Rules of Friendship | 18+

𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘯 ♡

𝘚𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦

➵➵➵➵➵➵➵♡➵➵➵➵➵➵➵

Miss Parks was on my arm as we entered the park, Sam and Bucky right beside us.

This had been our routine for years, Miss Parks would show up with Bucky and me, gushing about how amazing theater was for her daughter, that she was born to be a star. We never disagreed, Serenity always caught people's attention when she was on stage, she was naturally a star, with her radiant smile and her beauty. Serenity was born to be a star, if only she wasn't so shy. But this year, walking into the park, was very different, because as soon as we approached the stage, Serenity came barreling towards me, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Miss Parks barely moved in time as her daughter crashed into me, my arms instantly surrounding my precious girl. "Hey," I kissed her head once, then twice, only to hear a choked sob come from her again, "Serenity, baby, please what's going on?" She shook her head and I slowly backed us to a bench, sitting down before pulling her onto my lap, one of my hands sliding through her hair. "I'm here baby, I'm here."

"He's not coming."

I buried my lips in her hair, letting her sob into my shirt. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who she was talking about, but I just held her, offering all the comfort I could while trying to keep prying eyes off of her. Bucky and Sam had created a wall in front of us and Miss Parks was rubbing Serenity's back, only stopping when Serenity moved closer to me, wrapping her arms completely around my neck and pulling herself tighter to me. "I love you," I whispered into her ear, feeling her sniffles start to disappear, "I love you so much, I love your smile, and the way you sound when you sing, I love that look you get when you're focused, I love the little whimper you make in your sleep," Serenity pulled out of my neck to look at me, and I smiled at her, pushing her hair away from her cheeks, pulling the blonde strands off her skin. "I love your laugh, I love how you cling to me at night, I love that even when you're mad at me, you find me when you're scared."

Bucky smiled at me, leaning down to wipe a tear from Serenity's cheek, her eyes sliding over to our best friend, "I love how you're not scared to take chances, I love you, I love that you're always there to give advice and do my homework, I love that you sit and watch baseball with me, even though you have no fucking idea what's happening, just so I'm not alone. I love that you love Rebecca as much as you do."

Sam joined in, tugging her hair slightly, just enough to break a smile on her mouth, "I love you, I love that you've accepted me into this crazy life of yours with open arms, I love that you have always been a listening ear, I love how you care for all of us so deeply, I love how you always smile, like now, even when things are rough for you."

Serenity sniffled, looking at me again and I smiled at her, kissing the tears away, just like I did the first time her father disappointed her, "We're not your father, we can never replace that love baby, but we do love you, you're completely surrounded by it, and you're going to get on that stage and blow us all away baby," Serenity sniffled again, nodding slowly, "And then we'll go back to your place and you can lay on my chest and cry as much as you need to, I'll hold you until you fall asleep and tomorrow will be a new day where you can be mad at me again," She let out a laugh, "I love you."

Serenity sniffled again, wiping her face, "I love you too," She whispered, wrapping her arms around my neck again, hugging me tightly. "Mom," She was speaking against my shoulder, but Miss Parks didn't miss a beat, she placed her hand on Serenity's back, "Will you come backstage and help me get ready?"

"Of course sunshine," Miss Parks smoothed down the hair at the back of Serenity's head, "Let's go."

Serenity didn't let go of me, instead, she buried her head in my shoulder, using my body as her grounding force. Miss Parks didn't force her to move, she just watched as I stroked Serenity's back, feeling the stuttered breaths return to normal. Serenity cuddled closer to me as if she was trying to climb into my skin and fuck, I'd let her if I could. I hated her father, I hated that after so many years, he still sends her into these heartbreaking breakdowns, because he continues to let down the one person in the world who has never gone out of their way to hurt a fly.