Chapter Text
YEAR: 1985
4 months, 3 weeks, and 6 days. That was the last day you saw Ben. You held your son to your chest as you sat on your porch at your farmhouse gazing out at the nothingness of nature. Only a month old, Ben still hadn’t met his first (known) child. Before leaving for his mission, he kissed your cheek and told you he’d be back soon. You guess that you should’ve asked for the definition of soon.
You rock in the chair as you think of the odd meeting you had with Ben.
YEAR: 1983
2 years ago, you were just a senior analyst at Vought in their operations department going about your average day-to-day. It wasn’t until you were pulled into the CEO's office that you knew something was up.
You go through the large wooden doors into the vast room to see Wayne Peterson, the CEO of Vought, speaking to a tall man. You feign a smile as he notices you.
“(Y/N), please come in.” You nod, pushing a piece of hair out of your vision. You take a seat across from Wayne. You could see him fidgeting with his pencil, obviously nervous. You feel your breath hitch; something wasn’t right.
“Thank you so much for coming in. I’m sure you’re confused as to why I asked you here today. Well, I’ll let Ben here fill some of the gaps.” At that, the man turns around, and you immediately recognize the face of Solider Boy. Even with a mask on, it’s hard to deny this man was handsome. You unconsciously feel a smile come to your face as you acknowledge the presence of this handsome not-so stranger.
“Wow, it’s great to meet you Solider Boy. I used to watch your variety show every Sunday when I was a kid.” He gives a charming smile to you and nods.
“Glad to have such a pretty fan.” You feel a blush rise to your cheeks. Pretty. He thinks you're pretty.
“So what’s going on? Is there a project or-“
“You could say that.” He said, a smirk on his lips. “My public image has been tarnished in the recent news, to say the least.” Your mind immediately flicks to his brutal break-up with Crimson Countess and the many civilian casualties in the Central Park attack. “I need to rehabilitate my brand. I think the best way to do this is to shift the conversation away from the shitty things and onto something more…” he was at a loss for words.
“Wholesome.” Wayne interrupts. “So to make a long story short, you will be a trial run girlfriend for Soldier Boy.”
Your eyebrows shoot up, “Girlfriend?” Your voice wavers on the word.
“And if that goes over well with the press, marriage.” You feel your legs go weak at that word. Marriage? You were barely 23.
“Wow,” Was all you could utter as the two men stared at you. “Marriage…”
“Well of course.” Soldier Boy says matter of factly. “The ultimate prize if I do say so myself.” He snickered to himself at that.
“B-but… why me?” You stuttered, feeling for something to rest your arms on.
“A sensible question to say the least.” Wayne interjects, “As you know, Vought is an extremely intelligent, high-tech company. With that being said, and this stays between us, we make profiles of all Vought employees. This ranges from promotions, firing, marketing to this.” He gestures at you two.
“And you are exactly the companion Solider Boy should be seen with and-“
“You’re the only one I’d be ok fucking.” Soldier Boy says, grabbing out a cigarette and lighting it. Your eyes widen.
“Obviously if it gets to that,” Wayne says to your expression. “In terms of perks, you will receive heavy compensation as well as new residence paid for completely by Vought. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”
“So, what do you say.” Solider Boy says, cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Your mouth is gaping.
“Wow, this offer truly is…” you search for words, “An honor to say the least. Can I take a day to think on it?”
“Because of the urgency of this pairing, you have an hour to decide, or we go elsewhere.” At that, you’re ushered to another room to sit and think.
You take a seat and your head falls into your lap. What the fuck is going on? What the fuck do I do? As these thoughts swam through your head you hear a knock. There was no way your time was up this early. Then Solider Boy enters the room.
“Am I interrupting?” He says with a cheeky smile on his face.
“Well, only a little bit.” At that, he takes a seat next to you. You expect a speech about how you don’t have to do this and how there is no pressure. But that’s not what you get.
“You do realize you have to do this.”
“Excuse me?” You’re in disbelief.
He nods. “What will come of your career if you just turn down every other opportunity that comes your way? Your bosses won’t be impressed, and you’ll stay at the bottom of the food chain till you’re let go. Do you really want that?” You feel dread and anger building in the pit of your stomach. “With a fancy degree from some prestigious New England school, don’t you think that should go to something?” At that, you were silent. He wasn’t wrong. What would everyone say if you just turned down opportunities that were put in your lap? This might not be directly what they had in mind, but Vought stresses the importance of team players. And what if this counts as not being one. You feel your leg start to bounce in anxiety.
“No. I don’t want that.” You grab your knees and squeeze.
“Good. So we’re good to go?” He says with a clap.
“I guess…” You mumble as he stands up and begins to make his way out. “But wait.”
He turns towards you, a hint of annoyance in his eyes that leave almost immediately.
“Why did you choose me.” He gave a snicker that had a hint of sourness in it.
“We told you, you have a good background, you’re hot, you seem like the-“
“No but really?” You insist, standing to face him. He takes a step from the door, and he sighs, running a hand through his bangs.
“You are normal. Boringly normal. You won’t distract anyone from me.” That humbled you, to say the least.
“Ok.” You whisper as he officially leaves the room. You sit back down and feel like the blandest piece of cereal in the box.
You are then ushered back into Wayne’s office as papers are thrown at you to sign. As you leave the office, you realize you’re officially Soldier Boy’s boring girlfriend.