Vanderwood x Reader

Late Night Talks [GN!Reader]

This is basically a small side story to "A long road", but you don't need to necessarily have read that, to understand this one 😊

All you really need to know is that Reader is not MC, and they met at the Agency
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"Say... What keeps you up at night?" 
"The past couple days it's been you and your nightly calls." 
A glance at the clock told Vanderwood that it was about 1:30 in the morning. With his phone pressed to his ear, he decided to grab himself a can of beer, knowing full well that he would probably stay awake a while longer.
"I'm being serious here!", you chuckled and the sound made the corners of his lips twitch ever so slightly. "So? You gonna tell me or not?" 

What did keep him awake at night? That was actually a really good question. If he was being honest, the thing that has been mostly on his mind for a couple weeks now, was you. 
Even if he got to know you a lot better since you two first worked together, you were still some sort of mystery to him. 
Every other agent he knew (aside from 707, but he was a very special case), was usually more of a loner, not even letting themselves get somewhat close to their assigned partners. 
And then there was you. Bright, trying to still enjoy life as best as possible, helpful and caring. How did someone like you end up with such a filthy job? And how did everything you've probably been through not dull your light? How was it possible that you also managed to easily worm your way into his life and slowly but surely into his heart as well?
But all those were things he definitely couldn't and wouldn't tell you. 

"Vandy? Are you still with me?" 
Your voice pulled him out of his thoughts and he sank down on his couch, while popping the can open. 
"If you want, I can go first." 
There you went again, being ever so sweet and considerate. You always seemed to know when he was struggling with his own thoughts and feelings, even over the phone.
So he just hummed in affirmation. 

For a moment he heard rustling on the other side, which usually meant that you slid back under your covers.
"Mhm, let's see... Well, when we haven't seen each other, I wonder how you are doing. But then I can just text you, so there's that." 
He could practically hear the smirk in your voice. But it was true. You did write him on every day you two didn't get to see each other at work. And those texts more often than not led to calls, which would last late into the night, just like they did that day. 

"It's a lot of different stuff, really. Sometimes I'm just thinking about things like what I should get for dinner, the next days. Or I'll go through plans for a mission again to make sure I won't forget anything important. Other nights, though..." You drifted off and for a while there was silence.
Vanderwood didn't dare break it and risk pulling you out of your thoughts. He knew that when you were ready, you would speak up again. And he'd wait for as long as you needed until then.

With a sigh, there was more rustling and your voice was a bit muffled. From all your movie nights together, he knew that you had a habit of pulling blankets up to your chin, when you were seeking some sort of comfort. So he assumed that's why you sounded like that. 
"There are a lot of "what if?" questions. And nighttime is for contemplation, right? I just-" A humorless laugh, one that always made the brunette's chest tighten a little, giving him the urge to try and comfort you somehow. But he's not exactly the best with words and you're not at the same place, which meant he couldn't even give you an awkward hug. So for now all he could offer was to listen. 

"I know, I probably shouldn't be thinking about things like that, but let's be honest. We all probably still do it all the time. Just... Thinking about what life could be like. What you could do, if you wouldn't be someone living in the shadows. Someone who's not really allowed to live, only survive. From one mission to the next. And then you still have to be careful about your surroundings, because there could always be someone out to kill you."