Cross My Heart, Hope to Die (America x Autistic!Wife!Reader) *SLOW UPDATES*

Chapter 16-Like Normal People

(Y/N) tiredly opened her eyes to a dark room, and the feeling of her husband's arms around her slim frame. She blinked a couple of times, trying to get the sleep out of her eyes before she looked at the clock.

4:10 a.m.

It was time to get ready.

Trying to not wake Alfred, (Y/N) slowly got out of his warm arms, and as soon as she was out, she quietly went to the bathroom to get ready, grabbing her work clothes in the process. There, she brushed her hair and put it up, washed her face and hands, brushed her teeth, and put on deodorant before she changed from her pajamas to her work clothes, which consisted of a short-sleeved dark green T-shirt, black pants, the matching socks, and dark brown slip-on shoes.

There was also a winter attire for this, but since it was still warm out, there was no need for it.

When she stepped out of the bathroom, Alfred was still asleep, but now he looked like he was in a position of where he was trying to find her. (Y/N) resisted the urge to return to bed and walked out of their shared bedroom to the kitchen.

There, she heated up some blueberry pancakes that she cooked just the other day, grabbed a fork, and sat in the kitchen, taking big bites when the pancakes were heated to her liking. She always loved the blueberry flavor and when blueberries were placed in things she liked, but strangely she hated eating the actual berries by themselves. (Y/N) sometimes hated her tongue, because it always told her what she could or couldn't enjoy, and there was a list of things that many other people enjoyed, the things she hated.

She wanted to enjoy salads, but the texture of the lettuce and other vegetables felt like sandpaper on her tongue. She wanted to enjoy mashed potatoes, but the taste was so strong that she could only handle one bite (or two if she was lucky).  She wanted to enjoy coffee, but the bitter aftertaste stayed in her mouth for days and no matter how much she brushed her teeth, it wouldn't go away.

Most of all, she wanted to enjoy the various foods she made for her husband, but she could only handle a minority of them.

Why couldn't she have been a normal woman? She hated being this way, for it made things so much harder for her, and she couldn't be like other people.

"Darling?" a familiar voice called tiredly as the owner walked into the kitchen. "You heading out?"

(Y/N) gasped in surprise and jumped into the air, almost dropping her now empty plate and fork. Recovering quickly, she glared at Alfred for scaring her, finding him wincing in sympathy.

"Sorry darling, didn't mean to scare you," he said quietly, walking over to her. Unable to stay irritated with her husband, (Y/N) nodded and allowed Alfred to wrap his arms around her shoulders after she placed the plate and fork into the sink. She then rested her head against his broad chest, listening to his heart beat.

How could people give hugs freely and not feel uncomfortable? (Y/N) never understood, and it took a long time for her to allow Alfred to hug her freely, mostly because if she's hugged without any warning, it would be like she was suffocating and cause her to go into survival mode. Thankfully Alfred understood and always asked her and, depending on her answer, he would always hug her in front so she'll know it was him.

She was thankful that she met her husband, otherwise she didn't know where she would've been in life.

"What's wrong darling?" Alfred suddenly asked, and (Y/N) almost flinched. Why was it that other people were unable to tell of what she was thinking, but Alfred could read her like an open book?

Knowing it was no use, (Y/N) gently pulled away from her husband and signed to him. Alfred, do you ever wish that I was a normal person? Like, really normal?

Alfred's gaze felt hot on her, but (Y/N) forced herself to keep going.

Do you ever wish that you didn't have to look after me all the time? Where I'm not so sensitive? Do you ever?

Alfred didn't answer, and now (Y/N) would be an idiot to not know that her husband was displeased with her. She shifted uncomfortably, knowing she also probably signed what felt like her death warrant, and tried to look at anything but her husband.

But Alfred was having none of it. He took (Y/N)'s chin between his fingers and gently moved her face so she was looking right at him. For a moment (Y/N) looked into his sky blue eyes before turning to look at some other spot on his face.

There it was. She was still unable to look her own husband in the eye.

"Darling, let me ask you a question," Alfred began. "Can you define "normal" for me?"

(Y/N) stared at her husband, confused. What was he trying to get at? Anyone could define normal! It was...it was...

...

...

...

(Y/N)'s eyes widened. How does one define normal?

What is normal?

Alfred stared at his wife, patiently awaiting her answer while still keeping her face looking at his own. However, when she never answered, he took that as his cue to speak.

"Haven't I told you before darling? There's no such thing as normal, especially in people. Everyone's different in one way or another, and for others it's more apparent. I'm not normal, you're not normal, and guess what? World's still turning. And I love you just the way you are (Y/N), we've been over this before. Nothing's going to change that, and I don't want it any other way. You're (Y/N), my beloved wife, and there's nothing about you that I would change, ever."

(Y/N) slowly blinked to keep tears at bay, though from the way Alfred gently brushed them away, he caught them. "Now, no more of that darling. You should head to work now."

Oh crap! Damn it (Y/N)!