Play It Through

Play it Through

an Emery & Chris story

* a Chris Evans fan fiction*

by avenger-nerd-mom

Chris shows signs of cold feet and Scott gives him the brotherly advice he needs to hear

Warnings: Language, Pre-wedding jitters, Smoking, cats, anxiety

Word Count 1990

Sitting out near the 9th hole, Chris and Scott continue their chat, their golf game on hold due to the rain. Chris has angled the cart just right so that Scott is getting pelted in the morning shower that popped up unexpectedly.  He smirks each time Scott wipes the rain from his face.

“Dude, have you seen Emery’s list of songs for the DJ?” Scott chuckles, looking over the notes on his phone as part of his duties as ‘Best Man.’

Chris guffaws, shaking his head. “I’m sure it’s some fucked up list. Let me guess? Garth Brooks, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Meghan Trainor, Louis Armstrong?  And to be a brat, I bet she put JT on the list too… Am I right?”

“Man, you two need to be on a newlywed game show,”  Scott laughs, nodding his head to show his older brother he’s a hundred percent correct.  “You know each other so well.  You’d take home all the toasters!”  Scott shakes the rain off his windbreaker, hoping his brother will take the hint and move the cart.  But the rain seems to be matching the older man’s mood, so he rides it out, figuring maybe the storm clouds will loosen his brother’s tongue if he waits long enough.

After several minutes of silence, watching the rain, listening to the far away rumbles of thunder, Scott can’t take it anymore.  “Dude, are you two still arguing?  It’s petty shit. You need to man up and let it go.”

“Pick a topic. Any topic and we are probably arguing about it.  Yes, it’s petty but she should have known.”

“Man. Lighten up. She already explained it was a business dinner with the state director. How was she supposed to know he’d try to make a move in the parking lot?  Or that someone would recognize her and post the damn photos?  At least there was a shot of the guy’s damn bloody nose. She can definitely take care of herself, that’s for damn sure.” Scott whistled his praise.  “She doesn’t need you to swoop in like a superhero and take care of everything.”

“Fuck you, man,” Chris mumbles.

“Shit. That’s what’s bugging you, isn’t it?” Scott asks, finally understanding the cold feet.  “She loves you with her last breath, but you know she could survive without you if it came to it. And you’d fucking curl up and die.  You need her more than she needs you.”

Flinching at his brothers brutal honesty, Chris reaches into the pocket on his golf bag, and takes out a cigarette.  He defiantly lights up under Scott’s watchful eye.

“How long you been sneaking those? I thought you told her you were trying to quit.” Scott can’t keep the accusing tone out of his voice.

“Well quitting sure would have been cheaper than keeping the damn kitten.” He scoffs at the memory of the arrival of the cat.  “No, actually, I shoulda just fixed the damn door when she said it was broken.  Do you have any idea how much a fuckin’ cat costs? Fixed, declawed, litter every week. Cat toys? And I actually like the damn thing!”

Scott laughs, thinking back to the videos Chris has shared during his last two visits to Emery’s Savannah home, different silly antics of the little gray furball.  “Always knew you loved pussy, man,” he jokes, patting his brother on the back, lightening the mood briefly before getting down to serious matters.  “Listen, you know Emery loves you. She’d do anything for you.  It just kinda seems like you’re fighting her.  Like you’re testing her.  Don’t be a dick.  This is not the girl you wanna push away.  You said ‘name a topic.’ What else is bugging you, bro?”

Chris takes another puff on his cigarette, rolling it between his fingers and staring at the orange heated tip before answering.  “She wants to wait to have kids.” His tone drops, thinking about their recent discussion when he was visiting Georgia.  “After our first wedding anniversary.  Man, I’ve waited long enough.  I’m ready for a family with her, like months ago,” he spits out.

Scott turns his head, shaking the rain from his arm again and wiping the side of his face with a towel.  “Chris- I said it before, I’ll say it again. Don’t be a dick. Think about it.  It makes sense. You get her knocked up now,” seeing the pained look on his brother’s face, he changes his tactic.  “That’s not what I meant.  I meant if you guys get pregnant too soon after the wedding, you’re off fulfilling your Marvel contract, and she’s starting a new job and then you’ll have post-production and the press tour. And she’s home alone with her mom, or in Boston with ours.  She doesn’t wanna raise your baby alone. Man, think from your head, not your cock. What she says makes sense.”

Chris stares at his brother.  “Since when did you have so much brotherly wisdom?”

Scott raises his eyebrow and smirks, cocking his head.  “Smart enough to know this isn’t the real shit that’s bugging you.  Man, she doesn’t ask you for a damn thing.  Why are you still fighting her on this?  I mean, think about it.  She’s not like your other girlfriends.  She doesn’t want the limelight. She doesn’t want your money or fame.  She doesn’t ask for fancy trips or jewels.  If this is the one thing she’s ever asked you for, why won’t you give it to her?”

“It’s an out.  It’s like saying we might not work.  I can’t agree to that.  You’re right.  I can’t live without her.  I don’t want her to have a backup plan, god forbid something does go wrong.”

“Jesus fuckin Christ, Chris.  That’s not what she’s saying.  She doesn’t want your money.  She’s set it up so that she only gets what she deserves and nothing more.  She wants to show you and the world she isn’t after your fame. She’s trying to protect you, Chris; looking out for your best interests.  That’s what she does. She’s a mathematician; she knows the numbers.  The prenup is to protect you and what she brings into the marriage.” Scott catches the look Chris is giving him.  “Yes, she and I have talked about it.  She knows I’m the only one that’ll talk sense into you on this one.  And that’s where she’s different too. Other girls you’ve dated would’ve run crying to Mom to try to get you to change your mind.”

Chris nods his head, bitterly and non-verbally agreeing with his brother’s comments about previous women in his life.

“She’s made good investments over the years. She doesn’t want you to take her money if you fuck up.”  He jokes with his brother.

“You think I’m gonna fuck it up?” Chris asks, finally voicing his fear.  He rubs his hand over his face, stroking his beard. A comfort reaction that will be gone in another week or two. Dropping his head in his hands, he leans over the steering wheel of the stilled cart and speaks down to his feet. “I always have before.  Why would this be different?”

Scott stares at his older brother, sitting on the seat next to him, looking like a lost and shattered man. Scott lets the image sink into his brain, never seeing his brother so weakened by love or fear before.  It throws him off; his big brother always being big and strong, his hero long before Marvel made it official.

His voice fills with compassion.  “Dude? Are you serious? Is that what this is about? You really think you’ll have to use it one day?”

Lifting his head, showing his true self to his younger brother, Chris’s eyes well with tears and he quietly nods, unable to speak past the lump in his throat.

Scott puts his arm around his brother’s shoulder, providing comfort.  “Why would this be different? Because it’s Emery.  Not some Hollywood starlet with a cartoon voice; but a real woman. Flesh and blood. Brains and strength. What does Mackie call her? A GRIT?  She can take whatever shit you throw her way and she’ll build you both up, stronger for it.”

Scott pauses for the power of his words to set in. He may not believe Chris can promise an easy life but he knows Emery will wage any battle that comes their way. “If it really scares you so much, give her everything.  Prove to her you’re not gonna let anything happen to your marriage.  You really are ‘till the end of the line.’  But you gotta sign the damn papers. It’s just paper.  It’s the only thing she’s ever asked you for, man.”  Looking out over the wet golf course, the beautifully landscaped greens, he says, “You gotta play it through.  She’s aces and you know it.”

Chris sighs, knowing his brother is right.  Dammit, he hates admitting when Scott is right.

“Bro, I know you could give her anything, but she has never wanted what money can buy.  All she’s ever wanted is you.” He taps the rain from the bill of his ballcap, cursing when it adds a puddle to his already damp pants.  “That makes me question her intelligence some, but you know; she’s cute. I won’t hold it against her if she thinks you hung the stars and moon.  But I’ll kick your ass if you fuck this up now.  She is the best thing that has ever happened to you.  Hell! I’ll marry her myself if I have to, because she was truly built to be an Evans woman.  They’re a rare breed.”

Chris dips his head, acknowledging the strength and heart of the women bearing the Evans name.  There’s no denying Emery can’t hold her own with that group.  He continues to nod his head, lost in thought.  Reaching into his pocket when his phone buzzes three times in a row, he unlocks the screen.  His heart flips when he sees the messages she sent:

A fourth buzz indicates he has an email to open and everything he ever needs to know about the love Emery has for him is on display on the screen in front of him.

Chris sighs and admits out loud, “She is kind of a kick ass bitch, isn’t she?” His voice fills with awe and love for the tiny little red powerhouse who owns his heart, and soon his last name.

“Jesus, Scott. I’ve been a dick.  I need to call Emery. Now.  She and I have a lot to talk about it.  Can you drive up the clubhouse so I can call her?”

“Of course, bro, not a problem.”

Chris sits, waiting on his younger brother to take the hint.  He doesn’t.  “Dude, you’re already wet.  Get off!  Walk around and I’ll slide over.”

Scott looks up the hill, realizing he’ll still be driving into the direction of the rain, just getting more wet on the way back.  “Remind me never to be your ‘Best Man’ ever again; this part of the job sucks.”

“Shit, man, if I keep my head on right, and you kick me in the ass every now and then when I need it, you only get this one time at Best Man duties. ‘Cause if I fuck it up, I won’t need a prenup, I’ll need a funeral.”

Both brothers share a gut busting laugh in agreement, Scott choking out.  “She is scary for such a little thing.”

“Yeah, but she’s mine,” Chris smiles.  Into the phone, his voice jumps to life.  “Hey, kitten, you busy? I’ve been a real ass and I need to apologize and fix some things…”

****

Author’s Note: To learn more about Emery and Chris’s kitten, Bucky, click the link in the story.

“Engagement photos” were found on Pinterest. I have no idea who the man is in the large photo, but he sure looked like Chris to me!

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Copyright © 2016 avenger-nerd-mom.  All rights reserved. Intellectual property of avenger-nerd-mom