The Deal | Dan x Reader 1930's Mobster AU

Sleep

Hello!

Enjoy~

(Y/n)'s POV

Dan set down the newspaper, running his hand across his face. Taxes had been raised again on the grand house that Dan had built and though they were saying we were finally coming out of the recession. Men all around were calling it the Great Depression, though I could hardly stand to think about it.

I had avoided all the hell that these people had been through with Dan's job and I felt awful for those who had suffered so greatly without work and without loved ones. I grimaced at the saddening headline as Dan took my hand. There was a new war afoot, a war projected to be even greater than The Great War.

"Phil's considering serving."

"Really?" I asked, placing a hand on Dan's.

"That's 3 of you now," he said, covering his eyes. I glanced down, retreating my hand. First Daniel Jr. and then me and now Phil. How could I even begin to apologize.

"Mommy!"

"Hi sweetheart!" I called as Jeanie leapt up into the chair with me.

"Hi daddy!" She called and he smiled, ruffling her hair. "Guess What I got?"

"What?"

"A worm!" She tugged a wriggling worm from her pocket and I yelped, setting her down.

"Awe that's great, what did you name it?"

"Spaghetti man," she answered simply, smiling.

"A great name," Dan replied, "but spaghetti man should be in the grass so it can dig."

"Why?"

"Well, they have to get water from the ground to survive," he replied. She stared with a slight pout.

"I'm sure if we put spaghetti man in a pot with some flowers he'll like that, what do you say?" I offered.

"YEAH!" She called, stumbling out the back door to the gardenias I had pitted outside. I could hear a faint 'bye bye spaghetti man' as she placed the worm next to one of my flower stems.

"Jeanie, why don't you have Daddy help you wash your hands before dinner," I said, Dan scooping her up with a squeal. He carried her to the bathroom to hold her up to the sink. I stood up carefully to view how the chicken was cooking when I felt woozy. I gripped the counter to seat myself again, relying on Dan to take the meal out of the oven. I was beginning to have a hard time standing, almost like my body was shutting down.

"You alright?" Dan asked, pecking my forehead and I just nodded. We began dinner and I peered around the table. Dan was cutting up Jeanie's food for her, making sure to keep it separate from her veggies as she was pretty particular about it. She sipped juice from her own cup, watching and awaiting her dinner. Once he stopped, he held out the fork that held the last piece he cut. Jeanie grasped the handle in her entire wrist, craning it to fit in her mouth to which I smiled. It had begun to lightly drizzle and I could hear the gentle rustle of the trees outside. The light over the table was a gentle yellow that made the dinner seem to glow golden while we ate. I ate my small portion, not very hungry lately.

"Excuse me."

I stood, shuffling out the room into the front foyer. I took a few steps up the stairs before pausing, already tired. I made my way up the rest with difficulty and towards the restroom. I calmed my brain to keep myself from thinking that I would lose what I had soon. It seemed to drag on. When I returned, I paused before the dining room when I heard Jeanie laughing. I peered around, seeing them play around with each other. My spot remained empty and untouched and I felt my shoulders fall from where they sat scrunched to my ears. I felt a smile ripple across my face and I just watched them interact on their own for a while.

When I sat down, it was like I was hardly gone.

After dinner we retired to the parlor where the fireplace roared and the gentle hum of the radio was going. I was laid across a chase, a thin blanket over my legs. Jeanie was sat, coloring wildly on a piece of paper while Dan watched. He stood up for a moment and I called Jeanie to me.

"Hey baby," I hummed, hugging her into my chest.

"Hi," she said, her voice slightly muffled in my chest.

"You know I love you?" I asked and I felt her nod. "Good."

"I love you too," she said, gripping onto my shirt. We laid there for a minute before I picked her up to be put to bed. I carried her up the stairs to the best of my ability, setting her down in her bed. She was already asleep by the time I laid her down. I placed a kiss on her forehead and headed back downstairs. I would miss her like hell. I collapsed back in the chase when Dan returned.

"Jeanie in bed?" He asked and I nodded, picking at my hands. "What's the matter?" He approached and kneeled beside the chase.

"I love you so much."

"I love you too, what's all this about?" He asked. I glanced his way, placing a hand on his face. "Oh don't get like this."

"I know it may seem like I'm giving up, but you know me. I never give it a rest," I said. "You changed my life, you know. I think it's time I give myself a rest."

"Don't—"

I placed a gentle kiss on his lips and pulled him in a hug.

"Promise me you won't mess shit up when I'm gone?" I asked and he laughed, pulling me close.

"I just...how do you know?" He asked.

"It's just sort of a feeling. I might be wrong," I said. "I'm just so peaceful."

"You are?" He asked.

"Yeah," I replied. "I am. I hope you are too."

I shuffled slightly so Dan could lay beside me, holding my close into his chest. I shut my eyes, laying my head against Dan, listening to his steady heartbeat while mine slowed into sleep. Blissful sleep.

~Calymari