie while stuck at home, huh? * This is probably the corniest fic anyone has ever come up with but Forrest Gump reminded me of pre-serum!Steve in quite a lot of ways, so why not write it? * Comments/feedback are appreciated!

“What does ‘normal' mean, anyway?” Steve Rogers had been asking that question for as long as he could remember, though he was sure that the answer would definitely be something he can’t relate to because he surely knew that he was far from normal even before he knew what that meant.

Growing up, he seemed to stick out like a sore thumb compared to the other kids. He was short and stick-thin with pale skin and light hair, making him look androgynous and younger than he actually was compared to the other boys in town who were rugged, boyish, and growing into a masculine physique.

To make matters worse, he accumulated a long list of health issues that barred him from running and playing with the other kids in town– starting from his asthma to his easy fatiguability. Steve can barely go more than five minutes of jumping around without feeling like he was about to pass out, leading his peers to just turn his nose up at how weak and “lame” he was being, and eventually just forwent asking him to join them. The boy hated conflict and yet would still stand up to those who displayed impoliteness towards him, often ending in him being bloodied and bruised as his mother told him to just run away next time while she tended to his injuries. Soon enough, Steve was silenced into meekness and did as he was told when conflict arose at the neighborhood playground.

Steve also experienced difficulty in school since the admission test day. It soon became apparent that he can’t finish reading three sentences without nodding off or finding something out the classroom window to stare at, yet the doodles and scribbles on the back of his test paper were impressively life-like and he breezed through the Mathematics part of the test as if he’d been preparing for it his whole life. The principal who handled his application was certain that he wasn’t stupid or of low intellect given that the boy spoke well for his age and used articulate words kids his age never used, but the principal didn’t think that the school could accommodate a case like Steve’s– he was far too different from what the traditional school system was used to. The principal raised such concern to his mother and even went as far as suggesting that he be transferred to a “special” school, much to his mother’s disgust and to Steve’s embarrassment as he heard the conversation from the office’s reception area.

“My child is not special!” she exclaimed, glaring at the seemingly unconvinced principal. “Sure, he may not be normal like the other kids, but what does normal mean anyway?” she sneered. Inhaling sharply, she gave the uninterested man in front of her a firm look before declaring that she expected them to give Steve the best education whether it was easy or not. With a sigh that seemed to come from the lowest point of his lungs, the principal gave an affirmative response knowing that there was no use arguing with such a determined woman before monotonously thanking her for taking some time out of her day to sit down and have a chat.

“Don't ever let anybody tell you they're better than you, Steve.” his mother said through gritted teeth as she marched her way out of the school, her grip on Steve’s arm unintentionally tight with frustration. “If God wanted us to be the same, then we’d all be in special ed.” she added with a huff. The boy didn’t quite understand his mother’s cryptic speech, but he tried to as he muttered an “okay” while struggling to catch up with the woman’s fast-paced walking.

What he really didn’t understand and couldn’t bring himself to understand, however, was the seats on the school bus were all taken on the first day of school. When he got on, the kids slammed their backpacks on the empty spaces beside them as they spat “this seat’s taken!” and “you can’t sit here!” with such hate in their voice and eyes for the skinny, pale kid who didn’t look anything like them and was already panting lightly just from getting on the bus.

To any other person, it wouldn’t be long before they’ve forgotten such incident from their childhood, but to Steve, it was a day he would never forget because just when he thought he’d have to stand the whole ride through, he heard the sweetest voice speak to him.

“You can sit here if you want to.” was what he heard. Steve couldn’t really explain what the voice sound like to him then, but when he thought about it as an adult, it was as if the words danced its way into his ears and made his heart flutter a bit. Looking at the source of the offer, his sky blue eyes widened slightly upon seeing who spoke to him– she was the most beautiful thing Steve had even seen, and that was surely something for a child who hasn’t quite grasped the concept of beauty yet.

Stunned, Steve blankly stared at the girl before she snapped him out of his trance by asking him "are you going to sit down or not?”. Quietly, the blond boy slid into the space next to her. With curiosity in her eyes, she peered at the boy sat beside her as she thought that she certainly had never seen anyone like him. “Why are you so small?” she asked, her tone holding unadulterated wonder.

“I get sick a lot and never really want to eat.” Steve replied with a shrug, mimicking the answer his mother gave him when he asked her the same question. Upon hearing his response, the girl frowned slightly and asked him why he always gets sick. “My parents get sick a lot, too.” the blond said. Though the questions were quite heavy for a child to think about, he was happy that she asked him. Besides his mother, nobody else talked to him or asked him questions.

“Are you not normal or something?” the girl asked as her eyes narrowed slightly, her young mind not quite comprehending Steve’s answers. The blond paused, not quite knowing how to answer that because as much as his mother told him that he was just like the next kid in town, he knew deep inside him that it wasn’t all true. As he tried to think of what answer to give her, the girl shrugged his silence off and introduced herself, extending a hand for him to shake.

“I’m Steve. Steven Rogers.” he said, keeping his tone pleasant and shaking her hand firmly just the way his mom taught him. She smiled at him before letting go, finding it amusing that he introduced himself like the old men in tuxedos she would see in movies. Albeit brief, the handshake filled Steve with a happiness he couldn’t really understand at that time.

Perhaps, it was the joy at the birth of what would be a beautiful friendship.

#steven grant rogers #steven grant rogers x reader #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #captain america #captain america x reader #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #tw: bullying

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unsent-voicemail · 4 years

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[Part 3] thank u, next (Marvel!Chrises x Female! Reader)

One taught me pain.

warnings: rpf, angst, cliche as fuck

* What probably pushed me to finally write this is the fact that it took me a damned year to complete the series! Plans don’t always go the way you pictured them in your head, no? * This is the last part (well, technically not as I’m planning an epilogue) & I’m so excited to move onto my next series! * Comments & feedback are welcomed! They sure help me improve and find out what kind of stuff to write next.

Prologue Part 1 Part 2

Mustering all the emotional strength she had left, she opened up the book knowing that there was thankfully one last entry left. The thought of how tacky it was of her to reminisce about her exes on her wedding day reentered her mind, but she thought that since she’s already started, she might as well finish it. Moreover, it’s not like anyone would find out, and she didn’t plan on telling anybody

With a bit more confidence, her fingers danced across the scrapbook and skipped over to the last entry. Upon drinking in what the page contained, she felt a pang as bittersweet as the relationship she was reminded of nip at her heart. Trying to smile through her frown, she ran a finger through the photograph pasted on the page, lightly and mindlessly chuckling at how childishly lovestruck she looked for someone who was a self-proclaimed “grown woman”.

She noted how she looked pretty good with the sun’s gentle rays highlighting the best points of her face as it contrasted with the colors of the beach, but she couldn’t help but pay more attention to the man who had her in a tight bear hug, flashing the camera a breath-taking smile as his eyes that rivaled the color of the ocean seemingly pierced through the photograph.

––

At that point in her life, she never thought she’d call another man the “love of her life” ever again after doing so twice (and proving herself to be horribly wrong about it– twice.). It was childish and way too idealistic, and she was done with that. She was a working woman now, therefore her priorities were different, and so were her interests. At that point, it was all about establishing her career and getting money.

It was miraculous how her friends able to drag her out for a quick weekend trip to beach given that her life was spent either holed up in her office cubicle or passed out on her ratty couch in front of the TV. While she spent the entire trip grumbling on how much tasks she has on hold, she was secretly thankful that she went; she needed some time away from the hectic career-woman life she was living along as she temporarily escaped from it with an ice-cold margarita. Moreover, she needed to start dating again.

Lucky for her, she found just what she needed when she met Chris Hemsworth.

She wasn’t quite sure if her good friends “coincidentally” brought a couple friends a long, but she was glad they did, especially since Chris was absolutely handsome and had an amazing personality to match. She didn’t realize it, but her uptight self loosened up almost immediately with the way Chris brought life into their little get-together; he wasn’t the well-planned, organized man she usually looked for, but she didn’t mind it at all– his spontaneity and free spirit was just like a breath of fresh air. Her friends noticed how well they clicked in spite of the differences, but didn’t dare to make fun of them or say anything as they were in favor of things going well and they haven’t seen her so comfortable with a man in a while– it was as if the bland, couch potato of their friend did a complete 180 right before their eyes.

She and Chris were so caught up in the fun they were having that they didn’t notice how fast time flew by, and before they could register it, it was time to go home. With heavy bags and even heavier hearts, they said their goodbyes with a rather awkward, tense hug that had their hearts wildly beating in their chests. She hated the fact that her carefree, fun persona was more temporary than she had realized, and she was only a 2-hour drive away from the boring, all-work-and-no-play persona she had grown accustomed to.

To her surprise, Chris was seriously interested in her, and was persistent in keeping in touch. Perhaps, her effortless wit and gentle nature had him yearning for more of her, or it could simply be the fact that she was just absolutely beautiful inside and out. Either way, Chris found himself wanting to open his eyes to her text messages and fall asleep to the sound of her hushed voice over the phone. In spite of a great distance between them (with him living on one side of town while she lived on the opposite side), he felt a special connection bring them closer and closer each day. He vowed that in spite of them living different lives in different places, he’ll make sure that they keep in touch knowing that what they had over the short vacation was not all that was in store for them.

It didn’t take long before the both of them started wanting to be more than just friends, finding themselves yearning for each other when they couldn’t text or talk to each other on the phone, and feeling a warm giddiness course through them when they did. Though it took them quite a while to come to terms and believe in such desire, they eventually did, knowing that they couldn’t fight it anymore. In spite of the physical distance, the mutual feelings that couldn’t be suppressed any longer were soon made known through their respective confessions, and they started dating immediately after that.

Caught up in a seemingly whirlwind romance, they didn’t realize how quickly they were moving. Lost in the fresh spontaneity Chris brought into her life, they didn’t realize that they had done a lot more in a short amount of time compared to average relationships. She wasn’t thinking about foresight or planning at that point– she was in love, and that was all that mattered. In spite of the people suggesting that perhaps they should get to know each other better, they carried on doing what they pleased in the relationship. To them, as long as they made each other happy and it felt right, they didn’t need more.

Thinking back, they wished they knew better and actually listened.

After a month and a half of dating, she agreed to let Chris move in with her. His job was home-based, anyway, and she felt like her apartment was becoming a little too empty and quiet. The decision was raw and hasty, but to them, it proved to be the best decision as they basked in the domestic comfort that was now present in their relationship.

Chris has never felt that certain way about a woman before– it was new, fresh, and exciting. There was finally some sense of stability and order in his life as she hadn’t completely shaken off the uptight, perfectionist planner in her. He found himself completely enamored by the image of her flittering about the house just to get things in order– getting breakfast sorted before she left for work, rocking out to the biggest hits of her teenage years as they cleaned the house on weekends, and making the house all presentable and pretty for dinner. He can’t recall when he started feeling like he wanted to settle down, but the feeling grew stronger each time he saw her become more and more wife-like.

“Let’s get married.” Chris said abruptly in the middle of their Thursday dinner weeks after realizing his craving for permanent domesticity with her, making her drop her utensils in shock. “Marry me.” his voice was full of conviction, reaffirming her that he knew what he said as she seemed to be baffled with the way she asked him to repeat himself. She was speechless as her jaw hung open, then she started laughing heartily, not of mockery, but one of pleased surprise that filled Chris’ ears like a class piano melody. She didn’t expect him to ever be interested in settling down, but then again, when it came to him, there were no expectations.

“Sure.” was her simply reply, grinning from ear to ear as she looked at him with so much love and adoration. A million thoughts were racing through her mind, but all of them had to common denominator of how much she was excited to spend her life with him. While she always dreamed of a traditional down-on-one-knee proposal leading to a white picket fence, classic movie marriage, she was willing to give it up for the adventure of an unorthodox marriage she knew she’d have with Chris following his very unorthodox proposal.

Despite the lack of a rock on her ring finger (Chris said it didn’t define his determination to marry her and he wanted it to be a wedding day surprise), she seemingly made a million plans all at once in excitement. The list of guests got longer and longer, and each of those invited, especially her parents, questioned her confidence in getting into something huge with somebody she’s known for less than a year. Met with a snappy answer of how they don’t know the entire story, and that they could either deal with her or feel free to not show up, they backed off and apologized in an attempt to appease her, thinking that the it was just the planning stress getting to her. Unbeknownst to them, it was the underlying stress and embarrassment of how they might actually be right that was biting at her.

As the plans got grander and the ideas got more ambitious, Chris started to think about what he was getting into. He was a simple man, and if it were up to him, he would have just taken her to the city hall the same night he expressed his desire to marry her. He had never envisioned himself as the type to settle down as he seemed to “itch” if he were in one place for too long, leading the people who really knew him to ask if he was sure and if he perhaps meant to say something else. Such questions made him stop and think, and maybe even want to put the whole thing on pause, but whenever he saw how full of life the woman he loved was as she brought the wedding plans into fruition, he shook off whatever doubt he had and reassured himself that he surely wanted what he was getting into.

Several decisions, breakdowns, screaming matches with the organizers, and fittings later, the day of the wedding finally came, and she could not be more relieved that she was over all the planning bullshit. All she had to do that day was seal the deal and spend forever with the man of her dreams. The mere thought of it had her pacing back and forth with excitement and a hint of nervousness as she sweat profusely that she didn’t even realize that her mother had been trying to snap her out of her trance to tell her that she got a text message from Chris. With shaking hands, she took the cellphone from her mother and hastily read the text, immediately wishing she didn’t.

“I can’t do this. I’m sorry.” was all the message contained, but it more than enough for her to let out a pained sob as she collapsed to the floor, shaking and heaving as everyone around her panicked and tried to console her.

From then on, there was nothing but pain.

Everything she smelled, touched, saw, heard, and tasted seemed to be full of agonizing pain.

Chris knew that she would be hurt, but the damage was done; he had already sent the text, and he was absolutely sure that everything had gone to shit at the moment. While he knew he wasn’t the most confrontational man in the world, he didn’t expect himself to be such a coward with the way he couldn’t even tell her personally that his cold feet were getting the best of him, and that he wanted to take a step back. He didn’t know if it was the seemingly endless amount of people, or the fact that he was about to undertake a huge, serious responsibility that would bind him for life, but either way, he was scared out of his wits and wanted out.

As he sat in his crisp, new tuxedo, staring blankly at the wall, he tried to think of what was next, but nothing was crossing his mind. For once, he wish he had a plan.

She, on the other hand, started to feel her old rigidly-stick-to-the-plan self make an appearance as she carried on with going to the honeymoon. She and Chris were to spend two weeks at the beach resort where they first met, reliving nostalgic memories as they created new ones, but that wasn’t possible now that she showed up to the front desk alone; her make-up was smudged, her elaborate hairdo was disheveled from the number of times she ran her hands through it, and her wedding dress was horribly wrinkled. She briefly caught how pathetic and pitiful she looked in one of the resort lobby’s mirrors, but that was the least of her problems at the moment.

Right now, what was important to her was handling the pain mercilessly coursing through her body, most especially since she had been derailed from her seemingly perfect plan and had to improvise.

Above all, she had to heal from the pain.

––

She wasn’t sure how long she held her breath, but it seemed like she held it as she recalled every last detail of the whirlwind romance that took a turn for the worst. It was surprising, but she neither felt even a tinge of pain nor bitterness towards her ex-lover all throughout– she had completely moved on, and perhaps, she had forgiven him for something she deemed unforgivable at one point. She hasn’t heard of him since that cold, fateful day, and she was sure that if she did while the internal wound was fresh, she would have cursed him out to the ends of the earth, but if she were to get the chance to speak to him at that exact moment, she would be unexpectedly magnanimous and even appreciative.

Exhaling deeply and smiling upon that realization, she mentally thanked Chris Hemsworth, wherever he may be on the globe and in life, knowing that the pain had thickened her skin and gave her a multitude of life lessons she would take with her for the rest of her life.

#chris hemsworth #chris hemsworth x reader #chris pratt #chris pratt x reader #chris evans #chris evans x reader #marvel cinematic universe #mcu #tw: angst

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