SHE GETS THE FLOWERS (RANSOM DRYSDALE & STEVE ROGERS)

1. LET GO

If there was one thing you regretted in life, it was meeting Hugh Ransom Drysdale. Granted, you didn't have much choice in meeting him. Your mothers were friends and forced the two of you together on a number of playdates growing up. So, you never really had a choice but to except the rich asshole trust fund baby into your life. But, if you somehow had the ability to go back in time, you'd tell your younger self to run the other way the second Ransom ever came your way. To never let him in. To never let him get under your skin. To wear the same air of indifference that he wore around you. Still, that didn't change what happened. That was merely wishful thinking.

Ransom was always selfish. You supposed that was the result of being the only child of infinitely wealthy parents. Anything he wanted was his. Anything he didn't want was also his. His parents shoved money or presents as a solution to every problem. He was never told "no". And he was never taught to share.

You remembered one time, when the two of you were maybe five or six, that you'd suggested he share the car he was playing with. Instantly, he started to wail like you'd struck him or, even worse, plucked the car straight from his hands. He was inconsolable, and your parents were forced to pick you from the playdate early, him swearing that he'd never play with you again. The only way you were forgiven was by giving him a whole new toy car and a promise to never ask to share again.

Really, most of your friendship was just trying to make sure Ransom stayed happy because dealing with an unhappy Ransom was a fate worse than death. If Ransom told you he wanted you to come over, you did. If Ransom asked you to go with him to a party or to the club or to some family event, you went. It was easier than the alternative, than him berating you for being a stuck-up bitch or whatever insult he chose to use to cut you down until you eventually complied with your every whim.

But it wasn't all bad. When Ransom was in a good mood, your friendship was great. You went to so many amazing places together. You went on countless adventures. Sometimes, it felt like he cared. Like when he would grab your hand and drag you away from people being a dick to you. Like when he threatened to knock someone on their ass at the bar for insinuating you were nothing more than a cheap hooker. Like when he'd smile over at you while he drove you anywhere you wanted to go. Or when he'd say some cheesy pick-up line to make you laugh when you were feeling down. Or when he would show up on your doorstep sometimes with a little present just 'cause.

Yeah, sometimes it was good.

But everything changed when you got back to Boston after graduating with your bachelor's. Ransom had decided that your accomplishment was grounds for celebration, and swore that he was gonna throw the biggest party the city had ever seen. And, he was true to his word. You honestly didn't know have of the people who showed up to his house that day, and you weren't entirely convinced Ransom knew who they were either.

There wasn't much that you remembered from the party, but the party itself wasn't the important part. What really mattered was what happened in the aftermath, when everyone had left and you were left alone with Ransom.

Being alone with Ransom was a risky endeavor. You rarely knew what was going to happen when you were alone with him. But you never expected for him to pin you against the wall, his lips brushing against your ear as he whispered about how he missed you so, so much while you'd been away at college. You never expected him to kiss you, much less with as much as he did.

"We shouldn't do this," you mumbled against his lips.

"Why?" Ransom mumbled back.

"We're friends, Ran. This could ruin everything."

He pulled away, caressing your face with a gentleness that was not common in the Ransom you knew. You found yourself instinctively leaning into his touch, even if every fiber in your being was telling you to get the hell out of his home before you found yourself in a position you couldn't easily escape from. "This doesn't have to mean anything, petal. It won't ruin anything unless you let it."