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sameheart-sameblood · 2 years

Text

Moments In Time

pairing: steven grant x reader

summary: a series of vignettes showing yours and steven's first year dating

words: 3.8k

warnings: steven and reader being dummies, some minor allusions to spicy situations *wink wink*, insomnia, me not knowing how ancient egypt worked lol

a/n: ahhh happy birthday to @padawansubscription!! only she could make me come out of my fic writing hiatus cause she deserves some steven fluff (also sorry i'm so bad at writing fluff LOL you know me, I'm all about that smut/angst). hope you enjoy! here's to another year of shenanigans :)

read on ao3!

You hadn’t been together long. Your whole relationship had been, thus far, a series of outings that you were never sure were really dates. Steven was shy, often avoiding holding your gaze for too long as the intensity of your stare would turn his ears red and make his cheeks rapidly heat up.

Although you talked a big game…you were shy too. So there you were, two shy people on another date that may have not been a date. The pub you found yourself in after a football match was vibrating with the energy of the fans that surrounded you.

It had been a good game, both teams playing their best but the team you two supported eventually coming out on top. You didn’t usually drink this much but it was a special night and the festive mood was contagious. The cold pint in your hand was your fourth, leaving the tips of your fingers tingling and a sleepy grin growing on your face.

Steven, God bless him, was trying to keep up with you but had fallen behind a pint or two ago. He had accepted defeat and instead just happily watched you, making sure drank water every so often and ate the questionable bar nuts on your table to soak up some of the cheap beer.

The pub’s occupants had fallen into a chorus of football songs and you tried joining in. Your words slurred slightly and you frowned as you tried to remember all the lyrics. Steven just chuckled at you. “I think this might be a sign to call it a night, Love.”

You continued to pout, shaking your head. “Not at all. The night’s still young. And I want to sing!”

Steven watched as you rose from your chair and started swaying along with the music. He let you finish the song, even joining in when you beckoned for him. As the last notes finished, you realized your arms were around each other, innocent enough to just be two friends caught up in football revelry. But the way you two were looking at each other? You were drunk but even you knew friends didn’t look at each other like that.

Steven cleared his throat “I really do think we should call it a night. We can finish our date when we’re not both so smashed.”

You beamed at him. “This is a date?”

His eyes had crinkled at the corners, smiling growing. “Of course this was. We’ve been on six already. Wait, did you not know?”

You’re so dense you could kick yourself. But then again, Steven was a different kind of man than you were used to. His signs of attraction were much more subtle than most others. But now that you knew the attraction was mutual, you felt the freedom to take things that next step.

Steven’s face fell slightly at your lack of response. “Oh no, I’ve really stepped in it. This doesn’t have to be a date. We can just be friends. That is, if you still want to be friends. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t. Oh bollocks, you still want to be friends, right-“

Halting his ramblings with a finger to his lips, you smiled. “I will always be your friend, Steven, but I’m so glad to hear this was a date.”

The sound of the bar fell away at the sight of his relieved smile. The way his cheeks dimpled and the wisps of hair fell into his eyes was enough to make your knees go weak. At that moment, you would have given him anything he’d ask for.

Steven laughed at your dopey smile as you studied his face. “Looks like we should be getting you home, love.”

A glint of something forbidden in his eyes made you bold. “Alright. But only if you come home with me.”

Steven opened his mouth, no doubt to offer some sarcastic comeback to what he thought was you joking. But he saw the truth in your eyes, the want for him blazing honest and strong.

He swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. He grabbed his long abandoned pint and took a generous swig. “You sure about this?”

You rose, grabbing your coat and then his hand. “I’ve never been more sure about anything, Steven.”

******

After the two of you had established that, yes, you in fact were dating, you couldn’t get enough of each other. You had always valued your alone time, much preferring the company of your cat, Buzz, to your co-workers and acquaintances. But with Steven, you couldn’t get enough. He was like the most wholesome addiction, every hit of him making you feel better about yourself.

Tonight you found yourself curled up on your couch with Steven. You had bickered about what movie to watch but had finally persuaded him to put on The Mummy.

“It’s about ancient Egypt. You’ll like it!”

Your boyfriend looked less than impressed as a studied the DVD cover. “I can already tell you five inaccuracies I’m seeing from this cover art.” He pet Buzz absentmindedly while the cat purred loudly, living up to his name.

You queued up the film, then took your seat next to him again. “How about just for tonight you turn off that big brain of yours and just try and enjoy the movie?”

He smiled at you and nodded. You thanked him with a kiss, which caused Steven to stop petting Buzz. The cat didn’t take kindly to it and swiped at his hand.

“Buzz!” you chided, “be nice.”

Steven just laughed. “It’s alright. You know cats were often used as vessels by the gods.”

You scratched your now placated cat behind the ears. “He certainly acts like a god. You wouldn’t believe I found him in a dumpster behind the museum when he was a kitten”

Steven wrapped an arm around your shoulders while his other hand continued to pet the cat. “You never know, love. Best to give Buzz all the attention he wants. We don’t want to anger the gods now, do we.”

You press play as you chuckled. “Let’s just hope the gods love Brendan Frasier and Rachel Weisz. I mean, they’d be crazy not to.”

As the movie played, you could feel Steven tensing with the need to point out all the inaccuracies. You just rubbed a comforting hand on his thigh, silently thanking him for letting you enjoy one of your favorite movies.

Towards the end, he even seemed to get into the film, laughing at Jonathan’s antics and jumping every time Imhotep appeared onscreen. When the credits rolled, you turned to him. “I’m so proud of you for watching as a layman. Did you like it?

“I did.” And you could tell he was telling the truth. But…that nervous energy was back, rippling through him. You sighed, giving in. He’d been so good while the movie was playing you figured you’d reward him.

“Alright, tell me. I know you’ve been bursting to the whole movie.” You sat expectantly, stroking Buzz while you waited for Steven to gather his thoughts.

But then, your boyfriend shook his head. “Why don’t I tell you about all the things they got right instead?”

Honestly, you wouldn’t have minded if he’d told you about the historical inaccuracies in the movie. It was all just for fun. But the fact that he didn’t want to ruin it for you made your heart swell. You nodded, cuddling up to his side.

Steven curled his arms around you, then took a deep breath. “Alright, let’s start with that Imhoteph fellow. What a knob! He needs to chill the eff out. His Egyptian was really spot on, though.”

******

You weren’t stupid. There was something different about Steven. You’d known it ever since you’d befriended him. There would be instances of him forgetting conversations that you two had had or disappearing for days at a time. Not to mention the ankle restraints on Steven’s bed…But you had figured, if he didn’t want to tell you, then it was none of your business.

But a few months after you had begun your relationship, you sat him down and confronted him. He was hesitant to tell you but then cracked after you had asked why he didn’t trust you. You didn’t mean to force the truth out of him but as you spoke, you could see the relief wash over him. Admittedly, you hadn’t believed him at first. How could you? It was all so much to take in.

Then you’d met Marc. He and Steven had explained things in a way that made everything make as much sense as it could. After assuring a very nervous Steven that you weren’t leaving him, he told you stories of what he and Marc had gotten up to before you’d met. You knew he left some of the darker ones out but again you figured in time he would share those too.

Most nights now, he slept peacefully, thank goodness. The past few nights, however, something had been up. Maybe Mars was in retrograde (but honestly it felt like it always was, according to social media sites). Or maybe it was stress at work, Donna, his boss, being even more terrible to him after the incident with the museum bathroom.

Whatever it was, Steven was back to fearing going to bed. It killed you to see him going through the day like a zombie, under-eye bags rapidly darkening.

When he trudged through the door that evening, you’d greeted him with a cup of tea. He smiled sleepily, kissing you on the cheek. “Thank you, Love.”

You guided him to the couch, where he flopped down and began to blow on the cup of Earl Grey. He sipped on his tea, while you observed him, noting how dazed his expression was. Ever the good sport, he tried perking up for your benefit. “How was your day, Love?”

Even extremely sleep deprived he was still the most adorable thing you’d ever seen. “Good. Work was work. Managed to get some writing done afterwards.”

“That’s great! I can’t wait to read your paper when it’s done. If that’s alright.”

You smiled. “Of course. You’re the only one I’d trust with it at this stage.”

He beamed at you, continuing to enjoy his tea. You prodded him gently. “What about you? How is everything?”

Steven sighed deeply, then remembered the facade he was trying to keep and smiled. “Work was work.” He grinned at you. “Donna put me on inventory.”

There was only one thing that could have meant. “You fell asleep on the bus again?”

He nodded shyly. “I was only a few minutes late but she acted like it was the end of the bloody world.”

“I’m worried about you, Steven. You haven’t slept for more than an hour each night for the past week. This isn’t sustainable. What’s wrong? Maybe I can help.”

You expected him to beat around the bush but he held your gaze, eyes softening. “Before I met you, I never slept properly. Marc would take over. I’d wake up in strange cities not knowing how I’d got there. Even when my body was in bed my mind never got any rest.”

He set down his tea and took your hands in his. “Thankfully, all the nonsense with Khonshu got better and I could finally have my dreams to myself. And you came along and made me feel so loved, I felt safe to let my guard down in my sleep again.”

He trailed off, dark thoughts seemingly clouding his mind. Stroking the back of his hand with your thumb you prompted him to continue, “But now?”

“But now, I’ve got this terrible feeling that I can’t shake. That…that what if things fall apart again and I can’t keep you safe?”

Ahh. There it was. You knew Steven had gone through hell with Marc and Khonshu. He blamed himself for everyone that got hurt along the way. While he always put on a happy front, you knew there was always a darkness lingering beneath the surface.

“Steven, I can’t promise you that things will never be bad again. I can promise you though, that we’ll get through whatever comes our way together. We’re a team. Please don’t carry your troubles yourself.”

He leaned into you and your arms encircled him. “Sorry, Love. I go a little bonkers sometimes.”

“That’s ok. Just let me know when you’re feeling especially bonkers so we can be bonkers together.”

You felt his body shake with laughter. “Deal.

The rest of the evening was spent helping him relax as much as possible. You ran him a bath, plopping in one of the rainbow bath bombs he loved. While he sat in there pruning, you cooked him his favorite meal and by cooked, you meant lovingly prepared a box of Kraft Mac & Cheese you had picked up at the overpriced American grocery store down the street.

You ate in front of the TV, watching his favorite compilation of cute animal videos on Youtube. Afterwards, you dried his hair, Steven almost falling asleep right then. He was always a sucker for you playing with his hair.

You could still sense some unease from him as you both crawled into bed. Steven turned out the light, then laid on his side facing you. His eyes were heavy and you could tell he was so close to sleep. You stroked his face, smiling at him. “It’s ok. I’m right here. We’re safe.”

“You promise, Love?”

Edging over to get closer to him, you took him in your arms. He rested his head under your chin, sighing contentedly.

“I promise.”

******

One of your favorite things about Steven was having him essentially be your own personal museum tour guide. Even though you also worked there too, albeit in the museum cafe, you always found yourself promising to go to each new exhibit and then forgetting or running out of time.

Steven would constantly bring you along with him as he’d wander the new collections brought to the museum. You were awed by the history and beauty of the relics but usually found yourself having trouble connecting to pieces from so long ago to the modern life you lived.

Ever the teacher, Steven would somehow find a way to give you the history of an artifact while telling you stories about the people who might have used such a tool or created the works of art. You knew he wanted nothing more than to be an actual tour guide for the museum. If only Donna could see him like this, eyes alight with the passion for teaching others about the importance of history, you knew she would have had no choice but to promote him out of the gift shop.

But for now, he was your tour guide and you were his favorite student. The next exhibit slated to debut in a few days included pieces loaned from the Smithsonian in America. Your museum’s current Ancient Egypt exhibit would welcome the pieces for a short time and Steven had been absolutely bursting with excitement at their arrival.

Wanting to do something special for your one year anniversary, you had bribed the night guard, Bill, to let you and Steven see the exhibit after hours. Even more exciting was the fact that it was the night before the opening day of the exhibit. You two would get to see the artifacts first and you knew Steven would be beside himself with excitement.

Bill met you at the front doors, opening them with a kind greeting. “Fancy seeing you here tonight!”

He’d been one of your first mates at the museum and had encouraged your friendship with Steven.

Your boyfriend looked between the two of you, an amused grin on his face. “What are the two of you up to?” he asked.

Bill locked the doors behind you, smiling but saying nothing. Steven turned to you and was met with you holding out a blindfold to him. His eyes got comically large. “Love,” he whispered, “what’s gotten into you?”

You smacked him on the shoulder. “Just put it on, honey. I’ve got a surprise for you.” Steven complied while you and Bill silently giggled at each other. After you made sure the fabric completely obscured his vision, you led Steven towards the main exhibit hall. You paused to let Bill open the doors, then walked through, a guiding arm on Steven’s waist.

Once situated inside, Bill closed the doors. “Have fun, kids!” he yelled out before the doors shut with a resounding boom. You checked to make sure everything was properly set up, while Steven waited, growing more impatient.

“You know how much I love it when you blindfold me, Love, but can I take this thing off yet?” he called out with a smirk.

You couldn’t help but grin at him, finishing up. “If you don’t behave, then you don’t get the surprise.” He chuckled as you untied the knot but gasped when his sight was restored.

The new additions to the gallery exhibit were proudly displayed, illuminated with soft lighting that made them seem dreamlike and otherworldly. Artifacts were scattered through the room and in the center between them all sat a table set for dinner for you both.

Steven took it all in, mouth agape and a grin plastered on his face. “This is wonderful! How did you manage this?”

“Bill helped me set up all the particulars. I couldn’t think of what to get you for our anniversary. This seemed like something you might like.”

He took your hand and began to wander around the gallery. Everything grabbed his attention and he didn’t seem to know where to focus his attention. Kissing your hand, he stopped and looked at you. “This is the best present I’ve ever gotten. I feel like my mind is gonna melt.”

You giggled as you pulled him into a kiss. This past year with Steven had been the happiest you’d known. As far as you were concerned, he deserved this and so much more.

The next hour was spent with him leading you around the room, pointing out every detail in each piece that he could think of. He was especially excited to show you an ornate mummy mask.

It was so gorgeous but not as beautiful as Steven’s face as he studied it with eyes as big as saucers. “Come look at the detail here.”

You moved around to the other side to admire the painted spells. As he continued to try and read them, you studied the face painted on the mask. “Steven, who did this mask belong to?”

He stopped to read the placard that went along with it and shook his head. “It’s unidentified.. Judging by the gild, they were someone of high birth. We may never know who they were though.”

You found that sad but tried to look at the positive. “At least we know what whoever this is looked like.”

Steven wrapped his arms around you as you both studied the gilded face. “Not exactly. The mummy mask was meant to be a representation of what the deceased might look like in the next life.”

At your surprised look, Steven continued, “The Egyptians believed that death was just an interruption on the way to the next world. The mask was painted with great care so that the Ba, the spirit, would recognize it’s host. It was all about making sure things went smoothly in the next life. The Egyptians loved to prepare for things people today would never think of.”

Nodding, you pulled him closer, “I guess I can understand that. I mean, as someone with anxiety I’d always rather be over prepared.”

Steven laughed as he pulled you to the next artifact, the mummy of a cat. The sight of it stopped you in your tracks and your face fell. “Oh no, they mummified their cats?”

Steven observed the mummy. “The Egyptians revered animals. One of the questions they believe they would be asked to gain admittance into the afterlife was if they had ever harmed an animal.”

“And if they had?”

He shivered a little at the question. “Let’s just say if you answered yes to that question, you went somewhere truly horrifying.”

Steven shook himself out of his thoughts, then smiled. “But this cat? This looks like someone’s favorite pet. The Egyptians believed that by mummifying them, their pets would gain entry into the afterlife and be immortal.”

That made you smile. While the sight was out of the ordinary, you could definitely understand the sentiment behind the ritual. You would do anything to ensure you and Buzz could roam around the afterlife together.

“I understand. It’s kind of sweet. I feel like the ancient Egyptians and I would have gotten along very well. I still don’t think we should tell Buzz about this part of the exhibit, though.”Steven shook his head very seriously and mimed zipping his lips.

Afterwards, you took a break to sit at the table, eating as you continued to look at the artifacts. You were pointing out your favorites when you caught Steven watching you dreamily, a lovesick smile planted on his face.

“Steven, did you hear me? I was telling you about my favorite artifact.”

He took your hands, eyes never leaving you. “Sorry, Love, but I was looking at my favorite one.”

You chuckled at his corniness but still felt your cheeks warming. “You’re a charmer, Steven Grant.”

“I mean it.”

“I know.”

Your love fest was interrupted by your watch chirping. “Oh shoot, we only have 20 minutes until guard change. Bill needs us to clear out soon.”

Steven looked disappointed and you tried to think of what to do with your last remaining minutes.

“Hey, wanna go make-out in that corner?” you pointed to a dim alcove with a bench.

Steven perked up, growing even more excited when he looked in the direction you were pointing. “That’s actually really appropriate cause it’s right next to a statue of Hathor. She was the goddess of love, not to mention fertility and women. She was thought to be the daughter of the sun god, Re, and-“

Listening to Steven go on about these things was one of your favorite past-times. But you were under a time crunch and your priorities at the moment were a little different. You pulled him to his feet as the two of you made your way to the alcove.

“Come on, Steven. The history lesson can wait. Right now, I wanna teach you a little something.”

Waggling your eyebrows at him, Steven fell completely under your spell. He grinned goofily as he trailed you.

“Anything you want, Love.”

******

#steven grant x reader #steven grant x you #oy it's been a long time since i wrote a fic #AND IT SHOWS BBY HAHAHA #steven grant #moon knight #allie writes

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