steps (1/2)
pairing: marcus moreno / reader
word count: 2620
summary: you knew when you started dating marcus that his daughter was the most important person in his life.
a/n: i see a lot of fics w wingchild missy and i love them all but decided to think of what would happen if that wasnāt the case. also posting this via mobile bc iām a loser lol. taglist peeps will be added later
warnings: one brief mention of a cat getting hit by a car (he lived tho), domestic angst, one (1) mention of blood (cutting your hand while washing dishes), sadness n stuff
you never knew six months could pass so fast. before you met marcus, the days dragged on and were filled to the brim with monotony and drab routines. you ate, bathed, worked, ate again, and slept, and the cycle would start anew every day.
then your next-door neighborās cat got stuck in a tree and everything changed in an instant.
no one was sure how the paraplegic feline found itself in the old oak tree. the only thing everyone knew for sure was that there was no ladder in anyoneās shed tall enough to reach the poor thing. marcus had been moving in across the street when he saw the commotion from his living room window, rushing out to help.
everyoneās eyes lit up at seeing a heroic in such a time of need despite this being a job far above his pay grade. nevertheless, marcus was determined to help however he could. his brain was running a mile a minute with possible scenarios ā could someone get on a metal ladder and marcus could float the ladder up to the cat? levitate something metal for the cat to safely walk onto and then lower back to the ground?
ākenny still has his wheels on, maybe you could get him down with those.ā
your voice interrupted his last half-assed plan and he turned to you, cocking his head in confusion. āwhat kind of wheels?ā
ākenny got hit by the mail truck six months ago. ended up living but canāt use his back legs anymore, which makes it all the more confusing as to how he got up there at all.ā you shook your head at the absurdity of it all before continuing. āsince you can control metal, maybe you can get him down by using the metal in his back wheels.ā
marcus could have kissed you he was so happy. of course he wanted to help his neighbors, but he only had a little bit of time before he had to pick missy up from school. there was so much to clean and unpack from the move that he wanted to have some of it done before the weekend was over, but alas.
no one even noticed that marcus was in the process of getting kenny down from the tree before the cat was halfway to the ground, clearly not liking the fact he was suspended in the air. once he was only a few feet up, marcus let him safely drop and kenny immediately sprinted/rolled his fastest back to ms. nesbitās yard. the small crowd that had gathered at the scene applauded (you couldnāt believe it) and all pat marcus on the back before returning to their homes.
before you could leave, however, marcus caught your attention with a small wave. āthank you for the idea, who knows how long iād have stood there trying to think of something,ā he offered his hand to you with a smile that you thought could have powered the whole neighborhood. āmarcus moreno, just moved in next door.ā
you accept the handshake and introduce yourself, trying to not get distracted with how strong his hand felt in yours. ādonāt sweat it, i didnāt wanna be there for much longer either.ā he laughed at your slightly snide comment and right then, you deemed yourself a goner.
it only took a month before you and marcus had dinner for the first time. he had made reservations at a nicer restaurant in the next town over, but they got hit with an unexpected power outage and had to close for the next couple days to fix it. so takeout on his couch it was, sitting closer together as the night wore on and trying occasional bites of the otherās food with sitcoms on his tv.
three months later, now you were set to meet his family and damn if that wasnāt the most daunting challenge youāve ever faced.
ārelax honey, missy will love you!ā marcus reassured. he knows you and he knows his daughter; marcus is confident your personalities will mesh comfortably. youāll get the seals of approval from missy and his mother and everything will be absolutely perfect. āeverything will be okay, iām gonna be here the whole time.ā
no matter how desperately you wanted to believe it, there was no way you thought you could just easily fit into the moreno clan. marcus made it sound so easy, like they would love you simply because he did. he just wasnāt taking into account that the panel consisted of his daughter and his mother.
missy spent the previous night with anita, allowing you and marcus to go on a date then and now prepare for tonightās dinner where you would meet them both for the first time.
āiām just nervous! this is your family, your daughter! tonight iām meeting the most important people in your life and i donāt want to screw up!ā you huff and continue to get ready, wishing that you could just fast forward through this night.
marcus smiled at you, immediately bringing you into a hug to help soothe your nerves. ātrust me, everything will be okay. iāll be there with you the entire time.ā with the way he was so confident in his words and how warm he felt against you, how could you think any differently?
marcus called anita once dinner was close to ready, telling her that you both were ready for them to arrive. well, that marcus was ready for them to come. he seemed like the only one the least bit excited for the night (besides anita, she seemed eager to meet you if what marcus told you was true). when missy announced her arrival, your stomach dropped to your feet because this was really happening and there was nothing you could do to change it now.
it was one look. one long, spite-fueled glare was all it took for the bliss you had with marcus to start to crumble. an angry comment doused it in gasoline and set it on fire without a second thought.
missy didnāt like you. no, it was more like she hated you and everything you represented to her.
when she barreled into her dad with a smile and a hug, she looked happy, excited even. then she turned and noticed you standing in the kitchen watching them together.
the polite introduction she gave was forced. heroic child or not, there was no hiding the displeasure in her eyes and tone. you told her your name and offered a hand to shake that was left hanging, choosing to instead leave to get washed up for dinner. marcus didnāt seem to even notice the tension in the greeting and thatās when you realized that this would be one of the longest dinners youāve ever had.
anita greeted you with a smile and a comforting hand in yours. āmy marcus has told me a lot about you! iāve been pestering him for weeks to introduce you, but you know how he is,ā you both laugh as she pats her sonās cheek affectionately.
poor marcus isnāt amused. āthanks, mom. now can you help me set the table?ā he turns to you, your still tense shoulders telling your boyfriend that you need a few moments to yourself before dinner is served. they head to the kitchen and leave you on the couch that never felt this uncomfortable.
being in the moreno house never let you feel any negativity for long; there was always a stray blanket and comfort foods and your marcus waiting to make everything better. tonight, you just couldnāt get comfortable in your favorite corner of the couch no matter how you tried. it was probably because of the glare missy was sending you from the armchair, the preteen clearly disgruntled at more than just the seating situation.
completely unprompted, she spoke up from behind the screen of her phone. āyouāre never gonna be my mom, you know.ā
this was the exact moment you felt everything start to fall apart.
while marcus and his mother tried their damndest to make the night pleasant for everyone involved, you felt the icy stares from missy under your skin. you spoke when spoken to and you still attempted to converse with missy about safer topics ā school, her friends, sports ā and she answered them with an air of aloofness that was deeply unsettling.
marcus, bless him, noticed some of the awkwardness but not the source, trying to force conversation to attempt to better everything. that didnāt fly for very long. āiām gonna go call wheels and work on our science project. night dad, night abuela.ā missy kissed her dad and grandmother on the cheek before heading to her room, not even acknowledging you.
dinner was finished and you insisted on cleaning up, hoping you would get some privacy to begin the recovery from such a painful night. āiāll help you, honey,ā anita offered (but really she insisted) in helping and you couldnāt say no.
suds and warm water and an ache in your chest were in abundance while washing the nightās dishes. the reality of what transpired is hitting you like a freight train but you canāt unravel now, not when anita is being so kind.
āmarcus almost never stops talking about you, you know,ā she remarks while taking a plate from your hands. her eyes are knowing, speaking to her years of experience and love for her son. āi havenāt seen him truly happy like this in a long time. my marcus is a bright soul, has been his whole life. after missyās mother passed, rest her soul, he was never as bright as he was until you came into his life. next plate, please.ā
her words had you plenty distracted from the task of washing dishes, but her quick reminder had a hand shooting back into the bubbly water without hesitation. fingers fumbling around for the next thing to wash, you felt something sharp nick your hand and you brought it out of the water, holding it to your chest protectively. anita saw you clutching a now bleeding hand and immediately saw the wound.
āoh dear, let me see,ā her hands were warm as she grabbed your hand and a clean dishrag and got it a little damp before wrapping it in the cloth. the bleeding is soon stopped and a band-aid is snagged from the medicine cabinet beside the fridge, put on the cut with the ease only parents have. āiāll take care of these, dear. go and say goodnight to marcus.ā
āanita, no, let me help-ā
ānonsense. i can handle a few dishes, iām not frail.ā when she did the shoo hands, you knew you were beat. you took the defeat like a champion and plopped down on the couch next to marcus, immediately seeking his warmth. he had a way about him, that just being in his arms could protect you from everything that could ever try to hurt you. that was what you needed right now and you werenāt going to deprive yourself.
strong and comforting arms pulled you closer and he pressed a kiss to your temple. here in marcusās warm embrace, you could pretend that missy wouldnāt throw you to the wolves at the slightest whim. logically, you know you have to deal with this new problem. for now though, you just let yourself enjoy one last blissful night of being his.
he walked you home (he knew it was cliche but you loved it all the same) later that night and you felt guilty that you let him kiss you so sweetly, let him call you amor as your noses bumped together. he didnāt know that everything had gone so extraordinarily wrong in the span of one dinner and his obliviosity was envied. āte quiero mucho, dulzura,ā he cooed with a lingering kiss to your forehead. you let your fingers play with the hair at the nape of his neck as his nose nudged yours, gently coaxing you into giving him another kiss before reluctantly parting.
the adoration in his eyes nearly collapses you on your front porch. it takes immeasurable strength to go inside when he looks at you like that, like you can solve his every problem with nothing but a smile. one more kiss will tide you over until tomorrow, it always does. āgoodnight, marcus. i love you too.ā
-afewmonthspostdinner-
missy was getting tired of you. you were taking up more and of her dadās time and it made her uncomfortable. she was used to being able to look up and see her dad ready to jump through fire at a momentās notice; thatās how itās been ever since mom died and she wasnāt ready to have that security blanket ripped away yet. despite the fact youāve never tried to interject yourself in their father-daughter time, she felt like you were taking her dad from her.
then she met you and it all got worse. you were actually really nice! and making an effort to get to know her! this wouldnāt do. she knew her dad liked you; he wouldnāt bring anyone around that he didnāt think was worth the time of day. abuela liking you was another point in your favor. the icing on the cake? there was no mention of her mom at all, just like there hadnāt been for the past three weeks straight. you were making him forget about mom and she wasnāt going to sit by and let her momās memory be forgotten. so at the advice of her friends, missy continued to ice you out and hoped that something would come of it.
it sucked because the iciness seeped onto her dad too. she didnāt want to treat him the same as she did you but once you were out of the picture, things could be fixed between them. but he was nothing if not patient and didnāt try to force anything out of her, so she didnāt waste time worrying about it.
after seven long, glacial months, a massive wrench was thrown into missyās plan of eternal winter. eavesdropping on a conversation between her dad and abuela, she heard her dad talk about asking you to move in with them. and whatās more, abuela encouraged it! something had to be done to prevent this tragedy from striking the moreno household.
nothing you tried worked. every attempt you made to know missy, to earn her approval, has given you nothing in return. itās been months of trying to bond over her interests, making genuine efforts to know and trying to help her with anything she may need. you never thought it would be so demoralizing to be shunned by an eleven year old but every cold shoulder and secretly snide comment was wearing on your psyche. many people would have given up long ago and embraced the role of ādisliked partnerā but not you. it was made very clear early in your relationship with marcus that missy was the most important thing in his life and you respected that, and because of that respect, you wanted to prove yourself worthy of being in her life.
you couldnāt pretend much longer. it pained you to force a smile when missy would push you away yet again and tell marcus that everything was fine. you tried, oh damn did you try, but even a reward as stellar as marcus moreno couldnāt convince you to live with that kind of weight on your shoulders.
