Cold Air Creeping In

“I won’t be doing any type of grinding, darling,” Grant declared as he wrapped an arm around the man. “You mean the... dance? I suppose. Am I supposed to be excited?”

“Long enough,” Grant said carefully before he was gently kissing his husband in greeting. “How are you not sick to your stomach?” he asked with a raised brow.

Grant wasn’t sure what he thought about walking in on his husband singing, but he was definitely gone when the man started twerking. Grant was, in no way hip, but he knew what the dance was. “You’ve been eating candy all day, haven’t you?”

Grant wasn’t sure why he sought her out, but he felt he had to. Her, Fitz, Coulson, and Daisy had been... a big part of his life at one point. He had a hard time deciding what was real and what was fake back then, but he hoped that he felt some kind of real connection to them. He leaned against the door, listening to the woman who was entirely too happy and at ease after the blackout. 

“No. I don’t,” he admitted. “Came by to say hello, I suppose.”

         she gave grant a blank look at first and then shook her head. instead of rolling her eyes like her first instinct would’ve been, matty just chuckled.

              “ so if you took down empires how’d you end up here?                   did the empire strike back or something? ”

“No. I’m not very good with jokes,” Grant admitted. “... I can tell that was a Star Wars reference, though.”

“I think I will stick to cooking and save you the drama of having to shoot our children.” He stated slowly. “But you know… the kids know how to cook. So we are both saved some work actually.”

“No,” Grant answered simply. “I’m not sure... what steps you expect me to take from here,” he admitted to his husband. If he couldn’t be honest with the man before him, he didn’t know how he was expected to do so with others around him. He reached up to cup Gabriel’s cheek, giving him another quick kiss. “You raised them right, I see.”

         sarah nods silently. this specific uncle always seems to keep himself behind a barrier and she doesn’t fault him for that, but it’s in her nature to care whether the person wants her to or not. he married into the family she was born into, so in her mind that makes him as much family as her own parents are. “sorry, uncle – i mean, ward,” she glances down at her feet before eventually allowing herself to lift her head once more. “it’s – i uhm –” she stumbles over the formation of a sentence as hands pause in the air, not sure what to sign. “you just looked a little… lonely,” she doesn’t speak the word, too uncertain as to how he will react to it, so settles on signing it instead.

“You needn’t take offense. I don’t think I’d be able to even hear myself called dad by your cousins,” Grant admitted. He wasn’t sure why he was trying to spare her feelings. He wouldn’t have cared before, but he was trying to be about family now. For Gabriel. So, he figured he’d go the whole ten yards.

“Lonely? You don’t get lonely anymore after being so for so long. Was there something else you needed? Are you in this class?”

  This time the question was genuine, the curiosity in her taking over her previous anger as the guilt of her words began to sink in. She took a moment and sighed, ❝ look i’m sorry. it’s just hard to be super open to things like HYDRA agents or ex-HYDRA agents i guess. ❞

Grant eyed the young woman who was entirely too Rogers for her own good. He considered lying, but then she’d probably rally the students and he’d be in for a tough year. His temperament was nowhere near his patience level. He had the patience of a God, but he’d probably end up snapping a little neck before he got the chance to test it.

“I couldn’t care less about making a difference. My children are here, as is my husband. I reckon they deserve me to at least try to make this family normal.”

         she knew she probably shouldn’t be sassing grant ward, but matty couldn’t help it. to her it just seemed so easy. and sure the fact that he had rolled his eyes at her only made it easier to use sarcasm as her defense.

“Take down... mutants? I believe you’ve got my history confused with others. I took down empires, not mutants.”

“In my classroom I can,” Grant claimed. “My superior? Hardly. I work for the government, not SHIELD, and even if you worked for this school, I’m apart of a program with the prison. Not you. So, take that director shit elsewhere.”

“Both. You need to be able to have a stony face being yelled or, or you yelling, or someone else being yelled at in front of you,” Grant claimed. “You’re going to need a backbone to pass this class.”

“HYDRA, SHIELD. It’s the same shit,” Grant claimed honestly. “Both organizations that think what they’re doing is right and good for mankind, when they’re both actually not doing much of anything for the world besides manipulating it and molding it into what they want it to be. They both couldn’t give an ounce of shit who they hurt or kill if the person is in their way.”

He had been so loyal to HYDRA once. But, now? He didn’t know. 

“Ex shield, ex hydra agent Ward. You still got it wrong. You’re just a bottle of fuck-ups, aren’t you?” He questioned the woman. “Interrogation. Quite good at that. Though, I have the ability to teach just about anything.”

He sighed noticing as his father put the gun away, of course, he had been exposed to guns while he has been at the school because of his training “I’m working on this project for another class I could use your help for, “

“Ask us something? You’re not in trouble, are you? I can’t say I know of your record here at school or whether you and your siblings are trouble-makers. With me as your father, it’s a possibility,” Grant claimed. “But, we’re going to try to keep the trouble to a minimum for your papa’s sake.”

It was, after all, the least he could do for Gabriel. Give the man a peaceful few months. “What do you need -- son?” It was a little hard to say the last word than he figured it would be, but he was still learning.

Gabriel laughed and chuckled at his husband. “I mean, if you want to do all the cooking, decorating, PTA meetings, and taking the monster between your legs – then you can go right ahead.” He chuckled, he wasn’t complaining, because he loved doing all of those thing – especially the latter of the group the most. He was surprised that the other did kiss him, but he kissed Grant back just as firmly. He moved to wrap his arms around Grant’s neck, because it’s been ten years since he could do this.

Grant pulled out of the kiss as soon as the man wrapped his arms around his neck. He wet his lips and managed a somewhat forced smile before giving his husband another kiss. He knew the other needed this. And, while Grant felt uncomfortable with displays of affection (as he had even before prison), he knew his husband definitely didn’t feel that way as well.

He knew that Grant had issues connecting with others and so did he when he first came about, but he learned to love and he was still convinced he could push Grant to see that love - but he knew it was still hard for the other. He just hoped the man cared for his children. Making a note to actually talk to the children about their father being back in town. “Have you talked to them?” He asked softly. Fearing the answer would be ‘no’.

“IF THEY ARE PLAYING VIDEO GAMES, I’M COMING UP THERE AND KICKING THEIR ASSES.” He shouted so the kids could here and instantly here rattling and movements around. He moved to pull Grant’s hand, pulling the other to him. “They missed. We all missed you. I guess we all felt like… you don’t want us.” He looked down, but kept Grant close to him.

“What’s so hard? Grant literally there are a lot of women who husbands don’t help them with decorating. And according to Emma, I’m the woman here.” He chuckled. “Grant…” he sighed and rolled his eyes. “I hate when you say things like that.” He pushed away and walked back towards there room. “I’m still here and been faithful all this time. That means you’re the one I want and deserve. So please stop with that crap.”

Grant didn’t have to answer the question. Had he spoken to his kids? No. Did the idea of that terrify him? Yes. Would he admit that? No. He’d push it off for as long as he could. If his kids were anything like Gabriel, they’d eventually come invade his space looking for that father-child moment that Grant feared he couldn’t give them. 

He snapped out of his musings at the house, brow raising. “You’re the woman?” He repeated. His hand moving around his husband so he was holding him against his body. He leaned down to kiss the other firmly at the words, still unsure why exactly he had stayed faithful this entire time.

                   “ ten and a half, mr. ward. and you know you didn’t                       exactly deny it. what i now wanna know is how you                       manage to do that without the laptop open. do you                       actually have powers no one knows about?”

“Ah, my apologies, ten and a half,” Grant repeated with a roll of his eyes. He didn’t have the patience to deal with brats, but at least he hadn’t snapped at the young girl yet. “Define powers. I can take down most of the mutants here if I so choose.”