After the War

41

"Hey Brian, I got you, me, and Ava tickets to the Rockies game" I called Brian.

"You mean the Cubs games. We don't like the Rockies" he corrected.

"Yes I got us tickets to the Cubs game. We're sitting right behind home plate on the lowest level".

"Oh my god. How'd you get three tickets for seats that good".

"I know the owner of the Rockies. I stopped a few robberies for him and he owed me. I got the tickets for free".

"So Ava can go with us".

"Yes your girlfriend can come with us. You're the one that's going to have to explain to her why you love the Cubs so much".

"What's there to explain. I was born in Chicago, the Cubs are my team".

"When we met you explained to me that your first memory was going to Wriggly Field with your old man. You were there when the Cubs won the Wolf Series in 2016. Did I forget to mention that you're going to throw out the first pitch".

"You're shitting me".

"Nope. Like I said, the owner owed me. I cashed in all my favors".

"I get to throw out the first pitch for a Cubs games. That's been my dream since I was four".

"I know, and I thought it would be good for Ava to see this side of you. It's funny to see you turn into a five year old or a rage monster".

"I'll tell Ava and I'll see you in five" Brian hung up. I put on the Cubs shirt that Brian had bought me a few years ago and drove over to his house.

Ava was wearing Brian's Cubs sweatshirt and Brian was wearing all of his Cubs gear. "Is he always like this" Ava asked.

"Game seven of the 2016 World Series. 12:47 AM. The Chicago Cubs win the World Series eight to seven in the tenth inning against the Cleveland Indians. It was the first time that they'd won the World Series in a hundred and eight years" Brian started.

"He was there with his old man. Don't get him started on a rant".

"The greatest team in baseball history" Brian continued.

"I though the greatest team was the Yankees" Ava commented.

"You take that back".

"You might want to. The Cubs are one of the most important things in his life" I whispered.

"Fine, I take it back. The Cubs are the best. How did I never know this. Brian, we've been dating for a year and you've never told me this".

"It's because he didn't want to scare you off. He gets a little crazy when he talks about baseball. Here's a few things you should know before we get to the stadium, don't talk to Brian unless he talks to you first, don't touch him, and don't take his food. You might lose an arm. I made that mistake at the base in Iraq. The Cubs game was on and I made the mistake of talking to Brian. He told me to shut up and either sit down or get out".

"Brian you did that".

"The Cubs are my life Ava, and Will isn't wrong. You might lose a finger if you talk to me" Brian stated.

"Will do you want me to call Peter for you, he's still single and socially awkward" Ava asked.

"No, Peter is like a brother to me and I know that Stark can have him here in less than an hour but I don't want to explain the game of baseball to him".

"Come one Will, you need to put yourself out there".

"Yeah and if I do that then Hydra can come and kill me. I live life in the shadows. Besides being single is kind of awesome. I can do what I want when I want and no one tells me what to do. It's a great way to live".

"I'm not going to argue with you because I know that I won't win".

"Will can you dive any faster" Brian asked.

"I'm going as fast as I can. The game starts in two hours. You can wait" I sounded like a mother talking to a kid.

"But I have to throw out the first pitch".

"We'll be there in ten minutes" when we got to out seats, I noticed that my boss was sitting behind us.

"Rogers what are you doing here" he asked.

"I'm here to watch the Cubs play".

"I didn't know you were a Cubs fan".

"We've worked together for a decade and there are still a lot of things you don't know about me".

"You look familiar" he said to Ava "where have I seen you before".

"I signed the Sokovia Accords. I work in New York" she answered.

"Rogers, I didn't know you knew any superheroes".

"Like I said, you don't know everything about me" I smiled to myself "now can we just shut up, watch the game, and argue about baseball on Monday at work".

"Fine" he didn't bother us for the rest of the game. The game was great. The Cubs won eight to one. Brian was beyond happy.

"I've never seen him this happy" Ava stated.

"I have. He's like this every time the Cubs win. Lucky for you, baseball season just started" I smirked.

"Oh god, I'm going to have to watch baseball a lot more now" she sighed.

"Get used to it. As long as you're dating Brian, you're dating the Cubs".

"For that man, I would become a fan of any sports team".

"So you really love him" I raised an eyebrow.

"I've never said it out loud to anyone outside my family, but yeah, you could say that I love Brian".

"Promise me that you'll take care of him".

"I will".

"I'm not kidding. If you hurt him, I'll hunt you to the ends of the earth and make you pay".

"Will, I'll take care of him. You don't have to worry".

"He's my best friend, of course I have to worry about him".

"So Will Rogers has a heart. I never thought I'd see that day where you actually cared about someone again".

"Peter was my first friend, yeah I might have built up walls after almost two decades of war and lying, but I still care about people. Brian is one of the few people I've opened up to. The other people include a mutant teenage girl I saved when I became a vigilante and the Wolverine".

"Well I'm happy you have friends".

"And I'm happy that you found my best friend" I dropped Ava and Brian off at Brian's house before heading home.
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So there's a story behind this chapter. My dad and I are Cubs fans. I really got into baseball after watching the Cubs win the World Series. My dad and I stayed up and watched that whole game on TV. It's one of my favorite memories. When the Cubs played the Rockies in early May, my old man took me to a game. It was the 1:10 game on May 10th, 2017. He let me ditch school to go watch the Cubs play in Denver. Yeah, we lost 3 to 0, but my dad and I still had fun. That's why I wrote this chapter, to share my love of the Cubs with my readers.