#peter quill reader insert

Peter stepped into Walkman Records feeling good. His head was clear instead of in the throbbing cloudiness it was the previous day. It felt like it was going to be a good day. Sure, it was almost noon, and he had to be at Mer’s parent-teacher conferences in an hour, but he was ready for it. 

“Good afternoon, Peter. You’re looking sober today,” Mants grinned as Peter collected his mail from his cubby. 

“Ahh yeah,” he nodded at her with a half smirk. Mantis was someone who wasn't afraid to state the obvious, and it's one of the reasons he hired her. He made his way to his office to find Bucky lifting Nat in the air, smiling up at her. “Oh joy, it must be nice being in a healthy relationship. Thanks for rubbing it in.”

“Do you want to tell him or should I?” Bucky asked, gazing at Nat. She nodded at him to continue with a contagious smile on her face. "We're pregnant.”

“Wow, that's ahhh...I don't...congratulations you two,” Peter stated with wide eyes and a half smile. “Didn’t even know you two were trying? I’m happy for you both.”

“Then, why don’t you look happy for us?”

“It’s just you two are moving on with your life, and I'm kind of stuck here.” Peter shrugged, motioning around the room. 

“Come on, man.” Bucky squeezed his shoulder. “We wouldn’t leave you behind…you were our first child.”

“I appreciate it,” Peter scoffed, rolling his eyes. “I am really happy for you two though. It will be nice to have another mascot running around here and wreaking havoc.” 

“Peter, I--” Nat stammered “--I went to see YN yesterday.”

“What? Why?” He dropped the mail on his desk, narrowing his eyes at her.

“Someone needed to tell her about Bereet, and given your track record, you would've waited another seven years,” Nat confessed, forcing Peter to scoff. 

“Why would you do that? I was gonna talk to her, and now you ruined it.”

“Before or after she moved to New York.”

“What...what are you talking about?”

“YN got a promotion to run the new Potts of Honey facility in New York. Why do you think she went there in the first place? To check out the sights?”

“No, no no.” Peter shook his head. “She would’ve told me this.” He stared hard at the floor in defeat. “Do you know when she leaves? Is she taking Mer with her?”

“Better question, why haven't you told her how you feel?"

“Tell her? She fucking hates me.”

“Are you sure it’s hate? Last I heard you said she loves you.” Peter grunted, shaking his head. “Are you going to let her getaway for the 3rd time, or are you going to chase her down?”

“Shut up.” Peter stood there with his eyes moving back and forth, clenching and unclenching his jaw, trying to figure out what to do. “Son of a bitch,” he cursed, running out of the room with his phone in his hand. 

“You had to go that far to say she was moving?”

“Lit a match under his ass, didn’t it.”

“It did,” Bucky smirked. "We’re going to make such great parents.”

_________

Everything was set up for this week’s podcast. Pepper was ready to share the exciting news about the expansion of Potts of Honey and the new product lines hitting shelves within the next couple weeks. 

“Okay, Darcey, whatever you do. Do not let anyone in the room while we are recording because I hate editing these podcasts. It takes forever.” She nodded. “If you have any questions at all, use the whiteboard.”

“Got it, boss.”

“Great, I will be with you in here until...” Your phone ringing interrupted you. You peeked at the screen, seeing Peter’s name and hit ignore. “...until I get summoned in.” He was on his way to Mers parent-teacher conferences for the first time, and he was either worried or didn’t know what to do. 

“You got it, dude.”

“Good,” you replied as Pepper and Wanda walked in. “Ready ladies?”

“Born ready,” Wanda smirked, taking her usual chair in the booth.

“Are you sure about your decision?” Pepper asked you before walking into the booth.

“Yes, I am,” you smiled. “You're more than welcome to announce it over the podcast.”

“Excellent,” she pulled you into a tight hug.

“We will be recording in 5, 4, 3,” you said as you mouthed 2, 1, and pointed at Wanda. You pushed the button to signal the red on-air light above the door outside, so no one would disturb your production. 

“Hello, my wonderful listeners. Welcome back to another episode of Everyday’s a Monday. You are all in for a treat today! We are speaking with my boss, the lovely Pepper Potts hyphen Stark. She's speaking about the future of Potts and Honey and new products being released in the coming weeks. Later, YN will be joining us after not saying a word on here for about two episodes now. I have a conspiracy theory about how she might’ve paid our guests to not get her to come on the show. She's shaking her head no, but I know the truth,” she chuckled, getting Pepper crack a smile. “Turns out we also have our new intern, Darcey, helping out in the recording booth. This means YN has no choice but to join us today. But first, play that awesome intro.”

You hit the button to signal the short upbeat catchy tune that plays at the beginning of each podcast. It was a little redundant, but it kept things fun. It also made Everyday’s a Monday stand out and be more recognizable like any opening to your favorite tv show. 

“Pepper, it is great to have you back on the show.”

“It’s always fun coming on here and talking with you both.”

“The boss said both, so YN get your ass in here,” Wanda waved you in, and you stepped into the booth.

“You just had to say the magic word, didn’t you, Pepper?” You spoke into your mic and slid your headphones over your ears. You sat in your usual spot right across from Wanda with your back to the door while Pepper sat at the end of the rectangle table.

“Couldn’t help myself,” she laughed. 

_______

Parent-teacher conferences went off without a hitch. He gave Mer a few fist bumps as the teacher praised her for how well she was doing in her classes. There was one teacher, who didn’t like how she spoke up in class, but Peter ignored him by nodding along and acting like he was listening. Mer had to nudge him a few times because he zoned out during this teacher's rant. Overall, the teachers love Mer and how open she is to learning. With it being conferences, Mer was able to leave school early for the day, and after telling Mer about his plan, he knew exactly what he needed to do. 

Peter walked through the rotating doors of the Potts of Honey headquarters building with Meredith in tow. It was crazy how many buildings were on the grounds, but he assumed they all had a specific purpose. They walked up to the welcome desk seeing three receptionists typing away on their computers.

“Hi, Peter and Meredith Quill here to see YN LN,” Peter said to the lady with blonde hair.

“I’m sorry, sir, but she is unavailable at the moment. I can take a message for her if you’d like.”

“Look--” he reads her nametag “--Sharon, it will take like ten minutes tops.” 

“I’m sorry, but I can’t let you go up without her approval.” Peter nodded, thanking her for her help, and turned around to leave. 

“Hey, Quill.” Peter looked over, seeing Drax waving at him.

“Drax, hey, buddy. I haven’t seen you since you worked security at the Howling Commandos concert.”

“Wild night,” he chuckled.

“This is my daughter Meredith.” 

“I know her too well.” Drax held up his hand, giving her a high five. “What brings you here?”

“I need to get up to see YN.”

“Desk lady, I am taking Quill and his daughter on a tour. Give me two badges.” Sharon rolled her eyes, handing them over to him. “This way. Follow me.”

________

“What is this big exciting news you are bouncing up and down to share with us, Pepper?” Wanda questioned, wearing a huge smile on her face. She already knew the news, but she was good at faking enthusiasm when she needed to. 

“Yes, well, very recently I sent these two lovely ladies, YN and Wanda, to New York City to scope out properties, and I am happy to announce we will be opening up a new Potts of Honey facility in New York,” Pepper informed while you and Wanda cheered. “And I have more news. YN here will be taking over the Malibu division while I will be heading to New York division. But don’t worry, this podcast will still be airing an episode weekly.”

“Whew, I thought I was out of a job for a second,” Wanda wheezed, wiping her forehead. 

“If only,” you chuckled, earning a glare from Wanda before everyone started laughing.

“At least this way, YN has the option to be with Star-Lord.”

“I’m ignoring that for now,” you sighed. “What is going to be different about this facility?”

“It won’t be much different than the one here in Malibu. I pride myself on putting family first and jobs second. It has been my mentality from the beginning, and I don't plan on changing it.  I want to hire parents to be or parents who want to return to work after taking a leave to take care of their youngsters. I love working with these types of individuals because they have opinions and know what type of products parents want to see on the market.” 

“I still love that mentality to this day,” Wanda confessed. “Like many times before, we did take some questions from the listeners, and we are going to be answering some right now. Many listeners might not have known about the new facility, but some did ponder it. Let’s begin with….”

________

Drax, Peter, and Meredith stepped off the elevator on the top floor of the building. It wasn’t a high building, but the twelfth floor still offered a great view of the grounds. Peter’s mind was running a mile a minute, and he still didn’t know what he was going to say to you. He had a plan, but it was only 12% of a plan which involved convincing you not to leave. He needed you in his life, and he hoped you still needed him, too.

“My dad is going to make a grand gesture to my mom,” Mer told Drax with a cheeky smile. 

“Really? Do you think he has a chance?”

“Will you two be quiet? I’m right here.” He glanced behind him as they continued to walk down the long hall. 

“We know. Why do you think we are talking so loud,” Drax stated, earning a giggle out of Meredith. 

“I was hoping my plan would work. I have been trying to parent trap them like Lindsay Lohan did in that movie before she kind of went crazy.”

“You are one smart girl, Mer, and I’m positive your plan will work,” Drax winked, making an excited smile appear on Mer’s face. “I mean, it worked for Lindsay Lohan, but then she went crazy. I still often wonder what happened to her twin.”

Mer looked at Peter with a confused expression, forcing him to let a raspy chuckle escaped him. “Drax, she doesn’t have a--” Drax stared at him with an intense glare forcing Peter to bite his tongue “--never mind.” Peter shook his head, seeing a door at the end of the hallway with an ON-AIR sign shining above it. “Is this the right door?” Drax nodded as Peter knocked on the door.

“Can I help you security guy, adorable little girl, and the other dude?” The young lady asked, eyeing each of them over as she opened the door.

“Quill here needs to speak to his woman.” Drax patted him on one of his shoulders. 

“Dude. Ow.”

“Sorry, but you can’t come in. They’re recording an episode, and YN hates editing, so it’s better if left undisturbed, okay? Buh-bye, thank you, come back later.”

“Wait!” Peter grabbed the door to keep it from closing. “It’s okay; I’m Star-lord.”

“Who?”

“Come on, the amazing mystery dude that YN talks about on this podcast. YN’s ex, who she shares a daughter with.” 

“Hence this small human beside us,” Drax informed, motioning to a grinning Mer beside him. 

“This is my first time listening to this podcast, so I have no idea who you are. I’m only here for college credit, so no, you’re not coming in.”

“Okay fine, how about I give you.” Peter pulls out his wallet, digging around in it. “Fifty bucks?”

“Well if I get fired over this, I will be out at least $350 for my college credit, so technically I won’t be out anything if you reimbursed me in full.”

Peter sighed, looking unamused but gave in to her demands. He dug through his wallet once more and handed her the rest of the money. 

“Come on in fellas.” 

_______

“Next question is for Wanda and YN,” Pepper announced, reading the question to herself before reading it aloud. “Oh, this is a good one. What is something you regret from your past and why?”

“Oh, this one is tough,” Wanda added, tapping her finger to her chin. “I would say I regret not traveling more when I was younger since I didn’t have many responsibilities. Now I am kind of tied down, but I still love my life and wouldn’t change a thing. Who asked this question?”

“Oh right, let’s see.” Pepper’s eyes scanned the page. “Peter Quill.”

Your head snapped in Pepper’s direction, but something moving behind you caught the attention of both your co-hosts; Wanda’s mouth dropped open, and Pepper's eyebrows shot up her forehead. You narrowed your eyes at them before turning around to find Peter Quill. Behind him, Darcey held up the whiteboard saying ‘Incoming, Star-Crunch?'

“Peter, what are you...what are you doing here? You’re not allowed to be in here. We’re in the middle of an episode.” You stood up, taking your headset off and setting them around your neck. 

“Do you want to know what I regret from my past?” 

“No, not right now, Peter. Can we do this later? I’m working.” You put your hands on his chest to try and push him out of the room, but he grabbed your forearms, stopping you. You gazed into his eyes, seeing something you haven’t seen since the night you slept with him. 

“Nat told me,” he confessed. “Please don’t move to New York.” You try to say something, but he keeps talking. “You’re in my life again, and I don’t want you to go. I wish things in the past would’ve worked out differently. If I wasn’t such a coward, maybe they would’ve, but this time I’m not gonna let you walk out on me.”

“Peter, I’m not...”

“I’m doing what I should have done a long time ago. Please just let me talk for once,” he interrupted, forcing you to snap your mouth shut. “When I got the call about you being in an accident, right then I knew I didn’t want to lose you again. I didn’t want to lose you for real. Deep down, I always thought we would find each other again,” he confessed, taking your hands into his. “Then, I found out about Meredith. The amazing sweet little girl who showed me what I was missing out on for the last 7 years.” Peter glanced behind him, and you peeked around him to see Mer wearing a toothy grin on her face. She gave him a thumbs up, and you didn’t miss the lopsided smirk spreading across Peter's face as he turned back to you.

“After you woke up, everything happened so fast. We were getting along and rocking this co-parenting thing most parents seem to struggle with. Then, I told you I never cheated, you kissed me, and we slept together. The next day, you told me it was all a mistake, but we both know that wasn’t true,” he murmured, staring into your eyes. “I hate how I hurt you all over again. We both know I have horrible timing when it comes to fixing my wrongs, but I can’t let another day go by without telling you how I feel. You were the one for me. You still are.” Your eyes widened at his confession. “Where will this big grand gesture leave us? I don’t know.

What I do hope for is that you will give me a chance to redeem myself. I want to be there for you and Mer. I want to watch her grow up into an incredible young woman, like you, with you by my side. I want to help you protect her from assholes who will break her heart, but still encourage her to find love and happiness. Even in times when you thought you were never going to get another chance. But before you know it you’re laying your heart on the line, hoping you’re not making a complete ass of yourself," he cleared his throat. “I regret many decisions in my life, but the one thing I regret most was not chasing after you the day you walked away from me. This time, I'm going to fight for you to stay because...well, I guess what I’m trying to say here is that I don’t think I ever stop loving you.”  

Pepper and Wanda gasped behind you. “Ladies and gents, this is Wanda speaking in a hushed tone. If you haven’t made the connection thus far, Peter Quill is Star-Lord aka Star-Lord is Peter Quill, just to clarify things.” You shook your head, staring at Peter’s chest as she narrated the moment through your headphones.

You squeezed his hands as you let go of one of his and placed it over his heart. His soft gaze sent a flutter to your heart and a blush to your cheeks. “Peter, I’m not going anywhere. Pepper is the one moving to New York while I’m taking things over here. Nat obviously said what she needed to to get you to barge in here,” you added, making him raise his eyebrows at the realization.

“Guess I will have to thank her later.”

“But you’re right about one thing. What happened between us wasn’t a mistake, but I still couldn’t help but think I was the other woman.” You lowered your head, letting out a deep breath. He put his hand under your chin and lifted it to stare into your eyes.

“You are the only woman,” Peter replied, making you crack a small smile.

“My biggest regret was not telling you about Meredith sooner. I guess it was my own selfish pride that I wanted to prove to myself that I didn’t need you in my life. Truth is, I did, and so did Mer. I didn’t want to see it for myself, but watching you two together warms my heart. I wish I could say I fell out of love with you, but I never did.” You slid your hand from his heart to cup his cheek, and Peter leaned into your touch. He bit down on his bottom lip as he leaned in closer to you feeling his breath become shaky against your lips. He gazed into your eyes before his lips collided with yours.

“Woooo! Their smacking lips now! Get it, girl,” Wanda hollered from her chair as Pepper joined in with her. 

“Bought fricken time, am I right, Mer?”

“Yes, you are Auntie Wanda,” Mer replied through your headphones. You didn’t even notice her sneak pass you and Peter. 

“Guess all those parent trapping tricks I taught you paid off,” Wanda added, giving Mer a high-five. You pulled away from Peter, resting your forehead against his smiling. “I bet they’re going to get married, now. Would you like that, Mer?”

“Yes, I would love it,” she gushed beside Wanda.

“Okay, let’s not get ahead of ourselves, you two.” You glared at them, feeling Peter's chest vibrate from a soft chuckle. “We should at least go out on a not a date date first.”

“Hear that folks, it’s happening. It’s like their first not a date date all over again. Did I predict this or what?” Wanda grinned into her headset.

You looked back at Peter as he shot you a quick wink and your favorite boyish smile.  It was the same little sexy smile that drove you crazy all those years ago. You smiled at him, resting your forehead on his chest. He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you closer to him. You heard him let out a deep breath, and in your heart, you knew he was always the one for you, and like many great loves, you fell in love with your best friend. 

“How about we close out this episode,” Pepper offered.

“Thanks for the assist, Pepper. Come on, Twig. Let's get out of here.” Peter loosened his grip on you and held out his hand for Mer. She grinned, rushing towards him, and Peter leaned down and scooped her up in his arms. You couldn’t stop the heartfelt smile from appearing on your face. Peter grabbed hold of your hand with his other hand as he leaned over to kiss your forehead. You squeezed your eyes shut, feeling the warmth spread all over your body. When you opened your eyes, you found Peter giving Mer a quick kiss on the forehead, and without saying a word, you knew exactly what he meant. 

“Awww, what a cute family,” Wanda commented, snapping a photo with her phone. “This picture is going on our Instagram page, so be on the lookout listeners.”

“And I thought Tony had terrible timing,” Pepper declared with a knowing grin.

“I don’t think we have any more to discuss on this week’s episode, but wasn’t it a great one.  We found out Potts of Honey is expanding, Star-Lord’s real identity is none other than Walkman Records owner Peter Quill, and Pepper Potts is going to be leaving us. It’s a sad yet happy day. I’m only hoping this whole episode recorded everything and that YN doesn’t edit anything out, but let’s be real folks she never edits,” Wanda chuckled. “Don’t forget to tip your waiters and waitresses. And as always, don’t forget to subscribe.” 

_______

You and Wanda were figuring out last minute details for the podcast you were going to be recording this week. Everyone thought it was a great idea to have Pepper on the show talking about the new Potts of Honey facility under construction, upcoming product launches, and how she wants to bring new opportunities to local communities on the east coast. 

“Is everything okay?” Wanda asked, looking up from her computer.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t it be?” You snarled back.

“You have been acting weird since the day after you told me you got laid last week.”

“Got my period.”

“Well at least we know he didn’t get you pregnant again,” she chuckled, forcing you to roll your eyes.

Your office remained silent for a few minutes before you felt confident enough to speak up. “Peter has a girlfriend, and I didn’t know about her until after we slept together.”

“It must not be that serious if...”

“They’ve been together for four months.”

“Shit! Why...why would he go that far then?” You shrugged. “How did you find out?”

“She was at his apartment, acting all lovey-dovey on him when I went to pick Mer up.”

Wanda looked at you like she was about to say something when Pepper stepped into your office. “Hey, girls. Wanda would you mind if I speak with YN alone for a moment.”

“Of course, I need to refresh my tea anyways.” Wanda shot you a caring smile before stepping out.

“How are you doing? You seem a little off since the day of your big ideas.”

“Oh my god, not you too,” you groaned, dragging your hands down your face.

“I don’t understand.”

“Yes, I got laid last week by my baby daddy. Yup, you heard that right Peter slash Star-lord is back in my life.” Pepper’s eyes widen. “I know you said you’re behind on my podcasts because you have been busy which I totally get, but yup he’s back, and I slept with him. And the worst part of all he has a girlfriend so it’s like deja vu but this time I am the other woman. Why do I keep doing this to myself?” You confessed as fast as you could get the words out. 

“I had no idea. I'm such a terrible friend. I didn’t even notice what you were going through." Pepper came closer to you and put a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s okay,” you sighed. “You have more important things to worry about. What did you want to talk about?”

“Well…it’s a job offer. Tony and I have been talking, and we agreed you're the best choice. You have been with us since the beginning, and you have helped grow what this company has become. It’s a big promotion, and it’s yours if you want it. I'm still trying to figure things out, but whichever facility I decide to run I want you to run the other."

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I trust you, and I know you will do great, especially with all my last minute vacations. You can handle it. It will come with a bigger office, more responsibilities, and more money. It will have the same feel with family coming first. You’ll have the same hours, but with more wow factor.” She waved her hands in front of her.  “I also would love you to keep doing the podcast. Everyone loves you and Wanda, and I don't want to change that.”

“This is a lot to take in,” you breathed, putting your hand on your chest. 

“I know. That's why I am giving you till the end of the week to decide,” Pepper grinned at you.

“I don’t know what to say.”

“Say yes because you’re my only choice, but it’s your decision. I will leave you to think about it, and I'm looking forward to doing the podcast in a couple of days.”

“Me too." 

______

“And with one last signature, you have yourself a record deal. Congratulations, Michelle!” Nat confirmed, clapping her hands together.

“Awesome,” Michelle said, nodding her head. "Thanks."

“She's so excited and grateful for this opportunity, Natasha," Michelle’s mother smiled. "She might not show it since she likes to keep her emotions in check."

“I’m like that, too,” Nat smirked. “How about we go to my office, and we'll set up your first session. Peter and Bucky will find some songs that might interest you, or if you have some of your own, we would love to hear them. We are here for you with whatever direction you want to go. Then we can figure out if there is another name you want to go by or if you want to go by Michelle. It’s up to you.”

“I was thinking MJ.”

“Like Michael Jordan?”

“No, like Michelle Jones.”

“Thata girl, I can work with that,” Nat nodded, shooting her a side smirk. 

“Good,” Michelle said, following Nat out of the recording studio. 

“She is sooo awesome,” Meredith gawked, watching her walk down the hall with Nat.

“You think so, Twig? I think she could have a little bit more personality,” Peter stated with a half shrug.

“She will be great, daddy.”

“We're trusting your judgment on this Mer,” Bucky added, crossing his arms across his chest.

“You should because I'm smarter than you.”

“Why’s that?” Bucky scoffed playfully, arching his brow at her.

“I saw you run into the door the other day,” she fired back, forcing Bucky to smirk at her quick comeback. “It was a pull door, not a push door; the sticker was right there telling you what yo do.”  He opened his mouth to say something, but Peter interrupted him. 

“Hey, Twig. Why don’t you go get ready to leave. Your mom will be here any minute.”

“Okay,” she said, rushing out of the studio to Peters office. 

Peter stood in the lobby waiting for Mer when he sees you pull up outside. You stayed in your car watching the front door like you have done so many times this past week. Ever since you met Bereet, you've been avoiding him and refusing to come into the studio. Mer told him it was because you said this way was faster and easier. All he could do was agree with your decision, but deep down, he missed talking to you every day.  

He watched Mer stroll into the lobby holding onto her backpack straps talking with Michelle. For the first time, he could've sworn he seen Michelle smiling, but Mer could always make anyone smile.  

“Bye, MJ. Hopefully, I will see you next week.”

“See you later, Mer,” Michelle waved, walking out of the studio with her mom. 

“Are you two best friends now?” Peter inquired with a hint of amusement in his voice.

“I hope so. She is so cool.”

“I see your mom is waiting outside, Twig. How about you give your dear old dad a hug, and I’ll see you after school tomorrow.” He squeezed her tight into a hug, and she turned her head, kissing him on the cheek. 

“Bye, daddy,” she waved, leaving the studio.

“What did you do to YN now?” Nat asked, making Peter roll his eyes and go to his office mumbling.

Peter sat at his desk looking thru this phone at the Everyday’s a Monday Instagram page. It was full of giveaways, behind the scene looks, and the ever-present whiteboard Wanda always mentions. Your face and Wanda’s was all over it. He couldn’t help but think how he fucked everything up again. He was being a coward. He always let you have the last word, and he never fought for you. Why? What was he holding out for; something better to come along. You were the best thing to ever happen to him, but he was too afraid to tell you he still loved you. He set his phone down and put his elbows on his desk, covering his face with his hands. 

“Bereet incoming,” Nat shouted, walking past his office. He shook his head, running his hands through his hair. 

“Hey, baby.” Bereet walked in, closing the door behind her. “I saw Meredith leaving once I pulled up, so you know what that means,” she squealed, sashaying over to his desk. “With the baby mouse away. It’s time for the adult mice to play.” She leaned back on his desk in front of him, but Peter’s eyes remained focused on the door. “Come on, babe. Let’s get out of here and do something fun?” She ran her hand up and down his arm. 

“Bereet, stop,” Peter murmured still not looking at her. 

“Stop what,” she smirked, lifting his arm to straddle his lap.

“I’m not doing this right now.” He pushed his chair back to stand and started walking to the door.

“Boooo, you’re no fun. What’s been going on with you lately? What did she threaten to take away your rights or something?” He stopped short once those words left her mouth. “Because wouldn't it be great if it was just you and me again."

“Excuse me?” He turned on his heels towards her.

“YN barged back into your life saying she has a kid with you, but you never asked for a paternity test? For all you know she tricked you because she wants to be in your life again, or she's after your money.”

“Why would you say that? What would make you think she's the kind of person who would do such a thing?”

“I mean, weren’t you the one who cheated on her because she was distancing herself. You have needs, and she wasn’t giving you what you needed. I give you what you need, and I make you happy. We belong together.” She stepped over to him, taking his hand in hers. 

“See that is--” he shook his head, stepping away from her  “--that is where you're wrong. I thought...I thought you made me happy, but you don’t. You never have.”

“How could you say that? WE are happy together. You even bought me a ring.”

“WE are not in a relationship, Bereet. WE never were. I don’t know where you came up with the idea to think we were, but we’re not. Whatever this--” he pointed between him and her “--was or has been it's over. Oh yeah, the ring you found was for YN, not you.”

“AHHH,” she screeched, pointing a finger at his chest. “I bet, once you found out you shared a child with her it was a dream come true. You finally get another chance with the wonderful, YN,” she shouted with sarcasm lacing her words. “You’re obviously still in love with her, and I bet you were sleeping with her behind my back. Once a cheater, always a cheater. Have a good life Peter, or a worse one because if YN dumped you once before she'll do it again. And when she does don’t come running back to me. Good-bye Peter. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Bereet pushed past him, marching to the door.

“Wait--” Bereet stopped and turned around to face him “I’m gonna need my key back.” Peter held out his hand.

“Why? Are you gonna give it to YN?”

“Why would I tell you? Besides, I would be doing my apartment a service by not letting you use the amenities they provide anymore. I will say I have gotten a few complaints about you." 

“Fine whatever I don’t care,” she grumbled as she took the key off her car keys and threw it at Peter, hitting him in the chest and landing right in his hand. She barged out of the room, cursing all the way out until he heard the front door slam shut.

Peter groaned, running his hands down his face. “FINALLY! If I knew she was that much of a clinger this would’ve been over a long ass time ago. Damn, I hate it when Nat's right.” 

“Usually am,” Nat commented, leaning against the doorway. “Also, if memory serves me right, I told you giving her a key was also a bad idea.”

“Yeah, but on the plus side, she did always clean my apartment when she came over. So, who is the real winner here?” Peter shrugged with a slight smirk, earning an eye roll from Nat as she went back to her office. He still didn’t understand why she got her own office while he and Bucky had to share. 

_______

It had been such a long day, and tomorrow was going to feel even longer with recording this week's episode. You loved your job, but some days you just wanted to curl up on the couch and watch trash television. It was a relief when Gamora decided to stop by for dinner, and surprise Mer with a confetti cupcake from her favorite bakery. Mer ended up having it before dinner because she didn’t want to be too full and not be able to eat it after.  As soon as Mer excused herself from dinner, Gamora went over to the paper bag and pulled out two bottles of wine. 

“It’s time for some adult juice,” Gamora smiled, grabbing two glasses out of the cabinet and filling them up halfway. “What’s going on sis?”

“Where do I begin?” you sighed, taking the wine glass Gamora handed you. 

“What’s going on with Peter?”

“How did you know…”

“Sister intuition,” She replied, tapping her fingers on the side of her head. 

“Peter and I may have--” you take a long sip of wine “--we slept together.”

“You naughty girl.” She nudged you in the side, sending a quick fake HAHA out of you. “What brought this on?” 

“He told me the truth about how he never cheated on me, and then I don’t know what came over me, but I grabbed him and kissed him. Then, bang.” You clapped your hands together. 

“Then, why are you so upset?”

“He has a girlfriend I didn’t know about.”

“Oh! That complicates things,” she nodded, biting her lip. She reached over and grabbed the wine bottle refilling your glass. “What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Did you talk to him?”

“Not yet,” you gulped. “I need to, but he frustrates me sometimes.” You clenched your jaw, holding your head in your hand.

“Cause you’re still in love with him.”

“Yeah I am, and I’m pretty sure he knows it, too, but it doesn’t matter anymore,” Your voice cracked, downing the rest of your wine. “I do need to tell him about the promotion Pepper offered to me, too. He deserves to know it might impact his time with Mer, which I hate to do to him. He loves that little girl, Gam, and I don’t want to take her away from him.”

“Hey--” she placed her hand on your knee “--does Peter deserve to know yes, but don’t worry about him and how things might change. Focus on what you feel will be best for you and Mer.  It’s a big opportunity, and it’s something you need to take the time and think about it,” Gamora added, flashing you a warm smile.  

_______

“Hey Peter,” Mantis greeted from behind her desk with a warm smile. He nodded her way, stumbling to his office. He was still wearing his sunglasses which were doing nothing to ease his throbbing headache. Peter threw himself into his chair behind his desk and leaned back, closing his eyes. 

“Where the fuck have you been, Peter?” Nat shouted, barging into his office. “We had a big meeting with the Howling Commandos this morning. Where were you?” 

“I was busy,” he mumbled, letting out a long yawn.

“Busy? Are you kidding me?” He shrugged. “Did you go out last night and get drunk?” Nat barked at him, pacing back and forth. “Why would you do that? You knew how important this meeting was.”

“Can you not today, Nat? I have a lot on my mind right now,” Peter replied, making Nat scoff.

“Peter, there you are.” Bucky marched into their shared office and up to Peter's desk.  “Where the hell have you been?” Bucky inquired, pulling off Peter’s sunglasses.  

“Dude!” Peter squinted at the light as he sat up, pinching the bridge of his nose as he tried to clear his cloudy thoughts.

“What’s going on, Peter? What happened between you and YN?” Nat asked, crossing her arms across her chest. 

“Nothing, I’m fine, she’s fine, everyone is fine. I'm here at work, ready to listen to some crappy demos, find some shitty songs that will make number one on the charts, and oh, by the way, did I tell you YN and I slept together. But some of those demos turn out to be good, and the artist turns out to be really good. But then she saw Bereet at my apartment, and it was like deja vu 7 years ago, but this time she felt like the other woman because Bereet told her we were in a relationship. But sometimes the artist is terrible and no matter how many times we tell them NO they keep sending them and sending them and sending them,” Peter said, lowering his head to rest on his arms and hide his face on his desk. The room fell silent for a few short seconds.

“You slept with YN!”

“Boom, there it is,” Peter lifted his head, banging his hand on the desk. “Are you going to tell me it was a mistake, too? And how it was a heat of the moment kind of hook up? Because let me tell you something, it’s complete bullshit.” Peter pointed at Nat and then at Bucky, who stood in front of his desk. 

“You told her the truth about what happened.”

“Yes, and you see where that got me,” he motioned around the room. “No fucking where.” He pushed against his desk, causing his chair to collided with the wall behind him as he walked over to the small bar in the corner. He pulled off the cork and poured himself a drink. “It didn’t do any good.”

Bucky reached for the glass, and Peter narrowed his eyes at him. “Dude, you’re cut off!”

“Why because I can’t have a functioning adult relationship without fucking it up. I mean one night I had her man. She told me she loved me.” He put a hand over his heart, staring down at the liquor bottles in front of him. “Well, she didn’t tell me per-say, but I know she meant it. She always used to put her hand over my heart and I would...nevermind it doesn't matter," he rambled, shaking his head. “She was here in my arms. Right here. I told her everything, but now it’s like nothing ever happened. She hasn't said more than 20 words to me. And fuck, when she saw Bereet in my apartment, and then in the parking garage she told me how she felt and I...and I just stood there like a fucking idiot. How can I make this right, Buck? How?” Peter’s voice drifted off in defeat. He peeked up at Bucky, seeing him exchange a quick look with Nat before she left their office.

“I don't know what to tell you, Pete. I'm no better at relationships than you are," Bucky confessed, making a smirk appear on Peter's face. "How about you sleep off whatever this is, and then, I will go with you to pick up Mer," Bucky offered, moving Peter over to the couch.

“Good idea, man. You always know what to do. Thanks,” Peter nodded, getting situated on the couch. Bucky let out a breathy chuckle before he turned off the lights and walked out of their office.  

Peter stared up at the dark ceiling, realizing he wasn’t going to be able to fall asleep. No matter how piss drunk or hungover he got, you were all he could think about. He pulled his headphones from his pocket and plugged them into his phone. He tapped onto his podcasts app and tuned into the last episode he had left. He was always eager to listen to new episodes, so he stopped listening to them in order. Instead, he's been picking them at random hoping to hear your voice, but sometimes all he gets are Wanda's comments about you and the whiteboard. He didn't care what the podcast was about as long as he could listen to your voice. 

______________

Lunch on podcast days was always short and quick, but since Pepper had a last minute meeting change, we needed to reschedule the podcast for tomorrow afternoon. For today, it meant you could get out of the office and have a nice long lunch break. You went down the street to order your favorite sandwich off the menu at Miek's Deli. Taking your usual spot by the window, you settled in and took your first bite as you scrolled through your phone. 

Someone standing across the table from you compels you to peek in their direction, and see familiar red hair. “Hey, YN. Fancy meeting you here.”

“I should say the same. I didn’t know you came across town for this little sandwich shop?”

“Mer told me this place makes the best sandwiches,” she grinned, looking around the room. 

“Yeah, she can never turn down a good sandwich,” you grinned, taking a bite of your own.

“Mind if I sit?”

“Go for it,” you said, through your bites. She pulled out her chair, muttering a quick thanks. “What’s the real reason you’re here?

“You cut right to the chase, don’t you?” She smirked at you. “I want to start by apologizing for the whole misunderstanding that led you to believe me and Peter…fondued so to speak." You nodded along as she continued. "I felt awful about it and wanted to track you down to explain, but Peter told me to leave it alone. I’m sorry it took so long for you to hear the truth."

“It's okay. Peter did tell me, and I’m not mad at you, it was bad communication on both our parts. Besides, it happened a long time ago plus he has Bereet now. He deserves to be happy with someone he cares about without me stepping in the way.” You shrugged, taking a sip out of your water bottle.

“Are you only saying that because you and Peter slept together?” she smirked. Your eyes widened at her question, causing the water to go down the wrong hole, forcing you into a coughing fit. “Guess that answers my question. I wouldn’t worry too much about it since things aren’t as serious with Bereet as you were led to believe.”

“How so?” You asked after you got your coughing under control. 

“They were never exclusive. It was more of a friends with benefits deal, and she ended up catching feelings for him, but he didn't reciprocate. Bereet thought she could change him, but she couldn’t because he's still hung up on the girl who got away.” You swallowed, staring hard at the table. “If it’s any consolation, Peter broke off whatever he had with Bereet yesterday.”

“Oh.” Your eyes flashed to hers in shock.

“I felt like I needed to tell you, given Peter’s track record. Who knows how long he would’ve waited until he told you the truth this time.” 

“Thanks, I appreciate your honesty,” you smiled as she nodded.

“Enough about my idiot friend, but how are you? How is work? Mer told me Potts of Honey might be pollinating to a new facility in New York.”

“It is, but keep it hush-hush. Not many people know yet not even the press,” you whispered.

“My lips are sealed.” Nat locked her mouth with a key and threw it over her shoulder.

“Mer has a hard time keeping her mouth shut sometimes,” you chuckled, shaking your head. “But, yes, New York was a fun adventure, and I might even receive a promotion because of it."

“Oh, are you going to be running the facility in New York?”

“There is a high possibility, but my boss is still figuring out what she wants to do.”

“Still that's exciting. Congratulations," she smiled, squeezing your forearm. 

“Thank you. We also got an intern this week, so we are showing her the ins and outs of everything,” you added. “How have you been? How's the studio? Mer mentioned something about you signing the high schooler from Queens.” Nat stared at you with wide eyes. “Let me guess she wasn't supposed to tell me.”

“No, it's not a secret anymore,” she snorted a chuckle. “Works keeping us busy but then again it always is.” Nat's eyes wandered to her sandwich, biting her lip as if she was debating something. “I know we don't know each other very well, but I get the feeling we would be great friends if we met under better circumstances.” She paused, and you nodded, setting your sandwich on the table. “Um, can I get your advice on something. You know woman to woman.”

“Of course, us ladies have to stick together.”

“I'm ah--” she cleared her throat, peeking over at you “--I'm pregnant.”

“Are you serious?” You asked with a warm smile on your face as Nat nodded. “That’s great news, Natasha. I'm happy for you and Bucky. Does he know yet?”

"No. You're the first person I told." Your eyes widened in surprise about to say something when she continued. "I don't know why I haven't told him yet. To be honest, we never really talked about having kids. Bucky always wanted a dog, so he finally got one, but a baby is going to be a whole different adventure. Looking back, I realize we should've gotten a dog sooner," she chuckled as her eyes traveled to the table. "Kids were never on my radar, but after seeing Bucky interact with Meredith, it opened my mind up to the opportunity of having kids. I don't know much about babies or how this all works--" she motioned to her stomach "--but I was wondering if I could use your mom brain to get advice on certain things?"

“Yes, anytime. I’m happy to help you,” you smiled, reaching over to give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “When were you planning on telling him?”

“Soon. Do you have any advice?” 

“Don’t wait seven years to tell him.”

______

You felt someone press their lips to your forehead, but you kept your eyes closed to savor the moment. Did he still love you like you did him? You heard footsteps walk across your bedroom, and the door slowly creaked open. It felt like forever before you finally heard the door click shut. You leaned up, holding the sheet to your chest, unable to keep the smile off your face. It was nothing new to see Peter slip out early because he always did when you were dating in college. This meant he had to work early, or he went to get coffee and doughnuts. Either way, you weren't surprised. You yawned, rubbing your eyes as you peeked at the clock. You had a half hour before your alarm went off and there was no way you were going to fall back asleep. 

You crashed your head back down onto your pillows, shaking your head and grinning up at the ceiling. Peter's confession left you speechless, and after everything, he still felt something for you as you did for him. What was going to happen now?

After dropping off Meredith at school, you headed to the coffee shop near Potts of Honey. You only did this on certain days, but it felt like you and Wanda deserved a little treat. Or it could've been that you needed a little extra caffeine after your extracurricular activities last night. Walking into your building, you smiled at Drax, the head of security, and handed him a caramel frappuccino with extra whip. You never figured him for an extra whip kind of guy, but you never could read his strange demeanor. 

You stopped by Wanda’s office to drop off her coffee before the morning meeting, leaving a sticky note saying, Free coffee ;). Wanda would know who it was from so you didn’t bother signing it. 

During the morning meeting, you continued to come up with ideas left and right. There were many items discussed, including the upcoming plans for the NY facility, new toy ideas, and popular topics to talk about on the podcast. The smirk on Pepper's face and the devilish smile appearing on Wanda’s face right next to you didn’t go unnoticed. 

“To conclude this meeting, I want to share that a few individuals may be getting promoted in the coming weeks.” She stared right at you. “Some of you may also be eligible to work in the NY facility if you so desire because I understand many of you have families here. Those without any ties may have a tough choice ahead of them. Thank you all for coming this morning. I know it was long and boring, but I loved everyone’s enthusiasm.” 

“She means you cheery,” Wanda whispered, looking at you behind her. You scoffed, rolling your eyes at her.

On the way back to your office, you and Wanda realized you both had a ton of research to do before the podcast tomorrow. Typing away on your computer, you made a few notes about baby wipes and peeked over at Wanda to find her watching you. “What?”

“You had sex, didn’t you?”

“WHAT! No, I didn’t!” You replied, narrowing your eyes at her.

“Who was it with? Cause the amount of ideas you supplied at this morning's meeting doesn’t happen unless you got a little bow chicka wow wow,” She winked, continuing to press you. 

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, then the hickey below your ear is telling me a different story.” You reached up below your ear, then quickly dug out a small mirror from your desk to find a hickey. Thank god you wore your hair down today. “You see YN, I have this 6th sense, where I can detect when people have had sex,” she admitted, forcing you to roll your eyes and shake your head. “It’s true, why do you think Pepper has been in such a good mood lately? Sex. Then there is Ron from the maintenance department, who always wears a red shirt after he had sex. Or Drax our security guard downstairs well that one doesn’t count since he always tells me when he has sex. He thinks it’s a beautiful thing.”

“OH MY GOD, STOP! I don’t need to hear about other people’s sex lives.”

“Suit yourself. Who was it with?”

“You don’t know him.”

“So, you did have sex.” You gave her a straight face nod. “It was Peter, wasn’t it?”

“What! Why would you think that?”

“You have a history, and you're not the type of girl to have a one night stand with a guy you don’t know.”

You scoffed. “It doesn’t matter. I'm not going to let it happen again.”

“Hmmk, I’ll try and believe that. So you kissed him first?”

“WHAT? How could you know that? Can you read minds or something?”

“You will never know,” she joked, adding a wink. “Was it good?”

“Fine, I’ll tell you, but then we have to get to work.” She shut her laptop and leaned in closer to you so she wouldn’t miss anything. “He showed up at my door.”

“And he was wearing a trench coat, and you jump him right there.”

“No, oh my god, no.” You shook your head, narrowing your eyes at her. “Why would you...nevermind. I don't want to know what you and Vis do on the weekends.”

“Fair enough,” she smirked.

You told her what happened, starting with his confession which ended up with you two getting busy between the sheets. She smiled and seemed generally happy for you. Wanda wanted you to start dating him again, but you still weren't sure if you were ready. Having shared feelings for one another was one thing, but being the first to act on them was always the hardest part. 

You never understood how Wanda could figure out such personal things, but you still adored her for it. After lunch, everything flew by, and before you realized it, you were leaving work early for the first time in weeks. It only happened a few times out of the year, but when it did, you took full advantage of it. You glanced at your phone in the elevator seeing a text from the man you couldn’t stop thinking about.

Peter: Hey ;)

Peter: Finished up at the studio early. We are at my apartment.

YN: On my way. Done early, too. See you soon :)

He didn’t reply back, but you assumed he was playing with Mer or helping her with her homework. That little girl could keep anyone busy.

Parking your car in the parking ramp, you walked into Peter’s apartment building saying a quick hello to Stan, the doorman. You still couldn’t get over how fancy this place was. It had all the amenities of a hotel, but it was in your own home. There was a pool, a gym with personal trainers, and a spa, complete with a massage therapist and a manicurist. Peter even had his own washer-dryer unit in his apartment. When you have all these things, you know you’re doing something right. You got into the elevator and clicked on the floor to his apartment. As it rose higher and higher, your stomach fluttered with nerves making your fingers tingle.

You stepped out of the elevator and made your way to his apartment door. Your heart was beating faster, and your palms started to feel damp. Why were you so nervous? You’ve slept with him tons of times. Heck, you even had a child with him. You let out a deep breath before knocking on the door. The door opened, and the smile that appeared on your face so easy this morning quickly disappeared in an instance.

“Hi, you must be YN. I’m Bereet, Peter’s girlfriend,” she waved with an intoxicating smile.

Your nerves and excitement were gone replaced with a sharp pain to your chest. This time you couldn’t leave a message and run away. This time your daughter was in there. This was like deja vu, but this time you were the other woman.

“Why don’t you come on in.” 

He has a girlfriend. Peter, who you slept with last night, has a girlfriend. You could feel the blood drain from your face as you stepped into his apartment. His confession. Your confession. Your bed. Last night should've never happened. You ran your hand through your hair, staring hard at the floor. If you knew he was in a relationship, you never would have gone that far. An unpleasant feeling of guilt sat in the pit of your stomach weighing you down. 

“They should be out at any second,” she grinned, closing the door behind you. 

“How long have you and Peter been together?” You questioned, deciding to make small talk. Maybe, they haven’t been dating long and aren’t in the serious stages yet. But if they are serious, why didn't Peter ever mention it or at least ask if it was okay to introduce her to Mer?

“About four months now. Wow! I can’t believe it has already been that long,” she chuckled, shaking her head. 

Shit. You forced a tight-lipped smiled and heard Mer’s giggles getting closer. Peter came flying into the room with Mer on his back, giving her a piggyback ride. He stopped dead in his tracks looking between you and Bereet. “Hey, YN. You’re here early.” You nodded at him realizing he must’ve never got your text. You weren’t sure if you were grateful for it or upset by it. 

“Mommy,” Meredith smiled, sliding down Peter’s back and sprinting over to you. 

“Did you have fun?” Your fake smile from earlier spread into a real one. 

“Yes! And dad helped me with homework.”

“How do you think he did?”

“I’ll find out tomorrow,” she said, making you and Peter chuckle. 

“Are you ready to go then?” 

“Yes, let me grab my stuff first.” You watched her take off down the hall as your eyes drifted back over to Peter. He was staring at you as if he was trying to read your mind. His eyes were filled with worry making a crease form between his brows. 

“She is so cute, Peter,” Bereet commented, sliding up next to him. “I can see so much of you in her. It’s crazy.” She rested her head on his shoulder, intertwining her hand with his. You gulped, looking away wishing Meredith would speed it up. You didn't want to be here anymore. All you wanted to do was leave.

“Mer has more of her mother in her than me,” Peter stated with a slight smirk in your direction. You gave him a half-shrug, eyeing the hallway Mer disappeared down.

“Okay, I am ready to go.” She walked back into the room, slipping her backpack onto her little shoulders. “Dad I left my book about the galaxy so if you wanted to look at you can. There are a ton of cool facts in it.”

“Thanks, Twig.” Peter nodded, pulling out of Bereets grasp. “I’ll walk you two out.”

In the elevator ride down, you avoided any eye contact with Peter. You weren’t sure what you were feeling right now, but it was somewhere between frustrated, heartbroken, and pissed off. Mer and Peter made lite conversation about school and cracked a few jokes. You smiled down at Mer a few times giving Peter the side-eye. You wanted to tell him off right there, but you didn’t want the little ears to hear it. How could he do this to you? You knew the truth behind the past mistake, but why did you feel like nothing got resolved?

Mer held onto Peter's hand as they walked to your parked car. Peter grabbed her backpack and helped her into her car seat. “Take care of your mom for me, Twig.”

“I will, Daddy.” She pulled him in and kissed him on the cheek.  

“See you tomorrow,” he smirked, kissing her forehead. He closed the door and waved goodbye to her through the window. He came around the back to the open trunk, setting Mer's backpack inside before turning to you. “YN, I’m...” 

“I don’t want to hear another apology out of your mouth,” you interrupted, putting your hand up to stop him. Your emotions were all over the place, and it was hard to pinpoint exactly what you were feeling.  You had the urge to slap him, but you also wanted to cry over a tub of ice cream.  He nodded, pressing his lips into a firm line. “Why didn’t you tell me you were seeing someone?"

"I...."

"You know what--" you cut him off, pinching the bridge of your nose "--last night was just a heat of the moment thing, and it shouldn't have happened. It shouldn't have gone that far." 

“It wasn’t a heat of the moment thing for either of us, and you know it,” Peter confessed, trying to step towards you, but you backed out of his reach. 

“It doesn’t matter.” You shake your head, biting your lip. “Bereet told me you've been together for four months, Peter. That’s a big deal, and you introducing Mer to her must mean you really care about Bereet.” Your voice cracked, making you pause before continuing. “I mean, you could have talked to me before you introduced Mer to Bereet, but I guess we never had that conversation about introducing significant others to her.”

“Wait, you think...” Peter started as his face scrunched up, but you interrupted him. 

“The few guys I dated after you. I didn’t even introduce Mer to them. They knew I had a daughter, but I wanted to make sure it could turn into something before she got attached to them.” You gulped, noticing Peter’s jaw clench. “Look, Bereet adores you, and I can tell she is important to you, too. I don’t want to be ‘the other woman’ that ruined your relationship and your chance at happiness.” You slammed the trunk lid down, staring into the rear window to see Mer listening to her iPod. “Even if it’s not with me,” you whispered to yourself.

“You haven’t ruined anything.”

“You’re right because nothing happened between us,” You croaked, turning around to face him.

“For once in your life will you stop talking and listen to me,” Peter shouted louder than he intended, making your eyes widen. He glanced in the rear window but looked relieved once he noticed Mer was on her iPod. 

“No. I’m done listening,” you sighed, shaking your head. “Today, I woke up feeling happier than I have been in a long time, and you were the reason for it. I have always had a soft spot for you, Peter, and no matter how much time has passed between us, it will always be there.” Peter stepped closer to you as his eyes filled with concern, but you took a step back. You didn't want to be the other women. You didn’t want to end a relationship because of a stupid mistake. You would be the bigger person and walk away from him like you did before. It would hurt, but it always does. 

“Why do you think I was so open to having you involved in Mer’s life? It wasn’t just because you’re her dad. And fuck, just like I imagined, you're a great father to her--" You bit your lip, feeling the corner of your eyes well up with tears. You looked away from him, feeling a tear slide down your cheek. "--But you can be a real a-hole of a person sometimes," you sniffled, wiping away the stray tear with your forearm. “I thought about asking you if you wanted to give this another go between us, but then um--” you shake your head, clearing your throat “--I need to get Mer home. I’ll see you around, Quill.” You took a step away from him and turned your back on him without giving him a second look and got into your car. 

He watched your rear lights disappear around the corner of the parking structure and shook his head. It was like deja vu; reliving his worst memory all over again. “FUCK,” he screamed, kicking a nonexistent pebble on the ground.

______

AN: Again, Podcast is in italics and the flashback is indented and in italics. Hopefully, this works on all platforms. 

Peter got back home from dropping Mer off and knew he needed to clean up the kitchen. He was going to be finding rogue sprinkles for the foreseeable future, but he figured it could wait a few hours. He laid on his couch and turned on Netflix, but he couldn’t settle on what to watch. Instead, he switched off the TV and grabbed his headphones off the coffee table. As soon as he found episode #93, he pressed play.

“Hey, my loves, this is your charismatic host, Wanda Maximoff. In today’s episode, we tackle breakups, divorce, and co-parenting. Our guest today is recent divorcee, Scott Lang. We’re going to be talking about these subjects among others as he shares his experience on co-parenting over his daughter Cassie.  Play that intro.”

“Hi Scott, Welcome to our little show,” Wanda stated with enthusiasm.

“I am honored to be here.  This may surprise some people, but I do listen to this show from time to time. There is so much good advice and tips on here, and the banter between you and YN is hilarious.”

“We aim to please,” Wanda chuckled. “We know you’re divorced and from what I understand you and your ex-wife get along really well.”

“We do, yes, but it takes time to figure out the right schedule and who gets her on what holidays. It’s all about collaborating and working together. It’s not a competition, but what is best for your child. Sometimes it’s tough.”

“Life is. Let’s get into it shall we, so what happened with you and your ex-wife Maggie?”

“It all started……..

....and then we got a divorce. She ended up marrying this asshat cop. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a nice guy and all, but I often wonder where it all went wrong. I thought me and Maggie were going to be forever, but some people just don’t work together,” Scott stated. 

“How do you and your ex-wife do it?

“Well, we don't anymore,” Scott laughed. “Oh right, you meant co-parenting with Cassie, well, when it's my time with her she's all I focus on. I have to be there for her because before I know it, she will be all grown up. I'm an open book around her, and I try to be as honest as I can with her."

“Does she want you and her mom to get back together?”

“No, no, I don't think so. I’m happy for Maggie and Jim. What they have together, I hope I can find one day. I’m not mad at her because our marriage didn’t work. To tell you the truth, it was probably for the best. I wasn’t going to try and make it work because it would have done more harm than good. Sure, I miss seeing and hanging out with Cassie every day, but Maggie allows me to visit her whenever I can and I can’t thank her enough for that.”  

“You sound like you have an understanding ex-wife.”

“I do! Some of us don't get so lucky. How about you YN?” Scott paused. “That’s right, get in here.”

You chuckled, “I'm amazed how Wanda keeps asking the guests to invite me in and talk. It’s like she thinks I won't say no to them.”

“Well, are you going to say no?” Scott asked.

“How could I say no to you, Scott?”

“You’re too sweet, YN.”

“Ooo...you’re too kind Scott.”

“Oh my god, are you two done flirting? We do have a show to finish first,” Wanda joked.

“Yeah we’re done,” you chuckled. 

“You can answer this or not, but what led to the events of Star-lord and your breakup?” Scott questioned.

“I will answer this.” You cleared your throat. “It all started when he applied for this internship in Los Angeles on a whim and got it. If you all remember right, we were attending college in Missouri so it would have been a long trip to visit him. Anyways, I was proud of him, so I helped move him there. I got to meet his fellow intern and roommate, let’s call him…Buck, he was a good guy.”

“Would you say the distance is what drove you two apart?” Scott asked. 

“Part of it and our communication dwindled down.” You took a deep breath. “Once I found out I was pregnant, I wanted to tell him, but I didn’t know how to bring it up. When I called him, I focused on him and kept the attention off me. I didn’t want him to think something was wrong, so I stayed my happy self when we talked. 

At the time, I was still trying to find a solid job. It’s hard enough, job searching right out of college, let alone pregnant and job searching, because they always say you lack experience. I thought about moving to LA to find a job and be near Peter, but when I moved him out there I didn’t like it; the traffic, the noise, I couldn’t handle it.

Anyways, it got to the point where we only talked a few nights a week and texts turned into short replies. Once I started to show, I knew I needed to tell him, so I went out there to surprise him, and we broke up. As for the reason why it will remain a mystery to our listeners.”

“Just when it was getting good, am I right? I respect your decision, but I can’t speak for the fans,” Wanda commented.

“As much as I love hearing about Star-lord, I understand you're allowed to keep private things…well private,” Scott agreed. “Things like breakups are hard to talk about.”

Peter remembered the day of the breakup all too vividly because he knew you were the one and he fucked it all up. 

Peter slept on his bed after a long night out partying. He stirred awake at the sound of someone knocking on his door. Each pound on the door only made his headache worse. As his door creaked open, he put his pillow over his head. 

“You had another admirer stop by,” Nat joked with her arms across her chest. Peter lifted the pillow off his head only enough to see her. 

“Oh, great,” he scoffed. “Who was it this time? Tina, Cara, Sarah, Nickel,” he yawned still half asleep. 

“She was a new one but she told me to tell you, 'Goodbye, Star-Lord.' I don’t know what kind of kinky stuff you're into, but I don’t want to know about it.”

He lifted his head out from under the pillow and narrowed his eyes, trying to think it over. “Goodbye, Starlord?” His eyes snapped open once he realized it was you and jumped out of bed. “Shit. No, no, no!” He ran to the window and saw you walking down the sidewalk rubbing your eyes. “Dammit.” He scrambled to throw on a shirt and shorts. Nat stared at him in confusion and amusement.

“Who is she?” Nat asked with a smirk on her face.

“I’ll explain when I get back. Can’t you wear more around the house,” he asked, rushing to his closet to slip on his shoes.

“I have Bucky’s robe on.”

“No, it’s my robe, but I am pretty sure my girlfriend thought something different when she saw YOU wearing it,” he replied, rolling his eyes.

“Shit,” Nat cursed as he went after you.  

He ran down the stairs two to three at a time. He jumped the last four steps and ran out the front entrance. He turned right, seeing the coat you were wearing from earlier and shouted your name. You stopped dead in your tracks.

“Hey, I didn't--” 

“Save it,” you shouted, turning around to face him. Tears were flowing from your eyes, and all he wanted to do was make you feel better. “Clearly, you have found time to preoccupy yourself with some blonde. I knew this long-distance thing was a bad idea.”

“Hold on,” he whispered, trying to reach out to you, but you stepped back. “Let me explain.”

“No, you don’t get to explain what you did, or better yet, what you have been doing.” You shake your head, wiping away the tears on your cheeks. “I should have known something like this was going to happen. I’m done, Peter. We’re over. I never want to see you again,” you sniffled, turning on your heels and walking away from him. 

Peter watched you walk away until he couldn’t see you anymore. You were gone. Gone from his life, and the future he wanted to share with you. He decided to head back to his apartment as tears started to creep into the corners of his eyes. He opened the door to find Nat and Bucky in the kitchen.

“How'd it go? Nat asked, stacking pancakes on a plate.

“It’s over.”

“Wait, what happened?” Bucky questioned, staring at him mid-bite.

“YN thinks I have been cheating on her with Nat.”

“Fuck! I’m sorry, Pete. I can go talk to her.”

“NO! JUST......don't. You've already done enough harm today,” he huffed, slamming his bedroom door shut. 

Why did he let you slip through his fingers? Why didn’t he chase after you? Why didn’t he make you listen to him? You walked away from him, and all he did was watch. He didn’t even try to fight for you or get you to listen to him. You disappeared from his life, and he didn’t do anything to stop you.

“Did the breakup affect you?” Wanda questioned.

“Yes,” you breathed. “When I found out what he was doing, I hated him for it. I was so frustrated with him because I thought I did something wrong in our relationship to provoke this,” you paused, remaining silence before you continued. “Breakups are hard. Some are easy to get over, some take time, but the real ones stick with you no matter how hard you try to forget them.”

“Where do you fall in those categories?”

“Are you trying to get me to confess to something, Mrs. Maximoff?”

“Counter question, do you still care about him?” Scott asked.

“Yes, I don’t think I will ever stop caring about him. I will always have a soft spot for him. I mean, when someone makes that big of an impression on your life it’s hard to forget them and move on. I could, but I have a daughter with him, and I see him in her every day.”

“Hypothetically, if this Star-Lord character came back into the picture and wanted to be a part of his daughter’s life, how would you handle it?” Scott asked. 

“I would let him be a part of her life.”

“Wow, just like that?”

“Yes,” you replied. “When Star-lord was growing up, his dad was never in his life. He ran out on him and his mother when he was young, and he despised him for it. I remember Star-Lord telling me that if he ever had a child, he would want to be apart of their life. Given those circumstances, I would let him see her. She always wants me to tell stories about him, and I can tell she wants to meet him. And she will when the time is right.”

“Well said,” Scott said. “I like this podcast thing. It's so much fun.”

“It can be,” you chuckled.

“Try doing it every week with an uncooperative co-host,” Wanda added.

“Ooooh, YN, I bet you felt that sting,” Scott joked, making you laugh.

“And with that listeners, this has been another info filled episode with Wanda Maximoff signing off until next time on Everyday's a Monday. Don’t forget to rate, comment, and subscribe to our podcast or wherever you get your podcasts. Have a good week, everybody! Be sure to check out our new Instagram account for new updates on the show and behind the scenes looks as we film our podcast.”

How did he not see the signs? How did he not notice something was off about you when they talked? How were you going through all this, and he didn’t know a thing about it? Did that make him a bad boyfriend? A terrible friend? He needed to talk to you about this. It was the only way he was going to get answers.

______

It’s been about a month since you and Wanda went to New York, and Potts of Honey finally got all the right permits to begin construction. We would be hitting ground as early as next week, and you couldn’t be more excited for the company. Pepper was heading there later this week for a big press conference and a ribbon-cutting. It was all the fancy stuff you didn't care about. She wished you would go with her, but you had a podcast episode to figure out, and someone needed to stay back and be in charge while she was away. 

You enjoyed stepping in for Pepper when the need arised. It was fun to negotiate with people and figure out the next course of action. You never realized how much Pepper did until she took a two-week-long vacation. It was hectic the first couple days, but then you got used to it. It became pretty easy, and it turned out you really enjoyed it. Whenever Pepper went away, she could always count on you to take over for her. 

A routine set in with you and Peter. He would pick Mer up every day after school and one day each weekend Mer would stay with him. Mer loved the setup and this way she could have the best of both worlds. There were still some arguments you had with Peter about him buying her things you told her she couldn’t have. Or the time he gave her candy for breakfast. He was learning, but so were you at the beginning, too. 

You continued to change the subject when you knew he was going to bring up the breakup. He never point-blank mentioned it, but from the look in his eyes, it told you he wanted to talk about it. It was something you didn’t want to bring back to light. It was something you would rather forget. You didn’t want all those feelings from the past coming back and hurting you all over again. 

You finished the last thing on your to-do list before you left work for the day. You entered Walkman Records, greeting Mantis with a smile as you replied to a last minute email you forgot about. 

“Hey Mantis, any new messages for me?” You glanced up to see a familiar looking woman with red hair, but you couldn’t place where you’ve seen her before.

“No nothing, but it has been a very slow day.”

“Understandable,” She smirked at you. “Hi, you must be Meredith’s mother, YN. I’m Natasha but call me Nat.” She held out your hand and you took it. 

“That’s me.” You forced a smile, shaking her hand. She eyed you almost as if she knew something you didn’t.

“Hey, babe. Can you look over this bio for me?” Bucky asked, walking up beside her. He gave her the clipboard and flashed you a smile once he noticed you. “Hey, YN. How’s it going?”

“Good,” you said, clearing your throat. “Has Mer been behaving around here?

“Oh yes, she is like our little mascot, and the artists love her input even if it is crazy ridiculous,” Bucky replied, making you crack a smile. 

“Buck. Are we still considering this girl? She's still in high school, do you think she has what it takes?” Nat asked, flipping through the file. 

“Meredith likes her, and I don’t think this girl's boyfriend is gonna stop sending us demos until we tell them no to their faces. That is if we do decide to go that route. Besides, I'll do that thing you like tonight,” Bucky winked, speaking close to her ear. 

“Who said I liked that move in the first place,” Nat scoffed with a playful smile. 

“Oh, you didn’t need to tell me,” Bucky teased, winking at her before giving her a quick kiss and headed back to his office. 

You couldn’t help but smile at their playful exchange. The teasing and playful behavior in a relationship was always your favorite part. It kept things interesting and fun. What Bucky and Nat had was love, and it was going to last. It’s not like you stopped believing in love because you experience it every day. You loved your little girl unconditionally, but romantic love was always harder to grasp.

“Men. Am I right?”

“You don’t have to tell me. How do you think I ended up pregnant,” you breathed a soft chuckle. “How long have you been together?”

“I trapped his ass about 8 years ago, and I even tricked him into marrying me,” she smirked. “It was nice to meet you, YN, but duty calls.”

“Nice meeting you, too.” 

Peter and Mer came out of the hallway, passing Nat. You didn’t miss Peter narrowing his eyes at her as Nat shrugged in his direction. What was that about?

Mer ran to you and gave you a big hug. “How was spending time with your dad?”

“The best,” she grinned.

“Are you ready to go?”

“No, but if I have to,” she groaned. “I’m going to go say goodbye to Nat and Bucky.”

“Okay, but make it quick,” you said as she ran back down the hallway. “How was she?”

“She was great,” Peter smirked with a slight nod. He bit his bottom lip as his eyes met yours. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Are we ever going to talk about what happ…”

“Okay, I’m ready to go.” Meredith ran back into the room interrupting Peter.

“That was fast, Mer,” You paused, looking at Peter. “What was it you wanted to ask me?”

“Another time,” he waved it off like it wasn’t a big deal.

“Love you, daddy.” Mer pulled him into a hug, squeezing him tight.

“Love you, too. See you tomorrow, Twig!” He pulled away and ruffled her hair, smiling down at her. “Goodbye, YN.” 

“Bye, Peter."

______

It felt like dishes were a never ending job in your house, but it did give you some time to think. You were positive you’ve seen Natasha or Nat before, but you couldn’t remember. She looked so familiar, but maybe you met her once before or perhaps Peter mentioned her. Did Bucky introduce you to her when you helped them move in? They’ve been together for eight years so you could only assume you met her at their apartment. Either way, she seemed like the type of woman you could get along with. 

There was a solid knock on the door, making you flinch and slice your palm open with the knife you were washing. “Fuck,” you cursed. You grabbed a towel, putting pressure on it as you went to the door.

You peeked out the window, seeing Peter standing there. “Hey, come on in.” You opened the door and went back into the kitchen.

“You okay?”

“Yeah fine...cut my hand while washing dishes.” You pulled out a first aid kit from the cabinet struggling to open it.

“Here let me help.” He opened it and pulled out some antibiotics and a band-aid. “Let me see.” You hide it from him as he let out an annoyed scoff and rolled his eyes. He grabbed your hand, and you finally gave in. He removed the towel, noticing a small two-inch gash. He led you to the sink and held it under the faucet, cleaning it for you. You watch him take your hand and rub the ointment on it before placing the band-aid over it. “All set.”

“Thanks.”

“Don't mention it. I like taking care of you.”

You feel your face heat up as your eyes met his. “What brings you here?” You cleared your throat.

“I needed to come clean about a few things.”

“About what?”

“The day you came to LA to surprise me….” You nodded as your mind drifted to that dreadful day. 

You stood outside Peter’s apartment door in LA. You were nervous about how he was going to react. You were two in a half months pregnant, and your stomach was starting to show. This wasn’t the type of information to share over the phone. Would he leave you for this? You take a deep breath and knock on the door. You could feel your hands start to shake, and your palms begin to tingle. You tucked a few loose strands of hair behind your ear when the door opens. In front of you stood a blonde haired woman with red roots peeking through her scalp, and she was wearing Peter’s space robe that you got him for his birthday.

“Um...hi,” you gulped, eyeing the robe she was wearing. “I don’t know if this…nevermind...Is Peter here?”

“Seriously,” she chuckled, shaking her head. “You know what, let me go wake his ass up. What’s your name?”

“Um,” you mumbled, trying to find your voice. You could feel the tears tickling behind your eyes. You wanted to cry, but not in front of this woman you didn't even know. “Will you tell him...tell him goodbye, Star-Lord for me. He’ll know who I am.”

“Okay, but are you sure you don’t want to talk to him? It’s no trouble for me to go get him.” She eyed you over as if she was judging you, especially for wearing a jacket in the middle of July. 

“Thanks, but--” you cleared your throat, fighting back tears "--it’s not necessary. Thank you for passing along the message.” She nodded as you walked away, feeling her eyes dig into your back. Once you were in the elevator, you let the tears fall. 

“...truth is, I never cheated. Were their girls lining up to get with me, sure, but I never did anything with them. I already had everything I needed. I had you. The woman who answered the door that day was Natasha, my business partner and Bucky’s wife, she put on the wrong robe.” 

Your eyes widened as you realized that's how you recognized Natasha. Back then her hair was different, but she was the same person. “Excuse me?”

“I never cheated on you, YN.”

You stared at him with wide eyes, shaking your head. “Why did you fucking lie to me then? Why did you make me believe you cheated on me this whole fucking time?”

“I didn’t lie, you just assumed I did.”

“So what if I did. How would you react to seeing a woman in your boyfriend's robe? I was pissed and upset like I did something to provoke you to cheat. I thought I was the problem. I thought it was my fault. Oh my god, Peter!” You ran your hands down your face as Peter tried to say something, but you continued. “Why didn’t you try and make me listen to you? Fight for me or something? Why didn’t you chase after me and explain it? ”

“I thought--” he stammered “--I thought you came to LA to break up with me.” You stared at him in shock. 

“Break up with you! Are you fucking kidding me, Peter? I loved you. Why would your head even go there?”

“The distance between us wasn’t doing us any favors. We didn’t talk on the phone like we used to, barely texted, and any other source of contact stopped. I thought our relationship was dwindling down to nothing and thought you were mad at me for leaving you behind. I thought you were having doubts about our relationship, so I figured if you hated me, it would be easier for you to move on.”

“I was pregnant, Peter! I was trying to figure out how to tell you, but I didn’t want to break up with you.” 

“I realize that now,” he sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Tell you what?” you shouted a little louder than you planned. 

“Why didn’t you tell me we had a daughter together?” 

“I wanted to, I tried, but then you got the internship. You were finally accomplishing what you set out to do, and you were living your childhood dreams. I didn't want to be the one to ruin it for you, Peter. You loved it; I could hear it in your voice every time we talked. I watched how hard you worked to get there, and I didn't want you resenting me and Mer for taking that opportunity away from you."

“I never would’ve resented you or Mer.”

“You say that now,” you exasperated, running your bandaged hand through your hair. “But you don’t know what would’ve happened back then.” 

“Yes, I do. It’s me. I’m the same person, only better looking and far more mature. Sort of.” You shake your head, rolling your eyes. “You’re right. Maybe, I don’t know what I would’ve done, but I know I wouldn’t have left you behind,” he acknowledged, furrowing his eyebrows together. “The truth is I regret everything I didn’t do that day. I didn’t stop you. I didn’t fight for you. I didn’t even try.” He shrugged, biting his bottom lip. “I acted like a fucking child,” he cursed with a deep breath. “I watched you walk away knowing I lost the best thing I ever had. The only thing I ever needed. You. It was always you,” he swallowed as your eyes widened. “If I could give up everything to go back in time and be with you? I would do it in a heartbeat.”

Without even thinking, you grabbed his face and kissed him. You pulled back once you realized what you did. “Shit! That was…” 

He interrupted as his lips collided with yours. You wrapped your arms around his neck, and he grabbed your thighs, lifting you up onto the counter. You pushed his jacket off, letting it hit the floor without breaking contact with his lips. He grabbed your shirt, pulling it over your head, and in a split second, your lips were back together. It felt like you were two eager teenagers trying to get to home base. 

He lifted you off the counter and carried you down the hall. For once, you were glad your bedroom was on the first floor. Breaking contact with your lips, you mumbled what door was your bedroom as he stumbled on a rug almost dropping you. You both laughed as Peter caught himself. He finally reached your door, pushing it open and kicking it softly shut behind him. He laid you down near the end of the bed, kissing you as you melted into the mattress. Your hands skimmed the hem of his shirt, and you slowly started pulling it over his head.

He started placing soft kisses down your neck to your collarbone, sending goosebumps to the surface of your skin. His lips left your skin as his face hovered over yours almost like he didn’t know what to do next. You felt his breath on your lips, making your insides twist with anticipation. You reached up to cup his cheek as he leaned into your touch, closing his eyes. Your hand moved to his chest over his heart, and his eyes fluttered open, gazing down at you. He licked his lips, drawing your eyes to them before drifting back to his lust filled eyes. 

His eyes etched with worry as he watched you. He was waiting; waiting to see what you were going to do next; waiting to see how you were going to react; waiting for your next move. Your breath quickened, feeling his rapid heartbeat underneath your hand. You couldn't help, but feel how this could be the start of something great; a new beginning; a second chance. Without a second thought, you leaned up brushing your lips against his.

________

The coffee maker came to life as it brewed into the pot below. It was early Saturday morning, and you knew it was going to be a long day with Mer. With the dance disaster that happened last night, you weren’t sure how you were going to get her mind off it. You poured yourself a cup when you heard a knock on the door and went to answer it. Your eyes widened in surprise seeing Peter in a familiar silver suit holding a single yellow gerbera daisy. “Well...well look at you, Quill. Don’t you look dapper,” you commented as your eyes traveled over his body. “Are you about to make things right with a certain little girl?”

“A man can try, can’t he. I mean, if that's alright with you.” 

“As hard and crazy as it may seem, it’s alright with me. Meredith comes first, and I know she wants you in her life, but right now, you might not be her favorite person. I know she will forgive you because she forgives those she cares about a little too easily if you ask me, but I’ve been there, too.” You gulped, glancing up and catching Peter’s eye. “You messed up, and she understands that, but don’t take her forgiveness for granted and don’t fuck it up again. Remember, you promised me.” 

“I remember…..can I get your option on something real fast.” You nodded. “Does this suit look stupid?” He motioned to his suit, smoothing it out. “Be honest.”

“She’s going to love it.” 

“What am I going to say to her?”

“Tell her how you feel like you let her down and how sorry you are. If you’re honest with her, she’ll be honest with you.” 

“How do you know this will work?” He questioned, running his hand down his face. 

“I’m her mother. Knock again and find out,” you winked, shutting the door on him.

A few moments later, Peter knocked on the door again, and you yelled for Meredith to get it. She charges down the stairs as you crept out of the living room to lean against the doorway. Meredith opened the door, and Peter smiled down at her on the other side.

“Excuse me miss, but I have a date with a lovely little lady today. I’m not sure if she’ll want to hang out with me after what happened, but I want her to know how sorry I am. I know I broke our promise, and I let her down, but I promise, I will never let it happen again. I’m sorry.” Peter’s eyes glanced at you, and you gave him a thumbs up. “What do you say Twig? Wanna hang out with your old man?” 

“Is mommy okay with this?” She murmured, forcing Peter to crack a smile.

“Who do you think I had to get permission from?” Peter whispered back, leaning down to give her the daisy.

“Okay, Daddy. I will go get ready,” she giggled, grabbing the flower from his hand. She wrapped her small arms around his neck, pulling him in for a hug. Peter draped his arms around her and squeezed her close. You watched his expression change from worry to relief in a matter of seconds. Peter glanced your way with that boyish grin you loved, making you roll your eyes. 

“See not so hard,” you mouthed as Peter nodded in agreement. 

Peter and Mer broke apart. “How about you go get ready and pack an overnight bag. I’ll be here when you’re ready.” Mer squealed, taking off up the stairs. You didn’t miss the massive grin she had on her face, and you couldn’t help but feel excited for her. Peter stood up and made his way inside closing the door behind him. 

“You’re right it worked,” he said, putting his hands in his pants pockets. 

“You would've figured it out. It's basic communication.”

“Again, I’m sorry about yesterday.” You rolled your eyes, getting sick of him apologizing so much.  “I know my reason doesn’t matter because I still wasn’t there, but I wasn’t doing what you thought I was doing.”

“Oh, you mean you weren’t getting laid?” You narrowed your eyes at him, crossing your arms across your chest. 

“No. Um, it’s the complete opposite actually.”

“So you were master…”

“No, no no,” He interrupted, holding up his hands. “That was bad phrasing on my part.”

“Then what happened?” 

“I was helping Bucky look for his new puppy in the woods.”

“Excuse me?” You raised your eyebrows at him in question.

“Bucky and his wife got this new puppy from the shelter last weekend. She’s a black lab named Widow. She’s really cute, but loves to bite.” He shook his head, rubbing his wrist. “After they got home from work yesterday, they noticed her kennel had a hole in it, and she was missing. There are woods near there place, so after I got dressed for the dance, full tux in all, I figured I would help him look for an hour or two, thinking it shouldn’t take long.” You nodded as he continued. 

“We split up in the woods, and one thing led to another, my phone lost signal, I climbed a tree, tore my suit, fell out of said tree, and then lost my shoe. My phone ended up dying as it continued to search for a signal and--” He pinched the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut “--by the time I found my way out it was too late. I called you right away once I got my phone hooked to the charger.”

“You fell out of a tree?” It would explain his disheveled appearance last night. His shirt was untucked and wrinkled. He wasn't even wearing his suit jacket, and his hair was all over the place. You couldn't remember if he was missing a shoe or not, but you were a little pissed off to take note of what was on his feet.

“Yeah, I was trying to find a signal to let you know I was going to be late. They do it all the times in the movies, so I thought it would work.”

“Guess not,” you breathed a soft chuckle, shaking your head. “And you got your suit fixed already?” You gestured your hand over his body.

“This...no no--” he pointed to his suit “--I had an all-black one on so I had to pull this one out of the back of my closet. It still works right? It’s kind of old.” 

“Yeah,” you nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me this last night?”

“You seemed upset with me, and I didn’t want to start an argument over this. It was late, and I knew you were already sick of my bullshit. I wanted to wait till you blew off some steam.”

“Well, at least now I can cross off ‘kill Peter’ off of my to-do list for today.” You shake your head, scratching the back of your neck. “If this co-parenting thing is gonna work between us we have to be honest with each other even on our worst day.”

“Starting today, I will.” He held out his hand. “I promise.” You reached out and shook it.

“Did they end up finding her?” You asked, still curious about what happened to the puppy.

“Oh, yeah,” he smirked, waving it off. “She went over to one of their neighbors a few blocks down and was playing with their dog."

“When did they find that out?”

“Probably while I was in the tree trying to find a signal,” he chuckled, forcing a small smile to your face.

“I’m sorry that I assumed the worst of things when you showed up here.”

“It’s okay. I get it. I mean, after we broke up--” your shoulders tensed up as your eyes dropped to the ground “--I sort of went back to my old ways, but I’ve grown out of it over the years...sort of.” You nodded, not knowing what to say. “Why...why haven’t we ever talked about what happened between us yet?”

“Well, it’s…..”

“MOMMY! I NEED YOUR HELP,” Mer yelled from upstairs, interrupting you.

“I’ll be right there,” you called upstairs, feeling a sense of relief flood over you. “This shouldn’t take long." 

“No rush. I’m hers all day,” Peter nodded as you went up the stairs.

______

Mer was ahead of you as she descended the stairs with her hand on the banister. Peter turned around, wearing a warm smile on his face.  It made your heart speed up, sending a tingling feeling to your stomach. “Wow! Mer you look like a badass princess.” You cleared your throat. “I mean an independent princess that doesn’t need a man to run a kingdom.”

“Thank you, Daddy,” she grinned. “I have something for you.” She pulled out a wristwatch from behind her back and handed it to him. “It’s so you won’t be late again.” 

“Wow, I just got burned by my daughter.” He let out a deep chuckled, taking the watch from him and putting it on his wrist. “Thank you, Twig.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Who are these characters from?” Peter asked, studying the watch on his wrist.

“Paw Patrol. It’s a limited edition.”

“I better take good care of it then. It may be a collector's item someday,” Peter smirked, making you shake your head. “I'll have her back tomorrow morning.”

“Sounds good! Make sure she brushes her teeth, and get her to bed at a decent time,” You advised, helping Mer into her jacket. “I love you, Mer. Don't be too hard on your dad he's still figuring out the ‘dad stuff.’”

“I won’t. Love you, Mommy.” She gave you a quick hug before walking out the door with Peter following behind her. He stopped short before closing the door.

“I owe you, YN. Thank you,” he paused, nodding at you before shutting the door.

You smiled, watching Peter and Mer walk hand in hand out to his Jeep. He reached through the open window and pulled out a small clear container containing the corsage he told you about. Mer was jumping up and down, clapping her hands as he opened the container and put it on her wrist. Your heart melted, seeing a contagious smile on her face as Peter help her into the backseat. It was easy to see that Peter adored her, and he treated her like you hoped he would. You couldn’t help, but wonder what if. What if you had the courage to tell him sooner? Would things have turned out different? What if you never left him after you found the truth?

Throughout the day, you kept busy cleaning the house and doing miscellaneous things to distract yourself. Peter sent you pictures and videos of all the adventures they went on. He first took her out to eat breakfast at this fancy restaurant that looked way better than what you ended up eating. Then, he took her to get her nails done. Meredith must’ve chosen Peter’s color because he was sporting coral polish. From the videos he sent, the staff even seemed to be enjoying themselves. You didn’t miss the comment Mer made to Peter about her feeling like a cool princess. 

You tried to concentrate on the book you were reading when your phone chimed with a new video. You opened the message and pressed play. Peter and Mer were wandering around an aquarium dressed in formal wear. Mer stood in front of a few fish tanks, mentioning how pretty all the fish looked. She saw a fish that looked like Dory, Nemo, and his dad, but she couldn’t remember his name. It was cute to see her flustered before she remembered it was Marlin. Then, he sent you a selfie of them standing in front of the tank together. A few minutes later, he sent another photo. Peter had Mer on his back, giving her a piggyback ride as they both smiled at the camera near a sign that said Jellyfish exhibit. A second later he sent a quick caption to this photo saying ‘Jellyman and Offspring.” You couldn’t contain the affectionate smile that graced your lips because it was too adorable.

After eating an early dinner, you laid down on the couch with a glass of wine and turned on the TV to try and find something to watch. You never knew how to spend your time when Mer wasn’t around, but you tried to keep yourself occupied. Your phone chimed, stopping it on a home improvement channel, glancing at your screen seeing yet another message from Peter. It was a picture of ingredients and a ton of sprinkles. Whatever they were going to make, it was going to end up in an absolute disaster. 

A half-hour later, you received a video message. 

“Tell your mom what we’re making, Twig,” Peter said, holding the camera at Mer’s face. 

“We are making rainbow cupcakes with three different colors. Pink, yellow, and red. They are going to turn out so pretty and yummy,” Mer smiled into the camera before it switched to Peter’s face.

“Fingers crossed this works,” he said with a tight smile. “Wish us luck.”

You smiled at your phone, sending them a quick text to wish them luck. You finished off your glass of wine and went back into the kitchen for more. As you pour yourself another glass, you realized something. Meredith needed her dad in her life, but what you didn’t expect is maybe Peter needed his daughter in his life, too. If by some chance, maybe there was room for you in his life, too. 

______

“Are you kidding, Nancy? Those cabinets with that countertop. You’re gonna regret that in a couple of years,” you shouted at the TV as you opened your second bottle of wine. Your phone chimed as the screen glowed.

“And action,” Peter commanded, removing his hand from the screen.

“Hi, we have finished the bake, and these cupcakes look yummy. Now it is time to frost and decorate. My favorite part,” she giggled. She started piping the frosting on the cupcake, but it came out too fast, and some of it ended up on the counter. She flushed, smiling at the camera. She opened one of the sprinkle containers and poured it on top of the frosting. “Sprinkles are the best part.”

Peter took a sharp breath in watching hundreds of sprinkles hit the floor. “So many sprinkles….” he gasped as Mer piped the frosting onto the next cupcake and this one turned out better. “That one looks great.”

“Thank you, but it needs the wow factor of the sprinkles,” she commented, pouring sprinkles all over the cupcake. 

You heard more sprinkles hit the floor and couldn’t stop the loud laugh that escaped your throat. The camera flipped to Peters' face. 

“I am going to be finding rogue sprinkles for the next month,” he chuckled before it stopped recording. 

As your episode ended, you put your wine bottles in the recycling and grabbed some snacks. You plugged your phone into the charger by the couch, and it chimed once again. This time it was a picture of all the colorful cupcakes with a shitton of sprinkles on top. You smirked at the screen, hoping Peter didn’t feed her too many of those cupcakes before bedtime. Your phone dinged again with a video attachment.

“Alright, Mer. Are you ready?” Peter asked, holding the camera at an angle so you could see both their faces. “On three...one...two...three.” Both Mer and Peter took a bit of their cupcake at the same time. 

“OMG, these are so good. I will bring a couple back for you, Mommy,” she grinned at the camera with frosting all over her face. 

Mer seemed so happy with how they turned out, but when you saw Peter’s face, you couldn’t help but let out a loud belly laugh. His face was showing Mer how good they were, but his eyes were telling a different story.

“Yeah, so delicious, Twig,” Peter stated, chewing the cupcake slowly. “Not hurting my teeth at all!”

About halfway through the next episode, your phone chimed with another video from Peter. 

“Daddy, what are you doing?” Mer asked, holding the camera up to Peter. He was digging through the medicine cabinet in the bathroom.

“Got an upset stomach.”

“Oh no...are you going to be okay?”

“Yes. I’ll be fine. Can I see my phone quick? I see I got some messages.”

“Yup, here you go.” Mer handed it over with a smile, and you noticed another cupcake in her hand. 

How many has she eaten so far?

“Thank you.” Peter turned on the front-facing camera. “Um...so those cupcakes are very sweet I got a major gut rot right now. I don't know how she was able to eat three without any problems. My stomach is like ‘why did you do this to me, Pete? We trusted you.’” He groaned, holding his stomach before turning off the camera.

“It’s called being a parent, Peter,” you chuckled to yourself. You always suffer the consequences when it comes to doing a project with your child thinking it will be fun, but then you realize it was a terrible messy awful idea. You switched to Netflix and picked a random movie to keep you entertained until your phone chimed. Expecting it to be another video, but it was a text message instead.  

Peter: I am going to regret giving her sugar at 7 pm, right?

YN: She should crash from her sugar high once things settle down

YN: Might I suggest a dance party to get rid of the excess energy and a movie on the couch

Peter: Great idea

A short while later, Peter sent you another video. Like, every video you received today, you press played excited to see what they were doing now. It started with Peter pressing record and adjusting his phone on a table. Mer must’ve picked the music because Baby Shark was blasting in the background. You cracked a smile seeing Peter’s exhausted expression when the song started playing. It looked like he let out a deep breath before he started dancing around with her. They were jumping around and shaking their hips to the beat. Song after song played, and they continued to dance and dance. You could tell Mer was getting exhausted when she started dancing in slow motion. 

Peter walked over to this stereo and switched to a song you haven’t heard in a while; You’re my Best Friend by Queen. Peter picked up his suit jacket and held it open for Mer to put on. She slid it on with ease, and it sat a few inches off the floor. She looked up at Peter with a huge smile, and he held out his hands. She stepped onto his feet, and he danced around with ease. It made your heart flutter with how much fun they were having together. 

When the video ended, you could tell Mer was ready for bed. She was rubbing her eyes and yawning. You glanced at the time on your phone and realized it was almost your bedtime, too. You turned off the tv and walked to your bedroom. Your phone dinged while brushing your teeth and you see a text message with a picture attached.

Peter: Your idea worked ;) *The picture attached was a selfie of Peter smiling, and Mer was sound asleep snuggled into his side wearing her unicorn pajamas. 

Peter: Trial and error right

YN: You’ll be an excellent parent in no time

Peter: What would I do without you

You shake your head at his response, feeling your face heat up. You walked over to your bed, crawled under the covers, and put your phone on the bedside table. Peter did exactly what he needed to do to make it up to Meredith. He might not have realized it yet, but he was already such a wonderful father to her. 

Peter dropped Meredith off mid-morning with her cupcakes, and she couldn't stop talking about the day with her dad, even going on to say it was better than the stupid dance at school. All you could do was smile at how Peter managed to pull off another incredible date. 

_____

It was the day of the dance, and Peter agreed to meet at the school that evening. Peter was texting you all morning about how nervous and excited he was for tonight. He even went out of his way and bought a small corsage for her, and to your surprise, it matched her dress. 

“Are you ready to go, sweetie?” You asked, watching her twirl around in her sleeveless cream-colored dress with a ruffled top. As she came to a stop, her dress flowed to the floor covering her sneakers, she insisted on wearing. 

“Yes.”

“You look beautiful, Mer. That dress looks so good on you,” Gamora complimented, admiring her dress. 

“Thanks, Auntie. Do you think my dad will like it?”

“He is going to love it, and if he doesn’t, I’ll beat him up for you.” Gamora winked, forcing a giggle out of Mer.  

You and Mer get into the car and head to school saying goodbye to Gamora. You hated to admit it, but you couldn't wait to see Peter in a tux again. The last time you remembered him wearing a tux was when you went on vacation for spring break senior year. He wore this silver suit with a white undershirt and black tie. He looked damn good.

You walked into the gym with Mer clutching your hand. It felt like you were transported to space. You glanced over at Mer, who was wearing a huge smile on her face and had a certain sparkle in her eyes. Lights trickled down from the ceiling and hung on the walls. On one side of the gym was a big Earth with the DJ set up in front of it while the opposite wall had a half-moon with a father-daughter photo opp. There was even a black sparkly runway that led to the dance floor in the center of the gym. The decorating committee outdid themselves with the theme; To the Moon and Back.

It was Mer’s first father-daughter dance, and she couldn't contain her excitement. You both walked around looking at the decorations as you tried to find Peter, but he was nowhere to be found. You told him to be here at seven o’clock sharp, and it was a quarter past seven. Where was he? You and Mer sat on the bleachers to wait for him. You waited and waited and waited. 

You messaged Peter multiple times asking where he was but got no reply. He was starting to piss you off. You bit your lip as you stood up and put a comforting hand on your daughters back. “Mer, I’m going to make a call.” She nodded, staying seated on the bleachers with her eyes focused on her sneakers. 

You walked into the hallway and pulled out your phone. You grinded your teeth together as you scrolled through your contacts with a little too much force until you hit Peter’s name. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail. “Peter, it’s YN. Where the fuck are you? It’s 8, and you’re still not at the dance. Is everything okay? Call me when you get this. Bye.”

You walked back into the gym but stopped short. Mer was wiping tears off her cheeks as she stared at the dance floor filled with her classmates having fun with their fathers. Did Peter even realize he was hurting her by not being here?

You sat down next to Mer and pulled her into a side hug. “Is he coming?” she sniffled, wiping away the fallen tears with her forearm. 

“I don’t know. He didn’t answer, but I left him a voicemail. This morning he was super excited to come. I’m sure whatever came up must have been urgent.”

“Oh...okay,” she shuddered as you watched the spark from earlier disappear from her eyes. She was hurting, and for the first time, you didn’t know what to do. 

Around eight-thirty, Mer continued to get antsy as she stared at the gym doors. You hoped Peter would show up, but you weren't waiting around any longer. All it was doing was making Mer feel worse. You reached over and hugged her close into your side. She leaned into you and put her head on your shoulder. “Did you want to go?”

“Yeah,” she mumbled, sounding defeated. “I knew he didn’t want to come.” She stood up in front of you, and you didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. Seeing her this upset was starting to make you more pissed off.  

“Hey--” you pulled her closer “--He wanted to be here. I don’t know what’s keeping him, but I know he didn’t want to miss this.” You wanted to make yourself believe Peter ran into some trouble like his car died on the drive here. You wanted to believe he didn’t intentionally break his promise with their little girl. 

“I don’t want to be here anymore. Can we just go home?” 

“Yes, let’s go!” You stood up as Mer grabbed your hand, and you squeezed hers as you both walked out the gym doors.

Quiet sniffles filled the back seat of your car on your drove back home. You hated seeing her like this, and it only made you more frustrated. Peter could hurt you, and you’d deal with it, but he couldn’t hurt your little girl. The worst part of all was that he promised Meredith, and he fucking broke it. Why did he agree if he wasn't going to show up? He better have a good fucking reason because if he doesn’t, you’re going to fucking kill him. 

You unlocked the front door as Mer ran up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. You drop your purse and keys chasing up the stairs after her. You tried to turn the knob on the door, but it was locked. 

“Mer you know you’re not allowed to lock your door.” You tapped your hand on the door. “Please open up?”

She pulled open the door. “Sorry,” she grumbled, going back to her bed, lying face-first into her pillow. Her little body started shaking as she cried. You laid down next to her and rubbed soothing circles on her back.  

“Shhh, it's okay. Your dad is going to make it up to you. I can promise you that.”

“I don't care. I don't even want a dad anymore. He can leave, and it will be me and you again,” she cried, sniffling into her pillow. 

“Hey, you don't mean that,” you whispered.

“Yes, I do.”

About an hour later, she finally drifted off to sleep. You turned off her table lamp and closed her bedroom door. You walked back down the stairs, digging through your purse to find your phone. The screen lit up with three missed calls, one voicemail, and seven text messages from Peter. You rolled your eyes as you clicked to listen to the voicemail. 

“YN, I'm so sorry I…I fucked it up. Fuck! I’m on my way to the school now. I don't know if you're still there, but I’m sorry.” He hung up. 

You shake your head at your phone, deciding not to call him back. You thought he would be there tonight. You thought he would have been there for Mer. He promised her, pinky promised, but all he did was disappoint her and you. How could he stand up his little girl? How could he break her little heart like he broke yours all those years ago? You took a deep breath, realizing you were far too pissed off to try and sleep, so you settled on washing dishes. 

You put the last dish on the drying rack when you heard a knock at the door. You shake your head, knowing it could only be one person. You switched on the porch light and opened the door to find Peter. 

“You have got some fucking nerve showing up here, Quill. Three hours late, are you serious?” You shouted in a hushed tone, narrowing your eyebrows at him. You stepped outside and shut the front door, hoping to keep the talking outside and not wake up Meredith.

“Look, I'm sorry I got caught up in work and…”

“Work? Are you serious? You think I’m going to believe that shit.” You crossed your arms across your chest, eyeing over his disheveled appearance. You recognized that look anywhere. “You’re fucking kidding me, right?” He stared at you confused. “You skipped your daughters dance to get laid. Didn’t you?” His eyes shot down to the ground, staring at it as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. Before he could say anything, you continued. 

“You fucking promised her, Peter.” His eyes connected with yours and he nodded. “I know how to live with your broken promises, but she doesn’t,” you croaked, clearing your throat. He didn’t miss the small evidence of tears in your eyes before you blinked them away.  “Last night, our daughter stayed up past her bedtime so we could find the perfect dress. She was so excited when she found it and couldn’t wait to show you,” you sighed, shaking your head. “This was her first father-daughter dance, and the one person she wanted there didn’t even bother to show up. She wanted to spend time and make memories with you, but she can’t do that if you're not there.”

“I’m sor...” Peter starts to apologize, but you held your hand up to his face, stopping him.

“I’m not finished.” You took a deep breath to calm yourself. “Tonight, when you didn’t show up right away, she was fine with it, but by the time an hour rolled around, she didn’t want to be there anymore. I convinced her to stay a little longer because I hoped you would show up, but you never came, so we left. She tried to stay strong, but she cried, and I blame myself for relying on you.” You stared at Peter, watching his eyes turn a little wet with unshed tears. He cleared his throat, looking away from you. 

“Mer told me tonight, she wished it was just me and her again. I know she didn’t mean it, but I don’t blame her. You could have at least texted or called saying you had other things going on. Mer thinks you didn’t show up because you didn’t want to hang out with her at some stupid kids dance. It took a lot for her to ask you to go but for you not to show up is even worse.” He nodded, letting out a sniffle. “So next time, fucking call or text me. All Mer wants is for you to be there for her when you promise her. She wants to be able to rely on you when she needs her dad.”

“Shit. I’m the worst father alive,” he mumbled, using the sleeve of his jacket to wipe away a few fallen tears. “I’m sorry.” He stared at you with tearful eyes, and it told you exactly how he felt; he felt like he failed her.

“I appreciate the apology, but you shouldn't be apologizing to me. You need to apologize to our daughter.”

“You’re right. You’re right,” he agreed, nodding his head as you both fell silent. “Does she hate me?”

“Hate is a strong word for a little girl. She hates her vegetables, but I can guarantee you that she doesn’t hate you, but she is mad at you.”

“Any ideas on how I could make it up to her? I’m not good at this stuff,” he cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair.

“Are you serious? Don’t be so modest. You've taken me on the best dates and not dates in my life.” He breathed a small smirk. “You will come up with something great, and she’ll love it.”

“Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“With time. Yes.” He eyed you over, knowing it had a double meaning. “Promise me something, Peter.” You grabbed his hand with yours.

“Anything,” he murmured, glancing down at your adjoined hands then back to your eyes.

“Don’t break her heart again.”

“I promise I will never make her feel this way again.” He squeezed your hand, making your heart flutter.

_________

On the flight back to California, you kept replaying the weekend over in your head. Saturday was a busy day filled with meeting fans and having a Q&A at a local coffee shop. Wanda and you were both surprised with the turnout, and the fans had a ton of questions. Some were about your children, products you’ve used, tips, and of course, a couple of questions about Star-lord. For the fun of it, you decided to record the event and upload it to the podcast page once you got back. 

After the meet and greet, you and Wanda did a little exploring, like stopping at a few toy shops that sold Potts of Honey products. You walked through Central Park and stopped at a few souvenir shops and bought a little gift for Mer. It was a fun and productive trip. 

Peter promised to keep Meredith for a few hours longer after you got back, so you could get stuff settled at home before he dropped her off. You put in some laundry, vacuumed, and sat down at your desk to get some work done.

A sharp, dull pain shot up the back of your neck as you let out a groan and opened your eyes. Ugh...what time was it? You lifted your head off your desk and noticed a piece of paper sticking to your face. You sighed, pulling it off and stretching your neck back and forth. You heard Meredith’s unique laugh, coming from the kitchen, they must’ve got here while you were sleeping in that uncomfortable position. You walked out of your office, letting out a long yawn that made your eyes water. 

“Daddy, you're gonna burn the grilled cheese. Mommy won’t eat them if you burn them.” You stepped up to the kitchen doorway and leaned against it.

“It will be fine, Twig. It’s hard to burn a grilled cheese, and the tomato soup is going to be delicious,” Peter replied, standing over the stove with Mer sitting on the counter beside him.

“It’s from a can. You can’t mess that up,” she blurted out, forcing a chuckle out of him. 

“I’ll let you in on a little secret.” He leaned in close to her.  “Your mother burnt tomato soup once,” he said, making Mers mouth drop open.

“In my defense, I got distracted. It happens,” you confessed, making yourself known. Peter turned around, shooting you with his boyish smirk as Mer jumped off the counter and ran over to you. 

“Mommy!” Mer jumped into your arms, and you held her close. You tighten your grip around her, squeezing your eyes shut. “I missed you!”

“I missed you, too.” 

“Did you get me anything?” Mer asked with innocent eyes as you two pulled apart. 

“How about you go get my bag from the living room, and I’ll show you,” you told her, making her eyes light up and take off to the other room. You stood up, watching her leave with a side smirk on your face. 

“I’m happy you’re home, too,” Peter nodded as you turned around. “She can be a handful on the weekends. Whew!” 

“I tried to tell you,” you chuckled. “I hope you were able to keep her under control.” You stepped to the other side of the room to stir the tomato soup. Peter licked his lips, keeping a watchful eye on you. “I want to thank you for watching her again.”

“It’s the least I could do after everything.” He cleared his throat, biting his lip.  “I figured cooking you both dinner would be a good idea since you were passed out in your office.” You punch him on his bicep, feeling your face heat up. 

“Got your bag,” Mer grunted, dragging it into the kitchen. You leaned down and opened it, handing her a stuffed teddy bear with ‘I <3 NY’ sewed on the belly. “I love it,” Mer squealed, holding it tight to her chest. She rushed over to Peter and hopped back on the counter. “What do you think, daddy?”

“I’m jealous I didn’t get one,” he smirked at you as Mer giggled next to him. “As I was saying, YN. You go relax. Me and Mer will finish cooking dinner.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.” Peter turned back to the stove and flipped the grilled cheese. You walked out of the kitchen and took a chair at the dining table in the next room over. You weren’t one to eavesdrop, but Peter was so sweet to her you couldn’t help but listen in. 

“I told you! I knew you were going to burn the grilled cheese. It’s like you got distracted or something,” Mer joked, making you crack a smile across your face.  “Are you going to join us for dinner, Daddy?”

“Wish I could, Twig, but turns out I have to go to New York tonight for a day or so.”

“Awww, man,” she complained, letting out a loud sigh. “That means I have to go to daycare with all those babies!”

"I'm sorry," he breathed a soft chuckle. "I think you can survive a day or two.”

“I don’t know, dad. You don’t know what it’s like in there. It changes a person,” she stated with a straight face, forcing him to shake his head unable to stop the smile gracing his lips. “What is in New York?”

"I'm going to listen to the girl from Queens, she's playing at a local coffee shop there. I remember a certain little girl mentioning how we should listen to her live-in person and see if she is as good as her demos are."

“Yesss! She’s so amazing.” 

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, it was kind of a last-minute decision."

"It's okay, Dad," Mer replied in a comforting tone.

“Would you mind buttering some more bread since I burnt this one?” 

“On it, Grilled Cheese Burner.”

_______

You returned to work, and things couldn’t have been busier. It was a crazy week so far, and it felt like it was flying by. The schedule you and Peter created was working out like a charm. You couldn't believe how much easier it was when two parents were involved. You hated to admit it to yourself, but you loved observing their interactions. You felt yourself falling for him all over again, and you hated how fast it was happening. What if you get hurt again? What would happen? How would you move on? He knew about Mer now so he would continue to be in your life. But damn, he was so good with her and it only made him more irresistible.  

You got off work early and decided to go to the studio to pick Mer up. She wanted to ask Peter to the father-daughter dance happening on Friday, but she was nervous. You figured if you left work early, you could help her build up a little extra courage and ask him herself. 

Walking into the studio, you waved at Mantis, and she pointed to the offices to the left while she continued talking on the phone. You nodded, making your way to Peter and Bucky’s office. You stopped by the doorway, seeing Peter and Mer playing together. A sincere smile formed on your lips, watching them interact.

“Hi, my name's Korg,” Peter said in a gruff accent, shaking the toy. “I run this place around here. What's your name?" 

“Daddy, you're so funny,” she giggled, leaning into his side. You didn’t miss the heartfelt smile that spread across his face. It wasn’t hard to notice that Peter enjoyed being a dad. He loved spending time with her, and he was turning out to be a great father. 

“Hi, YN.”

“OH SHIT!”  You held your hand to your chest, turning around. “Hey, Bucky.”

“I’m sorry. I thought you heard me,” he chuckled, coming to stand next to you.

“I didn’t.” You punched him on his arm. “I forgot how sneaky you can be.”

“One of my many skills,” he smirked, glancing into his shared office.

“Mommy!” Mer came running at you and wrapped her little arms around your legs, pulling them into a hug. You leaned over, patting her back.

“How was school?”

“It was so much fun. My math is starting to get challenging, and I like it.”

“What like it isn’t challenging enough already,” Bucky mumbled beside you.

“That’s great. Why don’t you go pack your things, and we’ll go have dinner at Auntie Gam’s tonight?”

“Yes…okay,” She paused, chewing on her bottom lip. “Uncle Bucky, I’m gonna need your help, come with me.” She grabbed his hand, forcing a laugh out of him as she pulled him along to get her bag. 

“Hey,” Peter greeted, walking up to you. “How are things coming along at Potts of Honey?”

“It’s good. We’re hoping to start building on the New York property in the next month or so. It's all happening really fast.  And turns out, the podcast is more successful than we thought it was on the east coast.” 

“Yeah, I listened to that Q&A podcast you did at that cafe. It was fun to listen to. You and Wanda are inspiring so many people.”

“I wouldn’t go that far.”

“Are you kidding? You’re incredible at what you do.” 

“Thanks,” you gushed, feeling a blush tint your cheeks.

“And the whole New York facility sounds exciting, too. You're something else, YN,” he confessed. “Do you know who is going to be running it once everything gets settled?”

“I don’t know. That’s a good question. I haven't....” Meredith interrupted you as she ran down the hallway shouting with her backpack strapped on tight. 

“MOM, I AM READY TO GO!” 

Saying quick goodbyes to Mantis and Peter, you and Mer headed out to your car. You buckled yourself in and watched Mer strap herself into her car seat from the rearview mirror.

“Did you ask your dad if he wanted to go to the dance?”

“Um…no. He wouldn’t want to go to some stupid kid thing anyways,” she sighed, looking out the window.

“You don't know that,” you replied, unbuckling your seatbelt. “You know what, we're not leaving till you ask him...let's go back inside?”

“No, I don’t want to.”

“Yes, you do. I know you do,” you said, turning around in your seat. “I'm not asking him for you. You’re a big girl. You can do this.” She shook her head, staring at the front seat. You stepped out of the car and opened her door. “He will say yes, but only if you ask him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I’m your mother. Now come on, Meredith.”

“Finnnne,” she whined, unbuckling her seatbelt and getting out of the car. 

“Hey, Peter,” you greeted, walking back through the entrance. He glanced in your direction as he leaned against the front desk, chatting with Mantis. “Mer wanted to ask you something? She’s nervous you might already have plans, but she has been wanting to ask you for a while now.”

“Is that right? Okay. Hey, Twig.” He walked over and leaned down in front of her putting his hands on her shoulder.  “What is it? You know you can ask me anything right. No matter what it is.”

She looked at you standing next to her, and you nodded. “Did you want to go to this father-daughter dance at my school on Friday night?”

“Friday you say--” he hummed, thinking it over “--I’d love to go! I’ll have to rearrange some things, but I’ll be there.” She smiled and wrapped him into a hug. He put his arms around her little frame and squeezed her tight before pulling away. “Do I have to wear a tux?

“Yes,” she giggled and hugged him again. You smiled down at them. “Do you promise?” She asked, holding up her pinky finger.

“I promise, Twig.” He hooked his pinky with hers and swung it around, forcing a loud giggle out of her.

“Now let's get going, Gamora is waiting for us. I'll text you about the dance details, Peter, and figure out a game plan.”

He nodded. “Sounds good, YN. See you two ladies tomorrow.”

Mer smile, waving goodbye. “Love you, daddy,” she shouted before walking out the door. 

“Love you, too, Twig.”

“She is so cute, Peter.” Mantis commented.

“She is going to be a heartbreaker when she grows up,” he smirked, resting his elbows back on the front desk. Mantis chuckled, agreeing with him.

“When are you going to tell her the truth?” Nat asked, walking into the room.

“Excuse me?” Peter questioned, looking up from the paperwork in front of him.

“About how I work here." She twirled her finger in the air. "I hate hiding when she comes in. It's ridiculous how after all these years you still don't have the balls to tell her what happened.”

“It's a sensitive subject." He furrowed his brows together. "Besides, I don't want to ruin what I have been trying to rebuild with her.”

“You think this will ruin everything. You’re an idiot. This will clear everything up beside when I was watching the security cameras I could tell she’s still into you,” Nat added, crossing her arms.

He scoffed. “I doubt it. I mean, she...she doesn't even want to talk about what happened.”

“She's trying to protect herself, doofus. She doesn’t want to relive what she went through because it was hard on her, especially because she was pregnant.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know about that part,” Peter stated, forcing Nat to roll her eyes. “When the time is right I will tell her, but not right now!”

“Fine, but now is the right time.” He shrugged, chewing on his lip. “Buck and I are going to dinner soon, did you want to come?”

“No, I should stay here and catch up on some things.” Nat nodded at him as she walked back to her office. 

Peter smiled at the paperwork in front of him thinking about the father-daughter dance. Would he still be able to fit into the silver tux he bought forever ago? Does he get her a corsage? Or a bouquet? Sure, he would have to cancel his plans with Bereet, but that was an easy fix, and she’d understand, right? Peter’s mind continued to be filled with questions, but there was one that lingered in the back of his mind. Was Nat right about YN? Did she still have feelings for him? Nat has always been super observant, so could she be right?

_________

AN: Podcast in Italics & Flashbacks are in italics and indented. 

You and Wanda arrived in New York City mid-morning on one of Stark Industries private jets. You couldn’t believe the amount of legroom and the amazing breakfast they offered. With an eventful morning laid out, you wondered how Peter and Mer’s morning was going after you dropped her off last night.

“If you have any questions, or problems don’t hesitate to call me,” you told Peter as you stood in the doorway.

“I know,” he smirked. “But I don’t think it will be too difficult.”

“You say that now,” you chuckled, making him crack his boyish smile. “See you on Sunday when I get back.”

“See you then. Be safe.” Peter came in for a hug, surprising you. You felt awkward and tense, but as soon as he tightened his hold, you melted into him. You closed your eyes, remembering how his hugs always made you feel better. And on the plus side, he smelt amazing.

You pulled away, glancing up at him. He was gazing down at you with his green eyes making your stomach flutter and heartbeat a little faster. You felt a blush rush to your cheeks as you glanced at a giggling Mer beside you. You waved goodbye them before you walked back to your car.

You and Wanda met up with the real estate agent at the airport and traveled to the four properties you were looking at. The agent answered all your questions, which helped you narrow the list down to two properties. One was located right outside the city while the other was a little further upstate.

The site right outside the city was a good space and area to start a business. The only downside was that there was no room to grow. If this business wasn’t already successful, you would say yes, but this company has been thriving for the past three years. This space would work for a couple of years, but if Potts of Honey continued to make a profit, we would need more room to expand. 

The property further upstate was near their sister company, Stark Industries. This choice made the most sense with it having more space than the one in the city, so there was always room to expand. Go big and then downsize if need be. You would always think the other way around, but with Potts of Honey already being a success, you thought it was worth the risk to go big.  You were positive Pepper would agree with you, but if not, you still took notes to share with her from the other site as well. 

When you and Wanda got back to the hotel, you were ready to get in touch with Pepper. It was going to be a long conversation, so you decided to check in on Peter and Mer first. It was early evening in Malibu but figured it was best to say goodnight early rather than later. You clicked on Peter’s contact and then clicked FaceTime.

"Mommy," she greeted with her face close to the camera before moving it away. “Hi, how is New York?”

"Hey, Mer. Haven’t seen much of it yet, but I hope I can see more of it tomorrow. I wanted to check in to see how things are before I get back to work. What are you doing?”

"Watching this documentary about Mars." She flipped the camera view so you could see. "It's a good one so far." She flipped the camera back, and you could see her eyes glued to the screen. 

“Sounds fun! Did you finish your homework?”

“Yes, Bucky and dad helped me with it.” She glanced at the phone before her eyes shifted back to the tv screen, making you smile. 

“Where's your dad at?"

"I'll get him. He’s in the shower." She jumped off the sofa as you heard commercials start playing on the television. 

"Mer,” you tried to get her attention, but she couldn't hear you. “Meredith,” you shouted a little louder, but you saw her turn the camera view to her walking down the hallway to a door. “Meredith, I don't need to see him right this second, I can wait till he is out of the shower."

Mer put her hand on the doorknob and turned it, opening the bathroom door. You see Peter stepping out of the shower with a towel wrapped around his waist, and he stared at Mer with huge eyes.

“MEREDITH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?”

“Mom FaceTimed us and wants to talk to you,” she replied in a small voice, holding out the phone to him, and he takes it.

"YOU CAN’T JUST BARGE--" he takes a deep breath to calm his voice "--you can't barge in here while I'm in the shower, okay? Please knock every time a door's closed in this house, and wait till I tell you to come in. I don't want to traumatize you…...do you understand?”

“Yes.”

“Yes, what?” Peter asked in a stern voice.

“Yes, I will knock every time a door is closed." She dipped her head. 

Peter continued to impress you. You didn't think he had it in him to discipline her like he did. You thought he would let her walk all over him, and get away with everything, but you were wrong. 

“Okay, good.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled in a small voice. You could see her in the frame staring at the floor as she rocked back and forth on her heels. She nodded to herself before she walked out of the bathroom and closed the door behind her.

Peter reversed the camera and looked at you. His hair was damp laying in all directions like he toweled dried it. “Did I fuck up? Is she going to hate me now because I yelled at her?”

“No, Peter. It’s called being a parent and setting boundaries. You did good,” You praised him as he sighed, closing his eyes. “I thought you would let her walk all over you, but I’m impressed by what you did.”

“Really?” His eyes shot opened to look at you. “I sorta feel bad about it,” he admitted as his eyes drifted closed, letting out a big sigh.

“Welcome to parenthood. If you’re worried about it, talk with her and make sure she understands.”

“Okay. Yeah. I can do that.” He nodded. 

"How are things otherwise?"

"So far so good," he said, opening the bathroom door and taking a quick peek in the direction of the living room.  He bit his lip as he walked the other way towards his bedroom and shut the door behind him. 

“Do you have any questions? Otherwise, I was going to say goodnight to Mer before I get back to work.”

“I do have one since you asked.” He laid down on his bed, holding his arm straight out, looking at you in his phone while rubbing his eyes with his other hand. “Why is Mer’s math so hard? Me and Buck were struggling, but we think we figured it out.”

You chuckled at him, making him crack a smile. “She's in a higher grade level for math because last summer she worked on it every day wanting to get better. She says if she wants to work for NASA, she needs to start now. I forgot to tell you that,” you mentioned, watching him pinch the bridge of his nose and shake his head. 

“Mer sure is ambitious. At her age, I was doing everything but homework,” he smirked.

“Tell me about it. When I was her age, I was trying to decide what doll to play with.” You both laughed. 

Peter sat up, running his hand through his hair, and you couldn’t help but notice the size of his bicep. He must’ve started working out a lot these past few years because he definitely bulked up. It’s not that he didn’t look good before because you always found him attractive even before you started dating him. His looks always got him the girls, but it was his charming yet dirty-minded personality that could always make you laugh. 

He turned out to be one of your best friends after he slipped you that note during class. You were never afraid to knock him off his pedestal when he got overconfident, but it did bother you how he could go from one girl to the next without batting an eye. It shouldn’t have got to you like it did, and your boyfriend, Yon, at the time, had no problem pointing out his jealousy towards Peter. He hated Peter. He hated how much you talked about him and how you always brought him up in conversation. He soon grew tired of it and broke up with you. This made you realize how much you really did care about Peter, but you weren't sure if it was worth all the risk. A couple weeks after your breakup, Peter took you on your first not a date date, and you took a chance on him only to end up getting hurt. 

There was a soft knock on the door and Peter head shot in that direction. “Come in.” 

"Daddy, can I say goodnight to Mommy before she goes back to work?"

”Yes and thanks for knocking, Twig." He looked at the camera. "YN, I'll talk to you later. Here's your favorite daughter.”

“Bye, Peter.”

Peter handed his phone over to her, and Mer made her way out of his room. You could see Peter behind her on the camera, and your eyes couldn't help but drift down his muscular frame. You gulped, shaking your head as you tried to refocus once you heard your daughter talking. 

“Mommy, do you think Daddy is mad at me for not knocking before.”

“No. He was thinking as a concerned parent. He’s new to this, and he's scared you hated him too for yelling at you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, he is still trying to figure out the ‘dad stuff.’ He wants you to knock because that’s the polite thing to do. Understand, Mer?” 

“Yes, I understand. I will make sure to tell him he is doing a good job before bedtime.”

“He will like that,” you smiled at her. “I am going to have to let you go through and get back to work.” 

“Okay, goodnight, Mommy. Love you.”

“Love you, too. Goodnight.”

You hung up the phone and didn’t know why you felt so worried about this whole situation. Peter had everything under control, and Mer was on her best behavior. 

As if on Q, Pepper was calling you for a video chat ready to discuss the properties. It ended up being a quick discussion because she agreed with you on your choice. She liked the idea of having the Stark Industries and Potts of Honey close to each other. It made sense to her, and the idea of expanding without having to move made this decision easy. Both of you discussed what the next play would be, and Pepper agreed to put an offer in tomorrow to see if they took it. If all went as planned, Pepper would make sure a contract was written up before your departure so you could sign the paperwork.

_________

“Hey listeners, I am happy to inform you that I’m back along with my amazing quiet co-host YN, who is sitting a few feet away from me, shaking her head. Where’s the whiteboard now?” Wanda let out an evil laugh. “For today's episode, we are on location a few hours outside New York City in the dining room of one of our dedicated listeners since the beginning, Mrs. Laura Barton. She is a mother of three talking about her daily routine, her husband's traveling job, and how she stays sane when her husband is away on business. We will also be talking sippy cups. Exciting stuff! Who knows maybe we will dabble into YN’s life again to tell us another life lesson or something about our favorite Star-lord. And that comment earned an eye roll from her. Q intro music.”

“Hi Laura, welcome to our podcast, and thanks for letting us take over your dining room for the day,” Wanda greeted her with a warm smile. 

It's always fun to watch Wanda in action. She’s such a cheery person and can make anyone feel comfortable in a matter of seconds after meeting them. She is super quick-witted and has so much energy for a mother of twins, but the coffee and tea must help. You hired Wanda for the same reason Pepper hired you; she wouldn’t let this job run her life, and her family would always come first.

“It’s no problem. Thanks for having me,” Laura said into her mic as you readjusted her volume. “I hope we can get this done before Nathaniel, my 1-year-old, wakes up from his nap. Wishful thinking.” She smiled, crossing her fingers. 

“Wishful thinking indeed, so let’s dive right into it then. How long have you been living on this cute farm?”

“Me and my husband, Clint, bought this farmyard about 10 years ago and…”

“I appreciate you letting us come here on such short notice, but this was such a fun talk. Your advice on sippy cups spoke the truth all parents wonder. Every child is different and every child likes different things. You don’t know what sippy cup your child will like until they try them. Easy as that folks!”

“Yup. At least that’s how I did it,” Laura chuckled. “If you think about it sippy cups are like coffee mugs because you will always choose your favorite if it’s clean while the others sit in the cabinet. At least that’s what my husband does all the time.”

“Perfect explanation.”

“I think we should move on and hear what YN’s going to share this week.”

“Wow. Smooth transition, Wanda. Letting the guest introduce me and get me to talk. Now, I would look like a bitch if I didn’t join in now.”

“The guests are never wrong. For all of you wondering YN has scooted over a chair to join us and is ready to tell all,” Wanda whispered into her mic, making you roll your eyes. “In case some of you are not active viewers of our Instagram. YN was in an accident recently that caused her to slip into a coma for eight days. I can tell you today that she is healthy and feeling better and I'm glad to have her back. How are you feeling since you've been back home and returned to work?”

“I’m not the type of person that likes sitting around and not doing anything. If I sit too long and do nothing, it can drive me crazy. Don’t get me wrong I like relaxing and sleeping in, but when your doctor tells you to do it, you don’t want to.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, do you remember anything about the accident?” Laura questioned.

“I don’t. The doctors told me my memories could come back, but there's a good chance they won’t because my brain blocked it out. It was traumatic, so I don’t know if I would want to remember it.”

“I know I wouldn’t want to relive that moment either,” Laura commented.

“Did anything interesting happen after the accident?” Wanda asked, making you narrow your eyes at her.  

“Yes. Actually, there was. My sister, Gamora, ended up helping a lot while I was asleep and…”

“Who else helped,” Wanda interrupted as you stared hard at her. 

“Star-lord,” you confessed, rolling your eyes.

“WHATTT!” Laura blurted out with her wide eyes staring at you. “You told him.”

“Sort of. It's complicated. All I will say is he knows and wants to be more involved.”

“Are you scared of falling for him again? Your previous stories make him out to be a great guy,” Laura chimed in.

You ignore her first question. “He is a great guy, but it didn't end in all rainbows and unicorns like I have touched upon in a previous episode.” 

“What did he think about having a child he knew nothing about?" Wanda inquired.

“Shocked but like a good shock. If it wasn't, I don't know why he would want to still be a part of her life now after finding out."

“I could see that. Meredith’s an awesome little lady. How is she with him?”

“Meredith’s excited to have him in her life. When I was in the hospital, I guess they hung out a lot since my sister couldn't watch her the whole time. Then, when I watched them interact, it was adorable. It's like they have always known each other. And she’s so forgiving, and he’s so honest with her.”

“Awwwwww. I love men who love their babies. When I see Vis interact with the twins, it warms my heart,” Wanda admitted with her hand over her heart.

“I have to say I agree with you both,” Laura grinned, nodding her head. “When Clint is home, he spends as much time as he can with the kids. He has been teaching Lila archery, Cooper about carpentry, and reads this huge stack of books to Nathaniel. He is an all-around good dad, but after bedtime, he is all mine.” She winked, forcing you and Wanda to laugh. 

“Isn’t that the best time though,” Wanda teased. “Anyways, that’s the end of this week’s episode. Thanks to Laura for joining us this week and to the listeners for listening to our podcast. If you like this podcast, please rate, comment, and subscribe to us wherever you get your podcasts. As always stay classy listeners. Wanda, signing off.”

You pushed stop on the microphones and the recorder. You glanced over your shoulder to see both women smiling at you.

“Are you and Star-Lord going to be shacking up and getting friendly again?” Laura joked, taking off her headset. 

“No, I don't think so. I promised myself I wouldn't date until Mer gave the okay.”

“Oh please, you and her daddy back together again. She’ll make sure it happens,” Wanda added.

“She's seven, not a love expert.”

“She’s seven and three quarters,” Wanda corrected. “I'll teach her some tricks.”

“No, you will not."

“Booo, fine!” Wanda sighed, forcing a soft chuckle out of Laura. 

“You’re going to see him again, Wanda, so I wouldn’t worry about showing her any tricks.” Her eyes perked up at you wanting to know more. “He’s going to be picking her up from school every day instead of her going to daycare. He’ll probably swing by and drop her off on evenings when I work late.”

“Wait…..Wanda has actually seen him. Did you at least snap a picture of him, Wanda?”

“Next time and I will send it to you.”

“Oh my god, are you two done?” You scoffed, making them laugh.  

Nathaniel started to cry over the baby monitors, and Laura stood up. “Duty calls. I’ll be back shortly.” She smiled, leaving the room and heading upstairs.  

“You know who I would love to have on the show,” Wanda smirked.

“Who?”

“Star-lord.”

“Hell no. That's never gonna happen.”

“Time will tell.”

After saying goodbye to Laura, you both headed back to your shared hotel suite. Wanda passed out on her bed as soon as she hit the pillow, but you decided to take a long relaxing bath in the huge tub. You turned on the faucet and filled it up, dropping in one of the hotel bath bombs. It fizzled and rotated, turning the water pink. As soon as the bath bomb disappeared, your phone started ringing. You glanced at the screen, surprised to see Peter calling, but also worried something might be wrong. It was only an hour before Mer would get let out of school.

“Hey Peter, is everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah, everything’s fine,” Peter confirmed. “I wanted to call and see how your work trip is going?”

“It’s good, so far. Busy. Lots of driving. Like today, we did a podcast episode a few hours out of the city, so now we're hanging out at the hotel. Did you need some adult communication?”

“Yes, I mean Bucky is technically an adult, but he acts like a child when Meredith's around.” You laughed, making him left out a soft chuckle. “She mentioned something about you finding a property for a new facility Potts of Honey is opening up in New York?”

“Yeah, well we checked out a few properties the other day. It wasn’t too exciting, but Pepper feels like it is time to expand and I agree with her. Tomorrow, I have to sign the contract for the property because they reached a deal today, so things are moving along fast.”

“That's good though. Maybe you'll get a promotion after this."

“I don’t know about that.”

“Didn't you help her build Potts of Honey from nothing?”

“Yeah, sort of.” You let out a breathy chuckle. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I got the job?

“No, but I’d love to hear it,” he yawned.

It was the day of your interview for a new position at Potts of Honey, the sister company of Stark Industries. With Meredith not feeling well you decided not to take her to daycare instead had Gamora watch her until you finished the interview. It was a scheduled interview, so you knew you would get in and out fast.  

Walking into the waiting room, you expected to see a few people, but instead, there was at least ten still waiting to get interviewed. They wore freshly pressed suits and had smooth resumes in their hands, unlike your resume that had two creases from folding it and putting it in your purse. Also, you were positive your suit jacket had spit up on it at one point because there was a light stain on your left shoulder. How did you miss that?

You went up to the lady working at the desk telling her your name. She smiled and told you to take a seat and wait for your name to get called. You sat down and watched person after person go in for their interview. Peeking at your watch, you noticed it was almost two hours after your scheduled time, and you were beginning to worry about Meredith and Gamora. Your phone started vibrating in your pocket, and you glanced at the screen, answering it.

“Gamora is everything okay?”

“I know you're still waiting to get interviewed, but her temperature went up, and she won’t stop crying. I don’t know what to do?”

“Um, okay, I’ll...”

“Ms. YN LN,” a woman called in front of her office, recognizing her as Virginia Potts-Stark.

“Gamora, I’m on my way. I’ll be there soon.” You walked up to Virginia and shook her hand. “Hi, I’m YN LN.”

“Lovely to meet you. I’m Virginia Stark, but you can call me Pepper. If you’ll follow…”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Excuse me?” She asked, furrowing her brows together.

“My daughter is sick at home, and right now, she’s more important to me than this job interview. Again, I’m sorry to have wasted your time. 

“Oh. Of course, go home and take care of your daughter,” she smirked, giving you a slight nod.

“And I walked away from the most important job interview in your life,” you admitted to Peter.

“How did you get the job if you never interviewed?”

“Funny thing…”

You were in your room at your sister’s house, rubbing your daughters back after taking her to the doctor. The doctor gave you some medicine to help treat the infection and her earache. After a long day, she was fast asleep. This day was a mess, and your interview was a disaster. It wasn’t even an interview, but it was one fucked up mess. You stared up at the ceiling, when you heard your phone vibrating on your night stand. You didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer anyway.

“Hello.”

“Is this Ms. YN LN?”

“Yes, may I ask who this is?”

“Pepper. I’m calling you tonight to inform you that you got the job.”

“Excuse me, but you must have the wrong number. I didn’t even interview. “

“You didn’t have to. When you told me your daughter was sick and needed to leave right away, you didn’t even hesitate for a second. You mentioned your daughter was more important than your interview, and I realized something. Most people who work in big corporations put their jobs first and their families second. Knowing you care about your family, you’ll never let this job take over your life, and you will always put family first. I want this for my company. I want a family-first mentality, and you’re the person I need to help me do it.” 

“Are you sure? You don't even know anything about me."

“Trust me, I did my research. You’re a single mother trying to make ends meet. You have some business experience and a communication and media studies degree. You're more than qualified, and I know you’d be perfect for the job if you want it.”

“I’ll take it.”

“You're Incredible--” Peter cleared his throat “--I mean that's incredible,” he mumbled.

“Thanks, Peter, but you sound exhausted. You might need a nap before you pick Mer up from school. Trust me she can wear out anyone who watches her.”

“I'm discovering that.” He let out a breathy chuckle. “And tomorrow is going to be super crazy.”

“Weekends are the craziest,” you smiled. “Thanks for the call. Think I needed some adult time, too."

He chuckled. “Glad I could help. I’ll see you, YN.”

“See you Sunday, Pete.”

______