vαи dyиє (punches) wrote in avengers_logs, @ 2018-12-17 12:33:00 |
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Okay, so how did people do this exactly? Meaning, broach the topic of marriage? An engagement. Betrothal. Whatever term anyone wanted to use - and no matter which term it was, Hope still felt like her head was buzzing and the butterflies in her stomach were made of lead. Something, anything, give her a sign that she was doing the right thing - oh, trust her, she searched for one; she was a cell phone searching for a signal after moving through mountain passes. Mostly she just got static, as she sat at the kitchen table with her hands spread like a starfish around her cooling mug of tea. She only had tea at the moment - of course, she’d planned to have a nice dinner for herself and Scott when her other half arrived back at their apartment, but her efforts to make a homemade pizza literally fell through the cracks when the dough somehow landed on the bottom oven coils and now everything was just burnt to a crisp and a mess. Did she mention she wasn’t the greatest cook? Maybe they should order out. It also begged the question why he would want to marry such a loser in the kitchen (domestic goddess she was not), but then again, Scott wasn’t from the 1950s so it would be okay. Possibly. It’s almost too cozy how things had gone from a four month “will it won’t it” be the end of the world. But such was the way for the ever expanding universe. In this case, Scott was happy to be alive for the things he had—his daughter, his daughters mother and husband, and now he even had the Pym/Van Dyne family. He couldn’t remember the last time he had so much family all the time. Being raised as he was, while everyone was still alive, family was very important. He was apparently the worlds greatest grandma, and the most thankful 40 something year old orphan on the planet. Scott was just dropping off a little bit of side work and picking up a few things for Hannukah. Cassie obviously couldn’t come down for the week. The holiday was almost over—but he’d take his peanut visitation when Maggie was done and they’d do hodge podge Christmas-Hannukah just like always. “I can’t believe we’re still at an end cap in the grocery store..” Scott grumbled with a few bags of groceries, nearly stumbling in and closing the door behind him. “2018, and there’s a whole store of Christmas goodies and we’re lucky to get two boxes of matzo and maybe a latke mix—is something on fire? Hope?” He pulled out of his own world an rummaging through the groceries to sniff the kitchen and look at her with confused blue eyes. Hope’s lips quirked up into a baby version of a smile. “No, it’s just me,” she called back - not to be interpreted in a way that meant she was on fire. But she went to meet Scott and help him bring in the groceries, taking one of the bags as she leaned in and kissed him. “I tried to make dinner but it failed so I had to do an emergency oven cleaning. It still smells like burnt food though, because...reasons.” Reasons being that she tried to make dinner. She could handle some things, simple things, but it’s not as if she had learned to cook much in her youth. “Are you going to make us latkes?” she asked hopefully, rummaging through the bag like a raccoon. “And there are a few legit Jewish delis around here, we’ll find something better. Promise.” Only a loving, toothy smile came to Scott’s face as he gave her a tender kiss back while she helped unload the groceries. “I’m sure it was an oven malfunction. You know, temperamental new technology has a mind of its own.” Hope couldn’t be the best at everything even if she tried. But that was ok. He knew how to cook as well as any of his aunts and his pop pop so he could fill in for her. Just like she filled in for..all of his actual real problematic short comings. “Tonight? I can, sure. I’ve got us stocked up for the week and then I might have gone a little crazy in the special foods department for when Cassie gets here.” His little peanut loved to help cook sometimes. Especially the Rugelach and Latkes. “Oh pfffffft. We can go to the delis when we’re feeling lazy or to get some black and white cookies. I’ve got us covered.” He’d made a sweeping motion with his hands over an invisible counter. Pleased he knew he excelled at something like cooking. Reaching into a bag he pulled out a holiday tin with silver embellishments and handed it to Hope—there was a special holiday mix of cinnamon, apple, and gingerbread teas inside. “And Happy Hannukah.” He kissed her cheek. Oh, right, temperamental oven. Bless him for trying - and was it sad that Cassie was already a better cook than Hope? Probably, but whatever. Everyone had their skills, right? Hope’s main skill set just happened to be leaping on someone, taking them down, and choking them to death - all with her thighs. “Mm, special foods - beats my attempts at pizza,” she grinned, helping to put away the rest of the groceries but leaving out what they’d need for latkes (though...it wasn’t like she knew everything even needed for latkes). “Just put me to work peeling potatoes or something, I can help out because I’m starving.” However, then she was distracted by the tin Scott handed her. She opened it with a delighted noise, which may be amusing coming from the likes of her. Usually she was quite stoic and could be reserved. “Gingerbread tea, you’re the best,” she sighed, kissing him again. “Happy Hanukkah.” In addition to that kiss, she slid her arms around him and squeezed him, clinging for a second because she loved him a lot and was optimistic that her ‘idea’ wouldn’t have him running for the hills. “Oh cut it out. You’ll get it with more practice, I’ve burnt plenty of things.” Scott still carried his default whimsical face. “You can get the applesauce, jam, and anything else you’d like on the latkes.” He stopped hustling about with the groceries and their meal to accept her embrace. The sparing moments when Hope was comfortable enough. She was as warm as she was stern and strong—Scott saw through it all and loved all of her. He returned her hug with a gentle squeeze, running a hand through her hair. “C’mon, let’s get you fed.” “Hm, let’s see...” Hope was looking in the fridge - her stomach also happened to be snarling, quite hangry about that pizza failure, so she was glad that latke mix wasn’t too complicated - and she came up with both applesauce and sour cream. They were the main accoutrements she liked with those special Scott-created potato pancakes. No sense in denying herself an appetizer first though; she stole a spoon from the drawer and dug into the applesauce once the lid was off. It was a decent snack before mealtime. Removing the spoon from her mouth, she propped herself next to Scott and watched him. “Hey - I love you? Can I talk to you about something?” She didn’t mean to make both statements sound like questions. He’d set up all they needed for the potato pancakes, getting the frying pan ready with a nice hot plate next to him to set the food. Scott watched Hope plop herself up, and while she was cute when she was timid, it was still a rare sight to see. He had nothing but his usual warm, teasing face as he sorted through the food and her demeanor. “That depends. Conversation aside you have to promise to still love me.” Scott was curious as to what had make her lull back a little. She usually did this when coming forth with more emotions. For however intense she was as a CEO or the Wasp, she was as intensely compassionate. And Scott saw right through to her. “Is your mom and dad alright?” “They’re fine,” she chuckled, thinking fondly of grumpy Dr. Hank and his recently-rescued ray of sunshine. Janet had obviously been exposed to quantum energies for many years, however, and acquired some extra stuff because of that - Hope knew that her father wanted to learn exactly how things changed for her, but poking his wife like a lab rat wasn’t an option. Still, they were both scientists and would work it out somehow. She took another spoonful of applesauce. “In fact, I kind of...well, I thought it might be nice to have what they have?” she hedged. “Just that sort of - that everlasting love. The bond. And...marriage...and...being married - “ God, this was going so well, wasn’t it? It was like a little fairytale to see the family reunited. Scott of course was so happy for Hank and Hope to have Janet back. Not to mention he and Janet had an..odd connection..thing now. But she was great. She had an awesome sense of humor and thus far Janet and Scott got along well enough. “Yeah? I think so too,” Scott agreed nonchalantly going about frying up the latkes. “They’ve got that old fashioned couple telekinesis thing and—“ wait. He blinked. Did Hope just say everlasting love? And marriage, like, two times. “Uh, I think we have to be together a little longer to have as much as they do but I don’t plan on going anywhere, or rushing.” He felt old enough as it was. Glancing over his shoulder to double check on her, Scott made sure he heard correctly. “You said marriage twice now. Did your dad say something? Or your mom?” Maybe Janet was old fashioned. “No - “ Hope dug around in her jar of applesauce, casually, watching her spoon as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. Her moments of vulnerability were rare but she did have them. Sometimes. And this may be one of them. “They didn’t say anything,” she insisted, putting the jar down and focusing entirely on Scott. “It’s what I was thinking. I wanted - I thought...I know if didn’t work out for your the first time, marriage, but things are different with us and maybe we can talk about it?” Didn’t work out was a very kind way to put it. His last marriage was, well, what he’d thought to be endgame. Not that he blamed Maggie for divorcing him, but it did break his heart that she didn’t stand by him while he was in prison. That was his fault though. And Cassie suffered the most. Scott did that. Mild mannered, facetious, and non-tempered as he was, Scott lost sight of the domino effect when what Maggie had called “Martyr Mode”. The same had happened with Hope and Hank, but they forgave him. Would that always be the case? He had to have learned something by now. Scott wasn’t the same person as he was two years ago, or even five. “Of course we can talk about it.” He answered with a firm nod so she knew that she didn’t have to be vulnerable or “weak” in her approach. Scott loved Hope very much after all. She could just be herself. Or he’d tease her until she lightened up. “Tell me what’s on your mind.” He turned the stove off and set the latkes aside to cool, giving her his full attention. The subject was obvious but he wanted to give her the floor to say or ask anything. She was glad that he stepped back (figuratively) and just gave Hope space to put into words what was on her mind, instead of just rushing into a thousand reasons why they shouldn’t get married. The fact that Scott wanted to hear what she thought, and didn’t equate the idea of marriage with Maggie and his first failed one was pretty...impressive, actually? Not that she’d expect anything less. He wasn’t some asshole who didn’t listen to her, which was one of the reasons she wanted to marry him in the first place. “I mean, there are a few benefits - tax breaks and all that, but for people like us? The ones who do the Avenging thing? If something goes wrong, I want you to have everything,” she said, thinking of her mother and the Quantum Realm and thirty years. “You and Cassie, because my father’s not immortal.” And she’d be inheriting Pym Tech and all that was associated with her father’s work anyway. True, you didn’t need to marry someone to leave them all your assets. Which was why she wasn’t totally practical about this either. “And I love you, Scott, I do. I love Cassie and I know she already has a mom, but I’d do my best at the step-parent thing. And I don’t know, there’s a part of me that just likes the idea of being married to the person I love.” That little girl who did dream of a wedding like many girls did, before Janet ‘died’; she remembered that little girl, and her sugar-spun giggles, her innocence, and the terrible way she played Hide and Seek by choosing the red wardrobe each time. Hope hadn’t lost her entirely, despite all she’d been through. The money part didn’t appeal to him at all. True, doing what they did, they had to make sure their family was already taken care of. Although Louis and Co. had done their share of “running” their company while he was at home, Scott was very good with numbers and planning. Much more responsible than his common sense would dictate. But he was sad that her mind went there. That she thought she would die, that she made up in her mind she’d go first… He frowned and remained quiet, understanding why given recent events she may feel that way, but that’s not what Scott wanted to think about. “Nothing is going to happen to you and your dad is fine. He’s probably already ten steps ahead of us..” Hope was practically writing her will. Reaching out to take her hands, Scott ran his thumbs over the back of her palms. “I know what happened was..a big deal. But you have to promise you’ll stop thinking like that.” The other part of what she spoke of made sense. That’s why you married someone. At least, Scott had thought so. “I love you too, Hope. There’s no one I’d rather be with...but if you want to marry me, you have to drop the expectations on yourself. Don’t worry about who is going to die first or if Cassie will accept you like family. You’ve already accepted me into yours and she loves you.” It hard to imagine a young Hope. One with her life ahead of her and unhurt by the world just yet. Wanting to be married. Wanting to marry him. “Love is unconditional, you know? And so is marriage. But that means for you too. I don’t want you to marry me because you think it’s what you need to do or because eventually someone will die, or that you need to be some sort of expectation.” Being turned to dust was, obviously, the most traumatizing thing Hope had experienced. She wouldn’t ever forget the fear she felt - suffocating, all-encompassing, unable to understand or prevent what was happening to her. Tears pooled in her eyes, but they weren’t necessarily sad ones - she was just overcome with things like emotion. Damn. “I want to marry you because I can’t imagine not marrying you,” she said, with a sheepish laugh and a sniffle, wiping at those escaping water droplets, damn them. “Because I don’t want to think about something going wrong or having my affairs in order - it’ll get settled, and that’s fine, but then we can look forward to the future. That’s what I want - our future.” He did sort of have a way at getting her to not worry, and making her feel safe - like being inside a warm, cozy house while a storm raged outside. She offered him one of the latkes, trying to look serious but failing - she didn’t try hard to fight the smile. “Will you accept this potato pancake and marry me, Scott?” Of course, Scott only smiled warmly as Hope fought through the years of walls she built up to protect herself from the world or showing emotion and weakness. It really was a shitty thing that someone had to do in order to survive—but that’s what he was there for. Doing his best to give her the love she deserved and be the partner she needed. Even if he could be a bit of a goof. “That’s still hot, but yes. I will accept both your pancake and proposal.” He made her set down the food for a second to move around the counter and give her a loving kiss and embrace. “We’ll do this right in a bit. After you’ve bought me my ring from Jared’s of course, then you can get on one knee and we can make a Facebook post with the “He said yes” caption, as is standard.” He was a little nervous to marry again. Just because of standard jitters. But Scott didn’t see himself with anyone else other than Hope. In his mind, he’d already committed to being her partner. As a hero, and in life. It only made him happier that Hope actually wanted to marry him herself and thought on a future. Hope laughed, and also might have hiccuped - because of her own jittery nerves about marrying, and the fact that she just proposed, and everything felt like cotton wool and the high of good drugs after a tooth pulling. But she had all her teeth and now a fiance? “I think I can come up with a better ring besides one from Jared’s, the Galleria,” she chuckled, wrapping both her arms and her legs around Scott, holding his goofy handsome face in her hands so she could kiss him again. “The Facebook part is completely necessary though. Totally.” Uh oh, she also had her thighs hugging his ribcage which meant daaaangerous things. But rather than crush anything (bones, internal organs) she just hooked her ankles behind his back, with a flex of muscle. “Can you practice carrying me over the threshold of our honeymoon suite?” That was a thing, right? Scott lifted her easily away from her chair, swinging her legs into his arms to carry her like a damsel. Pssssssh. It really should have been the other way around. “Why don’t we change it up a bit?” He mused allowed, roaming around the living room all the while he carried her, maybe swinging her to and fro a little. “Why don’t you carry me instead?” He asked with a toothy grin before kissing her forehead. Jittery as it may have been to embark on another serious life move, it was one Scott actually took quite seriously. He was a man of family after all and he would be determined not to ruin this marriage. But he had gotten so many chances and made it work. He would continue to do so. “Oh, don’t tell your parents. Just wait until I’m done making your ring and we’ll just see them when they see them and act like it’s no big deal and happened a while ago.” Janet might laugh. Hank wouldn’t find it as amusing but Scott knew that at least his soon to be mother in law could appreciate a good tease. “Making my ring? Scott!” Hope interrupted herself with a snort of a laugh, as she clung to him - since he seemed eager to take her for a ride. “Okay, I won’t tell them - although you know Hank’s going to say something like ‘he didn’t tell us when he left to fight with the Avengers, didn’t tell us when he got engaged to my daughter - ‘“ Her voice wasn’t quite a perfect imitation, but the tone was conveyed pretty well. Still, she found it amusing. And wiggled in his arms to drop to the ground, finding her footing once more. “First I’ll murder those latkes. Then carry you over the threshold.” Doubtful she could manage, since superhuman strength wasn’t one of her attributes. But murdering latkes was, and it actually worked out kind of perfectly - because they had a lot to celebrate. |