#firefighter!chrisevans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 21
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 3,248
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: SMUT. 18+ ONLY. MINORS DNI. We block minors!
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Ellie put the last of the groceries into the freezer, watching as the brightly colored Eggo box disappeared as she shut the freezer drawer. Turning around, her eyes found Hazel at the island, her legs kicking as she flipped through a picture book happily. “Alright Hazie, are you going to help me make dinner?” She asked, glancing at the pot of boiling water on the stove.
It still felt wildly unfamiliar to be in Chris’ home taking care of Hazel without Chris, but as the weeks had gone by, they’d fallen into a rhythm. Chris worked his normal schedule, being gone from Thursday mornings to Saturday evenings, while Lisa and Ellie split caretaking days. And it certainly didn’t hurt that today was a special Friday, one on the cusp of a weekend away for all of them, and one where Chris’ arrival home was imminent.
“Can Mr. Duck help too?” Hazel replied, reaching for the well-loved – and worn-out – looking duck toy next to her.
“How about we have Mr. Duck supervise us. I’ll put him right here where he won’t get dirty,” Ellie smiled, reaching to put the duck on the counter, a good distance from the stove. “Can you grab the box of spaghetti?” She added, pointing to the pantry.
Hazel followed her instructions, but when she came out of the pantry a few moments later, ehr brows were furrowed in confusion. Ellie took the box from her when she held it up, but Hazel quietly informed her, “These aren’t the right ones.”
“What do you mean, Hazie? These are spaghetti,” Ellie chuckled as she dumped the noodles into the boiling water. By the time the water was salted and the timer was set, Hazel had pulled a barstool over next to Ellie and climbed on top of it.
“Daddy and Mommy always buy the green ones,” she said with a shrug.
“Oh do they?” Ellie asked, and when she remembered which box had the ‘green noodles’, she was outright impressed with Ashlee and Chris’ sly vegetable inclusions. “Well we’re just going to have a different kind tonight, but next time I’ll make sure I buy the right box.”
Hazel nooded, her hand moving to play with the beaded bracelet she’d made at camp that week. “Can we have them tomorrow?”
“Remember that tomorrow we’re going to take you to spend a few days with your mom,” Ellie reminded her with a smile, moving around Hazel to grab the jar of pasta sauce, opening it and handing it – along with a bowl – to Hazel. As Hazel silently dumped the jar of sauce into the bowl, almost emotionless at Ellie’s mention of Ashlee, she asked the little girl, “Are you excited to see her, Hazie?”
Hazel was quiet for several long moments, watching as Ellie took the bowl and put it in the microwave. “Yeah, I miss mommy,” she finally admitted, near silently.
“I heard that mommy tried to call you and you told daddy that you didn’t want to talk…” Ellie mentioned, remembering the surprise in Chris’ voice when he told her about it earlier that week. A frown appeared on the five-year-old’s face as she shrugged, looking down at her bare feet. “Hazel, why didn’t you want to talk to her?”
“I dunno,” she finally answered, her voice small and meek.
“Were you mad at her?” Ellie asked, watching the way Hazel glanced at her quickly before her gaze shifted away, instead landing on Mr. Duck. “You know that it’s okay if you were, honey. You can tell me.”
“I guess so,” Hazel sighed with a shrug, her frown remaining. “She moved away.”
“It’s okay to be upset, Hazie, but you still need to talk to her,” Ellie told her quietly, stirring the pasta quickly before she reached a hand out to hold Hazel’s. “Do you know just how much your mommy loves you?”
“A lot…”
“That’s right, and her moving didn’t have anything to do with you. She loves you like crazy and is so excited to spend the weekend with you,” Ellie smiled, dropping Hazel’s hand to play with her curly hair, tucking a stray strand behind her ear and fixing her braid. “And I know you’re excited to see her too.”
Hazel was quiet as Ellie fixed her hair carefully, her brown eyes wide and upset as she confessed, “I miss mommy, I miss her a lot.”
“Then you know what you need to do?” Ellie asked, her voice dripping with forced enthusiasm. “You need to tell her that and make sure that you tell her how much you love her tomorrow when you see her.”
Hazel nodded, a small smile on her face. “Okay, I will,” she agreed, standing on one leg before she alternated to the other.
“Now though I think you better try one of those peanut butter cookies I made while you were at camp and tell me if they’re any good,” Ellie told her, pulling the tupperware container of cookies to sit in front of Hazel with a grin.
The sound of the front door opening echoed in the home before they each heard the sound of Dodger’s nails clacking on the floor, making Hazel scramble down to the floor to happily throw her arms around the dog and pet his soft fur and plant a big kiss on his head, making the sound of Chris’ laughter ring out before asking, “Hey do I get one of those kisses?”
“Daddy!” Hazel laughed, squirming away from Chris as his beard tickled her skin.
“There’s my Hazel Bo Basil,” Chris smiled, crouching down as he hugged his daughter for the first time since early Wednesday morning. “How was camp today?”
“It was fun, look at the bracelet I made!” Hazel excitedly told him, holding up her wrist and showing Chris the colorful bracelet. “Then Ellie took me to Target and let me pick out a new toy!”
Ellie gasped just as Chris met her eyes and gave her an amused look, saying to the little girl, “Hazel! That was supposed to be our secret!”
“As if I didn’t already know you spoil her like crazy,” Chris laughed, kissing Hazel’s forehead again and giving her one last squeeze – and tickle – before he stood up.
Ellie just playfully stuck her tongue out at Chris, making him laugh before he made his way over to her and finally got the kiss they both were eager to share. It didn’t last long, everyone getting into their dinner routine of Chris pulling out all the plates and getting drinks for everyone, Hazel getting the napkins and silverware, while Ellie finished the food and dished it up.
With the warm weather, they took their meal out to the deck, enjoying the sunshine while they ate. Hazel had barely finished her last bite before asking if she could play in the sprinkler, Chris easily agreeing and moving to turn it on for her while she changed into her swimsuit. Hazel came running back out to start hopping through the spray of water while Dodger chased her. Both he and Ellie enjoyed the amusing entertainment and sounds of her giggling before they each sat back in their chairs after finishing the meal.
“How did everything go today?” Chris asked her curiously, his voice low as his eyes followed the girl and happy dog.
“Good,” Ellie shrugged, twirling her fork around the spaghetti. “We had a talk about Ashlee.”
His eyebrows raised in surprise from behind his dark sunglasses. “Oh did you?” He asked, reaching to take a sip from his wine.
“She’s still working through her feelings and I think is just feeling upset about everything. She told me how much she misses Ashlee so I told her that she needs to tell her that when we drop her off tomorrow,” Ellie explained, giving him a soft smile of reassurance.
“Thank you Elles, you’ve just been… incredible through all of this,” he paused, shaking his head in awe. “And Ashlee recognizes that too. She said so when I talked to her on the way home.”
Ellie raised her eyebrows quickly at the mention of Ashlee, giving him a slight frown. “I hope that conversation went well.”
“It did. We were just figuring out where to meet tomorrow when we swap Hazel since we’re going to meet halfway,” he shrugged, leaning away from his empty plate and looking back out at Hazel with a fond smile. “I also talked to her about something else…”
“That sounds a little ominous,” Ellie huffed out a laugh.
“No, it’s good,” he reassured her, pausing before he grinned slightly. “We had always agreed that neither of us would have anyone spend the night while Hazel is in the house, but we’re breaking that for you.”
“Oh Chris, are you sure? Is Ashlee okay with that?” She hurriedly asked, her cheeks warming.
“We agreed that it’s not fair for you to help out so much with Hazel and then also not ever get any time to ourselves,” he explained with a shrug, a slight, brief smirk on his lips. “And I know that you’re going to say you don’t mind but I do. It’s not good for our relationship to never be able to be alone… and I miss you, Elles. I miss us being together.”
“I do too,” Ellie admitted honestly, tilting her head as she watched him. “I can’t wait for our camping trip this weekend.”
“God, me too. It’s our first time being alone since all of this started over a month ago,” Chris sighed, shaking his head.
Ellie raised an eyebrow, her voice dry as she replied, “Trust me, I know.”
“Don’t worry, I’m going to make it up to you this weekend,” Chris promised, before he paused with a large smirk. “And then some.”
The promise was on the forefront of his mind, and Chris was determined to keep his word the next day as they drove out to a campsite. They’d already dropped Dodger off at Scott’s that morning, followed by handing off Hazel to Ashlee at a McDonald’s just off the highway about an hour outside of the city. And while they were filled with excitement, there was that overwhelming sense of peace Chris always felt when he was with Ellie, the feeling of her hand in his as they drove making him feel as if everything was right with the world.
Their hands stayed connected as they hiked out to the lake, finding the spot Chris used to spend a lot of time at before Hazel or Ashlee were ever in his life and it felt so good to be back. They dropped their packs before Chris pulled out the good sized tent, getting straight to work setting it up while Ellie organized their cooking supplies and set them up neatly.
Chris was so engrossed in setting up the tent that he didn’t even look over at Ellie until he was completely finished with it but once his gaze met hers, nothing else was on his mind. He found her sitting on a nearby rock, her shoes long gone and blonde hair starting to fall out of its ponytail. The baggy gray tee shirt clung to her glistening skin and those tiny spandex shorts showing off her long legs.
His voice was low and reverberated inside his chest while he told her with hunger in his eyes, “C’mere.”
Ellie’s brows furrowed as she let out a short laugh, asking him, “Why?”
“I think you know why,” Chris told her as he moved closer, coming to rest in front of her as she squinted up at him and into the sunlight.
“I didn’t realize the woods got you so worked up,” she laughed as a sideways grin appeared on her lips.
He shrugged, his lips pursed playfully as he simply replied, “They don’t, but finally having you all to myself does.”
And Chris knew just how that was. The past month had been full of so many ups and downs, first with his emotions going for a roller coaster ride with finding out Ashlee’s news and then having to tell Hazel and have the fallout of her feelings that came after. Ellie had been nothing but kind and patient through it all, but the circumstances had only allowed them to be in bed together once, and it had ended up being quick with Ellie having to leave for the bakery soon after.
It felt like heaven when his lips were finally on hers again without having to hold anything back, and by the way Ellie was rubbing her body up against him like a kitten, he could tell that he wasn’t the only one who had missed this. They kept kissing and kissing fervently out in the sunshine, the peaceful sounds of nature around them mixed with a few grunts that came from Chris’ lips and Ellie’s little sighs as he sucked on her bottom lip.
He started walking her a little closer to the tent, his hands grabbing her shirt in the process and tossing it over to land on the nearby backpack, telling her, “You’re not going to need that.” His lips attached back to her neck while his fingers unclipped her bra, easily pulling that off, “Or this.”
“Probably not these either,” Ellie smiled, hooking her fingers into her tiny shorts and shoved them down her legs, leaving Chris feeling as if he was going to pass out, getting to see her naked frame glistening in the bright sunshine.
He walked them backwards as she met his lips, her hand keeping his face pressed to hers as they entered the tent. She only broke away from his lips to zip the flap of the tent, and once she turned around, his heart began racing. Chris was internally thankful that he had the foresight to pump up the air mattress at the same time he set up the tent, already having Ellie laying out on it, her blonde hair falling around her face while she reached out for him.
“God, I missed you like this, Elles,” he practically panted as he looked at her, seeing the desperation in her eyes.
But she didn’t get a chance to respond to him, Chris not being able to wait any longer to lower his face down, pressing his lips along her thighs before he reached his destination. He loved hearing the hitch in her throat when he placed a tender kiss right above her slit while he wrapped his thick arms underneath her legs, snaking them around to hold onto her hips. Chris could feel his own desire pressing hard against his shorts but he pushed that from his mind as he dove in in one swift move.
A shiver ran down his spine and he wasn’t sure if it was from getting to finally taste her again, hearing the sharp gasp that came from those beautiful pink lips, or the way her back arched in response to him. He tightened his hold on her hips, pulling her lower half even tighter to him, letting his tongue rub along every part of her warm core and only making the temperature in the tent get hotter.
He didn’t let up, meticulously moving his tongue up and down just the way she liked, causing Ellie to wriggle and writhe underneath him. Chris almost forgot how sensual she looked when she was this way, thighs clenching tightly around his shoulders while her back kept arching and falling like the crashing of the ocean waves. He loved the feel of her soft skin against his touch while her melodic cries filled his ears, her body clenching and inviting his tongue to go wherever it pleased.
Normally he loved to bring her to her peak this way, getting to kiss her soft body as she came down from her high and slowly move into easing inside her, but this time was different. They both wanted each other, and they wanted it bad. He knew there would be more than enough time for romanticism, tenderness, and slowness, but he wanted her fully cognizant, desperate, and needy for him, and that’s exactly what he got when he pulled his glistening beard away from her.
“No, no, please baby,” she whined, her hands moving helplessly towards him.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to leave you hanging, sweet girl,” he promised with a smirk, leaning down and kissing the closest patch of skin and earning a sharp intake of breath.
He watched the way she rubbed a hand along her face that was tightly screwed up, her body begging him for more. Chris was absolutely throbbing as he gazed at her, peeling off his clothing as quickly as he could and got back to pin her underneath his broad frame. He started nipping along her shoulder while he used a hand to line himself up at her wet entrance and pushed in gently, knowing that she might need a moment to adjust but when Ellie just whined and rolled her body up against his, hands clutching at his neck, he knew that she was more than ready.
Chris began to find a steady pace, using his effortless strength to snap his hips in hard and deep with each thrust, causing Ellie’s fingertips to dig into his shoulders from the deep pleasure. He could barely hang on himself, it had been so long since he was tucked deep inside her warm inviting walls that hugged him so tightly. He needed this – no they needed this and their ragged breath informed one another just how much.
“Elles, I can’t,” he grunted, pausing as he let out a shuddering breath. “I can’t make it much longer.”
As if replying to him, her legs wrapped around his firm backside and only pulled him into her even deeper, wordlessly saying she wanted whatever he was going to give her. He tried to steady his breathing and keep going but God, she just felt so fucking good and the way she was moaning was something he knew he wouldn’t soon forget. He kept thrusting firm deliberate thrusts while bringing his hand down so that his thumb could start rubbing quick circles against her sensitive clit, making her whole body grow rigid as she clung to him.
He tried to hang on but just couldn’t handle the sensations, unable to stop himself from spilling out his white hot essence inside of her with a strangled “Fuck,” as he did so. Chris’ breathing was uneven and his hips were still but he kept working at her clit, only having to give a few more tight, pressing circular motions to have her body tightening up before finally having that mind blowing release that was written all over her beautiful face.
But now, as he gently pulled his softening length out of her and they caught their breath, he got what they had missed out on earlier. Chris laid down next to her and got to pull her sweaty body up against his own, kissing at the top of her head while he just held her, loving nothing more than feeling her tucked inside his embrace.
He was halfway to sleep when he felt Ellie move her head against the sweaty skin of his neck, and her voice was quiet as she asked him, “So is this a good birthday present? Even if it was a little delayed.”
“The best.”
A/N: Only two chapters left! We can't wait for you to read more and would love to hear your thoughts.
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Protected- Chapter One
When Maggie agreed to help her best friend finish preparing for an art exhibit, she wasn't expecting to end up in the middle of a rough battle between Captain America and a shooter. She also didn't expect to be considered a target because he saved her life and to be hunted by HYDRA agents for her involvement. Now her life is in the hands of a perfect soldier... and so is her heart.
“Are you sure you want to help?” Zoe asks, crossing her arms and biting her lip. “You teach tomorrow, right? You don’t need to be worrying about this.”
I sigh, tired of hearing it. “I’m fine.”
“Maggie, your lungs-”
“Aren’t going to explode by lifting a few boxes,” I set one of the boxes down and turn to face my worried best friend. “I’m fine, Zoe. I promise.”
She stares at me for a long moment, her deep blue eyes unwavering, and she finally heaves a sigh and flicks a strand of black hair from her face. “Fine. But if you can’t breathe or function because of this-”
“- don’t call you. I know. You’ve been threatening me with that since we were kids.” I pick the box up again and set it on the table. “Where do you need these?”
“Just leave them there for right now,” She grabs a large painting and sets it against the wall. “Being an art curator sucks. I hate it.”
“No, you don’t,” I carefully take an old candle holder out of the box and set it on the old table.
“Fine, I don’t,” She eyes me carefully. “What about you?”
I smile, focusing on unpacking. “I love it.”
“Of course, Miss cooking teacher. You don’t have to deal with the pressure.” Zoe flings her arms to the side dramatically.
I offer her a glance. “I live paycheck to paycheck. I think I understand pressure.”
Zoe drops her hands. “How is that even safe? You would think with your asthma it would be torture.”
“Cooking is probably the safest thing I could do,” I start wiping the table down. “I could always be a firefighter.”
“I don’t think you have the muscles for that.”
“Exactly.” I turn and smile, brushing one of my fiery red strands from my face.
Zoe shakes her head. “You’re crazy.”
I smile, turning back to my work. “Thanks.”
Zoe grumbles under her breath before suddenly stilling. “Do you hear that?”
I pause, frowning. “Hear what?”
“Listen,” She grabs my arm gently, and I hear the sound of metal and…
“Are those gun shots?” I whisper, my hands tightening.
Zoe curses, dragging me away. “I’m calling the cops.”
The wall explodes, and I shove Zoe out of the way before diving to the ground. I glance up to see a man walking into the museum backwards, shooting at someone, and I notice the candle holder on the ground. I quickly snag it before scrambling to my feet and throwing, missing him but managing to catch his attention. He turns to glare at me, and I freeze before a fist slams into his jaw, knocking him to the ground, and I watch with wide eyes as a man climbs through the hole.
“Is that Captain America?” Zoe asks, sounding a mix of terrified and awestruck.
I ignore her, my eyes locked on his, and for a long moment we just stare at each other, baby blue against my dull brown. After a moment his eyes flicker, and I know he’s focused and dangerous.
“Are you alright, ma’am?” He asks, his eyes quickly assessing any injuries.
I can only nod, swallowing nervously and fighting the urge to cough. I can’t guarantee that I won’t have an asthma attack, and I won’t risk it. The captain frowns, looking a little concerned, but Zoe quickly steps in front of me.
“Maggie, are you ok?” Zoe asks, touching my arm and forcing me to break eyes contact.
I clear my throat, sending up a little prayer. “Yeah,” I croak. “I’m-” I break off, bending over in a coughing fit, and Zoe curses before gripping me tighter.
“Hang on, Maggie,” She says, and though a few tears a see her scanning the room. “Where’s your bag?”
“Stairs,” I croak, and then she’s gone. I bend over and grip my knees tightly, trying to get my lungs to work, and Captain America catches my arms and leads me to a wall, crouching in front of me as I sit.
“Is your friend going to find an inhaler?” He asks, and I nod before looking up to see him without his cowl. He’s even more handsome then they show on TV; his blond hair is a little ruffled from battle, and there’s a scratch healing in front of my eyes- which is strange- but it’s the sincerity in his eyes that shocks me.
“Why are you checking on me?” I manage, relieved to hear the lack of a wheeze.
He tilts his head curiously. “It’s part of the job, ma’am,”
I wince. “Don’t call me that,” I try to clear my throat. “I’m fine. You should be making sure he isn’t getting back up.”
“He isn’t,” He reaches out and grabs my arm gently. “I understand asthma attacks, Miss…”
“Maggie,” I swallow carefully. “Maggie Smith.”
He smiles. “Steve Rogers.”
Before I can tell him to leave again, a single shot rings out, and Steve grabs my arm and shoves me so I’m lying on the ground. The shooter runs off, prompting Steve to run after him, but once he reaches the door he stops and curses.
“Maggie? I heard shots!” Zoe runs back inside, dropping beside me. “Just breathe, ok?”
I nod, taking my inhaler from her.
“Make sure she gets to a hospital,” Steve orders, watching me closely.
Zoe nods once, looking stern. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea to help.”
I ignore her, carefully rising to my feet. “I’m fine. I just need to rest.”
“No,” Steve says firmly. “You need to be checked.”
I send him a bit of a glare, not caring that he could crush me with one hand. “I’m fine, Captain.”
His eyes narrow back, and we stare each other down for a long moment, neither able to look away or back down.
Zoe clears her throat carefully. “I’m going to call the cops and tell my boss to postpone the exhibit.”
Steve finally looks away, allowing me to release a breath as he focuses on my best friend. “I’ll call in a few favors to help rebuild. We’ll have it done as soon as possible.”
Zoe nods, relieved. “Thanks,”
He nods before looking at me for a long moment. “Be careful,” He says finally. Before I can say anything he leaves, and I look over to see Zoe looking star struck.
“He’s even bigger than I thought,” She says dreamily.
I frown. “I thought you liked Tony Stark?”
“I do,” She snaps out of it. “But he is definitely attractive.”
“He’s… something,” I move towards the stairs, careful of any major dust piles. “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to head home.”
“Do you want a ride?” She asks innocently.
I send her a glare. “Not after the last time.”
“It was one time,”
“We could have died.”
“But we didn’t,”
I shake my head, unable to fight back a smile. “You’re insane.”
She grins. “You know you love me,” She wraps an arm around my shoulders, walking with me to the gaping hole leading to the street. “You know the drill. Text me when you’re home, don’t do anything stupid-”
“That’s your job, not mine.”
“- and be careful.” She finishes, ignoring me. “Got it?”
I sigh. “Yes, ma’am.”
She sends me a glare. “Shut up.”
I grin and step into the street, aware that I probably look homeless and dirty, and I quickly move towards the subway, knowing that DC shouldn’t be this crowded at one in the morning. I feel eyes on me, and I glance over to see a man watching me with a dangerous smile.
I swallow carefully and turn back around, anxious to go home.
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 20
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 4,263
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
The refrigerator rattled as Ellie shut it with her hip, a frown on her lips as she carried the glasses of wine over to the butcher block island. Chris could barely pay any attention to her expression as he read the Google page that took up half the screen on his computer, the other half being occupied with a calendar for the rapidly-approaching summer months.
Ellie put the glasses down before she wrapped her arms around Chris’ broad shoulders, pressing a soft kiss to his bearded cheek to help relieve the tension in his body. She knew how much Ashlee’s impending move was weighing on him and dealing with the logistics of it didn’t help at all.
“What about that horseback riding camp?” Ellie quietly asked as she rubbed a hand over his shoulder, reminding him of the camp at a local equestrian center.
“I don’t know if Hazel being in charge of an animal that big is a good idea. The carnage she causes with a mini shopping cart is bad enough,” he muttered with upturned lips as he made himself chuckle. His fingers quickly began scrolling again before he sat upright some more, “Oh here’s an art camp, I bet she’d like that.”
Ellie nodded, reaching onto the plate in front of her for her slice of pizza. “There’s also that science camp through the school I’ve heard is fun,” she suggested, gently knocking her shoulder against Chris’ as she munched on their dinner.
“These camps are going to be really good for her but I still don’t know what I’m going to do on my days working,” Chris sighed, shooting her a sideways grimace as he double-checked the calendar before he began to register Hazel for the art camp. “I just didn’t expect Ashlee to be gone this soon.”
“Have you talked to your mom?”
He paused, sighing quietly before he nodded. It was something he’d put a lot of thought into given the new situation, and while he was relieved Hazel wouldn’t be leaving him, it didn’t mean it wasn’t stressful to figure out. “Yeah and she’s more than happy to have Hazel on Thursdays and Saturdays, but she works Fridays and wouldn’t be able to pick Hazel up on time from any of these camps. Besides, I don’t really feel comfortable having her do that much… it’s not her responsibility,” he told Ellie, trailing off at the end as he shrugged.
She stayed quiet for several moments, long enough that Chris’ curiosity was piqued. Once he finished entering her medical history, he turned to give Ellie a look. “I was thinking about that too…” She finally replied, a nervous look on her face.
Chris nodded, reassuring her, “I think I have an idea though.”
“I do too,” Ellie responded, pausing as she raised a brow at him. “But what’s yours?”
“I think the best solution is to look at hiring a nanny,” Chris sighed and explained, his fingers tapping against the wooden counter. “That way the responsibility wouldn’t fall on my mom and they could have her Friday and Saturday until I’m off. It’s not that unusual and I have the guest room too.”
Ellie was quiet as she listened to his words, nodding carefully before she tentatively pointed out, “But is bringing a new person into Hazel’s life while all of this is happening a good idea?”
“I know, but I don’t know what else to do,” he sighed. “Ash already offered to pay more in child support because of the new arrangement, so it’d probably cover the cost.”
Ellie turned as she listened to him, leaning her side against the fabric bar stool and looking at him.“You could ask me about my idea… it’s a pretty good one…” she told him with a smirk, her hand reaching out to loosely grasp his own.
Chris huffed out a laugh, shaking his head and asking, “Alright smarty pants, what’s your genius idea?”
“I know someone who loves Hazel, owns her own business, and would be able to adjust her schedule to be able to pick up Hazel from camps on Friday and have her until you’re done with work on Saturday,” she smiled as she squeezed his hand.
He dropped his head and sighed, closing his eyes as he realized what she was offering. “Ellie-”
“No, hear me out for a minute,” Ellie interrupted him firmly. “Chris, none of this is going to be easy for Hazie. She needs some consistency and I could pick her up and even take her to your house so she'll have all her toys and be in her house. I love Hazel and would adore getting to spend more time with her.”
His lower lip jutted out and his jaw clenched as he listened to her words, unable to wrap his head around the generous offer. It was nothing short of over the top kindness, but that was everything Ellie was, even to strangers. But for him and Hazel? He couldn’t help but think they didn’t warrant this shift, this extra responsibility added to her plate, just to ease some stress off of his shoulders. “I just can’t have you do that much,” he whispered to her, thoughts echoing through his mind as the sound of Dodger’s light snoring carried into the kitchen from the living room.
She laughed, and the genuine smile that appeared on her face never failed to warm him from the inside out. “Well if you’re really planning on marrying me then you’re going to have to get used to relying on me a little more,” she retorted playfully.
“It’s not that I wouldn’t love for you and Hazel to be together, I just don’t feel like I can ask you to do that, Elles. Especially not when you’ve just started your own business,” he attempted to explain as he watched her and grasped her hand tighter.
“Well with all these camps she’s in, I’d be able to work most of the day on Fridays anyway, and then on Saturdays, Brooke has it covered,” Ellie assured him, and she smiled before she dropped his hand for a moment to drink her wine, but before he barely realized it, her hand was back in his. “Honey, I want to do this.”
“...Are you sure?” He finally asked her, his voice soft and unsure.
“Completely.”
“I can’t tell you what a load that takes off my mind knowing Hazel will be with you,” Chris admitted with a smile. “Besides, I kind of like seeing my girls together.”
“Well I might not be quite as cute as your other girl but I also don’t bruise your heels with a shopping cart,” Ellie grinned, and Chris couldn’t help but burst into laughter at that. Once their laughter stopped and he made a move back to look at his computer – which was still open on the registration – Ellie’s voice interrupted him as she asked, “So when are you going to tell Hazel?”
“Ashlee and I are telling her tomorrow morning,” Chris murmured, huffing out a sigh. “God, I’m dreading that.”
“Let’s not borrow tomorrow’s troubles. You’ll handle it in the morning with Ashlee,” Ellie reassured him, her hand moving to travel up and down his back comfortingly. “But how about you tell me all the camps Hazel’s in so I can do my schedule and start planning all the fun things I’m going to do with her.”
Chris watched her with thinly-veiled near-awe, and he shook his head as he playfully asked, “Why do I have a feeling I’m about to be replaced as Hazel’s favorite?”
“Who are we kidding, neither of us can compete with Dodger,” Ellie retorted, and it was then that Chris realized how well she not only knew him – but how well she knew Hazel as well – only after a short time in their lives, and it warmed his heart to know that what they already had between them was only going to continue to grow.
Chris rinsed his hand off in the sink, before he dropped the peanut butter and jelly covered knife into the dishwasher, then placed the sandwich and cut up strawberries on one of Hazel’s purple plates. He passed by the living room – where Scott was watching a Red Sox game – before he reached the small playroom to tell Hazel lunch was ready. But his brows furrowed as he looked over the room, finding his curly-haired daughter sitting at her mini-table, furiously coloring away in a coloring book. “Hey Hazelnut, I thought you were supposed to pick up your toys?” He asked her pointedly, leaning his hip against the open archway as he looked over the disaster of a room.
Her tiny shoulders quickly shrugged, her voice unhappy as she simply replied, “I don’t wanna.”
“I told you to pick them up before lunch and then that it was naptime,” he reminded her. He’d been cognizant of the fact that Hazel had woken up earlier than normal and had already had an emotional morning, and while that was already enough for him to attempt a nap, he was desperately looking forward to a break to decompress from the day.
But she clearly had other plans as she looked up at him with a deep frown on her little face, shouting, “No!”
“Hazel June, pick them up now. No arguments,” Chris ordered, and he pushed himself off of the wooden archway to carefully cross the room, but not before he could step on a Lego. He quickly bit back the several curse words he wanted to say before he pulled the markers and coloring book away from Hazel and pointed at the mess behind her.
“I don’t want to take a nap!” She insisted as she pushed the messy strands of hair out of her face, and every word from her mouth was only increasing the pounding headache that had started for Chris.
“Hazel Evans this is not a discussion,” he told her, his voice low and stern as he took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
She let out a shuddering breath as she cried, “I want Ellie!”
He shook his head, gently lifting her from the seat and standing her up, nudging her in the direction of her toys as he ordered, “Not until you pick up your toys.”
“I just want my Ellie!” The little girl pleaded again, her voice wavering as furious tears fell from her eyes.
“Hazel, I already told you to pick up these toys!” Chris finally snapped, frustrated at the situation, at Hazel’s inactions, at the stupid waves of pain in his foot, and even at the damn occasionally-flickering lightbulb overhead, the very one he’d been meaning to change for weeks.
As Hazel’s cries grew louder and Chris’ mind continued to scream at him to do something, his brother stepped into the room, his voice a much-needed calming force as he said, “Hey, relax for a minute.”
“Scott, I don’t need you to tell me what to do,” Chris replied harshly, jerking his arm away as Scott touched it lightly. He instantly regretted the action when he saw the way Hazel’s eyes widened and her breath caught, her eyes bouncing between her father and uncle.
“Bro, remember what happened this morning, okay?” Scott whispered under his breath, his face serious as Chris met his eyes. “Everyone’s emotional… just go take Dodger out and breathe. I’ll handle this.”
He nodded, swallowing as embarrassment suddenly flooded his system. He looked at Hazel in shame, seeing the way her body wracked with tears. As Scott once again whispered “I got this,” to Chris, he leaned down, pressing a long kiss to his daughter’s forehead and squeezing her quickly before he turned, leaving the room.
Chris whistled for Dodger, meeting the always-happy pooch in the mudroom as he clipped his leash to Dodger’s red collar, and he barely remembered to grab his phone from the kitchen before he hastily left the house. He moved quickly down the street, frantic to put some distance between himself and Hazel as he processed what’d just happened, how he blew up over nothing, and took out his frustration with the situation around them on his young, innocent daughter.
Before he could spiral further, Chris reached into his pocket for his phone. He paused as he stared at his phone background, at the large smile that filled Hazel’s face as she held an ice cream cone in her hand and sat on the curb outside their local ice cream stand. Feeling as though his tail was between his legs, he called the one person who’d hold no judgment, listening as the call rang until she answered. “Hey Elles,” he murmured, his voice quiet and sad. “You busy?”
“No I’m just at home,” he heard her reply, a rustling in the background. “I’ve been thinking about you guys all day. How did everything go this morning?”
“I think we ruined Hazel’s life,” he told her drily, a frown on his face as he watched Dodger sniff a bush. “And I’m not joking.”
Ellie’s sharp intake of breath carried through the call, her voice sad as she sympathetically answered, “Oh honey, that’s not true.”
“Ellie, she was so upset. At first she just didn’t seem to understand and then she cried, but then Hazel just wouldn’t say anything,” he recalled, unable to get the image of Hazel’s blank stare and then her sobs out of his mind, or the way she clung to him as he carried her back to their car when they left the park.
“Well she’s processing it, give her time,” Ellie suggested, her voice kind and even. “Think of how hard it was for you to process.”
But Chris shook his head, shooting a tight smile as they passed a neighbor on their walk. “She hates me, Elles,” he repeated.
“You know she adores you,” Ellie reassured him, but Chris couldn’t help but think those days of Hazel’s unending love were behind them.
“I just chewed her out for not picking up her fuckin’ toys… I chewed her out an hour after she found out her mother is moving. What kind of a fuckin’ father am I?” He asked incredulously, turning to begin walking back towards his home.
Ellie was quiet for several beats and he distracted himself by watching Dodger stare at a bird, but he nervously tapped his fingers against his legs as he waited for Ellie’s response. “Beating yourself up isn’t going to help anything, honey,” she finally began tentatively, but he knew she was trying to show her sympathy.
“You should have seen the look on her face, Ellie. She was so upset and then just cried for you,” he confessed, his heart breaking at the memory.
Ellie was silent for another beat, her voice confused when she finally asked, “For me?”
“She just said she wanted you,” he repeated, unable to not hear Hazel’s pleading voice in his mind.
He heard Ellie hastily stand, something – probably a book – thumping to the floor, forgotten in her rush. “I’m coming right now,” she told him as she moved, the call switching to speaker as she quickly gathered her things.
“Elles, I love that she wants you but why doesn’t she want me? I want to help her and all I do is hurt her,” he asked her, insecurity filling him as his fears about his and Hazel’s relationship only grew.
“Christopher Evans, stop right now and listen to me,” Ellie told him firmly, pausing until Chris quieted down. “Hazel adores you to no end but today was a shitty day for all of you. I think you both just need some comfort and I’ll be there in less than ten minutes so just hold out until then, okay?”
He nodded his head, not even realizing for a long moment that she couldn’t see it and eventually spit out a worried, “Okay,” before they hung up. Chris could feel the deep regret and anxiety flowing through his body, hating how all of this hurt the little girl that he loved more than anything in the world. He kept his head down, just staring at the pavement as he kept walking Dodger, letting the sweet pooch stretch his legs but all too soon he was back right where he started and walked into the house where Hazel’s loud, exhausted wails could still be heard.
Chris let Dodger off his leash before pulling off his shoes, quietly walking into the living room where Scott sat with Hazel on the floor, rubbing her back while she loudly cried. He saw the look of pure distress on Scott’s face before he noted to his brother, “Sounds like it’s not going too well in here.”
His brother frowned, glancing towards him before focusing on Hazel and moving her hair from in front of her face. “I’m trying but nothing is working,” he finally admitted to him.
“Hazel, honey I’m so sorry I got upset earlier. Can you forgive me?” Chris’s voice was soft as he sat down on the floor in front of her, his heart practically aching as he heard her hiccup interrupting the steady flow of tears down her cheeks as she nodded her little head. He couldn’t stand it any longer and just held his hands out for her, telling her, “C’mere Basil.”
She scooted closer to him, letting Chris lift her into his lap and holding her tight against his chest. He couldn’t imagine all the emotions flowing through Hazel right now, knowing just how upset and shocked he had been when he found out about Ashlee’s move but at least he had an adult brain that could process it. He hated hearing the deep wails muffled against his chest as she cried, making Chris’ own tears start to flow down his cheeks while Scott reached over to squeeze his shoulder, doing what he could to comfort them.
Although Hazel’s tears didn’t stop, he could feel her body relaxing a little bit in his embrace and it made him feel as if he was doing at least one thing right. He wanted to be that place of comfort for her, but in this moment he felt like he needed his own bit of comfort and calm, which soon came in the form of a compassionate blonde who came racing into his home only moments later.
He watched her face drop as she looked at them both crying in the middle of the living room but Ellie wasted no time dropping to her knees and brought an arm around Chris’ broad shoulders while she pressed a kiss to his cheek. Seeing that they’d want a moment, Scott quietly stood and excused himself to the kitchen, leaving the three alone in the living room that was only filled with the sound of Hazel’s loud cries.
Chris tilted his head, giving Ellie a grateful half-smile before he focused his attention back on Hazel. “Basil, look who’s here,” he murmured quietly, his hand moving to loosen her grasp on his silver chain.
“I-I want m-m-my Ellie,” Hazel whimpered, her breath coming out in shudders as she clung to Chris’ frame.
He saw the way Ellie’s shoulders slouched in pity at the cry, and she held her arms out, telling her, “Oh Hazie girl, I’m here.”
Chris let go of his tight grasp on Hazel, letting Ellie take the curly headed sobbing girl and pull her into her own lap. She held onto Hazel while pressing a kiss to her forehead then rested her cheek against it, slowly rocking her back and forth while reminding her, “It’s okay Hazie, we’re right here for you.”
He just sat there watching every motherly bit of Ellie come pouring out as she comforted his daughter, holding her tight and reminding her that everything was going to be alright and somehow managing to remind Chris of the same thing in the process. Chris eventually stood to his feet, going to the kitchen to get a glass of water for Hazel before bringing it back and resuming his place on the carpet, Ellie giving him a thankful smile.
“Okay Hazie, it’s time to take a big deep breath. You ready?” Ellie asked, lifting her head up but keeping Hazel right in her lap. Ellie grabbed the hem of her tee shirt, lifting it up to wipe away the tears covering Hazel’s cheeks and chin before the sniffling girl nodded and took a deep breath with Ellie, helping to calm her tears.
Chris gave the little girl a tight smile before he leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her forehead. As he continued wiping her face and moved to messily tie her hair back, he quietly asked, “Are you hungry, Basil?”
“N-no,” she whispered, her wide brown eyes blinking slowly and tiredly as she leaned against Ellie.
“How about just a drink of water, then?” Ellie suggested, her head downturned as the couple each watched Hazel hesitate before she nodded. Chris handed the children’s cup to Hazel, watching as she slowly took a long sip of water before relaxing again. “Chris, can you go get Mr. Duck?”
But Hazel’s brows furrowed momentarily before she interjected, “I want Clucky!”
Chris pressed another kiss to her cheek before going to the playroom to find her chicken stuffed animal, digging through the bins of plush toys before finding it and bringing it back to the living room. He couldn’t help but stop for a moment, a pang in his heart as he looked at the scene in front of him. Rather than on the floor as they were a minute ago, Ellie had moved to sit on the couch with Hazel in her lap, laying up against Ellie’s chest with her head tucked under Ellie’s chin. The caring blonde had pulled a blanket over them – the very one she’d made him for Christmas – and rubbed her hand up and down Hazel’s back, helping to comfort the little girl who was already struggling to keep her eyes open. When Chris held out the stuffed chicken, Ellie took it, pretending to make Clucky kiss Hazel on the cheek and getting a giggle out of the tired girl who then tucked her toy under her arm before her eyes fully closed.
It was several minutes filled with much-needed silence before Scott’s tentative footsteps sounded, his younger brother coming down the front hall and pausing in the open archway of the living room. “Hey Chris, I’m going to head out,” he quietly announced.
“Okay, I’ll go out with you,” Chris replied, gently pressing a kiss to both Hazel and Ellie’s heads before he stood up, heading towards the front door with Scott. “Thanks for everything, Scott. I don’t know what I would have done without you today.”
“Of course, you know I’m always here for you,” Scott told him without hesitation, his shoulder bumping Chris’ as he paused for a moment. “Anything you need, you can always call me.”
Chris nodded, his lips pursed as he admitted, “I might be needing you a lot more while Ashlee’s moving if Hazel keeps reacting like this.”
“I’m not so sure about that, I think Ellie’s got everything covered,” Scott replied with a chuckle, glancing behind them, barely able to see Ellie and Hazel on the couch. “Although I think she always does.”
“You obviously weren’t there while we were redoing the bakery,” Chris muttered, watching with a smirk as Scott laughed quietly at his words before he left the small, thankfully peaceful home, shutting the front door behind him silently.
Chris hadn’t even realized just how hungry he was, his stomach growling loudly at his lack of food from the day, it instead being tied in knots. But now that Ellie had come and helped relax his whole body, he found himself reaching for the uneaten peanut butter and jelly sandwich he had made for Hazel, taking a bite as he walked back to the living room. His girls were still on the couch, Ellie just gazing down at Hazel and pushing some of her curls off of her forehead while she slept soundly.
He couldn’t help but feel so full of emotions, his body exhausted from what the day had held so far but when he saw that soft smile of Ellie’s shining back at him, it felt like the weights that were laid on his shoulders simply fell right off. Chris silently shuffled over to the couch, sitting down as he kept biting into the sandwich while he slunk down on the cushions, his head resting against the back while he let out a long breath. It stayed completely silent in that room as he felt a warm hand rub along his shoulder, causing him to glance over at Ellie who was smiling brightly before tugging at his shirt, wordlessly urging him to come over where he rested his head on her shoulder.
She surprised him in more ways than one when she rested her cheek against his forehead then whispered, “You're a great dad, Chris.”
And although in that moment, he was feeling anything but a great dad, he knew that Ellie wasn’t one to say things she didn’t mean and that faith in him was enough to give his anxious thoughts a rest. He turned his head to kiss her cheek, communicating all he needed to in that one action and for the first time since hearing that Ashlee was going to move, he had a glimmer of hope that just maybe everything would be alright.
A/N: Not gonna lie, that entire last sequence with Scott, Hazel, Chris, and Ellie is one of our favorite scenes ever. We love them and feel for them all so much, but we also adore the fact that Scott pushed Chris to even ask Ellie out in the first place, and now here she is comforting Hazel!
We can't wait to hear your thoughts! We are in the homestretch now for Chellie... they'll wrap up right before the holidays. We have some big plans not only for them, but for Sam and Nat's stories as well that we can't wait for you to read soon!
#playing with fire#chris evans fic#chris evans x ofc#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans writing#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#original female character#chris evans ff#cevans#firefighter au#chris evans au#firefighter!chris evans#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#hazel's dad#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans#original content#writing#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#chris evans smut#chris evans fluff#chris evans imagine#christopher robert evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 16
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 6,518
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Smut. 18+ ONLY. Minors DNI.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
A little clunk echoed in the bakery as Chris laid in the last tile for the brand new flooring, his back tight as he finally stood up and looked around at the finished flooring. It had been a long few weeks, first with Ellie deciding to jump into buying the bakery but that was only the beginning. What had come next was Ellie becoming lost in samples of all kinds before they started renovating and remodeling the damaged bakery. He had spent all of his days off while Hazel was at school putting in the work side by side with Ellie, but lately, the stress on both of their shoulders was nearly suffocating.
Chris let out a sigh when he glanced over to see a familiar blonde in the exact same place she’d been for the past two hours. Ellie was sitting in the doorway to the kitchen, pieces of wallpaper spread out around her as she stared at each one, picking them up and inspecting them before putting it back down and doing the same with the next. He crossed his arms as he came over and leaned against the doorway, waiting until she finally lifted her head so that he could give her a look.
“I thought you already picked a paint color?”
Ellie shook her head as she turned back to the samples, holding up a pale pink wallpaper square and inspecting it. “I changed my mind, I think yellow is going to be way too off putting inside,” she informed him firmly.
“Elles, we spent hours yesterday going through all the samples of that paint,”
“I know but I don’t think it’s right,” Ellie sighed and confessed, her shoulders hunching under his stare as she continued to avoid his gaze. “I think I should do wallpaper instead.”
Chris refrained from letting out the sigh of exasperation that he so desperately wanted to, and instead frowned and asked, “Okay well did you pick one?”
“What do you like? I think I like either of these,” Ellie replied, holding identical samples in either hand.
“Ellie, those look exactly the same.”
“It’s the same pattern but look, this one the leaves are a lighter green and this one it has a darker green,” she murmured as she moved over to stand next to him, trying to point out the supposed differences as Chris felt the headache that’d been looming all afternoon begin to ache.
Chris’ voice was delicate as he watched Ellie’s hands fly all over the sample in her efforts to pick apart the samples, interrupting her as he said, “I think you’re starting to see things, honey. They literally look identical.”
“They’re not though,” she insisted, a deep frown on her face.
He let out a huff that broke into a sigh and waved a hand, too tired to battle. “Then just pick whatever one you like.”
She continued to stare at the samples in either hand, practically deflating as she quietly admitted, “But I don’t know.”
“Okay then how about you take a break and come see the tile? I just finished it,” Chris suggested as he nodded his head towards the front area of the bakery.
For the first time that day, he saw a smile on Ellie’s face before he rested a hand on her back, gently leading her to the doorway and around the corner so she could come over behind the counter to see his handiwork. Chris felt a little bit proud of himself, knowing that he hadn’t exactly been inept when it came to things like this and he’d certainly done his fair share of house projects over the years fixing up his small home, but laying tile was a new challenge and he was pretty happy with how it had come out. He glanced over at Ellie, seeing her bite her bottom lip as she tucked some of her blonde hair behind her ear and immediately he knew he wasn’t going to like what was going to come out of her mouth.
His jaw clenched as he saw the way her eyes stared at the tile and froze as a frown appeared on her face. “I don’t like that look,” he murmured nervously.
“No, no, it looks great,” she rushed to tell him, but the familiar deflating of her shoulders occurred and she shook her head. “I just… okay don’t hate me but I just think that maybe the grout is too dark.”
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Chris muttered, feeling his patience finally snap. It’d been several weeks of her indecisiveness, and while he was more than understanding, he was also fucking tired of redoing things because she couldn’t make a decision. “Elles, I’m not ripping up all of this tile and redoing it just for the grout color. It’s gray! Nobody will even notice it!”
“But I’m afraid it’s going to look dirty and I don’t want that in a bakery,” Ellie rushed to explain, but she didn’t seem sympathetic to the strain on Chris as she continued, “I knew I should have picked white.”
“Elles, it literally does not matter. You’re making everything a huge deal,” Chris muttered as he shook his head in disbelief.
“It is though Chris,” she insisted firmly. “All of this is a huge deal. I have to make sure everything is perfect.”
“Well you don’t have to, you just want to,” his low, nearly sarcastic voice amended.
Ellie’s demeanor reminded Chris so much of Hazel – the upset pout, the worried eyes, and the nervous fiddling and movements, and he felt a rush of sympathy wash over him as she repeated the sentiment, telling him, “Things like this matter though.”
And as much as Chris wanted to say more, he decided to keep his mouth shut. In all their months of dating, he’d never seen Ellie like this. He knew she was a perfectionist but he’d never actually seen it come out in this way. She had been on edge ever since buying this business and there wasn’t a day that had gone by that she didn’t obsess over some minute detail or change her mind for about fifteen different things. Chris couldn’t help but feel frustrated but knew that she just was stressed and he hoped things would calm down soon enough.
He was thankful that Ellie eventually looked at the clock, suggesting they take a break for lunch and nothing sounded better to him. They both washed their hands before grabbing the sandwiches that Ellie had made and brought out to the front porch, sitting on the top step and soaking in the spring sunshine. Neither said anything for a long moment, Chris being able to see the gears inside Ellie’s head churning on high speed and if he was being completely honest, he didn’t really even want to know all that was going through her brain.
Ellie wiped her face with a napkin, putting it in her lap as she asked him, “When do you think we’ll be able to finish the bakery?”
Chris lifted his shoulders in a half-hearted shrug, a small smirk playing on his lips as he told her, “Depends on how many times you change your mind.”
Ellie rolled her eyes at him fondly, but then moved to stare at the paper plate on her lap as she whispered, “I’m serious.”
“So am I,” Chris replied, but dropped the teasing tone as he saw the anxiety in her expression. “I think we can have everything ready in the next two, maybe three, weeks probably.”
Ellie nodded as she chewed on a carrot, her eyes watching the cars drive by. “I want to get open so we can start making some money but I’m also nervous,” she admitted with a tentative and nervous look on her face, one that broke Chris’ heart. “When it opens then I actually have to run it.”
Chris turned to face Ellie fully, his hand moving to cover her own and squeezing it lightly. “Hey, you’re going to do a great job,” his low voice rumbled.
“I hope so.” He could see the invisible weight causing her shoulders to sag, her eyes looking anywhere but him as she mentioned, “I actually was thinking about something though.”
“What’s that?”
“Well I was thinking of hiring Brooke,” she finally turned to look at him. “She hates her job cutting hair and she’s so good at details that I was thinking she could help me order inventory, schedule all the employees and manage the custom orders.”
Chris smiled at her idea, reaching his free hand over to rub her back, encouraging her with, “I think that’s a good idea. I think you’re going to drive yourself insane if you try to do it all by yourself.”
“Yeah…”
He could tell more was lingering inside of her anxious shell but Chris felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, pulling his attention away from her. With both his job and having Hazel, Chris always made sure to check his phone in case something had happened, but the text that he read caught him completely off guard.
“Who is it?” Ellie asked lightly before she took a swig from her water bottle.
He grimaced and raised an eyebrow as he unlocked his phone and opened the text, telling Ellie, “It’s Ashlee.”
“...Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, she just is asking me for your phone number,” Chris’ brows furrowed as he looked at the text, as if staring at it longer would somehow explain it all. “She didn’t say why.”
“Oh…”
He watched her neatly folding her napkin as she tucked it underneath her paper plate before finally asking, “Are you okay with me giving Ashlee your number or do you want me to ask her why?
“No, no, it’s okay.”
Chris’ blue eyes lingered on Ellie for a long moment, studying her face before finally looking back at his phone so he could type out her number and send it off to Ashlee. An uncomfortable silence fell on each of them, neither knowing what this could be about and honestly not feeling great about it. At the sound of Ellie’s phone buzzing with an alert, they each jumped a little while Ellie instantly grabbed the small device.
Ellie had a deep frown on her face as she stared at her phone, and Chris felt his heart begin to race. “Ashlee said she wants to talk to me,” Ellie began slowly.
“About what?” He asked instantly, confused at the sudden shift thanks to Ashlee.
Ellie shrugged, looking at him helplessly. “She said she just wants to meet next week to talk,” she explained with another shrug. “I don’t know.”
“Elles…you don’t have to answer. I’ll call her and find out what’s going on,” he sighed, reaching for his phone again and clicking on Ashlee’s contact.
“No, don’t,” Ellie’s voice interrupted him. He glanced up at her and at the resolute expression on her face and the way she shook her head, he locked his phone again with a sigh. “If we’re going to continue to get more serious, I’m going to have to figure out how to have a relationship with her.”
“But you don’t have to do it now,” he reminded her with a clenched jaw.
“I think it’s probably for the best if I do,” she replied, an odd mixture of nerves and confidence all over her. “I didn’t feel like when I met her that one time that it went well, so I think it’d be good for everyone if I went.”
Chris was struck by the simple way Ellie turned her mood around in light of a pretty fucking large curveball being thrown her way, something he never felt he did well himself. “...You’re pretty wonderful, Ellie,” he murmured in admiration, shaking his head with a small laugh. “I hope you know that.”
Ellie shrugged, raising an eyebrow. Her voice was sarcastic and that teasing smirk – the one that’d gotten them into so much trouble already – taunted him as she reminded him, “I don’t think you were thinking that about twenty minutes ago.”
“Well when you’re devoting hours on end to identical wallpaper, you can’t really blame me,” Chris drawled as he laughed, feeling that stress from the last few weeks begin to lighten off of his shoulders.
Ellie rolled her eyes, looking at him as she protested, “They weren’t identical though.”
“Yes they were!” Chris insisted, laughing loudly. Despite their ‘arguing’, he knew it was all in good fun. It was a side of Ellie and himself that had been all but locked away in the last several weeks. He’d missed this – he’d missed her – and he welcomed the shift in Ellie.“I think you’ve been smelling too many paint fumes at this point and it’s making you insane.”
“You know what? Just for that I’m going to go meet Ashlee just so we can talk shit about you.”
“Oh do you mean shit like how I just laid an entire bathroom full of tile for you?” Chris couldn’t help but quip with a raised eyebrow.
And although he didn’t know it, that little smirk of his had Ellie’s stomach doing flip flops. Chris watched from under his long eyelashes as Ellie rested a hand on his broad shoulder before leaning in to press a kiss to his lips. He was so hungry for her kiss that he couldn’t help but deepen it quickly, needing more, but with them still sitting on the front porch, Ellie quickly pulled away.
Resigned to his kiss-less fate at the moment, Chris looked back down at his unfinished lunch but got it taken away by the blonde sitting next to him. He shot her a confused look as she put their paper plates on the porch before standing up and tugging on his arm. When he saw the little familiar grin on her pink lips, he knew exactly what was happening and he practically leapt to his feet, chasing after her through the bakery and up the back stairs as she laughed wildly before she stumbled at the top of the stairs, allowing him to capture her in his thick arms.
He was happy to forget about everything that was downstairs, all the wet grout, paint samples, and boxes of trim to be installed. It felt like their past few weeks together had been completely engrossed in the bakery and he’d missed not having Ellie’s full attention, even in moments like this being able to tell her brain was elsewhere. He loved her so deeply and seeing her so weighed down with all of this had not only been frustrating but had broken his heart a little to see her so different and withdrawn.
But he wasn’t about to let that be the case now, his lips caressing hers just the way he knew she loved, making sure he got her full attention this time. Chris’ chest was tingling with warmth, loving the needy way she was tugging at his sweaty clothes. Needing her just as badly, Chris shimmied out of his athletic shorts and his tight boxers, kicking them over to where she’d already left his shirt before he set his sights on peeling her out of every layer that kept her body from his.
Normally they liked to take their time, loving all the soft touches and sweet kisses that came before, but Chris was burning with so much desire for her that the only thing he could think of was getting deep inside her and hearing those sweet moans that poured from her lips. His pure need for her took over his actions, making him spin her around in his arms, lips attaching to her neck while his fingers dipped inside her warmth.
Chris felt drunk on the sound of her sighs, loving the way her back arched against his chest while his fingers spread around her wetness, rubbing deliberate circles on her sensitive button to keep her writhing in his grasp. He couldn’t help but smile as he watched Ellie’s head tip back to rest against his broad shoulder, her chest heaving as he whispered so many things into her ear as he kept working his fingers in those tight circles.
But just when he could tell her body was about to snap, he pulled his fingers away, needing to be able to be tucked deep inside her so that he could feel the way her body grasped his as she hit that peak. He turned them around, pushing Ellie into the wall a little harder than he intended but the soft grunt she let out when she hit the wall was enough to drive him wild and somehow got him even harder than he already was.
In one swift move, his hands were around her thighs, lifting her up and pinning her between her body and the wall. Her back was resting against the tan colored wall, legs being held on either side of his hips and pushed straight into her with a little guidance from her slender hand. They both were moaning loudly with that initial stretch, each of them having missed this deep connection and primal need for one another. Chris relished the way that Ellie’s soft hands reached out, rubbing across his firm chest, her core clenching down on him from being able to take in the way his muscles were bulging from how he was holding her up. If it was any other moment, he would have loved to just stand there and just get to watch the way she was already coming undone, melting against the wall and clenching him so hard, but right now, he couldn’t manage any of that.
He needed her and he needed her so fuckin’ bad.
Chris’ hips started thrusting, fast and unfocused as he chased after that euphoric feeling. He was thankful for his choice to hold her up, being able to lift her slightly and drop her back down to meet his thrusts, causing him to hit her so fucking deep with each thrust, making Ellie cry out in a way he hadn’t heard before. They were both panting, Ellie grasping at him blindly as his grip on her thighs tightened, his pace picking up as he kept hitting her hard and deep.
He could hear the almost obscene squelch as he kept diving into her over and over again, that wildly amazing feeling starting to tingle inside of him. Chris wanted to let go, he wanted to fill her up so badly and have that feeling of pulsing inside her warmth but he was determined to hang on, keeping himself steady as he kept thrusting until Ellie’s body was exploding while her fingers dug into his shoulders.
Chris focused on working her through that high, loving the way she was practically wilting onto him, her arms wrapping around his neck, face buried in his neck and chest heaving against his own while he kept pounding into her. It only took a few more thrusts and Ellie’s muffled whimpers against his skin to have him spilling into her and finally having that incredible feeling that they each needed more than they even knew.
After a long moment of them both panting, he heard her voice say against his skin,“I think you broke me.”
“Oh fuck, honey I’m sorry,” Regret instantly washed over him as he pulled out of her and then gently lowered her down to her feet. He knew he shouldn’t have gone that hard, knowing it wasn’t something they normally did and certainly not without talking it through before. Chris’ blue eyes anxiously scanned over her bare form, his hands on her waist as he surveyed her and asked, “Are you alright? What can I do?”
He heard Ellie’s soft laughter before her arms snaked around his neck, leaning in to peck his lips before telling him, “I meant in a good way.”
Chris squeezed her a little tighter, his anxiety washing away as he commented, “Well in that case, I’m glad I could be of service.”
He watched her as she trailed a hand along the side of his face, cupping his cheek tenderly as she stole another kiss, commenting, “So I think it sounds like you did end up enjoying working on the bakery.”
“If this is what comes with it, I’ll work here every day.”
“Need a hand?” Chris asked Hazel with a raised eyebrow, unclipping the buckle of her car seat. At Hazel’s stubborn shake of her head, he moved his arms back to his sides and stepped back, watching as he stood next to the car while she pulled the straps of her car seat off her shoulders. She shot him a grin as she slipped out of the seat, grabbing her water bottle from the cupholder before she moved towards the open door. Before Hazel could leap out of the car, Chris hastily latched onto her spare hand, keeping her still before he scooped her up.
“Why can’t I walk by myself?” The little girl muttered unhappily in his ear as he shut the door of the SUV, locking the car with one hand before he began walking them to the front of the grocery store. Her fist clung to the collar of Chris’ plain t-shirt, the same one that was stained with grout in a few places from earlier that day.
Chris paused and looked both ways before he crossed the walkway, hurrying before the waiting cars impatiently drove through. “Because it’s busy right now and I don’t want you to get hurt,” he murmured to her just before they reached the sidewalk in front of the store. He glanced towards the doors as a constant stream of people, having likely just left work or gotten their kids from school as well, poured in and out of the store, smiling instinctively as he felt Hazel grasp his hand tightly. “Let’s go get a cart, Basil,” he told her with a smile, leading her over to the carts.
Hazel’s eyes were locked on the small section of mini kid’s carts as he pulled a cart from the row. “Can I get one?” She asked him quietly, her brown eyes wide as she met his own blue eyes.
A chuckle rose from him as he shook his head, reaching under her armpits and lifting her before he placed her in the seat in the cart. “You lost your cart privileges last time, remember?” He asked her, raising an eyebrow as Hazel moved to avoid his eyes and stare at the ground with a pout. “Maybe in a few weeks, my heels still hurt Hazie,” he told her quietly, a small smirk on his lips before he leaned down and kissed her forehead and began steering the cart through the double doors of the grocery store.
Hazel’s displeasure was quickly forgotten as they moved through the produce section, the little girl excitedly instructing Chris on what to get. “I want the candy grapes!” She cheered as the cart stopped, pointing at the container of cotton candy grapes in the display.
Chris huffed out a laugh and shook his head. “You mean the organic, $5.99 a pound grapes? Not the normal green grapes?” He asked, holding up the container as he looked at his smiling daughter.
“Yeah, the yummy ones,” she affirmed, holding her hands out until he handed the grapes to her. She quickly turned in her seat, carefully dumping the organic grapes into the cart before she spun back with a wide grin.
“You’re lucky you’re so cute,” Chris muttered before he began pushing the cart away before Hazel could make any more costly decisions. He navigated them through the story, pausing every few moments to pull something off the shelves as he listened to Hazel’s chattering, hearing about her day at preschool.
“I drew a unicorn today but I didn’t like it,” Hazel told him seriously, her brown eyes as wide as saucers as she watched him slyly pick a box of pasta made from zucchini and spinach off of the shelf, dumping it into the cart before Hazel’s eyes could linger on the ‘normal’ pasta boxes.
“Oh, really?” He asked her as they moved down the aisle, then turned and paused in the cereal aisle. “What cereal do you want? Cheerios or Mini-Wheats?”
She turned in her seat, looking up and down the aisle next to her at the brightly covered cereal boxes, each adorned with some cartoon character and image to entice her. “Cocoa Puffs,” she finally answered, turning to look at Chris with a satisfied grin.
His lips curled in amusement and he leaned against the cart, Hazel’s hand reaching out to tap along the skin of his bare forearm. “I don’t remember offering Cocoa Puffs…”
“I know,” the girl replied with a small shrug of her narrow shoulders. “But Cocoa Puffs seem like a cereal Ellie would like.”
“Really?” Chris asked, pursing his lips as he thought. “I don’t think Ellie’s ever mentioned them before.”
“Yeah, but they’re chocolate and Ellie makes chocolate things all the time for us,” she informed him, and he had to admit her logic was fairly sound as she pointed to the box again, almost reminding him to get it.
He let out a long sigh with a small shake of his head. “Okay,” he finally agreed, refraining from grinning at the excited look on her face. “But only this one time, then only Cheerios or Mini-Wheats until summer, alright?”
Chris kept pushing the cart through the store, Hazel’s small legs swinging gently as they weaved up and down the aisles while she asked, “Daddy, can we have peanut butter sandwiches for dinner?”
“Not tonight honey, I’m going to make spaghetti and meatballs,” he informed her.
“Why can’t we have peanut butter?” She asked, not understanding why he couldn’t simply change the menu.
Chris was looking at all the different kinds of bread, checking the dates and placing a loaf for dinner in the cart as he told her, “Because Ellie’s coming over tonight and she’s had a long day working on the bakery so she’s going to be hungry.”
“I want spaghetti now,” Hazel stated firmly, her little hands playing with the beaded necklace she had on while telling him as he looked for sandwich bread, “I like it when Ellie comes over.”
Although Hazel didn’t know it, that one simple sentence completely melted his heart. Ever since Ashlee, he hadn’t been in a relationship with anyone, and if he was being honest, he hadn’t expected to for a long time. Hazel was his priority in life and he hadn’t planned on bringing anyone new into her life… or into his. He tried to just keep his head down and take things day by day, going to work, then taking care of Hazel and not focusing on much else.
But Ellie had changed all of that.
She had come into his life and made him want things that he didn’t think were possible anymore. She pulled him out of his little bubble that was filled with so much loneliness and showed him that life could be so much more than what he had been experiencing. She made him feel loved in a way he hadn’t ever felt before and getting to see that love extend to Hazel and to see how Hazel loved her so much in return made him know that this was right.
All of those thoughts brought a warmth inside of him that stayed present as they finished shopping and headed back home to unload the groceries and start on dinner. The chaos of the evening passed by in a blur between Chris getting dinner ready and Hazel buzzing around, happily greeting and pulling Ellie away the moment she arrived from the bakery, still covered in various paints and grout smears.
It wasn’t until after the spaghetti dinner and cleaning up that Chris finally pulled the tired little girl away from the bright-eyed blonde that time seemed to slow. After giving her a bath and helping her into bed, he shut Hazel’s door with one final “goodnight,” and trudged down the stairs, ready to relax with Ellie, but when he came to the bottom step, he found a much different scene in front of him.
Ellie was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, her back resting against it while she looked at flooring, wallpaper, and paint samples spread out in front of her that she must have brought with. He couldn’t help but feel frustrated with Ellie and how she had let herself be consumed with every tiny detail of redoing the bakery. He knew it was a big event for her, but the level with which she had become obsessed was taking a toll on them both. Ellie was perpetually exhausted these days, that little Ellie sparkle she always carried with her being dulled. Her extreme patience, calmness and all around good nature had been overtaken with anxiety and perfectionism to an unhealthy level and he couldn’t help but miss his Ellie, just wanting this bakery to be open already so he could have her back.
“Elles, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Chris murmured quietly as he stepped in front of her with a sigh. He had hoped they’d be able to just relax tonight, maybe share a beer and watch something on Netflix, but Ellie was turning the evening on its head.
“I just need to pick out some tile for the backsplash for the counter and in the bathroom, and the color for upstairs in the breakroom and my office,” she insisted with a shake of her head, not meeting his gaze as she held up a piece of tile next to the sample of the flooring for the back counter area. “The painters are coming on Friday.”
Chris refrained from saying something rash and instead moved to grab a beer from the fridge. “Well it’s only Tuesday so you still have time,” he pointed out.
“No I don’t because I have to order the paint and pick it up and tomorrow I’m meeting with Dottie to go over things. Then I’m meeting with Brooke since she accepted the job to kind of go over what it’ll look like,” Ellie rambled, her voice wavering as Chris made his way back into the living room as he took a long sip of the beer. He could tell her brain was moving a thousand miles a minute, and while it hurt him to see the way she was overthinking and overdoing everything, he didn’t know how to make it stop. “And I’m still nowhere close to being finished with decorating it and I need to go find what tables and chairs will fit and then-”
“Ellie, will you just fuckin’ stop? If I have to hear about tile or paint or countertops one more time I swear I’m going to go insane!” He interrupted, his voice raising in what was a somewhat sharp manner, while still low enough to not wake the curly-haired girl upstairs. He’d watched Ellie think, move, and go nonstop from the moment she woke until the moment she – restlessly – fell asleep each night, if she even did fall asleep, and he could tell she was approaching the point of no return. She could put up some boundaries, leaving the bakery stuff at the bakery each night, giving herself a few hours of a break she desperately needed, or she could keep going, and likely crash and burn in the process. And while Chris would support her either way, he couldn’t watch her self-destruct like this without at least trying to help her.
For the first time since he had come back down the stairs, she brought her eyes up to meet his, but Chris almost wished she hadn’t. He could see the tears brimming in her eyes and immediately felt a wash of guilt, knowing that his harsh words had brought those dripping tears there. But this wasn’t Ellie, the cool, calm, and collected blonde. This was the Ellie that her parents, brother, and Brooke all vaguely referenced from time to time, the one who didn’t know when and how to stop until it was too far gone. And while he hated having to be the one to proverbially smack it out of her, it had to happen, for everyone's own good.
“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that so harshly Elles,” Chris whispered guiltily, shaking his head as he fell backwards onto the couch. “But you can’t keep doing this, you’re going to burn yourself out before the bakery even opens.”
She gasped as she took a breath, the tears falling rapidly as she abandoned the samples to turn and face Chris. “But I have to make these decisions,” she whispered.
“Yeah make decisions, that means make a choice and then you’re done with it. Not stress over a miniscule decision for days on end.”
“They matter!”
Chris shrugged half-heartedly, a hand lifting in the air unconvincingly. “Yeah they matter but not enough to make yourself sick over, especially when it's a decision like faucets and wallpaper and trim color,” he tried to reason.
“They all make a difference,” Ellie’s voice was hardened, and she shook her head. “This has to be successful.”
“And tell me how picking this white or this tan for the break room upstairs is going to matter if you run a successful bakery or not,” Chris pointed out, crossing his arms after he took a sip of beer, then leaned back against the couch cushion.
Her voice was impossibly tiny, her shoulders hunching as she caved in on herself. She seemed – in the moment – as small as Hazel was, so delicate and breakable, but still with a stubborn, fierce fire inside of her, just buried below all of her anxieties. “You don’t understand,” she insisted again.
“No, don’t do that. That’s just trying to shut this conversation down,” Chris called her out, shaking his head as his jaw clenched. “Tell me, Ellie. I want you to be able to articulate what it is I don’t understand.”
“It just…” she paused, floundering as her eyes were locked on her wringing hands in her lap, Chris barely able to see the white and black wool rug beneath her. “I just have to make sure this is all is right. It all has to be right. It needs to be perfect.”
He sighed in frustration, nostrils flaring and his hands flying apart from where they’d rested over his chest and into the air. “But what does that even mean? How is there a right or wrong when it comes to picking a paint color!”
“Because I can’t fail at another thing!”
“Elles,” his voice cut through, suddenly losing all his steam in his argument at that admission. “Hey, come sit by me and tell me what this is all about.”
He held a hand out, waiting as Ellie slowly stood up from the floor and sat next to him, leaving a reasonable distance, something Chris was grateful for as he could see her face clearly. “I already failed at one career so what’s to say I won’t fail at this one?” Ellie asked him, her eyes wide and all but terrified at the thought. “Only this time will be ten times worse.”
“How’s that?”
“Because now I’m responsible for other people’s income. My parents invested money, you’ve put in all this work getting it repaired, Brooke quit her job to work for me and all these other employees are depending on me,” she informed him, but the notion was nothing new to Chris. He was incredibly proud of her, the way she was able to be in this position where others worked for her and wanted to do so, and do it well. But he couldn’t help but acknowledge how terrifying that must be, especially in a moment of weakness like this. “I’m responsible and when I fail, it’ll affect all of them.”
“But obsessing over paint and tile isn’t going to help change any of that,” he told her with a soft whisper.
“I just can’t fail again, Chris. I just can’t.”
“Ellie, you have to stop thinking of yourself as a failure. You worked as a nurse for quite a few years and decided it wasn’t for you, so what? Now you’re doing something else,” he shrugged, pausing a bit before he continued, “and if the bakery doesn’t end up working out, it’ll be hard but you’ll find another job and so will everyone else. That’s just a normal part of life.”
She gave him a tight smile – although it leaned more grimace – before she admitted, “It sounds so simple when you say it, but it doesn’t feel that way.”
“You can be dedicated to something and work hard without killing yourself, honey,” Chris reminded her, tilting his head as he studied her. “You have to be able to let go of some of it.”
Ellie frowned, looking down at her lap as she pulled on a loose thread from her shorts. “I just don’t know how,” she quietly confessed.
“You do know that there are quite a few people in your life who’d be more than willing to help you, right?” Chris asked, an eyebrow raised before he smiled a little. “And there’s one sitting right next to you.”
Her eyes were wide as she took in his words, something shifting inside of her before she quietly said, “I love you, Chris.”
“I love you too, Elles,” he easily replied, the phrase being the easiest one he’d ever said. “Now let’s put all those samples away and you’re not going to think about it for the rest of the night, okay? You’re officially taking a break.”
She nodded, leaning down to put the samples back into her large brown tote bag. Before long she glanced over her shoulder at him with a smirk, saying, “Just so you know, you’re not allowed to leave me ever, because I don’t know any other man who would do all of this for me.”
His shoulders relaxed as he comfortably leaned back, taking a sip from the lukewarm beer in his hand as he playfully admitted, “Well don’t worry, the only plans I have are getting you closer to me.”
Chris watched as Ellie zipped up the top of her bag, stowing away all the samples and hopefully putting them out of her mind. He caught her gaze as she turned back to look over at him and he took the opportunity to pat his chest with a hand, a silent invitation to her that she gladly took. Ellie curled up next to him, her head coming to rest on his chest and her arm curling around his waist. It wasn’t until he draped his thick arms around her that a soft contented sigh came out of her, and although it seemed far-fetched only a matter of minutes ago, he had his Elles back.
A/N: Sorry for the delay- it got stuck in our queue! Whoops. We’ve missed Chellie so much! This chapter was one of our faves to write between everything, and so many headcanons we’ve had for so long ended up getting brought up here! We can’t wait to hear your thoughts, and feel free to send any asks you want to our inbox for Firefighter Friday tomorrow!!
#playing with fire#chris evans story#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fic#chris evans x ofc#chris evans writing#chris evans x original female character#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#chris evans au#cevans#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#firefighter au#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans#hazel's dad#chris evans smut#chris evans fluff#writing#original content#original female character
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 19
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 2,880
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None.
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“Daddy, when are you coming back?” Hazel’s small voice asked. Ellie watched the way Hazel’s little hand rubbed over the soft material of the octopus stuffed animal in her arms as she waited for Chris’ answer, Dodger circling around the pair as he sniffed.
She saw Chris give her a look and finish pulling on his sneakers before he came to kneel down in front of his little daughter. Today was a day Chris had been dreading for the past week. He was meeting with Ashlee to go over more of the details of her moving and all that it would entail for both of them, but mostly Hazel. He had kept hoping that somehow Ashlee would change her mind and stay, but having this meeting made it more final in his mind.
He still hadn’t told Hazel, wanting to know details before he sat her down but it left him with what he was going to do with her while he went to Ashlee’s house. When he had brought it up, Ellie had eagerly offered to watch her, loving to spend any time she could with the little girl she loved so dearly which is where they all were now with Chris dropping off the curly headed Hazel.
Ellie knew that Hazel was comfortable with her, the two of them spending a lot of time together, but she knew this was different. Chris was leaving her with Ellie at her home and neither were surprised that the curly headed girl might feel a little nervous.
“Probably by dinner time, Hazelnut," he assured her, running a hand over her hair.
“Can you come back after dinner?” Both of them were surprised at her innocent question. “I want to stay with my Ellie jelly.”
“What? Does my Hazel Bo Basil not want me to come pick her up?” Chris teased with wide sparkling eyes, reaching out to tickle her sides, making the tiny girl squeal and squirm in his arms. “You’re just ready to ditch me that quickly for Ellie?”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile at the scene, watching the two with their faces scrunched up in laughter as Chris kept tickling her until she could hardly breathe. It almost felt painful, knowing that there was so much going on that Hazel was still completely unaware of and all of that weighing so heavily on Chris, but seeing the two of them bursting with laughter felt so good to get to see.
She knew that this wouldn’t be an easy day for Chris. He was meeting Ashlee to go over all the logistics now that Ashlee was officially moving. Ellie had happily offered to take Hazel, planning a special afternoon for them, knowing that it would also help take a load off of Chris’ mind to know that Hazel would be having fun.
“Alright, well you be good for Ellie, okay, Basil?” Chris eventually spoke, his big hands on her tiny arms that he rubbed gently. “I’ll be back around dinnertime.”
“Or I could have a sleepover here…” She suggested, making Chris’ eyebrow raise in amusement.
“How about you and I make a special dinner so we could all eat together when your daddy is done?” Ellie suggested, wanting to take one more responsibility off of Chris’ plate for the day as well as selfishly just wanting to be able to spend more time with the both of them.
Hazel’s eyes lit up as she asked, “Can we make cookies for dessert?”
“How about a big cake with lots and lots of frosting?” Ellie suggested with a smile, knowing that would immediately win her over and made Hazel erupt with cheers while she bounced on the balls of her feet.
Ellie then took a moment to kneel down next to Chris, telling Hazel that she had a special movie for them to watch and had brought out all of her extra pillows so they could pile them up on the couch and get comfortable. After Hazel got to hug Chris goodbye, Ellie suggested she go set up all her stuffed animals that she brought in the living room so they could watch the movie too, causing the curly headed girl to go running into the other room with her backpack in hand.
The moment allowed Ellie to wrap her arms around Chris once they both stood up, feeling some of the tension in his shoulders melt away as she hugged him tightly. Ellie could hear him let out a long sigh, practically melting his large frame into hers, just drinking in her comfort before eventually reluctantly pulling away.
“Hey,” Ellie started, reaching a hand up to rest on his bearded cheek, looking into those beautiful blue eyes as she told him firmly, “It’s going to be okay. Just try to be calm and then come back here to me and Hazel when you’re done.”
“I love you so much, Elles," he breathed, leaning in to bury his face in the crook of her neck. “I don’t know how I’d be getting through this without you.”
“Well luckily," she stopped to lift his head up so that she could lean in to press a long kiss to his lips before finishing, “You don’t have to worry about that. I’m right here for you.”
Chris just stayed there for a long moment, practically engulfing her frame with his, holding her tight as he just breathed in her scent. Ellie could have stayed there all night just holding him but eventually she let go of his frame so he could head out the door, leaving just her and Hazel together.
“Alright Hazie, want to watch a movie?” Ellie asked, clapping her hands as she walked back into the living room where the little girl was busy arranging her stuffed animals on the couch.
“Can we watch Elsa?” Hazel asked, clutching the little lizard stuffed animal in her tight grip.
“Actually,” The blonde started, plopping down on the couch next to Hazel, running a hand through her curly hair before telling her, “I wanted to show you a movie I loved when I was younger and I think you might like it too. It’s called The Princess Diaries. Do you want to see it?”
She smiled when Hazel eagerly nodded her head, but it wasn’t until she started playing the movie that feelings inside of Ellie really started stirring. It didn’t take more than a few minutes for Hazel to scoot closer and closer to Ellie, her little body ending up curled against Ellie’s side with one of her little hands wrapped around Ellie’s waist. Ellie leaned down to kiss the top of her head before bringing a hand to rest on her back.
It was moments like this that made Ellie feel like she had finally found what she was looking for in life. Only a year ago she was in New York, coming home from a day at the hospital every day in tears, not knowing how she could possibly get through another day. But now? Now here she was being loved so deeply by a man with a heart of gold and getting to watch a movie with his sweet daughter that she had come to love with her whole heart. She realized that all the time what she was missing were moments like this. This is what meant the world to Ellie and she knew without a doubt that she wanted it with Chris and Hazel.
It felt so good to be able to just spend time with Hazel, getting to enjoy the different dynamic of only having the two of them. They had so much fun that neither hardly noticed when Chris came walking back into the house a few hours later, so much obvious tension on his face that seemed to melt away the moment that he could see both of them and seeing that look made Ellie know, without a doubt, that this was going to be forever.
“Daddy, look how much money I made!” Hazel eagerly unzipped her little sea turtle pouch to show off the wrinkled dollar bills and loose coins shoved into it.
“Wow, looks like you’re quite the entrepreneur,” Chris smiled at her, leaning down to kiss the top of her head before he knelt down on the grass, an elbow leaning against the wooden stand while he asked, “What are you going to buy with all that money?”
“Probably a bike… or a unicorn," she shrugged as she weighed her options.
A loud laugh poured out of Chris as he tipped his head back, a hand slapping to his chest before he told her, “I think you might need to sell a few more cups of lemonade for either of those, Basil.”
“Well I’m pretty sure she’s made more on tips than she has in actual sales,” Ellie spoke up from where she was sitting next to the small girl who was swinging her feet, “Hazie’s quite the customer service expert… I think I’m going to need to hire her to run the bakery for me soon.”
Ellie saw Hazel’s eyes light up as she exclaimed,“I would be good at frosting the cupcakes!”
“I have a feeling you’d eat all the frosting before it made it to the cupcakes,” Chris muttered with amusement as he reached out to tuck some of Hazel’s curls behind her ear.
“Ellie says you have to taste it first to make sure it’s good!”
She saw the way Chris looked over at her, that smirk that drove her wild appearing on his lips as he held up a hand in defense, “Well I guess we can’t question Ellie, now can we?”
Ellie wrapped an arm around Hazel, giving her a little squeeze before she hopped up to grab one of the paper cups and precariously pour a glass for Chris. The tall firefighter had barely got a sip when their moment was interrupted by a loud voice calling out from the porch of the bakery.
“Oh good, Chris is here. Now we don’t have to carry those heavy boxes upstairs,” Brooke called out, not so subtly hinting at what she wanted.
“Is that all I’m good to you for, Brooke? Just getting you out of work,” Chris called back with an eyebrow raised.
They both watched the dark skinned beauty shrug before stating, “Yeah basically.”
“Brookie, do you want to come be Hazel’s assistant for a few minutes and I’ll show Chris where the boxes go?” Ellie suggested, standing to her feet and motioning to the little folding chair she had been sitting in next to Hazel.
When Brooke happily agreed and came down to sit by Hazel, the couple shuffled inside the bakery, Ellie taking a moment to say hi to the few regular customers spread out amongst the tables before she led Chris to where the large cardboard box was sitting by the register. He picked it up with ease and followed Ellie up the back stairs, heading through the break room and into her small office where she instructed him to drop it.
Ellie was surprised when she saw Chris then move to rest against her desk, half sitting on it as he crossed his arms. It was obvious so many thoughts were swirling in his mind and Ellie was so thankful to have the opportunity to get to talk with him. She moved closer, leaning in to kiss his prickly bearded cheek while rubbing a hand on his thick arm, helping to ease the tension in his body.
“So how did everything go today?”
“Okay I guess…” He motioned vaguely with his hand, “I think it’s finally sinking in that Ashlee is really moving.”
“Does she have an official moving date?”
Chris nodded, lifting his face to meet his blue eyes with hers, “Yeah she’s moving in a month.”
“That early? I thought she was going to stay through August when Hazel starts school?” Ellie tipped her head in confusion, knowing that had been the plan before.
“Not now. Her boss wants her there by the end of July so she’s going sooner.” A long sigh fell from his lips. It was obvious to Ellie that he was struggling with reality, running a hand through his hair as he realized aloud, “Which means we have to tell Hazel soon… God, I’m dreading that.”
“Try not to worry about it right now,” Ellie tried to encourage, stepping straight in front of him as she rubbed her hands on each of his arms. “I think the bigger problem is telling Hazel that she can’t buy a bike or a unicorn with twenty-four dollars.”
She got a small chuckle out of him, loving to see that smile if only for a moment as he replied, “That’s true, that is going to be the biggest crisis of the day.”
It was quiet for a long moment, the only sounds being the muffled voices downstairs and the clanging of the baking happening in the kitchen below. Ellie kept slowly rubbing her hands up and down his arms, knowing he was grappling with all of these feelings that were thrust on him so abruptly with Ashlee’s decision. It wasn’t a secret that Ellie had been worried about him, wanting to do anything she could to take the burden off of him and she felt a little successful each time she felt him relax in her arms.
“How are you feeling about all of this, honey?”
“I think I’m just… sad. I mean, I just didn’t want things to be this way," he admitted slowly. “I understand that Ashlee has to do what she wants with her life but I just don’t think it’s the right thing. It’s just another example of how we’ve always been on a different page.”
“I know it’s not easy when you both think so differently, but just remember that you both love Hazel." She tried to encourage the common thread between the two parents.
Chris just shook his head, his chin tipping down as he muttered, “I still don’t understand how you can do that.”
“Do what?”
“Make me feel like everything’s going to be okay," he lifted his face to offer her the softest little smile, “Although I don’t understand how you do a lot of the things that you do.”
“You’re just saying that so you can get a piece of that fresh cherry pie downstairs,” Ellie teased him before dropping her hands and turning to head for the door.
“Hey c’mere,” Chris caught her before she got too far, gently tugging on her arm to bring her back and pull her right up against his chest, both of his arms wrapping around her waist firmly, “I’m being serious, Elles. Going through all of this has really made me do a lot of thinking.”
“About us or about Hazel?”
“All of us," he admitted honestly as he gazed down at her beautiful face. “Marrying Ashlee was always a mistake. Neither of us should have done that. I thought that I was doing the right thing by proposing and I know she thought she was doing the right thing by saying yes but we both knew it wasn’t right. We never loved each other, or at least not in the right way that is.”
She just watched him as the emotions crossed his face, Chris opening and closing his mouth a few times before he finally found the words, “Then, after everything fell apart I just tried so hard to be a good dad for Hazel. I tried to give her a good home and try to make up for the mistakes I’d made. I just threw myself into parenting and working and had been splitting my week between the two until you showed up.”
“And started filling your daughter with sugar,” Ellie’s nose crinkled up with her soft laughter.
“Well that’s true, I probably shouldn’t thank you for that," he teasingly winked at her. “But I just had completely given up on even being in touch with what I wanted and now things are just… so different. Going through all of this with Ashlee has made me realize even more how much this life that I have right now is what I want forever. You’re truly the girl I dreamed of having and never thought I’d even have the chance to get.”
“That goes both ways,” Ellie reminded him as she rubbed a hand along the soft tee shirt covering his chest, “You and Hazel are everything I didn’t know that I needed. I love you both more than anything.”
“We love you too, and I just want you to know, Ellie, that I’m going to ask you to marry me," his voice was so gentle, “I want to give it a little more time because I don’t want to throw another change into Hazel’s life right now, but know that my intention isn’t anywhere else. I want to be with you forever.”
And as Ellie looked into his emotional eyes through her vision that was blurred with tears, she could see just how honest every single one of those words were. She knew that he meant it wholeheartedly and that this little family of theirs was everything they both needed.
#playing with fire#chris evans fic#chris evans x ofc#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans writing#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#original female character#original content#writing#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#chris evans au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#firefighter au#chris evans smut#chris evans fluff#chris evans imagine#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 18
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 4,296
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
A smile appeared on Chris’ face as he heard Hazel’s squeal before she tugged on his hand, excitedly pointing at the big balloon arch that was hanging above the door of the bakery. He couldn’t help but laugh at just how big her eyes were looking from the balloons to the table set up with all kinds of colorful pastries and cupcakes, but Chris’ focus turned to something else.
His blue eyes lit up when he glanced up above the balloons and saw the sign hanging above the door that simply read ‘Ellie’s’. Chris didn’t know it was possible to be so joyful by just looking at a sign, but he was. That one sign held so many feelings, but the one that stood out to him was that immense feeling of pride and admiration he felt as he looked at the namesake of the sign standing by the doorway with that beautiful smile on her face.
Hazel’s hand squeezed Chris’ own before she began bouncing in place, her curls flying around as she cheered, “Ellie! Ellie! We’re here!”
“My favorite people!” Ellie laughed, sending a smile to them as she excused herself from her conversation with the owner of the local coffee shop. Ellie made her way over to the father and daughter as they stepped to the side, and the blonde squatted down as she murmured, “Look Hazie, I made your favorite type of sugar cookies.”
The little girl gasped, her eyes as wide as saucers as she looked at the long table next to them. Her voice was low as she stood on her tip toes and asked, “Daddy, can I have one?”
“Sure, but just one,” he agreed, watching with a faint smile as she carefully took a cookie and a napkin. He glanced up at hearing a familiar chuckle in the distance, seeing his mother speaking with Ellie’s parents and gently nudged Hazel, pointing to her and saying, “There’s Nana over there, why don’t you go take her one too?”
“Okay,” she replied, taking a frosted pink cookie in her fingers and being careful not to smudge it as she made her way towards her grandmother with a wide smile on her tiny face.
Once Hazel had safely crossed the bakery, Chris looked back at Ellie with a fond expression. “The bakery looks amazing, honey,” he murmured, leaning forwards to peck her cheek. “How’s the grand opening going?”
Ellie gave a pleased, but also exhausted, smile, admitting, “It’s been slammed all day. Your fellow firefighters already came by and ate all the lemon bars I had and I didn’t have time to save you one.”
He let out a low whistle, shaking his head as he muttered, “Wow, I expected I’d at least get a lemon bar for all the fuckin’ tile I laid in this place…”
Ellie shoved his arm away with a chuckle, her elbow digging into his side. “I’ll make you a whole pan of lemon bars to thank you,” she laughed, relaxing as his arm settled around her shoulders comfortingly.
“I’m so glad the opening is going so well. I’m so proud of you Elles,” Chris whispered to her as he squeezed her shoulders. He couldn’t help but feel awe as he looked at the busy bakery full of locals, at the proud expression on Ellie’s face as she watched Brooke chat with an older couple, handing them a custom order menu and taking down their information for later. These people filling the bakery they’d worked so hard on for the last six weeks made it all worth it, the headaches, the stress, and the toll it took on Ellie. This was her dream and he was more than proud to stand by her side.
She snorted, her eyes twinkling as she tilted her head to look at him. “Well I’ll do what I can to fill the residents of this town up with sugar,” she laughed.
“I think you do a pretty good job of that,” Chris agreed with a smirk. He was quiet for a moment as he looked out at the bakery again, but before long he could tell Ellie was itching to make her rounds so he dropped his arm. “I don’t want to monopolize you, but I’m so proud of you and I love you so much, Elles.”
“I love you too,” she smiled, leaning in for a hug and whispering, “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”
“I promise we won’t,” he reassured her, eyes moving to check on Hazel again, smiling as he saw her excitedly talking to Brett.
Chris kissed her cheek before reluctantly pulling away and letting her get back to the many new customers that were mingling around the grand opening. He went over to join Hazel with his mother and Ellie’s family, happily chatting with all of them but he couldn’t help but let his mind drift elsewhere. It had been a couple of days since Hazel’s big birthday party, the curly-headed little girl was so filled with excitement and happiness on that day, but towards the end of the party, Ashlee had caught Chris in a quiet moment before he left and asked if they could meet one day soon to talk.
It wasn’t a secret that he and Ashlee didn’t always get along, their divorce being evidence of that, but they always could come together when it came to Hazel. Both loved her with their whole hearts and truly wanted the best for their daughter and made time to talk anytime either of them had a concern about her or something regarding Hazel. But Chris also knew there must be something that was up, first with Ashlee meeting Ellie and now wanting to talk to him only three weeks later.
She hadn’t given the slightest hint as to what it was about though, making him curious as to what was going to be brought up. He tried to push it out of his mind for the time being, knowing he still had time to hang around the bakery and he was so thankful he did because it gave him the opportunity to just watch Ellie, his Elles, practically glowing.
He knew that none of this had been easy for her. She had shared with him how much of a failure she had felt after leaving the nursing profession, the perceived defeat leaving her with so much insecurity. Chris knew so many of those feelings had played into her going overboard with her perfectionist tendencies in getting this bakery up and running, but he could see just by watching her that she was in her element. He knew that she would thrive here, developing relationships with customers, growing her new business and baking new creations, but his favorite part of it all was knowing that he was going to get to be right by her side as she grew into all of it.
Chris snapped out of his thoughts when his mother pulled him aside not an hour later, offering to watch Hazel for the evening and giving him a knowing look. He gratefully accepted, leaning down to hug Hazel and promise that he’d see her later and reminding her to be a good listener, and with another hug and kiss to Ellie, he slipped out of the bakery. As he sat down in his car, he sent a quick text to Ashlee, double-checking she was home, and before he could talk himself out of it, he drove over to her townhouse.
He couldn’t help but feel a little bit nervous for some reason, knowing that if she had called him to talk alone, it must have been serious. Chris knocked on the door before he shoved his hands in his pockets, trying to hide his sweaty palms as he waited for her to pull open the door. He could hear her feet echoing on the hardwood floor before she opened the door for him to come inside, leading him to the kitchen where he took a seat on one of her high bar stools as she dug around in her fridge.
It’d been several months since he’d been in her home long enough to glance around, and he’d almost wished he hadn’t. Everywhere he looked, he saw bits and pieces of Hazel’s life, one he wasn’t a part of, but also saw pieces of him. He was in a picture on Ashlee’s mantle from Hazel’s first day of preschool, clutching Hazel’s hand as she stood in between her parents. He was in a picture Hazel drew that was hanging on a corkboard in the kitchen, brown crayon strokes forming a mess of hair and bright blue eyes looking back at him with Dodger at his feet next to Hazel and Ashlee. It pained him, being in a home he had so many visible connections to, and yet existed in only thanks to their girl.
He cleared his throat, focusing on the sounds of Ashlee moving a bottle of wine before she turned, the expensive wine catching his eye as she asked, “You want anything to drink?”
Chris shook his head, fingers tapping nervously against his jeans. “No, I’m fine,” he murmured.
She gave him a look before she turned, opening the bottle and asking, “Are you sure?”
“Am I going to need one for this conversation?” Chris shot back with a raised brow, his face falling at Ashlee’s sheepish look. He cleared his throat again, shifting and murmuring, “Maybe a beer then.”
She nodded, pulling a canned IPA out - one that was oddly enough his favorite kind - and handed it to him. She tentatively sat down on the opposite bar stool, a perfectly manicured hand coming to rest on the quartz countertop as she whispered, “Thanks for being willing to come over and talk.”
“Of course,” he reassured her, but he couldn’t help but feel anxious. Things with Hazel had been going so well lately, and he found himself worried that she’d confided in Ashlee about something, or that something was seriously wrong. “What is this about, Ashlee? There’s not anything going on with Hazel is there?” He asked worriedly.
“No, it’s not that,” Ashlee rushed to assure him, her eyes wide.
“Then what is it?”
“The other day I had a meeting with my boss,” she began tentatively, pausing as she bit her lower lip nervously. “And he told me that he really liked what I was doing and he didn’t want me to just work in the marketing department… he wanted me to be in charge of it.”
His brows furrowed in confusion, slowly - but genuinely - telling her, “That’s great Ashlee, congratulations.”
She nodded, taking a long sip of her wine. As she placed the stemless glass down on the counter, she added, “The catch is that the job is in New York City.”
“Oh…well that’s a little bit of a bummer,” he drew out, his brows furrowing deeper. It didn’t change anything, and quite honestly he was confused as to why it was ‘hold a meeting with your ex’ worthy. She already worked half the week in New York, staying in an apartment she rented before returning home to work Thursdays and Fridays virtually while it was her half of the week with Hazel. “But you only work the first half of the week in-person anyway so it probably won’t be that bad.”
Ashlee’s face was frozen before she nodded and swallowed nervously, explaining, “I’d be working everyday in-person now though if I was in charge of it.”
He frowned, putting his can of beer back on the counter after a much-needed sip. “How will that work though?” He asked her quietly. “I mean, you have Hazel on Thursday and Fridays.”
“I know…” Ashlee murmured with a frown.
He looked at her expectantly, unsure what Ashlee was getting at before he asked, “So what are you planning on doing?”
“I was thinking that maybe… well, that you would have her,” she whispered, her eyes nervous.
He shrugged, moving a hand to run through his beard before grimacing slightly. “That could work. I can talk to Ma and see if she could have her overnight and then could pick her up from school and you could just pick her up from there when you get home from work,” he offered, but he knew the offer wasn’t a feasible solution. It wasn’t fair to shove nearly half of the parenting duties on his mother - a woman who had certainly done her time with raising four rambunctious kids - at this stage in her life, one where she was finally at peace with her free time and enjoying her several grandchildren in doses, but to give her nearly equal, if not more, time with Hazel than Ashlee – Hazel’s mother – had was unsustainable in the long run.
“Chris, I don’t think you’re understanding me,” Ashlee interrupted his thoughts, her voice slightly raised to get his attention before it dropped and she finally spit out, “I’d be moving to New York.”
“That doesn’t make any sense. Hazel’s starting kindergarten in a few months, we can’t send her to one school half the week and another the other half,” he slowly replied, confusion evident in his voice as he leaned back in the barstool.
She nodded, swallowing anxiously. “I know, and that’s why I was thinking that she’d stay here,” she whispered.
His jaw dropped minutely and he could practically pinpoint the moment his heart stopped at her words. He shook his head and clenched his jaw, giving her one last chance and saying, “Ashlee, you can’t be serious.”
“Think about it Chris. If I stayed living here and commuted every day I’d have to leave at the crack of dawn, and then at night, it already takes two hours to get to New York on a good day let alone in rush hour traffic. I wouldn’t be home and picking Hazel up until eight or eight-thirty at night and then I’d just bring her back to my house and put her to bed. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“What doesn’t make sense to me is that you’re leaving Hazel!” He replied, his hands flying in the air. “Ashlee, I don’t understand any of this!”
“I know you don’t,” she assured him, her shoulders slouching in defeat, but Chris couldn’t see past the pure emotion he was feeling at the realization she was willing to give up time with their little girl for her career. He glanced up at the sound of a soft murmur of his name, eyes narrowing and Chris frowning as she nearly begged him, “But look at this from my perspective. You know how much I love my job and that I want to keep moving up. This is an incredible opportunity for me. You know I always wanted to be in New York, I always planned on staying there but then when we had Hazel we came here because we needed your family’s help and we could afford something here.”
He swallowed and nodded, knowing her words were accurate. They’d been desperate for stability, one where they were able to give Hazel an upbringing surrounded by people who loved her, while also allowing Chris and Ashlee to work. “I know, but Hazel is here,” he whispered.
“Even if I kept my current job, I’m going to have to start traveling to Europe a lot now for some of our accounts so she’d be with you every other week anyway,” Ashlee explained, and she paused to wipe some tears away before she shrugged. “And I was kind of thinking that if I did move, maybe I could have her every other weekend. I can go into work early on Friday so I can leave early and come get her and take her back to New York with me.”
He was quiet for several moments, blinking his own tears away as he listened to her words. “But every other weekend… Ashlee, how can that be enough? Hazel is going to be devastated,” he finally asked, looking up at her.
“I know,” she agreed, reaching for a napkin from the holder between them and wiping her eyes. “I am too, but I think this is going to be best for everyone.”
He shook his head, unable to see the good in this as he admitted, “I just don’t see how.”
She gave him a tight smile as she put the balled up napkin on the white countertop, speaking quietly as she told him, “Look Chris, I think it’s obvious that you’re probably going to marry Ellie sometime soon and that’s great. I think she’s a really wonderful person, but you two will get married and have a home and probably more kids and where does that leave me?”
He ducked his head, eyes locked onto hers as he gave one last effort, “But you’re Hazel’s mother. Me marrying Ellie would have nothing to do with that and Ellie would be the first to say that.”
“I know, she made that very clear. But you got what you wanted Chris. You got the house next to your family, the job you love and now will probably have a family of your own which is what you always wanted,” she gave him a genuine smile, one that almost seemed like a proud smile to an old friend. “But I didn’t.”
“What do you mean?” He asked her quietly with a frown.
“I love Hazel and I wouldn’t trade her for anything in the world,” she started, staring down at the counter. It was obvious so many emotions were running through her before she explained, “But I think we both know that wasn’t what I was planning on in life. I want to be in New York and be able to have my job and keep working my way up. I want the city life and everything that goes with it. I gave up everything I wanted when we had Hazel and now I have a chance to get it.”
For the first moment in this conversation, Chris could see her situation. It was true that the only reason she was here at all was because of Hazel. He remembered the terrible arguments they had when they were married, Chris wanting to move back here and Ashlee wanting to stay. It had been her dream to be in New York City and that had been pulled away from her. He realized that when they got divorced, his life had mostly stayed the same. He got to have the same job, live by his family, and be where he wanted to. But Ashlee hadn’t. She had given up everything to be here with Hazel – and him – and now she was only here to spend time with Hazel. But his deep emotions for Hazel got the best of him as he quietly replied, “I guess so… but I just don’t understand how you can leave Hazel.”
“It’s not going to be easy for any of us at first, but I think it’s better in the long run,” she told him with a shaky voice. “I think that we’re all in a good place for this to happen.”
He shook his head and sighed deeply, frustration filling him as he replied, “I mean obviously it’s your decision but I just don’t know Ashlee…”
“I hope you can understand, because it’s already done. I accepted the job and I’m going to be moving right before school starts for Hazel,” she informed him, steeling herself as he met her gaze. “I have to have some kind of life of my own. You’ve gotten to do that, but I haven’t.”
“But you’ll be so far away from Hazel,” he whispered, still unable to wrap his mind around it.
She nodded, tapping her fingers against the stone countertop and beginning slowly as she said, “Well… I was thinking that maybe you moving to New York City is always an option.”
He froze, almost unsure if he heard her correctly as he breathed, “What?”
“I mean, I moved here for Hazel and you, so maybe you moving to the city for me would be something to consider,” she shrugged sheepishly.
“I just, I don’t know Ashlee. I feel like I can’t keep going tonight. I need some time to process all of this,” he threw his hands up in surrender, shaking his head as he leant back in the stool. He felt exhausted, his brain slowing as he struggled to process all the new information.
“Maybe we can talk on Wednesday when you drop Hazel off,” Ashlee offered as she nodded in agreement, moving to take his empty beer can and throw it in the recycling.
He nodded his head, but felt like he could barely move it, so much weight being dropped on him with all this information. Everything felt like it was a blur as he left the townhouse, his body just moving on autopilot. He called his mother briefly, giving the bare bones explanation of what happened before Lisa offered to keep Hazel for the night so Chris could have some mental space to process.
Chris was thankful for the offer and took her up on it, ready to go home and just sort through his thoughts, but he just couldn’t. The only thing that was nagging in his mind was how much he wanted his Ellie in a moment like this. He longed for her comfort and gentle love that she so easily gave, but he also needed the way she grounded him and spoke truth that he needed to hear. All he wanted in this moment was her, and it didn’t take him long to be using his key to unlock her door and step inside her cozy home.
It felt like a blink of an eye before he was being wrapped up in Ellie’s arms, her holding him tight and didn’t ask a single question, just being able to look at him and see how desperately he was in need of her comfort. Tears were streaming down his face when they parted, Chris sitting down on the couch next to her as he emotionally spilled out all that had just happened, Ellie listening as she rubbed his back the whole time.
“I just don’t understand, Elles,” he choked out, his voice strained and chest heaving. “How could she do this?! How could she move away from Hazel?”
“Chris-”
“We moved here because it was best for Hazel and now she’s just leaving,” he kept going, rubbing a rough hand over his face as his voice shook. “Hazel needs her mother and she’s abandoning her!”
Ellie squeezed his arm reassuringly but her tone was sympathetic as she pointed out, “That’s pretty harsh, don’t you think?”
“Okay well maybe not abandoning but she’s still moving!”
“Hey, just come over here, okay?” She asked, quiet as he moved over towards her, leaning back against the purple couch cushion and staring at the ceiling. “I know you’re upset, honey. I know this is a lot to process but just try to relax just a little bit.”
“I just don’t understand why she did this,” he whispered, the shock wearing off from Ashlee's blindsiding. “I don’t want Hazel to be away from her mother but I don’t want to move to New York City either. We came here so Hazel wouldn’t have to live in a city and could have a yard and her family and a neighborhood. Then you just opened the bakery and we can’t leave that.”
Ellie’s hand moved through his hair, trying to comfort him in any way as she reassured him, “I know this isn’t easy baby, but I know you’ll make the right decision for Hazel.”
“I just never saw this coming,” he quietly confessed, his breath unsteady. His mind moved to the little girl who was sleeping at her nana’s house, unable to picture anything but the inevitable fallout from this as he said, “Hazel’s going to be so upset. We’ve already hurt her enough by getting divorced and-”
“Hey, stop,” Ellie interrupted firmly. “Don’t go down that road. You and Ashlee are both wonderful parents to Hazel and she adores both of you which says what a great job you’ve both done.”
Chris was quiet as he tried to process her words and shift his mindset, but he couldn’t help but speak his biggest fear and insecurity as he confessed, “I just feel like such a shitty dad.”
“You’re not,” Ellie instantly disagreed, her hand freezing in its path in his hair. “And don’t let your emotions convince you that you’re not.”
Chris shook his head and looked down at his lap, his voice impossibly small and his lips downturned. “I don’t even know where to begin with how I feel or what I should do,” he whispered vulnerably.
“Don’t worry about it tonight. You don’t have a clear head right now and that’s okay, so I’m going to tell you exactly what we’re going to do,” Ellie paused, waiting until he met her gaze to continue. “You’re going to go take a hot shower and then we’re going to go to bed and relax. Then tomorrow, we’ll start unpacking everything together, okay?”
Although Chris didn’t think it possible, in that moment he felt a small sense of peace. In the midst of all this chaos, he had Ellie. The woman who was sweeter than the cinnamon rolls she baked was able to cut through everything and somehow get straight to his heart every single time. She was always there for him in every single moment and he knew that as hard as this was going to be, that having Ellie by his side would make it so much easier.
A/N: Surprise! We're a little ahead on Chris and Ellie's chapters, so we decided to drop one today! Please don't hate us though... we promise there's good in this! We also want to emphasize that this is in no way meant to shame or criticize working mothers. We only have seen one POV in this debate, and Chris' shock is what plays through, not a criticism of Ashlee working or being busy.
#chris evans story#playing with fire#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fic#chris evans x ofc#chris evans writing#chris evans x original female character#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#original female character#chris evans ff#cevans#writeblr#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#firefighter!au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!chris evans#firefighter au#chris evans au#hazel's dad#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 17
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 3,386
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
Ellie pushed the door of the small cafe open, stepping inside tentatively. She adjusted the strap of her leather tote on her shoulder, shifting the weight of the various items and books inside awkwardly. Her stomach was practically in her throat and she’d woken with a rush of anxiety that morning, knowing that today was the culmination of a week’s prep and planning for her lunch with Ashlee. While she’d heard the worst of her from Chris and had a rushed first meeting several months back, she’d tried to push it from her mind to give her a fair chance, and also recognize that she was Hazel’s mother Hazel’s beloved mother – and that deserved a level of respect that she’d tried to form over the last several days.
Her eyes scanned over the few occupied tables until she found Ashlee, who was dressed in a similarly impressive outfit as she was the only other time they’d met each other, along with an expensive bag resting on the booth next to her and with a tall pair of heels. Despite wearing her best – and clothes that weren’t paint stained for once – Ellie still felt vulnerable in her red blazer over a white shirt, jeans, and matching red mules. She felt the imposter syndrome set in, and even though she knew how outright mismatched Ashlee and Chris were, the comparisons begin to stack up, seeing every way Ashlee was put together whereas she was a wild mess.
“Hi Ashlee,” Ellie said quietly with a nervous smile as she approached the table. “I hope you haven’t been waiting here long.”
The younger woman gave her a kind look, straightening up as Ellie sat down across from her. “No, only a few minutes. I’m just usually early,” she informed her.
Ellie nodded, swallowing anxiously as her eyes moved over the cafe. She didn’t know what to say, what sort of small talk to rely on when one-on-one with your partner’s ex-wife. “So… have you eaten here before?” She tentatively asked.
Ashlee shrugged as she tapped her perfectly-manicured nails against the table. “Only once or twice I think,” the brunette replied.
Ellie nodded again as she pursed her lips, their eyes momentarily meeting before Ellie hurriedly looked away from Ashlee’s steel blue eyes. A silence settled over the table as Ashlee sipped at her glass of wine and Ellie looked over the small menu just before the waitress reached the table.
“Can I get you anything to drink?” The waitress asked Ellie with a kind smile, directing Ashlee’s attention to Ellie as well.
With a last glance at the drink list after noticing Ashlee’s glass of wine and feeling as though it was much needed, she responded, “I’ll just do a glass of whatever rosé you have.”
They each stayed quiet for several moments after the waitress left, but before long Ashlee cleared her throat. “Um, well thank you for meeting me Ellie,” she started hesitantly, her eyes shifting from looking beyond Ellie nervously to staring into her eyes. “I’m sure you’re probably wondering why I asked you to meet me.”
Ellie couldn’t help but let a short laugh out, shaking her head as she confessed, “Yeah I am kind of curious.”
Ashlee hesitated for a split second before she dove in, “It seems like you and Chris are getting pretty serious…”
“Yes we are,” Ellie told her defensively, feeling anxiety flood her. She hung onto every ounce of body language that she could read on the younger woman, nervous that this was somehow leading to her making every irrational fear of Ellie’s come true, down to wanting Chris back. “Is that a problem for you?”
Ashlee chuckled with a slight smile. “Well not in terms of Chris,” she replied, shrugging with a sheepish look. “I’m sure he hasn’t kept it a secret that we weren’t exactly a perfectly matched couple.”
The relieved smile that had settled on Ellie’s face fell slightly as Ashlee finished talking. With furrowed brows and a curious look, she asked, “Ashlee… I don’t want to be rude at all, but can I ask what you wanted to talk about?”
“I want to talk about Hazel,” Ashlee finally spit out, nerves and anxiety, as well as a little bit of apprehension, written all over her face. “She is getting pretty attached to you.”
Ellie shot a smile at the waitress as she dropped off her glass of rosé. She took a large sip of the wine before she confessed, “Well I’m pretty attached to her.”
“That’s what I want to talk about,” Ashlee informed her quietly with a short nod and pursed lips.
Ellie’s shoulders slouched, feeling relief at today’s intention being out there finally. “I’m actually really glad you do because there’s something that I’d really like to get out in the open with you, Ashlee,” she admitted with a smile. It had been something that’d been on Ellie’s mind for a long time, ever since she’d been able to picture a future with both Chris and Hazel. “I love your daughter. I think Hazel is just one of the most wonderful girls in the world and I couldn’t love her more. I feel so honored to get to be part of her life and if things keep going the way they have been with Chris, I think I'm going to get to be in Hazel’s life for a long time.”
She paused, watching Ashlee’s face nervously as they each took another sip of their wines before she continued, “But with that being said, I want you to know that I never want to get in the way of your relationship with her. You’re her mother and you always will be. She loves you so much and talks about you all the time, which says what a good relationship you two have. I’m so happy I get to have a relationship with Hazel, but I just want you to know that I never want to take your place. My only hope in me being part of Hazel’s life is just to get to love her.”
There was silence at the table as Ellie’s words hung in the air. She could see the surprise in Ashlee’s piercingly blue eyes while she sat there quietly. Although Ellie didn’t know it, she had just stripped away just about every point Ashlee came here to make. The brunette woman came prepared to lay out the ground rules, expecting Ellie to fight her or try to push her out as Ellie made her own family with Chris. But that wasn’t what happened. Ellie had spoken right into Ashlee’s heart without even knowing it, laying so many fears that Ashlee wasn’t even aware she had to rest.
“I… um, well thank you Ellie,” Ashlee murmured as she sat up, her cheeks twinged pink as she shifted nervously.
“Ashlee, I mean all of that,” Ellie repeated with a serious tone as she reached across the table and took Ashlee’s hand in her own. “Chris and I are getting serious, and we haven’t really talked about it directly but I think we are both thinking of marriage at some point hopefully sooner rather than later. And if that happens, I want us all to have a good relationship. Chris has told me how much you two are there for each other when it comes to Hazel and how you guys are able to put aside any differences for her, and I want that to continue. I feel like we’re all on the same team and I want it to be that way.”
Ashlee nodded as she took in her words with wide eyes, admitting, “...I’d really like that,”
“You can be honest with me, Ashlee. I want us to be able to talk to each other,” Ellie smiled, squeezing her hand before she let go of it. “I know you share with Chris sometimes, but I want you to feel safe talking to me too. We both know men are useless half the time with emotions anyway.”
“Well that’s the truth,” Ashlee laughed as she rolled her eyes playfully. “I guess I always knew Chris would get married again. I never really wanted to be married at all but then obviously with Hazel things changed… but I knew one day Chris would find someone and then he found you, this girl that Hazel loves and is everything that I’m not.”
Ellie’s brows furrowed curiously and she cocked her head as she listened to Ashlee’s words, asking, “What do you mean by that, Ashlee?”
“Hazel’s always talking about you and how you made these incredible cakes or pastries together, or how you taught her to sew and you do all these crafts together and just all the homey stuff that I’m not any good at,” Ashlee admitted with a sheepish shrug.
Ellie let out a genuine laugh at that, feeling as though Ashlee was saying everything that she was feeling herself. “Well we’re quite a pair,” she agreed. “Because I’ve always thought that about you.”
“Me?”
“Yeah that you’re this incredible career woman who’s all put together and competent and successful… basically all the things I feel like I’m not,” Ashlee shrugged as she trailed off.
She watched as Ashlee relaxed in front of her, saying, “I guess we are quite a pair then aren’t we?”
“I think that maybe instead of thinking of each other as competition, we need to think of each other as a team,” Ellie mused, shrugging but feeling emboldened when Ashlee nodded in agreement. “Maybe being different is a good thing, and Hazel can learn different things from each of us… and we can learn from each other.”
“I just don’t even know what to say,” Ashlee laughed as she blushed. “I was so afraid to come here today. I didn’t ever think it’d be like this.”
Ellie smiled and laughed at Ashlee’s confession, knowing she’d felt the same. “Ashlee, we’re both adults. I think we both know that this situation is complicated, and it isn’t always going to be easy. But I want it to be good between all of us,” she told her. “I’m sure it can’t be easy having to talk with your ex about your daughter all the time and maybe in that way, I can help make some of that better. I can’t say I’m always going to do a great job at it, but I only want to help bring good… for everyone, including you.”
With the air cleared and a mutual understanding between them, they settled into a much more relaxed mood. They spent the rest of their lunch discussing their expectations for how things were to be, as well as laughing about some stories they each had about Hazel, between enjoying their food. Before long, Ellie had forgotten just how anxious she’d been only a few hours prior.
Ellie straightened up as a familiar face appeared on the patio of the small Italian restaurant, smiling unconsciously as she watched the way his blue eyes moved over the mess of tables until he found her. She locked her phone, sliding it into her purse as Chris walked towards the table, his eyes looking her up and down and taking in the red blazer. “Well you look cute today,” he said in lieu of a greeting, kissing her cheek before he sat in his own chair.
Ellie relished in the feeling of his lips against her skin, something she’d been missing for several days now thanks to Chris’ schedule. She followed his eyes as they looked over the water next to them before they returned to look at her, and with a smirk she replied, “I certainly couldn’t let your ex show me up now could I?”
Chris laughed, putting on his sunglasses as the bright spring sun moved out from behind a cloud. “I’ve been dying all day to know how that went. I hope it wasn’t bad,” he murmured with a concerned tone, rolling his shoulders back, the pale green polo moving with him.
Ellie raised her brows as she sipped at her drink, her tone both shocked and awed as she admitted, “Actually, it was pretty good.”
The shock was evident in Chris’ face, even behind his dark lenses. “Good? Talking with Ashlee was good?”
“It really was,” Ellie couldn’t help but laugh, pausing as Chris ordered a drink quickly from the waiter. “I feel like we really connected and got a lot of things out of the way.”
He was quiet for several moments as he took in her words, his lips pursed in thought. “I’m unsure if I should be happy or nervous,” he finally admitted, a smirk evident in his tone.
Ellie rolled her eyes before she also slid a pair of sunglasses on, leaning back in her chair and kicking his shin lightly with her foot. “You should be happy,” she told him, shrugging as she turned serious. “I think Ashlee was just feeling nervous about my role in Hazel’s life and I think we really had a nice conversation.”
Chris nodded as he drank some of his beer, listening carefully to her. Ellie watched as he shrugged, ready for him to somehow agree with or dismiss Ashlee’s fears until a wry smirk appeared and he sighed, saying, “Well my buddies over at the police station didn’t call to say that they had to be called to break up a fight at the cafe so I figured it must have been alright.”
“Why in the world I even date you, sometimes I’m not sure,” she muttered playfully, reaching for and taking a piece of bread from the basket between them.
Chris let out a loud laugh, the sound warming Ellie from the inside out like sunshine. “Me either but I better not bring attention to that, otherwise you might come to your senses and ditch me,” he shot back.
She sighed wistfully, eyes following his movements as he also broke into the bread basket, her gaze lingering on his muscles. “Yeah, but if I did that, who would I have to paint the trim in the bakery or lay the bathroom tile?”
He picked his head up, shooting her a large smirk. “Honestly that’s true because I don’t think anyone else other than me would be willing to tear up that tile and relay it four different times because you changed your mind a million times…”
“Hey you’re getting plenty of thanks for it,” she shot back, almost in defense of herself.
Chris snorted in response, an eyebrow raising quickly as he held his beer bottle in mid air, commenting, “Yeah I remember that thanks you gave me upstairs last week and I wouldn’t mind more of that.”
It was impossible for Ellie not to think back to the way he had her pinned against the wall of the bakery, the sounds both of them emitted only to be heard by their ears. She couldn’t help but blush at the comment which only deepened when he lowered her sunglasses to shoot her a wink. Ellie was thankful for the distraction of the waiter coming over to take their orders, their minds both being directed to the delicious food.
After folding their menus and handing them to the waiter, they both relaxed in their chairs, Ellie filling him in, “After I met with Ashlee I went over to the bakery to meet with the contractor who’s going to install all the appliances and everything for me.”
“Did he say when he thought you could open?” Chris was curious, resting his thick arms along the armrests of the wooden chair.
“Well if we keep up the same pace we’ve been working, unless we have too many thank you sessions upstairs, that we’ll be able to open probably before Hazel’s birthday,” She couldn’t help but tease, causing him to let out that infectious laugh before she added, “So within the next three weeks.”
“Hazel will be happy to hear that because she told me the other day that she wants an Ellie cake for her birthday,” he murmured, thinking of his curly-haired little daughter who was adamant about having an ‘Ellie cake’ when he had asked her what she wanted at her birthday party just the other day.
“Even if I didn’t have the bakery I still would have made Hazel her birthday cake,” she insisted, knowing there was no way she’d miss an opportunity to go all out for her favorite little girl. “I was going to cover it with baby ducks and butterflies since that’s been her newest obsession.”
“I don’t know, three weeks is plenty of time for a new obsession with Hazel…” A snicker came out of Chris before he tossed a piece of bread in his mouth while leaning back in his chair. He glanced across the table to look at the beautiful woman sitting there and pointed a finger at her, “Although you’ve converted her to your obsession with animals because of you taking her over to the farm so much lately.”
“Hey, I don’t have to sell her on those baby ducks, they’re plenty cute all on their own,” Ellie held her hands up in defense.
She watched as his eyebrow rose, a smirk on his face as he commented, “I can think of someone else who’s plenty cute all on their own.”
“Who might that be?”
“I think you might know,” he replied, pushing the sunglasses on top of his head while his blue eyes just took her in. Ellie couldn’t quite decipher the look on his face, just seeing all the softness on it before he practically whispered, “God, I love you so much Elles.”
“I love you too, but I think you might have already known that,” she laughed sweetly.
Hearing that just made Chris shrug those broad shoulders, softly laughing while reaching for another piece of bread, “I had a suspicion but I don’t mind hearing it again.”
“Well that works out well because I don’t mind saying it again,” Ellie began as she rested her elbow on the table, using her hand to prop up her chin, “I love you.”
“Elles, I know I’ve been giving you a hard time about being a perfectionist on this bakery, but I hope you know just how proud of you I am.” He took the tender moment to reach across the table and hold her hand in his big one, his thumb coming to rub across her soft skin as he continued, “I know how scary it must be jumping into this and I’m really proud of you for going for it.”
“Thank you Chris, you know that what you think of me means a lot to me.”
“It’s certainly not the only thing I’m proud of you for,” he murmured, and he wasn’t about to stop praising her, “I couldn’t believe just how well you’ve handled everything with Ashlee. I don’t know of hardly any woman who would have handled all of that the way you did. Before you even told me that it went well, I knew it had because I knew you would always be able to say the right thing.”
“Well I’m not so sure about that,” Ellie felt hardly worthy of his words but decided to go on to say, “But I know that I love you and I love Hazel, and I want to be with you both.”
“Good thing too because we’re not going to let you get away.”
At that moment, Ellie couldn’t seem to put her feelings into words and instead just gave his hands a squeeze to try to convey all her emotions. She thought back to when she first had met Chris, remembering just how guarded he was, not wanting to share his feelings or put himself out there more than he had to. But over the course of this relationship, she’d seen his walls come down and how much he opened himself to her, showing Ellie the kind hearted and loving man that he was. It hadn’t taken Ellie long to know she was all in for both him and Hazel and hearing that he was feeling the exact same way about her warmed Ellie’s heart in a way she couldn’t describe, knowing that this would be forever.
A/N: We can't wait to hear your thoughts!
#playing with fire#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fic#chris evans x ofc#chris evans writing#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#original female character#chris evans ff#original content#writing#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#firefighter au#chris evans au#cevans#ofc
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 23 - The Final Chapter
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 2,900
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None!
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
Chris grabbed a beer out of the fridge, shutting the door quietly enough to not wake Hazel. He’d just gotten her to bed, the little girl fighting a sugar high thanks to her weeks-old dwindling supply of Halloween candy. Glancing at the clock on the stove, he nervously dialed Ashlee’s number, placing the call on speaker before he tapped his hand anxiously against the countertop as he sat down at the island.
She picked up the call fast, but Chris beat her to the punch as he quickly asked, “Hey are you busy?”
He could practically hear her confusion at his enthusiasm before the murmur of a TV in the background stopped, Ashlee assuring him, “No, I’m just at home.”
“Do you have a minute to talk?” He asked her, moving to reach for the beer and taking a much-needed sip to quell his nerves.
“Of course,” she reassured him, but paused and listened before she asked worriedly, “Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, yeah it is but I just um… well I wanted to talk to you about something,” he answered, cringing at his non-convincing answer. “I’m thinking that now that everything has settled down and we’re all in a good routine, that maybe now is a um, a good time to ask, uh Ellie to marry me.”
Ashlee was quiet for a moment, but before Chris could spiral more she quietly – with a hint of surprise – asked, “You’re going to propose?”
“I’m planning on it,” he confirmed, running a hand through his beard as his eyes moved from the large windows overlooking the snowy yard to look at the pictures covering the fridge, most either of Hazel or drawn by her. “But I haven’t really talked to Hazel about it directly and I wanted to see if you had any suggestions on how I should go about that.”
Ashlee chuckled quietly, a sound that was almost reassuring to Chris, before she told him simply, “Well no matter what I don’t think it’ll be surprising to Hazel, which is a good thing.”
“Do you think she’s going to understand what it all means?” He murmured, remembering the way Hazel had unknowingly innocently rejected the idea when he’d told her Ellie was his girlfriend.
“I think we both know Hazel is a lot smarter than either of us fully realize,” Ashlee chuckled, Chris joining her laughter. They both knew that, nearly everyone who knew Hazel did. “But I’d just explain it to her. Tell her what you marrying Ellie means and how that affects her.”
“I don’t know that it’ll be completely different from the way it is now,” Chris admitted. Ellie was a regular occupant at the Evans home these days. Their new routine ever since early October had Ellie picking Hazel up from the school’s aftercare on Thursdays and Fridays while Chris worked, taking care of her alone from Thursday afternoons until Saturday afternoons. And while they had help from Chris’ family when needed, Hazel had begun to greatly prefer spending time with Ellie over them, enjoying the special time when she got to go into the bakery with Ellie and hang out there while Ellie oversaw some things on the weekends, and enjoying their ‘girl’s nights’ at Chris’ alone during those days. It was a new normal, one that definitely had had some growing pains in the last month, but it was one that Chris couldn’t help but see as the official start of their lives together. “It’s just that Ellie would always be at our house and officially our family.”
“So just say that.”
“You think so?”
“Yeah,” Ashlee laughed quietly, the muffled sound of a wine opener coming through the call. “Just let her ask the questions and answer plainly.”
Chris listened to her, chuckling to himself as he realized how simple this could be. “I just don’t know why I feel so nervous about telling her,”
“Well it’s a big change, but I know you’ll handle it and so will Hazel,” she reassured him. “Try not to stress so much, Chris.”
He nodded, his eyes focusing on Dodger as the dog poked around his food bowl, sniffing the dog food unhappily. “Yeah you’re probably right,” he agreed.
“I know I’m right,” she laughed back.
Chris nodded again, quiet before he whispered, “...Thank you Ashlee,”
“You’re welcome. And Chris?” She asked before they could end the call, pausing long enough to get his attention. “I’m really happy for you. She’s perfect for you and you deserve it. Congratulations.”
“Thanks Ash, that means a lot to me,” Chris told her honestly. He was struck – not for the first time – with the realization of how much they’d grown, not only together but individually, this past year. Last fall, it was hard for Chris to see a future where they’d happily coexist, being friendly to each other for reasons other than Hazel. But here they were, a year later and coming up on Thanksgiving, texting often, coordinating schedules to give each other good time with Hazel, and calling each other for advice. And he was thankful to have a sounding board when it came to things in his and Hazel’s relationship, but he was also thankful for the unlikely friend he’d gotten.
Chris quickly had to push those sentimental thoughts and emotions from his mind when Ellie texted that she’d just left her dinner with her mother and was on her way back from the restaurant. Quickly, he poured a drizzle of olive oil on Dodger’s food to ease his unhappiness with his dinner, chuckling as the dog chowed down instantly. Then, Chris reached into the tupperware on the counter for the latest of Ellie’s bakery experiments – a Chai tea cookie – and headed into the living room. He and Ellie spent what was left of the evening laughing at a comedy on the TV before they sleepily climbed the wooden stairs and all but collapsed into bed with matching yawns, tucking into each other.
Ellie slipped out of bed early nearly silently, only pressing a soft kiss to Chris’ hair as he sleepily mumbled a goodbye to her as she left for the early morning bakery duties. His alarm – in the form of an eager five year old – woke him up a few hours later, and while he knew he had something to talk to her about, it wasn’t until Hazel was dressed, her hair tucked into a neat braid, and seated on the bar stool eating some cereal that he spoke up.
He was next to her, nursing his own bowl of Captain Crunch – something Hazel had convinced Ellie to buy last week when the girls did the grocery run – when he cleared his throat. “Hazel Bo Basil, can I talk to you for a minute?”
She paused, spoon in mid-air, milk dripping onto the dark countertop. “Am I in trouble?” She asked worriedly.
“No, you’re not in trouble, I just want to talk,” he reassured her with a nervous smile.
Hazel shoveled the sugary cereal into her mouth, wiping the milk from her lip with the back of her hand before she tilted her head, asking, “About what?”
“C’mere Basil,” Chris grinned, lifting her from under her armpits and sitting her on his lap, facing each other as he gave her a smile and pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You love Ellie a lot, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” she nodded, her hand moving to play with the silver chain hanging around his neck, moving the pendant along the metal.
“I love her a lot too,” Chris whispered, taking a deep breath as he watched her. “And I’m planning on asking Ellie a really important question soon.”
She paused for a moment, her head tilting to the side again as she curiously asked, “What is it daddy?”
“Well…I want to ask Ellie to marry me,” he spoke, pausing slightly as the words surprised – and excited – even himself. “Do you know what that means, Basil?”
She shrugged, her attention shifting back to the necklace playing. “Yeah it means that you kiss a lot,” she nearly muttered.
“I guess that can be true,” he couldn’t help but chuckle at her observation of what marriage looks like but as an adult, he knew there was so much more behind it and struggled to figure out how to simplify that to her while also explaining the weight of the commitment. “But it means a lot more than that. It means that when you marry someone, they’re your family forever.”
“Is Ellie our family?”
“I want her to be our family,” Chris told his daughter honestly, a hand rubbing over his beard, “And if I married her, it would mean that she’d live here with us all the time and she’d be our family forever. How does that make you feel?”
He watched Haze’s little face as she looked at him curiously, thoughts obviously churning through her head before she quietly said, “...I want Ellie to be my family.”
“Are you sure, honey? Because you can be honest with me,” he wanted to give her every opportunity to tell him what she truly was feeling.
Her little hands came back up to play with his necklace, the gentle sound of it rubbing along the chain before Hazel’s small voice told him, “I want my Ellie to be my Ellie forever.”
“I do too,” Chris knew how true those words were. “But right now it’s a secret, okay?”
“Why?”
“Well, because then I can surprise her when I ask her to marry me,” he reached up a hand to tuck a stray curl into her braid before he looked right into her big eyes, “So can I trust you to keep a secret?”
“Yeah, but probably not for long, because I wanna tell Ellie,” she shrugged helplessly.
“Me too, Hazie.”
Ellie watched as Chris held the Christmas lights in his hand, turning to look at Ellie from where he stood on top of the ladder with a raised brow. “No, go a little higher,” she told him, her eyes scrutinizing the height of the lights.
They were at the Maxwell family’s Christmas tree farm, helping her brother, Daniel, and father, Brett, string up lights before they opened the following week. Ellie wasn’t planning on staying long, eager to enjoy the quiet at home. Lisa had offered to take Hazel for the night and somewhere along the line, that’d become Hazel and Dodger spending the night at her house, leaving Chris and Ellie with another fifteen child-and-dog-free hours to sleep, catch up on things from the busy week, and be with each other.
“Higher? I thought I just lowered them because they were too high?” Chris asked her with a raised brow, his cheeks pink from the cold temperature. His coat was lightly covered in a layer of snow, the fluffy flakes covering the trees surrounding them beautifully.
She chuckled at Chris’ question, shrugging as she informed him, “Well yeah but now they’re too low.”
“Elles…. You literally can’t tell the difference,” Chris protested, the shoulders of his coat slouching as he deflated slightly.
“Obviously you can because I can tell that they don’t look good,” she insisted, smirking as she saw the way he was struggling to even fight with her. “Raise them up a half an inch.”
“Okay but wherever they end up now is where they’re staying,” Chris huffed as he turned again, raising them slightly.
“We’ll see about that,” she laughed, watching expectantly until he hooked the lights around the hooks, securing it to the post.
Chris turned back, leaning against the ladder as he looked down at her, asking, “Alright, are you happy with it now, Miss Perfectionist?”
“I think so,” Ellie trailed off, smirking as he playfully rolled his eyes.
He rubbed his hands together, warming them up as he looked over their surroundings, then returned his eyes to hers. “How about we go over and look at them from farther away, that way we can see if they look good when you walk up?” He asked, Ellie nodding enthusiastically at the idea.
Ellie waited for Chris to climb down the ladder, catching sight of an indistinguishable type of smile on his face as he stepped through the crunching snow to make his way to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Although she was wrapped up in her puffy white jacket, feeling his warm frame against hers made her practically melt into his side, mindlessly snaking her arms around his firm waist as they walked up the small hill to overlook the gorgeous Christmas tree farm that she called home for so much of her life.
So many things in that moment just felt so right. For so many years, she had struggled with her own dreams and ambitions, feeling as if she somehow just didn’t quite fit anywhere. Her perfectionist tendencies had convinced her that she was a failure, not being able to handle being a nurse and feeling as if all those years had been wasted. But for the first time since moving back home, she could see that not one moment of it had been. That experience had allowed her to make decisions for herself, choosing to come back home and find who she truly was.
Now things were so vastly different. She had settled into accepting who she was, got to spend so much time with her family, was running a successful bakery, but most of all, was building her own family. Only one year ago, she had just started going out with Chris, finding out that he had a daughter and unsure of the dynamics that would play into their relationship. But now she was fully in love with both of them, never being able to imagine her life without either one of them but little did she know that Chris was planning on making that official.
She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the tender look that was on Chris’ face as he gazed at her, nothing but love written all over his expression. It wasn’t until he leaned in to kiss her cheek that she finally looked at him, smiling softly as she wondered, “What’s that look for?”
“Nothing, it’s just…” he trailed off, shrugging sheepishly as his rosy cheeks deepened to a red blush. “I love you Elles.”
She smiled back, pressing a quick kiss to his lips as she affirmed, “I know. I love you too, Chris.”
“I mean it Ellie,” he continued, pausing as he cleared his throat, an emotional look on his face. “You truly are the girl of my dreams.”
“Even if I make you move the lights again?” She asked with a chuckle, laughing at the momentary flash of frustration in his eyes at those words.
A wry grin appeared on his lips when he admitted, “...Okay that might be a deal breaker.”
“I was just thinking about how happy I am that I met you but now I’m not so sure after that comment,” Ellie confessed to him, leaning into his side before he surprised her and gently pulled away.
“You know I’m just teasing you,” he chuckled, glancing around the farm and back up at the lights before he looked at her again. “I really just can’t believe I’m with someone like you Ellie and I know I shouldn’t ask for more but I’m about to….”
On the cold snowy November evening, Ellie’s eyes grew wide when she watched Chris kneel down and reach into his pocket. It wasn’t as if this was completely out of the blue, them having talked about marriage on more than one occasion, but now that this actually was happening, she felt as if her brain couldn’t seem to fully comprehend the image of seeing Chris looking up at her from where he knelt in the snow opening up a velvet box to show the sparkling ring he’d bought just for her.
“So Elles… will you marry me?”
Her eyes burned with tears, a lump instantly appearing in her throat as she looked at the man — who’d changed her life for the better – staring back up at her hopefully. The tears spilled down her cheeks and she nodded her head enthusiastically, her heart growing three sizes as she, without a hint of hesitation, happily told him, “Of course I will.”
Chris was up off the ground in a flash, his hands on either side of her face as he kissed her so deeply that she was completely breathless. They couldn’t help but take a moment to wrap each other up in a warm hug, tears still flowing out of Ellie’s eyes and judging by the soft sniffles, Chris was in a similar state. Ellie felt Chris gently pull away from her while he reached for her left hand, shaking from all the emotions running through her before he took the shining diamond ring and slipped it onto her finger, the sight only bringing more emotions flooding through them both.
They just stood there for a long moment before they each lifted their heads so they could look into one another’s eyes. Although neither one said a word, there were so many emotions, so many promises, and so much love between each one of them, but the best part of it was that both of them knew this was only the beginning.
A/N: We truly cannot express how much we enjoyed getting to share Ellie and Chris with you all. This story was out of our comfort zones in some ways (like with introducing Hazel off the bat!) but your support and kind words has meant the world to us over the past eight months.
We are not planning on doing any extensions for them, but if you have any questions about their future together we'd be happy to share some details in an ask! Thank you for all your love and we can't wait to begin posting In Living Color in TWO weeks!
#playing with fire#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fanfic#chris e#chris evans ff#original female character#original content#chris evans x original female character#chris evans writing#writing#chris evan fanfiction#real person fanfiction#fanfic#real person fiction#chris evans story#chris evans au#firefighter au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#chris evans x ofc#ofc#chris evans smut#chris evans x smut#chris evans fluff#chris evans imagine#hazel's dad#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 15
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 4,160
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Worrying, fire.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
Chris felt like the only sound in the room of the fire house was the sound of his heart pounding relentlessly. It was as if he couldn’t breathe when the fire truck went screaming out of the station and raced the short distance around the corner, the bakery being so close he could see the glow of the orange flames from the window. If he was in a more rational state of mind, he would have known Mark’s reason to have him hang back would be completely logical with him being in such an emotional state, but with all the feelings rushing through him, all he could feel was panic. He knew Ellie was working late, he remembered seeing her car on his way in and the thought of her being trapped, hurt or even worse were things his brain couldn’t seem to grapple with.
He quickly dug around in his panic, finding his phone and urgently calling her, hoping with every fiber of his being that she had already left. But when his call went unanswered the absolute worst filled his mind, and it only intensified as the number of unanswered calls grew. Chris scrolled through his contacts, debating on calling her parents but not wanting to worry them yet, and instead clicked on Brooke, his leg fidgeting as it rang.
“Do you know where Ellie is?” Chris blurted out the second he had Brooke on the line.
He could hear the confusion in her voice as she asked through a yawn, “What? Chris, what are you talking about?”
“The bakery is on fire,” Chris didn’t mean to say it so abruptly but right now, the only thing he could even imagine caring about was finding out where his girl was.
“Oh my god,” Brooke gasped, the call falling silent for a minute before he heard her reason, “Well it’s late, so I’m sure she’s at home.”
“I called her and she didn’t answer,” he informed her, before he swallowed the lump in his throat, his emotions ever present as he finished, “She was working late tonight. Mark made me stay so I don’t know if she’s alright.”
“Okay, okay, um, I’ll drive over to her house and see if she’s there and maybe the fire will be out soon so you can go over and see if she was still at the bakery,” Chris could hear her shuffling on the other line, presumably grabbing her stuff as she headed out to her car.
He thanked her before hanging up the phone but that panicked feeling was still in his chest. Chris kept trying to call Ellie, hoping somehow she would answer and he could hear that beautiful voice, but each time it went to voicemail, only making his heart pound even harder. As he stood there frozen, staring out the window to see the smoke lifting in the night sky, he couldn’t help but think about if Ellie was there. What if she was stuck inside and he wasn’t there to help her?
Chris almost couldn’t stand the thought, but the ones that came next were even worse. His anxious brain went through the possibility of what if something had happened to her and what he would do without her. He knew that he loved Ellie, that wasn’t even a question in his mind. But having to deal with the thought of not having her in his life was almost too much to even handle.
As he stood there in the dark evening, practically shaking with his nerves and anxiety, he almost felt as if everything had been ripped away from him. What if he never got the chance to be with Ellie? He thought about not being able to see that beautiful smile again, or see her eyes squinting up as she hugged Hazel tight and rocked her back and forth. He thought of what it would be like to not be able to put a ring on her finger and kiss her goodnight in their bed. What it would be like to never have the chance to walk through the front door and have her greet him or have to sit through more of those boring theater shows she loved so much. He knew he loved Ellie, but right now he knew it was deeper than that. It almost felt as if love wasn’t a big enough word for how he felt about Ellie and he knew he just couldn’t lose her.
Chris’ whole body hurt as he waited, thankful for Dodger who stood leaning up against his legs and providing him a little bit of comfort. He heard his phone ping with a text and practically ripped it out of his pocket, pulling it up to see the text from Brooke that told him ‘She’s okay.’ And although he didn’t have any more information than that, right now that was all he needed.
It didn’t take more than ten minutes for him to hear the door of the station open and he felt as if he was in a dream when he heard a familiar voice calling his name. Chris ran out of the room, pushing the door open to see Ellie standing down on the first floor of the station, it being fairly empty without the fire truck, as she looked around for him. Chris took off down the stairs, his eyes never leaving her the entire way. Her blonde hair was a mess around her makeup free face, letting him see her eyes that were red from crying. She was dressed in a pair of leggings, an oversized tee shirt, one that he recognized as his old ones, and a pair of ratty sneakers that were untied, but he swore she had never looked more beautiful to him than in that moment.
He ran the short distance to where she was standing and threw his arms around her, instantly burying his face in the crook of her neck, just needing to feel her close. Chris just soaked in every bit of being able to feel her from breathing in the fruity smell of her shampoo to the way her fingers felt grasping at his shoulders as she clung to him. He eventually loosened his grip on her enough that he could lift his head to allow his eyes to search her face, wanting to be able to see her.
“Elles, I was so worried.” He could feel the tears stinging at his eyes, taking a moment to lean in to kiss her, just needing another layer to confirm she really was here in his arms.
“I’m so sorry, I was working late and when I got home I left my phone somewhere downstairs and just went to bed,” Ellie apologized as she ran a hand through his short hair.
“No, it’s okay, I was just so afraid,” Chris’ emotions just came spilling out, his grip tightening around her waist. “God, I just love you so much Ellie and if something happened-”
“But nothing did,” she brought him out of his thoughts in the way only she could. Ellie leaned in to kiss him sweetly, reminding him once again as her hand wormed its way into his messy hair, “I’m right here.”
And nothing could have been better than that.
They stayed in that position, just looking at one another as they held each other, needing to feel that closeness. And as they heard the echoes from the firefighters down the road, and as Chris turned his attention to listening in on the crew via his walkie-talkie, he felt the sudden adrenaline leave his body and his shoulders slumped with relief and near-exhaustion from the rollercoaster of the last hour. Ellie stayed with Dodger and himself for nearly an hour, until her yawns began to become too much to ignore, and he sent her back home with Dodger with a promise to call her in the morning.
Ellie parked her car across the street from the bakery with a sigh. From the outside, it didn’t look too bad, but from what Dottie and Mark had said to Ellie, the fire seemed to have been contained to the kitchen and back storage area of the bakery. And while Ellie was certain she’d turned everything off and even unplugged certain appliances, she was still wracked with guilt that it was somehow - despite Chris’ reassurances - her fault that this had happened. She’d been the one to close up after she and Alex had decided to call it a night, telling the college student that she’d close up and to head home to get some sleep. And yet somehow, the worst had happened, right under Ellie’s nose.
Those thoughts raced through Ellie’s mind as she got out of the car, grabbing the dish from her passenger seat, and walked across the street, up the stairs and into the normal looking main area and instantly her eyes zeroed in on the tired looking woman lingering near the door to the kitchen. “Hi Dottie, it’s me,” she called softly as she shut the door behind her with a click. “Hey, how are you doing?”
Dottie turned with a sheepish look on her face as she shrugged, admitting, “I’ve been better.”
Ellie adjusted the purse on her shoulder, then held up the pan in her hand as a similar look appeared on her own face, quietly saying, “I brought some pie to make all of this a little easier to take in.”
“Well, pie does make everything better,” Dottie sighed with a slight shake of her head as her eyes moved over the intact dining room and counter area, then moved back to the door covered in tape, separating them from the kitchen and back areas. “Let’s go eat it out on the porch.”
Ellie followed Dottie onto the untouched porch, reaching in her bag for the baggie with a pie cutter, forks, and paper plates for them to eat off of. The pair were silent for several long moments, Dottie deep in her thoughts and Ellie struggling with what to say to a woman whose life work quite literally was all but destroyed in a matter of seconds, unrestrained and ruthless as to the investments she’d made over the years, with no regards to the future of the business.
Ellie gently slid the slice of cherry pie in front of Dottie and her voice was quiet and tentative as she spoke, “I can’t imagine how this must make you feel to see the bakery this way.”
“Well it could have been a lot worse. I’m just glad that nobody was hurt,” Dottie was quick to point out, and Ellie knew she was looking for any and all little wins that were among the remnants in the aftermath.
“That’s very true,” Ellie nodded, and yet she couldn’t get Chris’ words about the initial damage assessment out of her head. “It definitely is going to take some work but at least the structure is okay.”
Dottie sighed with a nod of her own, and not even the pie could bring a smile to her face as she said, “My kids came over last night and we all walked through it.”
“Your son is a contractor isn’t he? He could probably help you refurbish it,” Ellie pointed out as she raised her brows hopefully.
“I’ve actually been thinking about that a lot,” Dottie began delicately with a bit of a grimace. “And I don’t think I want to.”
Ellie’s forced-cheerful expression quickly fell as she listened to Dottie’s words, her heart stopping at the implications. “What do you mean? Do you mean, like, sell it?”
“Yeah,” Dottie sighed, her shoulders slouching as she leaned back in the old chair. “I’m just getting too old for this. I love doing the bakery but I was already feeling like I just want to be retired. But now all this makes me see I just really don’t have the energy for completely redoing everything.”
“Oh Dottie, I’m so sorry to hear that,” Ellie murmured as she ate the pie. Her heart broke at her words, knowing how much of a staple Dottie’s Bakery had been in their small town for decades. She couldn’t help but think of the countless birthday and wedding cakes that had been created in that kitchen, the various pastries, bagels, and cookies they’d sold at the counter, and the relationships formed because of this place. It was because of Dottie’s hard work and tenacity that it had grown into what it was - or had been - now, and it shaped Ellie more than she would ever know. It was how she met Chris, where she first met Hazel, and it was where she felt the most at home and provided her with an escape after she quit her nursing career. She couldn’t imagine a world without Dottie’s, but it looked like she’d have to come to terms with it sooner rather than later.
“Sorry? I’m not, I’m going to get to sleep in every morning and go do whatever I want every day,” Dottie chuckled, reaching out to pat Ellie’s hand reassuringly before she took another bite of the pie. “I think retirement sounds amazing!”
“I’m not going to lie, selfishly I’m pretty disappointed because I like working with you everyday,” Ellie admitted with a slight laugh, but before long she sighed again. “I guess I didn’t even realize this puts me out of a job.”
But the slight smirk that appeared on Dottie’s lips and the way she sat up straight confused Ellie, and before long she knew the reason as Dottie quietly pointed out, “Not if you take over.”
“What?”
Dottie shrugged as if it was the most obvious outcome and solution to the ‘jobless’ aspect. “Yeah, I think you should buy the bakery, Ellie,” she told her with a smile. “I mean it. You basically have run it since you came back and you’ve brought in more business with all those fancy cakes and custom orders you do.”
Ellie’s jaw dropped in shock at the words, anxiety flooding her system. “But running a business is way different than just working at it. I’m not sure I have the skill set to do that,” she admitted nervously.
“I think you do.”
“I don’t even know what to say, Dot.”
“Don’t say anything right now. Just think it over,” Dottie shook her head and she had a pleased look on her face. “That new developer has wanted to buy this land for a while now and demolish the building and do an apartment complex so if you don’t end up wanting it, I’ll just sell it to him. But if you did want to buy it, you know I’d give you all the recipes and help you get it going.”
Ellie’s eyes were wide as she listened to the woman who was like a grandmother to her, letting out a short laugh as she confessed, “Dottie, you’re really pitching this pretty hard and it isn’t even noon yet!”
“Well I’m just worried about all my firefighter boys. I think they’ll riot if they don’t have anywhere to get their croissants and bagels in the morning,” Dottie smiled, and the pair broke into laughter at the true statement.
“You might be right,” Ellie smiled. She paused, tapping her fingers on the outdoor table before continuing, “I need to talk to Chris and my family and see what they think and if I can do it, but I want you to know that no matter what, I’m honored you’d offer it to me Dottie.”
“I believe in you, even if you don’t always believe in yourself, Miss Perfectionist,” Dottie assured her.
Ellie knew how true her words were, finding it so hard to be able to believe in herself. The thought of owning the bakery was something that tugged at her heart but her brain tried to convince herself just how incapable she thought she was. She’d done nothing in the last year that proved she could handle this, and in fact if anything, her sudden career change and move back home proved that she very well couldn’t handle this. Those thoughts wrestled inside her as she helped Dottie with a few things before heading to the grocery store, grabbing a few things for dinner and heading to a familiar house. No matter what was wrestling inside her, being with two of her favorite people made everything feel so much better, that feeling help settle her throughout dinner.
Chris and Ellie shared a smile as they listened to Hazel’s feet running against the wooden floor while the little girl headed to her playroom. Chris passed Ellie the salad bowl, watching as she began drying it before putting it away as he moved onto the next dish, running it under the water and cleaning it with the sponge.
Ellie went through the motions of drying the aftermath of their dinner dishes, caught up in her thoughts while also listening to Hazel’s playing. She hadn’t noticed Chris’ lingering looks of concern amid the constant noise in her brain, but soon his voice cut through the thoughts when he asked, “You okay, Elles? You’ve seemed kind of quiet tonight.”
“Yeah,” she nodded with a shrug as she put a knife into the knife block. Chris made a small sound, something like a hum, as he listened to her, but didn’t reply. “This morning I went to meet Dot at the bakery.”
Chris put the sponge onto the small dish along the sink as he finished washing the last of the dishes before he washed his hands and shut off the water. He turned to her as he dried his hands, a frown on his face and concern in his eyes. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry I forgot,” he told her. “How did it go? Was Dottie okay?”
Ellie pursed her lips as she hung the dish towel on the oven, narrowing her eyes slightly. “Actually, she was,” she murmured.
Chris nodded encouragingly, a tiny grin on his face as he leaned the small of his back against the counter and faced her. “I’m happy to hear that, although I figured it would be hard for her.”
“I did too,” she agreed as she spun to face him. Her eyes searched his face, unable to put into words what Dottie had offered her, unable to vocalize it without also recognizing her fears. But his face was nothing but genuine concern, love, and support, so she bit the bullet and told him, “But she actually, um, well she offered to sell the business to me.”
Chris straightened up as his eyes widened. His muscles bulged underneath the old NYU tee he was wearing, and he was shocked into silence for several long moments. The only sounds Ellie heard were the rapid beat of her heart, Hazel playing down the hall, entirely unaware of what was transpiring, and the sound of Dodger eating from his food bowl. “Are you serious?” Chris finally asked, his voice low and unsure.
“Yeah, she told me she just wants to retire and doesn’t want to have to put in the work to remodel the building after the fire,” Ellie explained slowly, and as she did so it felt as if cold water was dumped over her. She hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Dottie’s offer over the day, unable to stop herself from imagining all the failures that’d likely happen. She’d be the one calling the shots, the one people relied on - not only for guidance, but for their income - and that was truly one of the most terrifying scenarios she’d imagined facing. She shrugged, glancing around the kitchen with a sigh and laying her eyes on Dodger fondly before they returned to Chris. “And she said she’d sell it to me.”
Chris let out a breath, his eyes wide again as he looked at her. There was a bit of concern in them - as well as surprise - when he asked, “Wow Elles, are you… are you going to do it?”
She shrugged with a frown, lifting one hand in the air and waving it as she admitted, “I honestly don’t know. I don’t know how much money it’s going to take and I don’t think I could probably afford it on my own and I don’t know if I’d get approved for a business loan.” Ellie sighed, remembering how she’d looked in some of her bank accounts earlier and knew she’d need more than she’d earned as a nurse over the years to put into buying and renovating both the building and the business. “And then there’s the whole business side that I don’t know about. I mean, I’ve done a lot for Dottie but I'm sure there’s so much I don’t know and I’m not sure if I can do it.”
“You’rer pulling a classic Ellie right now,” Chris told her quietly with a raised brow before he paused, studying her face. “You’re overthinking.”
Ellie shook her head again, insisting and rambling, “But I would need all those things. I’d need to find someone to help invest in it, see where I can get a loan, hire employees, figure out how to remodel it and not to mention the fact that I don’t have a job right now because of the fire and I-”
“Elles…” Chris interrupted quietly, raising both eyebrows and looking at her seriously. “Overthinking.”
“I just feel like I need to consider all of that before I even entertain the thought of buying something like that,” she confessed quietly as she pursed her lips.
Chris reached out, grabbing the hand that was still raised and holding it between his own. “Stop being a perfectionist for two seconds and just think about this - Do you want to own the bakery?” He asked her, staring into her eyes.
Ellie glanced to her feet, biting her lower lip. “I’m not sure if I can do it,” she quietly admitted, her voice shaky.
“No, don’t think about that. Just answer if you’d like to or not.”
“Well… I guess,” she paused, swallowing nervously before nodding resolutely. “Yeah. I would.”
“Then that’s your answer. That says you need to go for it,” he told her with a grin and a nod as well. “I know you Ellie, and you’re probably the most capable person I know, even if you don’t think so. I know you’ll be able to figure out the rest that all will come with it but you just need to give yourself permission to go for it.”
“It’s just kind of scary,” she whispered, squeezing his hand with her own. “I mean, what if I fail at it? What if it’s just a repeat of nursing where I think I want to do it and then find out I can’t handle it?”
“Then you find something else you want to do,” he told her simply, and she was struck by the honest truth that statement held. She could do whatever she wanted, and without fear, because no matter what, the people around her, the family in that farmhouse, the firefighters in that station, and that firefighter of her own, with his curly-haired bubbly little girl and goofy dog… they all were her safety net. And no matter what, they’d support her through it all and give her their all, and there was nothing that could change that. “Just because you try something doesn’t mean it’s going to work, and that’s okay, baby. But I don’t want to see you throw in the towel on something you want just because you’re afraid.”
She nodded, feeling more confident in herself than she had a moment ago, but the doubts still lingered while she confessed, “I know you’re right… but I’m still scared.”
“And that’s okay,” he assured her, pulling her towards him and kissing her forehead. “But that’s why you have people around you to help support you through it all, and I’d really like to be at the top of that list.”
“I love you so much,” Ellie whispered against Chris’ neck, feeling the nerves calm by the movement of his chest as he breathed. Her shoulders relaxed as his arms wrapped around her and she practically melted against his firm body. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Chris.”
“I do, you’d be thriving and successful and happy without me,” he instantly replied as his hand ran up and down Ellie’s back, soothing the anxieties out of her. “But I’m pretty glad you chose to let me be part of your life because I couldn’t love you more.”
Somehow in that moment, all of Ellie’s perceived failures seemed to wash away, being replaced by the support and encouragement of the man she loved with her whole heart. With the much-needed boost to Ellie’s confidence, she felt a newfound purpose in jumping headfirst, despite the risks and her fears.
#playing with fire#chris evans fic#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans x ofc#chris evans writing#chris evans story#chris evans#chris evans x oc#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#chris evans au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#firefighter au#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans#original content#chris evans x original female character#original female character#ofc#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#writing
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 12 - Part Two
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 3,980
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Emotions, angst, arguments.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
5 weeks later
A warm smile crossed Ellie’s lips as the waitress came to her tiny corner table, placing the big bowl of pasta in front of her. She thanked the waitress before settling into the small cafe on the cold Saturday afternoon. Ellie had the day off from work and she certainly needed it. With Chris getting injured, the past month certainly hadn’t been easy. Although she loved to be with him and help him recover, Chris had proven not to be the easiest patient from being irritable because of not being able to interact with Hazel the same way, to going stir crazy from being inside his house so much and not going to work.
But thankfully, he’d been given the all-clear to return to normal activity the following week at his doctor’s appointment the previous day, texting Ellie the news as soon as he got out of the office. Ellie knew how much he’d been missing his routine, the guys, and just his normal life in general. All he’d known for the last nearly five years now was filling half of his week with Hazel and the other half with work, but going from that to being home all day everyday, while Hazel went to school and Ellie was working led to a change in his demeanor. He’d been short with everyone, but especially Ellie and Hazel, not like himself, and on edge, to the point of needing reassurances occasionally.
She had texted him this morning to ask how he was doing and if Scott was still coming over to watch some sports games with him on television, but when he didn’t respond, Ellie figured he was sleeping and went about her day, the plans to meet up at his home for dinner in the back of her mind. Ellie was enjoying some time by herself, spending the entire morning in her favorite local bookstore before going out to lunch which is where she was now.
As her phone buzzed with yet another text in the family group chat, her brother making some joke about her baby nephew, interrupting Ellie’s reading for the hundredth time that afternoon, she impulsively threw her phone on silent and dropped it into her tote bag, needing the time to just relax and decompress.
Ellie enjoyed the quiet of the rest of her meal as she read her book and sipped on her wine, eventually pulling herself from the cozy cafe once her watch told her it was now early in the evening. She grabbed her bag and headed out to drive toward the house that always brought a smile to her face. She hadn’t even stepped fully inside the home when she heard a small voice yelling out, “ELLIE BELLIE!”
“Hazie!” Ellie called back, dropping to her knees and holding her arms out as the little girl appeared in the archway to the living room, a huge grin on the tiny face. “I need a big hug!” Ellie laughed, watching as Hazel bounded through the hallway and into her arms, squeezing Ellie tightly.
Hazel pulled back quickly though, grasping Ellie’s hand as she turned and pulled her down the hallway, happily telling her, “Ellie, Ellie, come see my new stuffed animal Uncle Scott got me!”
“I’ll come look in just a second, I want to say hi to your daddy first,” Ellie replied, glancing around each passing room curiously, trying to find Chris. “Where is he?”
“He’s making dinner,” Hazel shrugged once they reached the open living room, pointing to the kitchen, where Chris was standing at the stove with his back to them.
Ellie eyed his frame curiously, able to see the tension in his body. “Making dinner already? Good thing I came now or it looks like I would have missed it!” She laughed to Hazel, watching as the little girl scampered off to her toys, then Ellie made her way into the kitchen.
Chris finally looked over his shoulder to Ellie, a deep frown on his lips as he stirred a pot of rice. “Well I didn’t know if you were coming,” he muttered, eyes seemingly full of anxiety.
“Oh, well I guess I should have told you I was on my way,” Ellie shrugged, keeping a smile on her face as she felt Hazel’s eyes on them. “But how are you feeling, honey?”
Chris shrugged as he turned back around and pulled chicken out of the oven, shoulders tensed as he quietly replied, “Fine.”
But Hazel interrupted their quiet conversation as her voice carried across the home, calling to them, “Ellie c’mon! Come see my new dinosaur!”
Her eyes lingered on Chris’ stiff body, seeing the way he was only focusing on stirring the rice in the pot on the stove, not looking at anything but the food. She knew something had to be up but she couldn’t figure out if it was directed at her or just from his anxiousness to get back to his normal routine. She decided to leave it alone for now, following Hazel into the living room where she showed her the new stuffed animal. The pair stayed in the living room until Chris told them dinner was ready but that same awkward dynamic carried all through the meal.
Although Hazel was busy talking Ellie’s ear off most of the meal, Chris couldn’t seem to string together more than two words, mostly pushing his food around on his plate instead. Ellie kept stealing glances at him, thinking for the first time that maybe his mood in the last month was because he wasn’t looking forward to returning to work, returning to the life that only afforded him such limited time with Hazel, leading to this version of himself that reminded Ellie of the closed-off firefighter she met back in November.
But it wasn’t until Hazel scampered off to play in the small - and rarely used - playroom in the front of the home with Dodger that Chris finally came out of his self-imposed shell as he and Ellie cleaned up from dinner. Her phone buzzed from its spot on the kitchen counter with a text from Amanda, accompanied by a picture of Nathan in his little Valentine’s Day themed pajamas. With her heart melted, Ellie moved towards Chris’ spot at the counter, where he was putting leftovers in a container. A large grin was on Ellie’s face when she stood next to him, holding her phone out and telling him, “Chris, you have to come see this cute picture of my nephew!”
His eyes darted to the side, landing on the phone, but his face remained in the deep-set frown it had been in for nearly an hour now. “I’m glad to know your phone is working,” he told her quietly, avoiding her eyes as he moved to the refrigerator.
Ellie’s brows furrowed as she watched him, putting her phone down on the counter to cross her arms over her chest as she asked, “What do you mean? It wasn’t ever broken.”
Chris shrugged as he loudly shut the fridge door, eyes landing on her as he annoyedly said, “Well I just thought that maybe you weren’t getting messages since you ignored me all day.”
“What are you talking about?”
Chris pointed at the same phone that was sitting face down on the black countertop, his voice nearly as furious as she’d ever heard it as he told her, “You might want to take a look at your notifications.”
Ellie was quiet as she reached for the phone, thumbing to her notifications. Her heart dropped as she saw three calls and eight text messages, all from Chris in the last four hours. “Oh Chris, I’m so sorry,” she breathed, eyes wide as she looked up and met his furious ocean blue eyes. “I turned my phone on silent when I was at lunch and I guess I forgot to check it again.”
But his brows quickly furrowed, confusion of his own finally flooding his expression. “At lunch? I thought you said you didn’t have plans today?”
Ellie shrugged, feeling annoyed at having to stupidly defend her own last-minute plans to him. Her boyfriend. “I didn’t, I just went to the bookstore and then out to lunch and I sat and read one of my books,” she explained.
“And in all that time you couldn’t find time to send one text?”
“I’m sorry, I forgot to check my phone,” she repeated, voice frustrated as she scoffed. “What was going on? Were you okay?”
Chris shrugged with a clenched jaw. “Yeah I just had no fuckin’ clue where you were,” he ground out.
“Is that why you’ve been acting so weird? Just because you didn’t know where I was?” Ellie asked, eyebrows raising and taking his silence for an answer as he fiddled with a dish rag. “Chris, I’m sorry I didn’t answer your calls, I really am. I didn’t mean to worry you, but it was my day off and I guess-”
“You said you weren’t doing anything!”
“I wasn’t! I just went to lunch and the bookstore!”
“I don’t know that I believe that,” Chris muttered, tossing the balled-up dish rag onto the counter.
“I can’t-” Ellie went to throw her hands in the air, but suddenly straightened up as she saw Hazel wander into the room. With a serious look to Chris, she turned her attention to Hazel, asking the girl, “Did you need something, Hazel?”
Hazel shrugged, rocking on the balls of her feet as she remembered, “The other day you said we could make cookies together,” and looked to Ellie with a hopeful expression.
Ellie sighed quietly, nodding and glancing at Chris, watching as he nodded to Ellie. With his permission - and a quick glance at the time - Ellie replied, “You’re right, I did. But once we’re done, it’s bedtime, okay?”
Hazel eagerly agreed, promising she’d go right to bed as she went over to drag over the little stool. With anger still flowing between Chris and Ellie, she was thankful for the break to process her feelings while Chris practically stormed out of the room, calling out that he was taking Dodger for a walk. Ellie tried to push away her feelings for the moment, leaving them to churn at the back of her mind while she began pulling ingredients out of Chris’ pantry, preheating the oven and leading Hazel through the steps for the chocolate chip cookie recipe.
Ellie didn’t even lift her eyes when Chris came back in later on, walking right by the kitchen and going to the couch while she moved cooled cookies into a container, allowing Hazel to “sneak” a cookie for herself every once in a while. But once the last batch was out of the oven, Ellie reminded Hazel of her promise to go right to bed when they were done.
As Hazel climbed down off of her stool and made her way over to where Chris was waiting by the hallway, the little girl paused and turned around, asking, “Bellie, will you tuck me in?”
A fond smile slipped onto Ellie’s lips as she shook her head, glancing between father and daughter, telling them, “I don’t know that you dad would like me taking his job.”
“Daddy can’t tuck me in very good because he still can’t lift me up,” the little girl replied simply with a shrug of her shoulders as she looked at Ellie with wide, innocent eyes.
Ellie’s eyes shot up to look at Chris, seeing the way he was dodging her gaze and scratching the back of his neck. She expected him to correct Hazel, telling her what he’d told Ellie all week - that he felt back to normal and was now allowed to go back to normal activity - but he didn’t, instead just nudging her and telling her it was time for bed. Without a word between them, Ellie just walked over, picking up Hazel and carrying her up the stairs with Chris behind her to tuck the sweet curly headed girl into bed.
Ellie left the room quickly with a smile and kiss to Hazel’s forehead, the smile dropping as soon as she reached the hallway and gave Hazel and Chris privacy. Anger flooded Ellie as she mulled over Hazel’s words, suddenly realizing he’d been lying to her for weeks about how he felt. For so long, it was just “I feel okay, the doctors just are worried about my ankle, Elles,” without any mention of a twinge of pain beyond the first three weeks. But here he was, a day after being cleared by the doctor, and Ellie was just now finding all of this out, leading her to think that he likely lied to the doctor as well.
As Chris wandered in with Dodger behind him, proverbial tail-between-Chris’-legs as he nervously glanced at Ellie. She was seated on the leather sectional, a basketball game on the large TV with the volume remaining at a slightly-louder-than-usual level. “Well nice to know you haven’t been telling me the truth about your ribs,” she dryly said, a deep frown on her face.
Chris sighed, tilting his head back and trying to tell her, “I’m fine.”
“No you’re not if you still can’t lift Hazel,” Ellie pointed out, her voice rising sharply before she deflated, emotion flooding her. “You lied to me… repeatedly.”
Chris scoffed with a shake of his head, “That’s the pot calling the kettle black,” from where he was leaning against the open archway to the living room, his arms coming to rest across his chest.
Ellie’s face fell and she watched his movements carefully, cataloging every slow action and slight frown as he raised his arms. She couldn’t get his accusation out of her head, the confusion at the likening of his lies to something she’d done. “Would you like to tell me what that means?”
He rolled his eyes, jaw clenched as he tiredly - as if it was so obvious he shouldn’t even have to explain it to her - informed her, “It means that if you were really just sitting reading a book today you would have been able to text me back.”
She reared back, standing up. Her face was settled in a deep frown as she looked at his seemingly uncaring expression, asking him, “And where is it that you think I was, Chris?”
He shrugged, kicking his foot out and back and eyes dropping to watch Dodger as he laid down on the floor in front of the fireplace. “I don’t know, you tell me,” he shrugged again.
“I did tell you!” She insisted, shaking her head. Ellie felt entirely aghast at his insistence that she was lying to him, lying to the man she loved so dearly that she couldn’t imagine ever loving anyone or anything as much.
He rolled his eyes again, his voice finally raising to match hers, but with a sideways glance over his shoulders towards the stairs. “You expect me to believe you avoided my calls because you were busy reading? Who were you with at lunch, Elizabeth?” He demanded, eyebrows shooting up as he looked at her expectantly.
Ellie’s face and heart fell as she realized what he was so clearly implying, quietly asking him, “...Do you think I was with another guy?”
He was quiet for several long moments, leading Ellie to believe he didn’t want to admit it - or admit what he was hinting at - either. Finally, he shrugged, swallowing nervously as he looked at his feet and whispered, “Wouldn’t be the first time someone was cheating on me while I was like this.”
And all at once, everything clicked inside of Ellie’s brain. She thought back to months ago when Chris had told her the first time he found out about Ashlee cheating on him was because of being home earlier from work since he had gotten hurt. His irritable nature and on edge temper was a lot easier to understand now that the truth had just been laid bare.
With a deep breath, Ellie touched his arms, gently moving them away from his chest and down to his sides before she held his hand in hers. “Chris, come sit down,” she practically instructed him, walking side-by-side with him until they reached the couch. She watched as he sat down, the fallacy of being completely healthy dropping as he carefully sat down in a way that was reminiscent of several weeks ago. “Do you really think I was cheating on you today?”
His cheeks flushed with shame - and embarrassment - at her words as he shook his head, then shrugged, then sighed. “I don’t… I don’t know,” he admitted.
Ellie let out a soft sigh, not wanting to shame him for his fears and anxieties at all, but also frustrated at the leaps and bounds he spiraled into creating this idea in his mind. “Honey, I understand that you’ve been through a lot with Ashlee. I know that damaged you and it’s hard to trust, but hearing you say that you think I cheated on you just breaks my heart. I can’t believe you’d think that of me,” she confessed, shaking her head and squeezing her eyes shut.
His eyes and facial expression reflected her own nearly horrific feeling inside, Chris telling her, “I just never would have thought Ashlee would have done that either but she did.”
With a tight press of her lips, Ellie squeezed his hand in hers, causing him to look at her in the eyes. “Chris, have I ever given you reason not to trust me?” She asked, raising a single brow at him.
“...No.”
“Then I need you to rely on that. Rely on who I’ve shown you that I am,” she encouraged, a hand moving to rest on his thigh over his sweatpants. “Our relationship isn’t ever going to work if you can’t trust me or judge me based on your past experiences. You can’t do what you did today.”
“I know,” he breathed, shaking his head as it hung in shame before he looked back up at her eyes. “I’m sorry Ellie. I love you and I do trust you and I’m sorry I got so crazy.”
“I love you too,” she smiled, the hand on his thigh moving to run through his thick brown hair, eyes moving over his apprehensive face. “But I think that maybe you should go see a therapist to work through some of these issues.”
He nodded as he took in her words, a deep breath raking through him as he agreed, “I think you’re right.”
A smirk spread across Ellie’s face and she knocked her shoulder into Chris’, asking, “Sorry, what was that? Can you say that again?”
“I said you were right,” he repeated with another grin and shook his head. “I’ll find someone this week.”
Ellie nodded, leaning in to press a kiss to his cheek. “And next time you’re feeling some of this, I want you to talk to me,” she whispered. “That’s the only way we’re going to get through some of this stuff because I certainly can’t do this every time I get wrapped up reading a book.”
“I know I shouldn’t have let myself spiral,” he said, tone critical. “I just got in my own head about what happened before, and then not being able to have sex because of my ribs made me worried you’d maybe be looking elsewhere like Ashlee did. But that wasn’t fair and I am sorry.”
She nodded as she mulled over his words, mentally beating herself up for not recognizing the cues sooner but also recognizing the sheer absurdity of the situation, and how inappropriate Chris had been. “It’s okay Chris, but that’s another thing you have to be more honest about is your pain,” she pointed out to him cautiously. “I think you need another week off of work if your ribs are still hurting.”
Chris nodded as his head tilted back against the cushion. Ellie knew it was the right path, the only path forward with healing for him. He couldn’t be so reckless, so insistent on getting back to real life without having the proper time to prepare for it. “I’ll call in tomorrow,” he agreed.
Ellie watched as he let out a long sigh and settled comfortably onto the couch - finally, now that their fight was done - with a glance to her before his eyes found the NBA game on the television. Now that they weren’t fighting to not be overheard by the little girl sleeping upstairs, Ellie turned the game volume back down to an appropriate level. Several long minutes went by, spent in shared silence before Ellie murmured, “Although if you keep being this grouchy, maybe I will send you back to work early. Maybe then I’ll get my Chris back. I miss that guy.”
Chris huffed out a laugh, shaking his head as he admitted, “Work isn’t why I’m grouchy… more like not being able to have you.”
Ellie laughed as well, knowing it was true. She’d been cautious around him with his injuries - to the point of some frustration on Chris’ end at their lack of shared alone time given they’d just begun to hit their stride when he got injured. Ellie turned her body, leaning her elbow on the back of the couch and facing Chris, she asked, “Oh so I’ve made a monster then, haven’t I?”
“Looks like it.”
Ellie laughed at Chris’ response before she told him she’d be right back and asked if he needed some Advil, to which Chris quickly nodded, explaining Hazel had been a bit too enthusiastic earlier when he’d picked her up from Ashlee’s and he was still feeling the effects all these hours later.
She returned from the kitchen with water, the medicine, and her book, sitting on the couch next to Chris with her feet tucked underneath her. One hand held her book on her lap as she opened it to the page she’d left off on earlier and one hand was quickly grasped by Chris. His eyes stayed on the television as he absent-mindedly played with her fingers.
The shift in their moods did not go unnoticed by Ellie, but she didn’t see it as unwelcome. She also couldn’t help but think back on their growth in the past three months, in how much they’d grown individually and together. While much of their time together had revolved around big conversations and discussions about their pasts and emotions, it led them to here, and here was a place where they’d pushed through each wall and boundary that they’d still held and were on the other side. And while tonight was not their ideal hangout, both of them likely preferring to be alone to be able to do some other activities, Ellie wouldn’t rather be doing anything else with anyone else.
This was where she was happiest, with the man she so desperately loved humming next to her as his eyes tracked the basketball, his hand playing with her own, and with his snoring dog in front of the fireplace while his young daughter slept soundly in her bed upstairs. It was far from perfect, but it was something Ellie had begun to crave with every fiber of her being when she wasn’t here. It felt like home.
A/N: We can't wait to hear your thoughts! We will miss posting over our break but will hopefully make some headway in catching up on our writing!
#playing with fire#chris evans writing#chris evans fic#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans x ofc#chris evans x oc#chris evans#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#original female character#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#firefighter!au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#chris evans au#cevans#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 14
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 5,801
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Smut. 18+ ONLY. Minors DNI. Arguments. Resentment.
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
“I can’t believe we finally both have the same day off,” Brooke happily sighed, plopping down on the empty end of the couch.
“I know, since when does that ever happen?” Ellie asked through a mouth full of popcorn, holding the bowl out to her lifelong best friend after Brooke tucked her legs underneath the hand woven blanket Ellie was under.
“Well it needs to start happening more because this is the best way to end a Saturday if you ask me,” the dark haired woman stated, holding up the popcorn in one hand and the glass of wine in the other.
Ellie agreed while snuggling down into the couch, her feet plopping on Brooke’s lap before putting the bowl of popcorn in her lap. She tossed a handful in her mouth before wondering, “Are you coming with me to family dinner at the farm tomorrow?”
“Yeah I was planning on it,” Brooke nodded, glancing over at the movie they were half watching but then decided to ask, “Are Chris and Hazel going?”
“Just Chris, tomorrow is Ashlee’s Sunday with Hazel,” Ellie replied easily.
“How is that going?”
“Me and Chris? Or Chris and Ashlee?”
“Just… all of it,” Brooke’s shoulders shrugged, her eyes trailing to the side while finishing, “I mean, it’s not exactly an easy situation.”
“No, it’s not, but I actually feel like it’s going as well as it could. I really love Hazel and she seems to like me too.” An unconscious smile crossed Ellie’s lips at the thought of the adorable curly headed girl who had come to own a very special place in Ellie’s heart. “And so far there haven’t been any issues related to Ashlee so I think that’s a good sign.”
“Is there any part of you that’s scared?” She could see the emotions going through her friend’s eyes. In so many ways, Brooke seemed to know her better than she knew herself and she knew that all of the questions she asked were out of pure care for Ellie as she wondered, “You know, just about Ashlee and even Hazel and their role in Chris’ life.”
“...I guess I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t scared at all,” she knew that there had been many nights she laid awake thinking about it, wondering if there would be room for her in Chris’ life or that there wouldn’t be more complications that arose from the dynamic. “Chris has said how difficult Ashlee can be so that feels like it always just lingers at the back of my mind.”
“Do you think she’d want Chris back?”
“No, I really don’t think that. She cheated on Chris more than once, and Chris thinks it probably was happening throughout their entire marriage,” she knew there was no way them being a couple again was ever in the cards and shared with Brooke that, “I don’t think she ever really wanted Chris and I know he doesn’t want her back. I just mean more in terms of if she tries to make things difficult because of Hazel.”
“Well from what I know about Ashlee from cutting her hair, I’m honestly surprised she hasn’t caused a problem already,” Brooke’s eyes widened before taking a sip of her wine, “Chris isn’t wrong when he says that she’s difficult.”
“I’m just hoping for Hazel’s sake that she doesn’t cause a problem,” Ellie mused as she pulled the warm blanket up a little higher.“Because even if Chris and I don’t go anywhere, there’s going to be someone else at some point.”
Hearing the statement made Brooke laugh out loud as she leaned over to put her glass of wine on the coffee table before settling back into the couch cushions,“I’ve seen that trail of drool when he walks from the fire station to the bakery so I tend to doubt that there’s going to be anyone else.”
“I truly hope there isn’t,” Ellie breathed, glancing up at the ceiling as the thoughts swirled in her brain.
“...You really love him, don’t you, Ellie?”
As Ellie sat there, her brain processing the question, she knew the answer to that question. When she first met Chris, cold and closed-off, she could have never imagined she’d be here with him. Chris was everything she didn’t know she needed. He brought so much purpose and peace to her life. He reminded her who she was and brought out the best in her. Ellie smiled everytime she even thought of him and longed for the time they got to be together. She found it almost comical how quickly they’d become a team and there wasn’t one ounce of hesitation in her voice when she said, “I really do.”
“Well he passed my test for you so that’s really all that matters,” she joked while grabbing a handful of popcorn, “Now Chris needs to just get me one of those hot firefighters for myself.”
“I have to say though that sometimes dating a firefighter is the worst because in Chris’ care he works three days straight and then has Hazel for the other three so I don’t have sex for six days out of the week,” Ellie couldn’t help but groan, feeling that deep longing for him close to the surface.
“And with as hot as Chris is, that’s truly a tragedy,” Brooke stated exactly what she was thinking.
Ellie didn’t mean to complain but found herself huffing,“I know, now I’m just horny during the weeknights and I can’t do anything with him.”
“Can’t you stay over at his house?”
“No, he and Ashlee have an agreement that nobody can spend the night while Hazel’s in the house. I totally respect that and think it’s a good rule for them, especially considering what Ashlee has done in the past, but god it kills me,” Ellie spoke the truth, “Sometimes I wish he wasn’t so shy so he could call me in the evenings after Hazel goes to bed.”
“Maybe Chris just needs to get warmed up to that idea,” Brooke nudged her best friend with her foot. “Or maybe you can bend the rules and not spend the night but just go give him an early visit one morning.”
“I want to respect their rules regarding Hazel, but I sure as hell would love to,” the blonde couldn’t help but laugh at the thought before telling her that, “Honestly I’m sure Chris would too. That poor man has the worst case of morning wood I’ve ever seen and I’d be more than happy to help him out with that if I was around.”
Brooke almost choked on her popcorn, swallowing it with a sip of wine as she held up a hand, “Okay I’m not going to lie, Chris really does have big dick energy.”
“Oh it’s not just energy, trust me.”
“As someone who is currently single, I don’t really want to hear how good you’re getting it,” Brooke groaned while leaning her head back.
“Okay but do you want to know something really sweet? Because of being cheated on, Chris told me earlier on in our relationship that he was really insecure about how he is in bed and Brookie, he is SO good. He doesn’t even know just how good,” Her hands slapped down in her lap, making Brooke laugh from where they were curled up on the small couch.
“Why does that not even surprise me?”
“Chris truly wasn’t ever bad. Like how the hell can someone that scared still be THAT good,” Ellie mused.
“That’s actually really sweet that he was nervous about what he was like in bed,” Brooke noted, running a hand through her dark hair as she huffed,“I feel like every guy I’ve been with lately thinks he’s the best thing since sliced bread.”
“Don’t worry, I told Chris all my requirements I have for who can date you so he’s internally vetting all of the firefighters before we set you up with one,” Ellie was completely serious, recalling the recent conversation she had with Chris about the subject.
“Good because I can’t sit here much longer and listen to how great Chris is when I have to go home to an empty bed,” Brooke threw her hands up in the air with a laugh, “Although you probably are alone tonight too.”
“No, tonight is my night. Saturday is our one evening together every week,” Ellie could hardly wait until Chris was walking through her front door. “He told me the other day he feels bad that we’ve been having sex every Saturday because he didn’t want me to feel like we had to just because that’s when he’s free. I was too embarrassed to tell him most of the time I can barely make it through dinner without jumping him.”
“I’m honestly surprised you can.”
Ellie didn’t even bat an eye as she quipped,“Oh I’d jump him the second he came through the door if he’d let me.”
“Honestly I don’t know why you don’t. I would if I had that hunky firefighter all to myself,” Brooke muttered, feeling the singleness to the core at the moment.
“Chris is just usually a little more shy about getting things going. Usually we need to have a lead up, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to tonight,” Ellie knew that Chris wasn’t normally the type of person just to jump right into the middle of things, knowing between them there was a lot of kissing and soft touches before things escalated.
“Well on that note I think I should get out of here. You’re way too horny and I want to get out of here before Chris shows up or I’m afraid I’ll see your panties flying across the room,” Brooke teased as she flipped the blanket off, standing up as Ellie smacked her with a nearby pillow.
Brooke snatched the pillow out of her hands, hitting the side of Ellie’s head softly, making the women both laugh before Ellie just shrugged helplessly, “Sorry, this is what happens on Saturday nights.”
“Remind me not ever to hang out with you on Saturday nights again!”
The sound of Ellie’s laughter echoed in the small house before Brooke hugged her tightly, the two friends parting when Brooke slipped out the front door. Ellie stayed on the couch, half heartedly watching the movie on TV while she worked on knitting the next blanket for her collection, her eyes occasionally glancing up at the clock.
She had gotten so used to spending every Saturday evening with Chris, but with Hazel’s school conferences coming up this Thursday, Chris had taken half a day off which meant that tonight he was working late. Ellie tried to keep her mind occupied with her knitting rather than letting her thoughts drift to her hunky firefighter and the way his beard tickled her when they kissed, or how his thick muscular arms felt locked around her, and she certainly was trying not to think about those low moans he made when-
“Elles, it’s me.” His familiar voice called out, startling her out of her thoughts as she heard the door close.
“In the living room,” she told him.
Ellie listened to the sound of his heavy footsteps before he appeared in front of where she sat on the couch. His hair was still damp from the shower he always took before leaving the station, leaving a couple rogue strands falling onto his forehead. Chris’ tall thick frame was covered in one of the navy blue shirts with the station logo on it, and a black pair of his jogging sweatpants outlined his long legs. But when she looked up, she saw that soft smile on his handsome bearded face, and none of the view that was in front of her helped the growing wet spot in her panties.
“Hi love,” he greeted her, a hand on the arm rest of the couch, the other on her blanket covered thigh as he leaned down to kiss her.
“I’m glad you’re here,” Ellie murmured as they pulled apart, a hand landing on Chris’ cheek. “I missed you today.”
Chris’ eyes searched her face, a dopey and tired grin appearing as he sighed and sat on the arm of the couch. “I missed you too. It was a long day,”
“Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?” Ellie asked, her hand rubbing the sweatpants covering his thigh. “I made a cake earlier if you want a piece.”
“Well I can’t say no to that, but you don’t need to get it for me,” Chris told her as he pushed himself off the couch.
Ellie just waved him off, gently moving the heavy blanket from her lap as she replied, “No, I’ll get it. I want to get a glass of water anyway.”
While Ellie carefully folded the blanket and put it back in the nearby basket, but with her focused on the task in front of her, she didn’t see the way Chris was eyeing her. Ellie had ditched her sweater and jeans a while back, leaving her in the little black cami and scalloped edge panties, her bun pulled out and falling in waves down her back, pushed away from her face with a headband. As if Chris hadn’t already been longing for his girl, not able to to have more than a quick kiss at the bakery for the last few days, seeing her this way, barefoot and comfortable with little clothing on her frame only made that fire burn inside him even hotter.
They’d gotten over the hump from their argument a few weeks back rather quickly, talking it out and coming together better than they ever had before. He’d spent nearly every moment of the last week wanting to be with Ellie, but between work and Hazel, he hadn’t been. But more than that, he missed and craved her in a way he’d never desired anyone before. Ellie was it for him in every way and he knew it without a doubt.
He quietly followed her the short distance to the kitchen, admiring the view of her from behind, but seeing the way those small panties only covered part of her round backside, he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out to give her swift smack. The contact didn’t even make Ellie jump, instead just turning to look at him over her shoulder with a sexy smirk that told him so much with just that one look.
Ellie didn’t even make it to the cake stand along the back wall of the kitchen before Chris’ hands landed on her hips, pulling her back into him as his lips attached to her neck. A strangled moan escaped Ellie and her head threw backwards into Chris’ shoulder, gasping at the sensation. She felt his hands rest on her skin in the gap between the edge of her cami and panties, but they quickly slipped underneath her top, slowly traveling up until he could grasp her soft breasts in his hands and suddenly Ellie was thankful that this morning all her bras had been in the dirty clothes bin.
The sensation of his hands grasping at her and his lips sucking along her neck had Ellie throbbing for him, pressing her backside against him as she silently asked for more. One of his warm hands traveled down, sliding across the fabric of her panties before slipping between her thighs but Ellie’s ears were filled with the sound of his low moan when he felt the wetness that had soaked into the fabric.
Without a word, Chris gently pushed her face down onto the kitchen island and she felt his fingers dip into the waistband of her panties, pushing them down to pool around her ankles. This was pure longing, having built up over the last week. They'd missed each other down to their cores, and this was the first time they'd desperately acted on those emotions together, not being able to wait a second longer to finally have each other in the way they wanted most.
Ellie shivered from the cool wooden countertop against her mixed with the sensation of Chris’ strong hands grasping at the flesh of her ass, only making her want him more as she whined, “Chris, I want you.”
“I know Elles, I want you too,” he rasped, and Ellie suddenly felt his bare legs against her own. “God, I fuckin’ missed you.”
But Ellie couldn’t even get out any words, only whimpering in response to him. She expected to feel him pushing inside her at any moment, but she was surprised that it wasn’t. Instead Ellie only felt the warmth of his body before she felt her hair being swept off her back and pushed to the side, a sweet kiss being pressed to the base of her neck before he whispered, “I love you, Ellie.”
She repeated his words back to him then whined as he nudged her legs apart a little farther with his knee before he grasped at her hips and pushed into her ungracefully, instead only with that pure desperation and need they had for each other. His hips slapped against hers as the speed increased, Ellie reaching out to grab onto the edge of the counter, needing to brace herself as he thrust into her with the force they both wanted.
Ellie reached down, rubbing tight circles on that little bundle of nerves just as Chris’ pace turned sloppy. Each thrust pulled a whine out of her and she clenched around him, and just as she felt herself hit her peak, Chris let out a low, needy groan and his hips stilled. They stayed in that position, his softening length inside her while he leaned down to press a few sweet kisses along her shoulder, helping them both come down from their high.
The kitchen was silent for several long moments as they each caught their breaths and Chris kept pressing his kisses all over her shoulder. When he could tell Ellie had caught her breath, he gently pulled out of her, cleaning himself up quickly before tucking himself back into his boxers that still were hanging around his thighs, his need for her making him unable to even take the time to completely discard them off of his body. Chris helped Ellie slide her panties back up her legs before she stood up from her bent over position, legs wobbling from the intense high that had just transpired.
His arms snaked around her waist, leaning in to peck at her lips before Ellie pulled away enough that she could study his handsome face, her fingers running through his short hair as she noted, “You know, you never got that piece of cake yet.”
“I like what I had a whole lot better,” the smirk was evident on his face.
“Well you can have both,” Ellie laughed softly before stealing a kiss. “I’m going to go take a shower really quick.”
It didn’t take long for Ellie to get in and out of the shower, going through her nightly routine, pulling on a comfortable sweatshirt and her pajama pants to fight the February cold. A long yawn escaped her lips as she turned off the light of the bathroom and stepped out into her bedroom and the sight that she came across had a wide smile on her lips.
Chris had already gotten tucked into her small bed, his eyelids only half open as he looked over at her. He pulled the blankets back a little before wordlessly opening his arms and giving Ellie a sweet silent invitation. She didn’t waste any time walking across the floor and climbing into the bed, falling into Chris’ arms as she laid her head on his chest, letting his arms come around her as they settled into the cold night together, finally.
The clicks and clacks of Ashlee’s heels echoed through the front hall of the preschool as the parents pushed open the doors and stepped into the late March sun. The early spring weather was at its best and Chris welcomed the sun on his skin, but as they arrived at their cars, it became clear to Chris that Ashlee didn’t feel the same. She tightly grasped Hazel’s work sample from her teachers in her hand and spun around, waving it around and asking Chris,“What the hell is this about?”
His brows furrowed and his arms crossed over his chest as he took in her furious eyes. “What?”
“This,” Ashlee repeated, waving the paper again.
“What Hazel wants to be when she grows up?” He asked, eyes moving over the paper. It was messily colored in with the teacher’s handwriting filling in the lines about Hazel’s favorite things, her life, and what she wanted to be when she grew up. “What about it?”
“She’s always wanted to be a vet, you know that,” Ashlee told him quietly, something almost scared and insecure in her eyes as she looked at the paper again. She seemed to be staring at the words instead of the drawings, eyes skipping right over the four-year-old’s depiction of them with Hazel, matching smiles on all of their faces.
He refrained from rolling his eyes at Ashlee’s insistence that something was wrong with Hazel’s decision, muttering, “Well last week she told me she wanted to be a cowboy.”
“This isn’t funny Chris,” Ashlee retorted, her voice rising. Chris snuck a glance around the school’s parking lot, feeling thankful they were the last conference before the teachers took their lunch, meaning no one was around to overhear their dispute.
“Ash, I really don’t know what you’re getting at so can you just come out and say it?”
“A baker. She wants to be a baker.”
“And?”
Ashlee rolled her eyes, almost annoyed that she had to spell it out for him so much. “That’s what your girlfriend is.”
“What does this have to do with Ellie?” He asked, a deep frown on his face at the implication of her words.
Ashlee simply shrugged and replied, “I don’t know, you tell me.”
“I don’t have a fuckin’ clue what you’re getting at here,” Chris told her with a deep frown, hoping that his fears were unfounded with what she was trying to spin.
“I’m getting at the fact that it hasn’t even been two months since you told Hazel you were dating that girl and she’s already trying to take over!”
His eyebrows flew up his forehead and his arms dropped to his sides as his voice rose, “Woah, woah, woah, you think Ellie is trying to take over because Hazel wrote on a piece of paper she wants to be a baker?!”
“It shows that she’s trying to influence my daughter.”
“Our daughter isn’t being influenced by anything,” Chris told her, his voice hurt but strong. “When we go to the bakery, Ellie lets Hazel frost her own cookie and sometimes when Ellie’s over they bake together so yeah, I’m sure right now she does want to be a baker. And next week when Scott takes her to the aquarium she’s going to want to be a mermaid or be a marine biologist. She’s four years old, what do you expect?!”
“I expect her father not to put her in a position where she’s being raised by his blonde fling,” Ashlee ground out with another eye roll as she leaned her back against her Mercedes.
“Don’t fuckin’ call her that,” Chris instantly told her, feeling the anger at her words and the way she spoke about Ellie. “Ellie isn’t a fling and she has a name.”
“I don’t give a fuck about her, I give a fuck that she’s trying to turn my daughter against me and take my place!”
“What the hell are you even talking about?!” Chris nearly yelled. “A four year old wrote she wanted to be a baker and suddenly you think my girlfriend is trying to turn Hazel against you?”
She scoffed and shook her head, stuffing Hazel’s paper into her large purse. “You just can’t see it because she keeps your bed warm,” she muttered.
“Don’t you dare fuckin’ stand there and try to reduce our relationship to that.”
“I’m just calling things the way I see it.”
“The way you see it?” Chris asked as he raised a single brow and crossed his arms over his chest again. “Well you want to know what I saw last night? I saw our daughter crying when she called you on my phone to talk to you and you didn’t answer. She was heartbroken and you want to know what happened? Ellie held Hazel and reminded her of all the ways you show your love to her and then had Hazel draw you that picture she gave you this morning.”
He watched as Ashlee’s eyes filled with tears at his words, and while he may have felt bad any other day for taking a jab at her when it came to Hazel, he couldn’t find the sympathy in him today. Ashlee’s lashing out and taking jabs was a common occurrence, and Chris couldn’t say he often didn’t do the same when it came to her as they brought out the worst in each other. But they always tried to pull it together when it came to Hazel, and as her chin wobbled as she grew more and more emotional, he got the sense there was something more she was fearing.
“Ashlee, I feel like you’re worried about something that isn’t happening,” he murmured as he watched her wipe away a few tears.
“I’m Hazel’s mother and-”
“And you’ll always be,” he instantly replied, feeling his heart break as he realized the root of the issue. Ashlee had never been instinctually maternal, in fact it wasn’t something that came to either of them naturally at first. While Chris had grown - and he hoped he’d flourished - into becoming a good father, able to interact easily without second guessing every move, it was something that Ashlee still struggled with. And while he knew it wasn’t something that would’ve been an issue in her life if things had gone to plan, they’d had to shift and adapt to a curveball nearly five and a half years ago when life surprised them. So it was understandable to Chris that she’d see someone like Ellie, who was admittedly Chris’ dream girl, as a threat to her hard work in establishing her relationship with her own daughter. “Hazel loves you, Ash. Me dating Ellie doesn’t change any of that.”
Ashlee nodded a bit at his words as she continued to gently wipe the tears from her cheeks. Her cheeks were flushed at - likely - embarrassment of falling apart in front of him, but her voice was heavily vulnerable as she admitted, “...She talks about Ellie all the time.”
“Isn’t that a good thing though? Don’t we want someone that we bring into Hazel’s life to be someone that she loves and who loves Hazel just as much?” Chris brought up with pursed lips before he shrugged. “Besides, Hazel talks about you all the time too.”
“You don’t have to say that,” Ashlee shook her head.
“It’s true Ashlee, she does. You know she always wants to call you before bed when she’s at my house and she’s always telling me about the things you two do on Saturday’s. She adores you and you’ll always be her mother,” he repeated with a strong voice. “Ellie’s not trying to take your place.”
“I guess it’s just… hard to adjust,” Ashlee admitted to him sheepishly as she gave a nervous smile and took in a deep breath.
“I get it,” Chris chuckled with a smile of his own. “It’s been hard for me to adjust to parts of it too. But if it makes you feel better, Ellie really does love Hazel.”
“I’m glad,” Ashlee smiled again, then wiped her tears and gave him a more confident smile. “I mean that. It’s just not easy.”
“You know you can always talk to me about it, Ashlee. We’re a team when it comes to Hazel,”
Ashlee nodded while tucking her short brown hair behind her ears, thanking Chris for his reassurance before she adjusted the black leather bag on her shoulder before heading to her car after noting that she needed to get home so the babysitter could leave. Chris climbed into his own car, swinging by his mother’s house for some of her home cooking before he headed into work.
Chris glanced out the window of the car as he passed by the bakery on his way in, a small smile on his face as he spotted Ellie’s little car. He knew if he looked hard enough, he’d likely be able to see her smiling face and blonde hair through the windows of the bakery, a longing in his heart to see her, but he was already running close to late and there wasn’t time for a quick stop. But he also remembered how busy she’d predicted today would be, having texted with her quickly as Hazel brushed her teeth this morning and learned how many orders she, Dottie, and Alex - a newer hire - had to get through for the next day.
She’d informed Chris that she’d likely spend most of the night at the bakery, jumping between doing prep and baking and decorating cakes, cupcakes, and cookies for the orders, and that seemed to be the case. And Chris had a feeling she’d be there longer than anticipated when he sat at the red light and watched the steady stream of customers pouring into the old bakery, feeling bad that Ellie’s day was overloaded so much.
But he was quickly distracted as he steered his SUV into the fire station’s lot, parking and heading in and saying a quick greeting to the fellow firefighters. His time over the next several hours was spent doing the shift change procedures, cleaning up and checking on the various trucks, and throwing in a few loads of laundry. After a quick dinner with Mark, catching up on the other’s weeks and days, he pulled out his phone with a yawn and headed to his twin-sized bed, texting Ashlee, ‘Is this a good time to call?’
His question was answered when his phone began vibrating with a FaceTime call from her, smiling as he accepted it and saw Ashlee hand the phone to the curly-haired little girl. “Hey there’s my Hazel Bo Basil,” he murmured with a wide grin, watching as Hazel’s face lit up.
“Hi Daddy,” the little girl replied, the phone bouncing as she shoved it back to Ashlee, stepping back and telling him, “Look! I got new pajamas with kangaroos on them!”
“Wow, those are pretty cute Hazie.”
She nodded, taking back the phone and running through Ashlee’s townhome, telling him quietly, “And I didn’t forget to put Mr. Duck in my backpack this week.”
He chuckled quietly, remembering how often it was that Ashlee or Chris would have to run by the other’s home to get a forgotten toy or blanket for Hazel during their Hazel days. “Well that’s good because he’d be pretty sad without you,” he murmured.
She nodded, putting the phone down in front of her as she held the beloved duck, showing Chris the stuffed animal as she told him, “His wing is all better now that Ellie Jelly fixed it. He told me it didn’t hurt anymore.”
“Oh did he?” Chris asked with raised brows, pausing and waiting, then smiling, until the girl nodded. “Well it was a good thing we took him to see our favorite nurse.”
Hazel looked down at her toy for several long moments, long enough for Chris to see her yawn a few times, until she looked at the phone and quietly whispered, “...Daddy… I miss you.”
“I know Hazelnut, I miss you too,” Chris told her truthfully, his heart clenching at the look on Hazel’s face. These long days when Hazel was with Ashlee were never easy on any of them, Chris and Hazel missing each other and Ashlee struggling with the fallout from the emotions, and it was the same when Chris had Hazel. But while sometimes the long, constant work days distracted him, he had a feeling it wouldn’t help the loneliness and longing tonight that he felt for both Hazel and the little baker down the street. With a sigh and a glance to the clock down the hall, he added, “But I think it’s time for you to go to bed. I love you, honey. Sleep well.”
He watched as Hazel nodded her head, her little curls bouncing as she told him that she loved him just as much before handing the phone back to Ashlee. Chris talked to her for a few moments, just checking on how everything was and if everything with Hazel was going well, hanging up once Ashlee had told him it all was fine. When he hung up the phone, Chris just laid in the small lumpy bed, his brain churning as he looked up at the ceiling.
He thought how true his words earlier were… he missed Hazel like crazy. Chris loved being a firefighter. It was a calling for him and getting to help others was something he was incredibly passionate about, but the schedule wasn’t always easy. For the past few years, he had been thankful for the schedule, happy that when Ashlee had Hazel, he didn’t have any free time and instead was forced to focus on something else.
But things were different now. Hazel wasn’t the only one he missed anymore.
An unconscious smile crossed Chris’ lips as thoughts of the tender hearted blonde he loved so deeply filled his mind. Ellie had filled a spot in his heart that he hadn’t even known was there before. She’d shown him that he wanted more in life than just getting through the days, he had started dreaming again and every single one of those dreams had Ellie in them.
Chris wanted to call her and just hear her voice, but he knew she was working late on a grandiose cake and he didn’t want to bother her. Instead he just sent her a simple text saying that he loved her before resting his hands on his chest and drifted off to sleep.
He had no idea how long it had been when he was startled awake by the loud alarm going off, making him jump out of bed and run to his gear, grabbing his pants before he heard Mark’s voice calling out, “Evans, you’re staying.”
“What? Why?”
“...It’s the bakery.”
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 12 - Part One
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 7,891
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Emotions. Some Angst!
Previous | Main Masterlist | Playing With Fire Masterlist
“Alright Hazel Basil, it’s just about bedtime,” Chris told the little curly-haired girl with a sigh as he moved to let Dodger inside from the backyard, turning off the porch light and locking the back door before he turned back around.
He stifled a laugh as his eyes met Hazel’s wide, tired brown eyes, but what amused him was the tiny fists on her hips as she insisted, through a small yawn, “But I’m not tired yet!”
“Really? Because you were looking really sleepy to me,” Chris muttered as he rose a single eyebrow, recalling the way just moments ago she didn’t even argue when he brushed her hair and put it into a loose ponytail, something that normally didn’t happen without a multitude of tears, or the way she rubbed at her eyes nearly every minute.
Her small shoulders rose and fell as she looked away, quiet for a moment before she insisted, “No, I was just pretending.”
“Well then you’ll just have to pretend to be asleep when I tuck you in,” Chris sighed, nodding his head towards her. “C’mon, Hazelnut.”
With a small pout, she did as he said, collecting her stuffed animals in her tiny arms as she started trudging behind him. Chris felt like a mother duck with Hazel trailing behind him and Dodger behind her as he walked through the bottom floor of the house, turning off the lights and checking that the front door was locked. Once he confirmed that it was, he turned around to scoop up the little girl in his arms, her round cheek resting against his shoulder, stuffed animals pressed into his chest as he took hold of a few in his spare arm, and her tiny hand resting on his neck while she asked, “Daddy, why do you lock the doors?”
“To keep us safe,” he whispered, watching as Dodger sped up the stairs as he - and Hazel - slowly followed him.
He felt Hazel nod, her cheek pressing into his shoulder as she, in a serious tone, whispered, “Oh yeah, so no dinosaurs get in our house.”
Chris let out a short, loud laugh as he shook his head, straining his neck to look down at his little girl and press a kiss to her forehead. “Well yeah, I mean, we couldn’t let dinosaurs get inside and eat us, now could we?” He asked, smiling as she shook her head back.
They stopped on the landing at the top of the stairs, Chris setting Hazel down and telling her to brush her teeth quickly before he met her in her room. Once he heard her turn the water on, he headed into her room to put the multitude of stuffed animals on her bed. He was still snickering to himself as he thought of Hazel’s simple words just a moment ago about dinosaurs getting inside, prompting him to pull out his phone and send what had just happened in a text to Ellie, smiling widely when she immediately responded with, “That just made my night. Hazel is just too funny!”
He sent back a quick text, telling her that he’d call her once he got Hazel to bed before slipping his phone back into the pocket of his sweatpants, a different feeling in his heart than there was a few minutes ago. It had been so long since he felt something like this… that feeling of just getting to share little moments from his everyday life with someone. And the more he thought about it, the more he realized he hadn’t ever really had that with Ashlee, even before Hazel. Their relationship had never been like that, but what he had with Ellie was so different. He wanted to share every moment of every day with her, even the boring bits. And he never had to feel as though he was sharing too much or was coming on too strong because Ellie loved getting to hear these bits and pieces, and did the same in return. He knew about the customer who called for a birthday cake earlier that afternoon, what flavor muffin Ellie was thinking of doing for Valentine’s week, and the cake she spent nearly the entire night decorating the previous day.
Just talking to her felt so good, let alone when he got to spend time with her and it had become his normal routine to call her every night once Hazel was in bed, the two of them talking about everything and nothing until they were about to fall asleep. He knew that he only wanted more in this relationship. More time with her, more moments to share together, and just more of Ellie. He knew if that was going to happen, he had to talk to Hazel about it and let the two of them get to know each other even though that thought terrified him because of his past hurts.
Ever since he had come back from his weekend with Ellie in New York almost two weeks ago, he had known he had to talk to Ashlee about his relationship with Ellie. He had been avoiding the conversation that he knew would be a point of contention until this past Sunday when he picked up Hazel and sent her to gather her toys from her room while he talked to Ashlee and although she had been upset at first about the prospect of him introducing Ellie to their daughter as his girlfriend, she eventually reluctantly relented and agreed to it.
But for some reason Chris had yet to have that conversation with Hazel. It was Wednesday night, his last night with her before he dropped off Hazel at school in the morning and went to work and he knew that he had to tackle this conversation tonight. He couldn’t figure out if he was nervous for Hazel’s reaction, or if he was more afraid of the possible outcome, knowing he could bring Ellie into her life only to one day have her leave. He felt solely responsible for the hurt in Hazel’s life regarding the divorce, knowing that although Ashlee’s cheating wasn’t his fault, it was his fault for marrying someone he should have never been with in the first place. Chris carried such a weight on his shoulders in regards to his life choices that had brought pain to his precious Hazel and didn’t want to bring in more than necessary.
But he loved Ellie.
He loved Ellie more than he thought possible and didn’t want to have these two separate lives. He wanted to bring them together… to have a family. And he wasn’t going to skirt around the issue anymore, deciding to tackle the situation when his curly headed daughter walked back in the room, showing him her teeth and declaring they all were clean now.
“Alright Basil, which stuffed animals are sleeping in bed with you tonight?” Chris asked, pulling her blankets back and watching as the little girl picked up her duck stuffed animal before she moved to climb into bed, surrounded by the animals that Chris had carried up the stairs.
“Mr. Duck needs a turn,” she declared, then she pushed the well-loved lion into his hands. “And Lenny the lion needs to sleep in bed with you to protect you from the dinosaurs.”
“I’m sure Lenny will do a great job protecting me in case any of those pesky dinosaurs get in,” he chuckled, moving to sit on the edge of her bed, his back against the white wooden headboard and his legs stretched in front of him. His hand found Hazel’s small back as the little girl moved with a small sigh to lay down, her head in his lap. “Hey Hazelnut, I want to talk to you about something before you go to sleep,” he murmured, his hand moving in small circles over her striped pajama top.
Her fingers moved to pull at a loose thread on Chris’ sweatpants, her other hand rubbing on her pale green baby blanket. “What, daddy?”
“Well, you remember my friend Ellie don’t you?”
He watched as she nodded, a small smile on her face as she remembered, “Yeah she makes all the yummy cookies.”
“She does make yummy cookies,” Chris agreed, a similar grin appearing on his lips easily before he turned his attention back to his main goal, his fingers moving to tap her back intermittently instead. “Do you remember when she came over and helped you feel better when you were sick?”
She gave a nod as she hummed, “Mhmm.”
“Honey, do you like Ellie?”
“Yeah, she’s nice,” Hazel shrugged, rolling onto her other side so she could look up at Chris with a smile on her lips again. “And she always smells good.”
“Well I like her a lot too,” Chris admitted, smoothing a hand over Hazel’s head and tucking a stray strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail back behind her ear. “I like her so much that now, um, well sweetie, Ellie’s my girlfriend now.”
“Your girlfriend?” Hazel asked quietly after a moment with furrowed brows. “Oh, well Ellie’s my girl friend too.”
With a small chuckle at the innocence in Hazel’s declaration, telling her, “It’s not exactly the same thing.”
A deep frown appeared on Hazel’s lips, only further amusing Chris as he looked at her tired eyes as she asked him, “How?”
“Well you know how mommy has had some of her special friends she introduced you to? Well Ellie’s my special friend,” he tried to explain, struggling to find a way to make her understand the weight of the relationship. Ashlee and Chris had filed for divorced the month Hazel had turned two, so she had no memory of seeing her parents in a relationship. And with so much of Ashlee’s life happening in New York - and Chris’ lack of dating up until this point - she’d never been exposed to relationships in this way except for by extended family or her peers’ parents.
Hazel’s frown deepened a bit as she worked through the new dynamic Chris had explained, pointing out, “But mommy’s special friends lived in New York.”
“I know, but Ellie lives here and sometimes now when you come to my house, Ellie might be here too for a little while,” Chris explained as he gave her a smile, trying to phrase it in any way possible to make her see this as a positive instead of something negative, and in a way that a four-year-old would understand. “Or you know how we’re going to the zoo next time you have your Sunday with me? Well Ellie’s going to come with us.”
Hazel nodded, moving her eyes to look at the worn quilt, her hand dropping from Chris’ sweatpants to rub at the material of the blanket. “Okay,” she whispered, a yawn escaping her.
Chris nodded as he watched her play with the quilt in her hands, quiet in case she spoke up again. “Basil, how does that make you feel, honey?” He asked when her silence had gone on. “Are you okay with the idea of Ellie being with us more or do you not like that?”
“...I like it. I like Ellie,” Hazel decided, her wide brown eyes blinking owlishly as she met Chris’ curious gaze again.
“I do too, sweetheart,” he told her with a smile, adjusting himself on the twin-sized bed. “And Ellie likes you too.”
Hazel smiled at his words, asking him, “Do you think she’ll bring me a cookie when she comes to the zoo with us?”
Chris laughed as he gently lifted Hazel from off of his lap, slipping out from under her. “I’ll ask her, but right now you need to go to sleep or you’re going to have trouble keeping your eyes open at school tomorrow,” he chuckled quietly, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead as they said goodnight to each other, Chris taking the lion as he shut off the bedside lamp, made sure her night light in the far corner of her room was on, then slipped out of the room, leaving the door cracked behind him.
Chris made his way into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him and shaking his head at the lion toy. He placed it on his nightstand, scratching Dodger’s head as he made his way past the sleeping dog. Once he was in his bathroom, he pulled his phone back out of his pocket and dialed Ellie’s number, washing his face as he listened to the phone ring.
“Hi honey,” he greeted once she picked up, but quickly the sound of Ellie laughing had Chris smiling widely.
“Chris, I’m still laughing at the dinosaur thing Hazel said!”
He nodded in agreement, telling her, “I know, she was killing me tonight.”
“I take it that since you’re calling me though that you successfully got her to go to bed despite the dinosaurs,” she laughed, and Chris could picture her sitting on her couch under a thick blanket, a cup of tea next to her as she spoke to him.
“She did give me her lion stuffed animal so that he’d protect me,” he admitted, a sheepish blush tinting his cheeks once he caught his reflection in the mirror. “But I actually had a long conversation with Hazel before she went to sleep.”
“Oh? About what?”
“About you,” he whispered, a smile beginning to spread across his lips.
“Me?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “I told her that you were my girlfriend and she didn’t exactly understand what that meant but she knows you’re going to be around now.”
“Was she okay with it?”
“Yeah she seemed pretty happy about it actually,” Chris remembered, but then shrugged, running a hand through his hair. “I mean, I think some of it she can’t quite wrap her mind around, but she said how much she likes you and told me that you were her girl friend too.”
“I’ve just won her over with cookies,” Ellie muttered sarcastically, and Chris could practically see the way her nose was scrunched as she spoke, even from three miles away.
“Oh she mentioned those too,” he remembered, laughing with her.
“I know the way to a four year old’s heart,” Ellie sighed. “But Chris, I’m really glad you had that conversation with her. I know it wasn’t easy but I’m really looking forward to getting to be with both of you.”
He smiled, looking down at the sink, making a note to himself to clean it when he had a minute on Sunday. “I am too, honey,” he whispered.
“I love you so much Chris.”
“I know, I love you too Elles,” he replied, sighing as he made his way back into his room. “I honestly didn’t picture myself in this situation for a long time with Hazel because I just couldn’t imagine myself falling in love but you just… make it so easy.”
And those words stuck in his heart as he climbed in bed and kept talking to Ellie, the two of them changing their call into a FaceTime, letting him see that gorgeous smile of hers and the more time went on, the more he knew how true his words were. Ellie made being in love and loving her just so effortless. It just felt good and although that concept was brand new to him, he was getting used to it pretty quick.
The only sound in the empty bakery during the late morning in January was the steady hum of the mixer that was busy stirring up the buttercream frosting Ellie needed to finish the elaborate cake she was busy working on. The day had started off well on the heels of Chris telling Hazel the night before, with Chris coming by that morning with Dodger to say hi to Ellie before he headed into work for the next two and a half days. She smiled at just the thought of that gorgeous face coming in and greeting her with a sweet kiss, loving how he always made sure to go to work with enough time to see her.
Ellie couldn’t help but feel that hopefulness inside her for their future with Chris having told Hazel about their relationship, which Ellie knew would only allow them all to grow closer. She knew that this all hadn’t been easy for Chris, so much hurt from the past causing him to build so many walls and sew distrust inside of him, but she could visibly see how much had changed. There was so much love between them, something she was reminded of when after a while she heard the sounds of the fire truck’s siren passing by the bakery and made her feel a rush of anxiety, knowing Chris was on it but she willed it away, knowing that feeling was something she was going to have to get used to.
The back door to the bakery opened, letting in a rush of cold air as Dottie stepped out of the winter chill and into the back kitchen of the bakery. “Hi Dottie, how are you?” Ellie asked, looking up at her with a wide smile.
“Apparently tired! I can’t believe I overslept so long,” the older woman laughed as she took off her puffy winter coat. While Ellie was the usual opener - and sometimes also the closer - during the week for the bakery, Dottie was normally there not long after Ellie to handle orders and customers, and although Ellie wasn’t concerned when Dottie hadn’t shown up this morning, she was a more than welcome sight.
“Don’t worry about it, it wasn’t busy this morning and I’ve just been working on all the custom orders,” Ellie assured her, and it was true. Ellie had been in the back since opening, handling the mountain of orders for the next few days while Julie, one of the college-aged employees, handled the counter and the busy work Ellie assigned while no customers were here.
“I don’t know what I’d do without you Ellie. It’s so nice to know someone is taking care of everything here,” Dottie sighed, her shoulders hunching with relief as she came to look at the cooling bakery racks that held the cakes and cookies Ellie had spent the morning getting ready.
Ellie felt her cheeks warm with the praise, shrugging sheepishly and changing the subject as she told Dottie, “You work way too hard Dottie, you need to take more time off.”
“My body is reminding me of that more and more everyday. Apparently the bakery business isn’t for someone who’s turning 70 next month,” Dottie groaned as she shook out her limbs, and Ellie knew what she meant. It was hard work, especially given they were both on their feet all day, but especially for an older woman. And while Ellie had - essentially - never not had a career like this between nursing and working here, she saw the toll a lifetime of this work took on someone when she looked at Dottie, at the chronic back aches she had, the extra-supportive insoles in her shoes, and the anti-fatigue mats all littered around the bakery.
Ellie tutted with a shake of her head, asking the older woman, “What ever happened to your daughter taking over the bakery?”
“Well you know she was a secretary and was going to quit to do the bakery but then the company got this incredible new boss and I guess they all just love her and she asked my daughter to be her personal assistant,” Dottie told Ellie, and while her voice was full of pride, Ellie could see the disappointment in her eyes. “She just loves it and so now she doesn’t want to give that up.”
“I can understand that,” Ellie nodded, leaning her hip against the metal prep table. Dottie had told Ellie about the several long conversations she and her family had had over the years about the legacy of the bakery and its future, and all signs had always pointed towards her daughter taking it over - in what Dottie had hoped was always the not-so-distant future. “Do any of your grandkids want to do it?”
“Not really and I’m fine with that, I want them to do what they love,” the older woman shrugged. “But I’m certainly getting too old for all of this so I’m going to need to figure out something.”
“Well I think not coming in at five in the morning most days might be a good start,” Ellie suggested with a raise of her eyebrow.
Dottie laughed before she nodded in agreement, admitting Ellie was right before pulling out the stack of custom orders to sort out. Ellie just kept focusing on churning out beautiful cakes and pastries, boxing them up and putting them on the completed orders table throughout the day. She had just finished sealing a box and went to wash the icing off her hands when she heard the sound of the kitchen door opening, making her turn her head to see Julie looking at her.
“Someone named Mark is asking for you, Ellie. I put him on hold,” the young girl told her with a slight shrug and an almost helpless expression on her face.
Ellie’s brows furrowed, almost wondering if Mark was calling to put an order in for something Chris had forgotten to mention. “Okay, I’ll take it in just a second,” she told Julie, watching as the girl went back out front. She headed up the short staircase to Dottie’s office, picking up the office phone to Mark’s call as she reached for an order form. “Hi Mark, this is Ellie.”
“Ellie, don’t worry, he’s going to be okay but I just got to the hospital with Chris,” the man’s voice was rushed, Ellie’s stomach dropping at his words. “He got hurt during the fire we were putting out.”
Her eyes screwed shut as she listened to his words and the way Mark was moving on the other end and the muffled sounds in the background. “Oh my god, okay, I’m coming right now. Text me where you’re at and I’ll be there as quick as I can,” she told him, patting her pockets before she remembered she’d left her phone in her bag by the backdoor.
“I’ll text you as soon as I hang up.”
She thanked him profusely, silent as she caught her breath before she quietly asked him, “Mark, are you sure he’s okay?”
“Yeah I’m sure, trust me Ellie. He’s just fine,” Mark reassured her before he told her that the doctor was coming in soon just before he hung up with a promise to text her the hospital and room number.
With only a hurried explanation to Dottie, Ellie headed across town to the hospital, rushing past the front desk and into the room where Mark was seated next to Chris, who was laying on a bed in a baggy fire company shirt and too-long sweatpants, likely someone else’s clothes that had been on the truck.
“Oh my god, Chris,” she sighed as her eyes took him in, the pale coloring of his skin and the wires coming out from under his clothes, listening to the reassuring beeps of the machines, the numbers telling her his oxygen levels and heart rate were normal, something she’d been worried about with the risk of smoke inhalation.
But her idiot boyfriend only smiled when he met her eyes, his brown hair an absolute mess on the top of his head as he said, while pointing accusingly at Mark, “Thank god you’re here Elles, this fucker has zero sympathy that a burning staircase fell out from under me today.”
“Ellie, your boyfriend is a big fat baby,” Mark groaned good-naturedly, rolling his eyes as Ellie met them with a smirk. “The doctor just came in and said he has a few burns, sprained ankle, and a couple cracked ribs. I swear I hurt myself worse when I roll off the bed at night.”
Chris scoffed with a shake of his head, shifting with a grimace and shooting back, “Nice to know that my best friend is so sympathetic.”
“How about having some sympathy for me? I’m the one who had to drag your ass out of that building and let me remind you that you’re not light,” Mark retorted as he sat back in the all-too-uncomfortable looking chair. “Besides, you got your girl here now so you don’t need me to stroke your bruised ego anymore.”
Ellie sighed as she grasped Chris’ hand lightly, full of relief that he was breathing, joking around, and in what seemed like good spirits. “Thanks for calling me, Mark,” she whispered with a furtive glance over to the other man.
“You’re welcome, but don’t let that brat whine too much to you,” Mark murmured, before he told Ellie that one of the guys was waiting in a truck outside for him and slipped out of the room, leaving what little of Chris’ things he’d had on the truck with him in a bag on the other chair in the room.
Chris explained what had happened to Ellie, telling her that he’d been climbing the staircase to make sure there were no people or animals left in the burning home when the stairs collapsed from under him. And while his gear had protected him from the worst outcomes, the fall left him with what he’d described as minor injuries, but it still hurt Ellie to see the discomfort written all over him. She squeezed his hand tightly from where she sat on the edge of the bed, knowing he was hurting a lot more than he let on and couldn’t stop herself from leaning in to kiss him sweetly, more from her own relief than anything.
They didn’t have to wait long until Chris was being pulled into some scans to check him out, getting fully looked over and were given a prescription for some painkillers before being released. Once he had gingerly gotten into Ellie’s car with a long sigh, she squeezed his hand again, telling him they’d head to the pharmacy first before going to pick up his things and Dodger from the station.
“Honey, did you want me to text your mom or Ashlee for you?” Ellie asked as she watched him shift with a grimace as he gently shoved Dodger’s face away from him as the dog retreated into the backseat of the Jeep again.
Chris shook his head, reaching for his phone on his lap and tapping it anxiously as Ellie drove towards Chris’ home. “Nah, Mark already texted my Ma for me at the hospital,” he told her quietly.
“What about Ashlee? Do you want me to let her know what’s going on?”
He shook his head again, a ghost of a smirk on his face when Ellie glanced over at him at the stop sign. “No I’ll do it, these painkillers will actually make her tolerable,” he huffed out a laugh, frowning when it strained his cracked ribs as he pressed his phone to his ear. “Hey.”
Ellie turned down the radio, unable to hear Ashlee on the other end of the call. “No, no, she’s okay. She’s at school,” Chris whispered, his voice clipped in a way she’d never heard from him before. “I just wanted to tell you that I got hurt at work today…No, I'm fine. Well I have some broken ribs and some sprains. I just got released from the hospital and I’m on the way home.”
His head leaned back against the headrest, his eyes screwed shut tightly. “No...I just, no Ash. I just thought you’d want to know, that’s all,” he sighed, quiet as he listened to her speak on the other end. “Okay, yeah, that was it. Bye.”
He hung up with another long sigh, silent as he stared out at the road. “That didn’t sound like it went too well,” Ellie murmured, reaching for his hand with her own as her eyes stayed on the road.
Chris stifled a short laugh as he turned to look at Ellie, asking her, “Are you kidding? That was virtually painless compared to most of our conversations lately,”
Ellie felt her heart clench, knowing his words were likely true. Once they’d turned into Chris’ neighborhood, she began to ask, “Do you need me to grab you anything after I take you home?”
“...Can you just stay?”
“I didn’t want to overstep but I’d love to stay,” Ellie told him truthfully, her shoulders relaxing with pure relief. “I love you.”
“I love you too, baby,” Chris smiled, giving her a slightly dopey smile as they met each other’s eyes briefly. “And that’s not just the painkillers talking.”
Ellie just laughed, shaking her head at his joke before she finished driving the rest of the way to his house, pulling into the driveway. She let Dodger out of the backseat, the sweet pooch running up to put his nose against the door, ready to go inside while Ellie walked slowly alongside Chris, her hand on his back while he hobbled up the concrete pathway.
When they got inside, Ellie helped him onto the couch, propping a pillow under his head before she went upstairs, finding a pair of sweatpants and a flannel button-up shirt in his closet. She headed back downstairs with the clothes and pillows from his bed in hand, slowly aiding Chris in getting into the clothes before she arranged the pillows on the couch around him, and with a couple kids ice packs over his flannel shirt on his ribs.
After tucking him in with the warm blanket she had made him for Christmas with a bottle of water next to him and turning on a random movie, she could see Chris’ eyelids growing heavy and encouraged him to get some sleep. She stayed sitting by him until he was snoring softly, Ellie then pushing herself up and working on cleaning up around the house, doing the dishes, letting Dodger run around in the backyard, throwing in a load of laundry, and vacuuming upstairs where the noise wouldn’t disturb his sleep.
And a few hours later - once they’d ordered dinner for delivery from the local pizza place, Ellie had run home to grab things, and she’d convinced Chris to take a shower with her help - Ellie was in the laundry room, folding Hazel and Chris’ clothes as Dodger danced under her feet, occasionally scratching at the door to the garage immediately next to her while Chris was watching The Office in the living room. “I’ll take you out in a minute, Dodgie. We’ll go for a little walk,” she promised with a smile, but at the sound of closing car doors she paused, a small smile on her face as she listened to footsteps approaching the house, walking through the cluttered garage and to the door. The handle turned and the smile on Ellie’s face grew as she moved a few feet away from the door, balancing the laundry basket on her hip as she anticipated Lisa poking her head into her son’s home, but quickly Ellie’s eyebrows shot up in shock.
Ellie didn’t recognize the short haired brunette looking back at her at first, not knowing who she was but once the wheels in Ellie’s mind started turning, she put together who this had to be and her suspicions were confirmed when a little curly head appeared in the doorway.
Hazel’s face was bright as she gasped in surprise, her coat-covered arms flailing out as she nearly yelled, “ELLIE!”
Ellie gave a tight smile, smoothing a hand over Hazel’s wild hair as the girl threw her arms around Ellie’s knees. “Hazie! I didn’t know you were coming over,” Ellie replied, shoulders slouched under Ashlee’s stare.
“I wanted to see Daddy,” Hazel smiled as she rested her chin on Ellie’s leg, giving Ellie a smile as she gazed up at the blonde-haired woman. “Mommy told me that he got hurt.”
Ellie patted her back and stood up straighter, nodding her head towards the living room and telling Hazel, “He did, but he’s alright. Just be gentle with him, okay?”
As the little girl scampered off and they heard the echo of their chatting, Ellie timidly moved her eyes back to Ashlee as the other woman said, “So, you must be Ellie.”
“I am, and I’m assuming you’re Ashlee,” Ellie replied with a kind smile, before genuinely saying, “It’s nice to finally get to meet you.”
Ashlee nodded as she finally shut the door behind her, silent as Hazel’s laugh and Dodger’s excited barks carried into the room. “Where’s Chris at?” She finally asked Ellie.
Ellie stuck her thumb over her shoulder in the direction of Chris and Hazel, telling her, “In the living room.”
She watched while Ashlee took long strides across the floor, her heels clacking with each step while Ellie slowly walked behind with Dodger at her side. From the loud chatter, she could tell that Hazel had already found Chris and that was confirmed when she rounded the corner behind Ashlee and saw Hazel perched on the edge of the couch with her hands on Chris’ bearded cheeks. As cute as the moment was, Ellie’s full attention was on Ashlee, seeing her for the first time and suddenly a wave of self consciousness washed over her.
This was Chris’ ex-wife. She was tall and lean, not a hair out of place that fell around her perfectly angled face. She was dressed in a beautiful silk blouse tucked into the perfectly tailored black work pants that seemed to fit her perfectly, ending right at her ankle to show off the - no doubt expensive - heels that finished out her picture perfect outfit. Ellie glanced down at her own appearance, hating that she had just chosen to throw on one of Chris’ old college tee shirts, her baggy sweatpants and fuzzy slippers after they’d gotten out of the shower earlier. She had washed off all her makeup and the ends of her blonde hair were still wet from where they were messily pulled up into a bun. This certainly wasn’t the impression she had wanted to make on Chris’ ex-wife the first time she met her and she felt self-conscious sitting in the same room as her.
Ellie’s eyes were fixed on Ashlee as she walked across the room and sat down on one of the empty chairs, informing Chris, “We were on our way to dinner but Hazel was worried about you so I figured we’d just swing by so she could see you. I didn’t realize you had company.”
And suddenly Ellie felt both Ashlee and Chris’ eyes on her, making her wish a hole in the floor could open up and swallow her whole. Ellie found herself putting herself up against Ashlee, someone who had clearly deeply hurt Chris, but in any test except the moral ones - because cheating on your spouse multiple times is certainly not a great character trait - Ellie came second to her. Ashlee had her life together, had a wildly successful career in public relations, the put-together life, appearance, and sense of self-assurity that Ellie had never held. And she had all of this, which Ellie so desperately craved, even despite having her world turn upside down at twenty-three.
Ellie already had felt like a failure, being too tender and emotional to be able to continue nursing, causing her to move back here and work in a bakery at thirty years old. If Ashlee hadn’t gone on to have a successful career, it would make sense. She had an unexpected pregnancy right out of college, but she still had managed to balance everything in her life and succeed. Meanwhile Ellie had none of the responsibilities or stress Ashlee did and she couldn’t achieve any of that, or even manage to look halfway decent this first time they met. She tried to nervously tuck the stray hairs back up into her bun while she sat in the other empty chair, her teeth nervously grinding together as she watched the interactions of the group who once were a family.
“Daddy, are you okay?” Hazel’s tiny voice asked, a frown on her face as she watched Chris take the nearly-melted ice packs off of him and place them on the side table gingerly.
Chris rushed to reassure her, nodding his head as he carefully sat back against the fluffy couch cushion. “Yeah, I’m okay Hazelnut. Don’t you worry sweetheart,” he promised.
Hazel nodded carefully, her hand moving through Dodger’s brown fur as she quietly asked, “Are we still going to get to go to the zoo next week like you promised?”
“Is that all you’re worried about? You just want to know if I’m going to be able to take you to the zoo!” Chris smiled with a small laugh, shaking his head with a sigh. “Wow some daughter you are. I’m going to have to trade you in to get a new one.”
“You can’t trade me in!” Hazel giggled as she clamored up onto the couch, her hand plucking at the koala toy that had been lying between cushions. “So are we going to get to go to the zoo?!”
“If we can’t on Sunday, I promise we’ll go another day,” Chris promised, eyes soft as he watched his daughter.
Ellie smiled fondly as she watched the interaction, but when her watch buzzed against her wrist. She stood up quickly and told her boyfriend, “Oh Chris, it’s time for your next pill,” hurrying out of the living room, thankful for the little breather and distraction of getting the pills and a glass of water.
And although the voices were low, Ellie could still hear them as they carried through the open-concept space as she got him more water. “Well… looks like you lucked out on having a private nurse, didn’t you?” Ashlee asked with a slight chuckle, her eyes moving over the thickly woven blanket, the plate of pizza next to Chris still from dinner, the various pillows and things all around him, and the extra long phone charger plugged into his phone.
“Ellie took care of me when I was sick and made me feel better,” Hazel supplied, her voice all too eager for Ellie’s anxiety surrounding Ashlee. “She even let me make cookies with her at the bakery when I got better!”
“Oh did she?” Ashlee asked, her tone casual and as Chris nervously cleared his throat from his spot on the couch.
“Ellie makes the best cookies ever,” Hazel declared, and Ellie felt her cheeks warm at the easy praise as she plucked a single pill from Chris’ prescription bottle before carefully stowing it in its spot on a high enough cabinet shelf that Hazel could not reach. “And she does Elsa braids!”
As she turned, pill and glass of water in hand, she saw Chris smiling as he recalled, “Ash you should have seen that Elsa braid, Hazel sat so still and didn’t even cry when Ellie brushed her hair.”
As Ellie passed the pill and glass to Chris, giving him a smile as he took them easily, Ashlee’s brows raised in surprise, quietly saying, “I don’t think there’s been a night where she hasn’t cried when I try to brush her hair.”
“It doesn’t hurt when Ellie brushes it,” Hazel shrugged before she turned to Ellie with a smile. “Ellie, can you give me an Elsa braid now?”
Ellie blushed, biting her lip as she sat on the arm of the couch next to Chris. “Oh um, I don’t know Hazie, you’ll need to ask your mom if you have time.”
Ashlee shook her head, eyes locked on Hazel as they avoided Ellie’s own tentative gaze. “That’s fine, but after that we need to go, Hazel.”
“Okay we’ll do it really quick!” Hazel said as she pushed herself up, rushing to grab the extra hairbrush, water spray bottle, and ponytail holders from where Chris stored them in a drawer in the kitchen. As she rushed back into the room, her face fell by a fraction, telling Ellie, “Nana took me to the bakery yesterday but you weren’t there.”
“Really? Well that makes me sad because I didn’t get to see my favorite customer,” Ellie replied as she slid off the couch, sitting on the ground as Hazel plopped down in front of her, pushing her hair onto her back from around her face.
“How come you weren’t there?”
As Ellie was carefully dividing Hazel’s hair into sections and spraying the bottle - which she was secretly relieved to see, since she’d suggested it to Chris as a possible aid for Hazel a few weeks ago - on her hair. “I was delivering a really big birthday cake to a customer so I had to leave. That must have been when you and your Nana were there,” she informed Hazel.
“I wished you were there,” Hazel sighed, her legs folding in front of her as she rested her chin on her knees. Ellie was all-too-aware of Chris’ careful and Ashlee’s scrutinizing gazes on them, feeling their eyes boring into her. “I got a brownie but it didn’t taste as good without the extra sprinkles you put on them.”
“Next time you come I’ll make sure to put extra extra sprinkles on it, does that sound good?” Ellie smiled, forcing the expression onto her nervous face for Hazel’s sake as she carefully began brushing the hair there and started the braid.
Ellie stayed quiet other than softly talking to Hazel as Chris and Ashlee quietly worked out some scheduling things, finally getting to a place where they were able to figure out a way to get Ashlee’s week free so she could keep Hazel until Chris was feeling better. By the time the braid was finished and the exes had decided on the informal custody agreement for the next week, it was time for both Hazel and Ashlee to go. Ellie kept herself busy after they left, finishing the last of the dishes in the kitchen and the final load of laundry she had been working on before Chris announced he was ready to head up to bed.
Feeling exhausted from the emotionally tough day, Ellie went up with him, helping him up the stairs and into bed before she shed her sweatpants and slippers before climbing underneath the blankets on the other side. She ignored Chris’ gaze on her while she fluffed the pillows and wiggled underneath the blankets to get into a comfortable spot, not laying still until Chris reached over and rested a warm hand on her arm.
“I’m sorry about Ashlee coming by,” his low, quiet voice whispered. “I didn’t know or I would have told you.”
Ellie nodded, despite knowing he couldn’t see her do so in the dark. But as tears flooded her eyes, she couldn’t repress the sharp gasp that filled the air, informing Chris of what was going on internally for Ellie.
“Elles, honey what’s wrong? What’s going on?” He asked, Ellie knowing he hated not being able to move closer to her thanks to his ribs.
She waved a hand as she shook her head, wiping her tears away harshly with her hands as she told him, “I’m just upset.”
“About what?”
“Everything,” she cried, gasping for breath as her tears intensified. “I’m just so upset that you got hurt and realizing that it could happen every time I see that fire truck go by scares me half to death. Then tonight your ex-wife comes over and I meet her for the first time looking like shit and she’s so perfectly put together and successful and is just all the things I’m not and I can’t compete with that.”
He struggled for a few moments as he tried to push himself up, Ellie rushing to touch his shoulders as he let out a groan of pain and frustration before he carefully dropped back down to the mattress. “Elles, what are you talking about? You don’t have anything to compete with,” he ground out, but his eyes were nothing if not concerned as they looked at her, the light Ellie flickered on only intensifying the expression.
“Yes I do. Ashlee is everything that I’m not,” Ellie cried, reaching for the box of tissues on the nightstand which had quickly become known as Ellie’s. “It was like a joke tonight seeing the way she looked while I sat there looking like I did.”
Chris’ face was nothing if not heartbroken as he once again tried to reach out for her but his body prevented him, Chris pleading, “Ellie, honey, come here.”
“No, I don’t want to hurt you,” Ellie whispered, trying to make herself as small as possible on the bed.
“Just c’mere Elles,” Chris nearly begged. Once Ellie acquiesced, laying shoulder-to-shoulder with him, he told her, “Just because she was still in work clothes and you were comfortable doesn’t mean one thing.”
“But she’s just… she’s so successful and can balance being a mom and a career woman I just can’t compete with her.”
“Well that’s pretty easy considering you don’t have to,” Chris whispered, leaning over ungracefully to press a kiss to Ellie’s cheek. “Ellie, you don’t have anything to compete with. Ashlee and I were over two years before I met you. We never were a good match, we always fought a lot. I was immature and Ashlee made everything difficult and still does. We never were a good couple but after the cheating, any feelings I had for her were gone.”
“I know but-”
“Elles, listen to me…in no way do I ever hold you in comparison to Ashlee,” he told her with no room for argument, sighing before he admitted, “If I did, trust me sweetheart, you’d win every single time.”
Ellie nodded, staring down at their linked hands and squeezing his gently. “I’m probably just being emotional from this whole day,” she murmured with a shrug.
“And that’s okay if you are.”
“Yeah, I guess…”
“Ellie, I know I’m not always the most vocal with my feelings but I really want you to hear this,” he breathed, pausing to collect his thoughts and speaking once his voice was far stronger, far more reassuring. “I want you to know that you have everything that matters to me. I mean that. I don’t give a shit if you have a successful career or if you dress nice. I fell in love with you because you’re the most loving, tender and kindhearted person I’ve ever met. I was terrified to get into a relationship again but it was worth it because of you. You’re the best person I know, and I couldn’t be happier to be with you.”
Ellie restrained herself from collapsing onto his chest and into his arms, being extra mindful of his injuries as she leaned down to press a kiss to his lips. As her thumb swept across his cheeks and a soft, tired, slightly loopy grin spread across his lips - showing that the painkillers had fully set in - a yawn escaped Chris. With one last kiss, they settled into the bed once again, the exhaustion of the day letting them fall asleep easily, with nothing but trust in their hearts.
A/N: We can't wait to hear your thoughts! As a reminder, we are posting an Ellie and Sam chapter next week, so Part 2 of this chapter will post next Thursday! After that, we will be going on a break from June 26th - July 10th to allow us some time to catch up on writing after hitting a major road block last month :) Thank you for all the love and support on that post by the way! We appreciate you guys more than you'll ever know.
#playing with fire#chris evans writing#chris evans fic#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans x ofc#chris evans x oc#chris evans#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#original female character#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#chris evans au#firefighter!au#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 10
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 5,018
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: None.
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The sight of the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree seemed to almost taunt Chris as he laid on the couch with Dodger. It was the end of Christmas Day and he couldn’t have felt more sad if he tried. Yesterday was filled with so much joy, taking Hazel out to play in the snow before going over to his mother’s house where his entire family gathered to celebrate Christmas Eve together. Hazel’s eyes were twinkling the entire time, loving every moment and that same twinkle was in her eyes when she jumped on his bed early this morning shouting that Santa had come and left them presents.
He had such a huge smile on his face when they went downstairs and made a quick breakfast of waffles together before Ashlee came over, the two of them pushing away any differences they had to be able to both watch Hazel open her presents on Christmas morning. But when all the presents were opened and Hazel was getting buckled into Ashlee’s car so she could have her the rest of the day, that smile was long gone. He was able to distract himself by spending the rest of the day at his mother’s house, laughing with his family but by the time all the food was eaten, dishes washed, and evening had set, he couldn’t hold off the deep pain inside his chest at not being able to be with his daughter on the special day.
Not being able to hold off his feelings, he hugged his family before leaving to go home early, which is where he was now, laying on the couch as he absentmindedly watched football, drinking a beer and trying to keep his tears at bay. He was so lost in his sadness that he jumped from surprise when his phone started ringing and he went to turn it off, not wanting to speak to anyone but he quickly changed his tune when he saw the name on the screen.
“Hi honey, Merry Christmas!” Ellie’s voice carried cheerily through the phone, bringing a hint of a smile to his face.
“Hey, Elles,” he murmured, moving a hand to turn the game down a bit as he leaned his head back against the couch.
He could hear Ellie turn on her turn signal as she drove, Ellie telling him, “It started snowing like crazy so I’m headed home right now.”
“Be careful, the roads are slick,” he instantly told her, glancing out the wide windows to watch the snow fall outside. He made a note to text Ashlee later, just to make sure they made it home from her mother’s in the city okay.
“I will be,” Ellie promised him, and the turn signal turned off. “How was your Christmas, baby?”
He frowned, staring at Dodger’s brown fur before he said to her, “Fine, how was yours?”
“Oh it was so great. It’s a good thing I’m not wearing jeans because I ate so much food I swear the button would have popped off!” Ellie laughed, and Chris knew there must have been a wide grin on her face. “We just had so much fun, but I’m sorry you couldn’t join us for dessert tonight. My family missed seeing you.”
Chris sighed, his hand running through his messy hair. “Well I don’t think I would have been very good company,” he confessed quietly.
“Why do you say that?”
“I’m just… missing Hazel,” he admitted, his eyes moving over the living room. What gifts Hazel couldn’t take with her - or fit in her backpack - were still under his tree, her blanket was thrown on the couch next to Dodger, her stocking was still under the TV, a few of her beloved stuffed animals were lined up next to the fireplace, and everywhere he looked, there was more Hazel throughout the room, house, and his life. And he missed her so much today that it hurt.
“Oh honey, of course you are,” Ellie’s voice was dripping with sympathy. “Do you want me to come by?”
“No, I’m fine,” he tried to assure her, shaking his head even though she couldn’t see him. “Just being here with all her gifts under the tree from today is making me upset. Everything here is Hazel’s and I just hate that I can’t be with her.”
She was quiet for several moments, enough that Chris nearly checked to make sure the call didn’t drop. “Chris, I really think I should stop by,” she told him quietly, in an almost timid way.
“No, don’t. I’m sorry Ellie, I shouldn’t have said all that,” he rushed to apologize and reassure her. “I’m okay, I really am. I don’t want to be a downer on Christmas.”
“You’re allowed to have feelings you know?”
“Yeah… I guess I’m just kind of ready for today to be over,” he admitted before he sighed and glanced back outside at the snow. “Will you text me when you get home so I know you got there safe?”
“Of course. Goodnight Chris,” she told him, listening as he returned the farewell before she hung up the Bluetooth call.
But as Ellie kept driving along those snowy roads, she couldn’t help but keep thinking about what Chris had said. Her heart broke as she thought of him sitting at home alone with nothing but sadness around him. She knew that he told her not to come over, but Ellie thought it had been just about long enough that Chris had to look out for himself and decided to ignore what he said, showing up on his doorstep in the snow and telling him the moment that he opened that front door that, “You’re coming with me. Grab your coat and Dodger and come get in the car.”
His face was still frozen in shock, so much so that it took him several long moments until he responded, “...Can I pack a bag? Or is that not allowed?”
“I guess so,” Ellie laughed, shrugging a bit as Dodger circled her feet happily.
Silently, Chris shut the door behind her while he then turned to go up the stairs to his bedroom to throw some clothes in a bag as well as the couple other things he’d need. His brain still felt foggy from all the sadness as he walked back downstairs to find where Ellie was sitting on the floor scratching Dodger. She pushed herself off the floor, Chris watching the way she rested a hand on her hip and raised an eyebrow as she looked at him quizzically.
“Don’t I even get a kiss?”
And in that moment, Chris felt all of his defenses he was so used to just completely drop. The weight seemed to fall off his shoulders while he dropped his bag to the floor, stalking over and holding Ellie against his chest as tight as possible while he kissed her so deep that both of them were seeing stars. She always could pull him out of whatever anxious thoughts were going through his brain and bring him back to reality… back to her. Never had he felt as loved as he did with her and the way she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck once their lips parted and hugged him so warmly made him feel like he was going to melt into a puddle right then and there.
“You’re coming home with me tonight,” Ellie told him decisively, her hand scratching through the short hair on the back of his head. “I even have some cookie dough mixed up in the fridge so we can pop some fresh cookies in the oven and just relax.”
She felt his shoulders slump in relief, practically melting into her as he whispered, “God, Elles. You’re the best.”
After they put some food and a toy for Dodger in Chris’ bag, they headed into the snowy evening and drove the short distance to Ellie’s yellow house. Dodger settled in quickly on the fluffy rug in front of the fireplace - which Chris got a fire going in while Ellie turned the oven on - and then after both changed into some soft sweatpants, the pair settled in for a night of relaxing on the couch, listening to the crackle of the fire and smelling the cookies in the oven.
“Okay before you get too comfortable, I have a little Christmas present for you,” Ellie told him, getting up and crouching in front of the Christmas tree, holding up a bulky wrapped gift for him.
“Elles, that doesn’t look like a little present,” he nearly admonished, shaking his head with wide eyes.
“Well maybe not little in the physical sense but it’s nothing grandiose or anything, it’s just… well just open it!”
He shook his head, carefully tearing the wrapping paper, revealing a beautifully woven, white and gray blanket. “Baby…” he whispered, eyes moving over the handiwork. He had seen Ellie’s knitting supplies every time he’d visited her here in the past month, but while he was surprised at how intricately she’d been able to do the blanket, he should’ve never been surprised. Ellie was Ellie, and she never did things half-assed. “Did you make this?”
“Yeah I knitted it and it’s one of those jumbo blankets so that there’s enough room for you and Hazel to snuggle under it,” Ellie explained, her thumb running back and forth along his knee over his sweatpants. “So see, it’s nothing grandiose in terms of value but it’s big in physical size.”
“This has more value to me than anything you could have ever bought,” Chris murmured, his eyes still dancing over the blanket, able to imagine Hazel wrapped up in it and giggling like mad. “Thank you honey. I don’t even know what to say. This is just… so sweet.”
She swallowed away the lump in her throat as she looked at how…. Relaxed he was now. Chris was obviously struggling without Hazel, and while he threw himself into his work as a way to cope with that, it was clear that that coping mechanism wasn’t sustainable - for any of them. “I’m so glad you like it,” she whispered, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek.
He put the blanket over their laps, the knitted material a welcome weight on their laps. “If we’re doing presents now then you should reach into my bag because I have one for you in there,” he sighed playfully, leaning forwards and digging in his bag for Ellie’s gift.
While it was considerably smaller than her own gift, she knew he was nothing if not sentimental, detail-oriented, and a perfectionist - and she almost couldn’t restrain herself from tearing into the perfectly wrapped present, only to reveal what the small box held beneath the tight corners. “You seriously are the best gift wrapper ever. I don’t even want to rip into this!”
“Just do it, rip it,” Chris laughed, shaking his head as he leaned his side against the fluffy couch cushion.
“Okay, okay, oh my god what is it?” Ellie asked, her brows furrowing as she looked at the single card - one that almost resembled a debit card.
“It’s a membership to that bookstore that’s down on the corner that you like,” Chris explained quietly, his eyebrows raised. “The lady said that the membership includes renting books, the book clubs they host and then you get uh, I think one or two books a month for free.”
Her jaw dropped, Ellie almost dumbfounded before she told him, “Christopher Evans, this is the most thoughtful present.”
Chris sat there while Ellie brought her hands on his bearded cheeks, leaning in to press her lips to his over and over again until they were interrupted by the oven beeping. She gave him one more long kiss before climbing off the couch and heading into the kitchen with Dodger getting up to trot right behind her. Chris grabbed the scraps of wrapping paper, balling them up and putting it next to the coffee table before he leaned back into the couch, relaxing as he pulled his brand new blanket over his lap, feeling warm from the inside out.
He just listened to the crackle of the fire for a long moment before Ellie came back, climbing onto the couch cushion to sit right next to him. She had a napkin with a fresh cookie in each hand, balancing them carefully while he tucked her back underneath the blanket before she handed him the warm cookie. They sat quietly while eating their treat but once Ellie was finished and wrapping her arms around his middle as she curled up to him, he felt that warm smile cross his face.
It was funny to him that less than an hour ago he was ready to cry alone on his couch but now he was here, sitting in front of a roaring fire feeling nothing but contentment inside of him, and it was thanks to that girl who was humming in the kitchen, who knitted him that blanket, in this house, and worked down in the bakery. It made him realize that all of his happiness in life couldn’t be wrapped up in Hazel only… and it didn’t have to be. Although he missed Hazel like crazy, right now he felt happy. He felt completely and utterly happy being here with Ellie. He had been so wrapped up in Hazel all of these years that he had never opened his heart to anyone else, but now that he did, it may have terrified him but also felt so good and he knew without a doubt that this was so right.
“Merry Christmas, baby,” she told him as she sat back down on the couch and handed him a plate with some cookies, chocolate smeared on her cheek.
“Ellie…” Chris trailed off, pausing as he hesitated, then decided to push through that last damn wall. “I love you.”
Her face nearly fell, but her eyes were full of hope as she asked him quietly, “...You do?”
“I do Ellie. I love you so much,” he confessed, giving her a tight and slightly watery smile as his eyes searched her own.
“I’m so glad to hear you say that,” she said with a shaky voice, leaning forward to kiss him quickly, pulling away just as suddenly. “I love you too Chris. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I know it sounds a little crazy because we haven’t been together very long but I know it’s true.”
He nodded, a lump forming in his throat. He’d been feeling something for nearly three weeks now, knowing how different it felt - this felt - from any previous relationship. While he and Ashlee were never truly in love, they’d tried to force the concept in hopes of having a stable home for Hazel. But he never felt this way, never woke up thinking of someone else but Hazel, never cared for them in this way except as a father, or craved their touch nearly all hours of the day. He’d also never known what it felt like to be loved in this way - not as a son, brother, or father. He never saw the little smiles before he caught Ellie staring at him a few times, never knew what it felt like to have someone crave his touch in a way that verged on addicting. And he loved it. “I feel it Ellie. I know that you mean it,” he assured her with a grin.
“In this season of my life there hasn’t been much of anything I’ve been sure of, but I’m sure about you,” she assured him back with a watery look, and Chris couldn’t help himself but lean forward and press several kisses to the center of her forehead, his eyelashes brushing against his cheeks as he held her.
“I just feel so undeserving of it, Elles,” he breathed, pausing to smile as he felt her lips against his neck. “But I love you so much. It’s been so hard for me to open up but I know that I love you.”
“I know you mean it, honey.”
He nodded, burying his face in the wavy mess of her blonde hair. “The past few years I’ve basically just gone from being with Hazel to going to work and then repeating that every week. I just feel like you’ve opened up so much more to me,” he began slowly, confessing the things he’d barely begun to process himself in the recent days, nevertheless told anyone else. “You’ve shown me that a relationship and love can be… so good.”
“It should be good,” Ellie told him in a sad voice, her hands tightening on his shoulders before they slipped through the neck of his shirt to rest on his bare skin. “There’s always hard times and arguments, but it should be a good thing and I’m sorry it wasn’t always something that was good in your life.”
He nodded, kissing her head as he whispered, “But it is now, and that’s what matters.”
“I love you Chris.”
“I love you too,” He honestly spoke before adding, “And I couldn’t be happier to be right here with you tonight.”
The fire kept roaring while Chris effortlessly scooted Ellie onto his lap, her arms wrapping around his shoulders while he hooked his own around her waist. Their lips met over and over again until Chris slowly laid back on the couch, Ellie following him down until they were laying on the couch cushions, arms around each other completely content as they started to fall asleep on the snowy Christmas evening.
“I’m kind of nervous,” Ellie whispered, looking out the window as Chris carefully drove on the plowed roads. It was mid-morning on the day after Christmas, and they were off to a slow start - like many - but had finally gotten moving once Ellie had decided Chris was beginning to mope too much. While he certainly was allowed to miss Hazel - more than allowed, in fact - Ellie had begun to see Chris opening himself up to living his life even without the curly-haired girl by his side, and he’d acknowledged it the previous night to her.
Chris glanced over to her with a slight frown, a single eyebrow raised before he quickly turned his eyes back to the road. “About what? Meeting my mom?”
“Yeah,” she confessed with a shake of her head, moving her hands to smooth out her sweater nervously. “I mean, I know you guys are close and I want her to like me.”
“Elles, everyone likes you. Don’t worry,” Chris murmured back, trying to reassure her a bit. He reached a hand over to hold her own, squeezing it before he lowered them to rest on her thigh.
But she couldn’t help but worry. Ellie knew she was a little bit of a perfectionist… okay maybe more than just a little bit, but she had already been nervous about the thought of meeting Lisa. She had heard so much about her from Chris, knowing that he was extremely close to her and with as much as Ellie loved Chris, she didn’t want to screw this up. It would have been terrifying enough already but this had sprung up at the last minute when Lisa called less than an hour ago to invite Chris to lunch, and subsequently Ellie when she found out they were together, the spur of the moment plans only made Ellie’s nerves on edge.
When they pulled up to the restaurant, she felt her insides churning, biting her bottom lip incessantly as Chris took her hand, leading her inside to the small table near the windows where the blonde haired woman sat waiting. Ellie stood politely while Chris dropped her hand to wrap his arms around his short mother, squeezing her tightly before setting her sights on Ellie who she hugged with just as much warmth as she did her own son.
“Ellie, I’m so happy to finally get to meet you,” Lisa told the younger woman excitedly, pulling back from Ellie to look between her son and his girlfriend. “Chris has told me so much about you already.”
Ellie shot Chris an obviously suspicious look as they sat down, saying, “Hopefully only the good things.”
His eyebrows shot up indignantly, almost offended at the implication of her words. “What bad is there to say?” Chris asked through laughter before a smirk spread across his lips. “Well I guess maybe that you’re absolute shit at ice skating.”
“Chris!” Ellie laughed, feeling her cheeks blush but smiled when Lisa gave her a wink.
“What? It’s true,” he insisted.
Lisa groaned good-naturedly, shaking her head at her son’s antics. “Oh just ignore him. I heard from Scott and my daughter Carly that you make the absolute best pastries in town,” she told Ellie with a large smile, turning to face her fully. “Scott and Chris both told me that you make the best shortbread cookies so I’m going to have to stop in one day because they’re my favorite.”
“I remember Chris mentioned that you liked them so I brought a few that I made yesterday,” Ellie confessed as she bit her lip, nodding her head towards her purse, which held a Ziploc bag filled with shortbread cookies - along with a few other cookies - for Lisa from the Maxwell family’s Christmas.
“I have to have a bite of it now,” Lisa laughed, smiling wider when Ellie reached in and handed her a cookie. She practically melted as the sugary treat hit her taste buds, telling them, “Honey, Chris isn’t going to be able to keep himself fit with these kinds of treats around!”
“I took Hazel to the bakery and Ellie let her frost a cookie in the kitchen so that’s pretty much Hazel’s favorite place now,” Chris told her with a grin as he leaned back in his chair, smiling as the waitress dropped some water off for them.
“Just like her dad,” Lisa smiled, and the group paused to put in other drink orders and glance at the menu.
As they looked over their options - Ellie deciding on a brie grilled cheese and tomato soup for herself - she mentioned, “I didn’t know that Carly came into the bakery but I did get to meet Scott a little while back when he came in with Chris.”
“Oh I’m so sorry for you. Those two are trouble together!” Lisa laughed, shaking her head.
“Well I think I was able to appease them with lemon squares and cookies,” Ellie smiled, squeezing Chris’ hand from under the table.
“Hazel is really partial to Ellie’s cupcakes. She gave us some for the snow day and then when we were at dad’s house for our Christmas with him, he had some cupcakes and Hazel just said she didn’t want them because they didn’t taste like the ones that Ellie makes,” Lisa said casually, Chris nodding along with a small grin - the one he normally had when he had when someone spoke about Hazel.
Hearing the statement caught Ellie a little by surprise, not realizing that his parents weren’t together anymore. As she thought about it farther, she recognized that Chris had mentioned seeing his mom and dad but never together, and the thought made her recognize how divorce had been such a big part of Chris’ life from his parents then to him. Some of the walls that he had up started making even a little more sense and made Ellie that much more thankful Chris was starting to work through some of them.
But as they settled into conversation once their lunch was delivered to their table, Ellie was quick to recognize why Chris was so close to Lisa. She was so warm and enjoyable, someone that was so easy to talk to. Ellie loved not only getting to know her, but seeing how relaxed Chris was around her, all of his walls instantly gone while his loud laughter and slaps to his chest were coming out in full force. He had been wiping the tears from the edge of his eyes from how hard he had been laughing when he decided to excuse himself to the bathroom, leaving the two blonde haired women at the table alone for the first time.
“Ellie, I didn’t get a chance to tell you that your sweater is so pretty,” Lisa told her quietly with that warm, happy look in her eyes - and she swore for a second she was looking at both Chris and Hazel.
“Oh thank you,” Ellie replied, glancing down self-consciously. “I can never wear sweaters at work because of it shedding and the flour that just wants to stick to it, but I just love sweaters so much.”
Lisa laughed, shaking her head as she admitted, “You and Chris really are meant to be together because I swear he lives in sweaters in the winter.”
“Well if you think we’re meant to be together, that’s a pretty big compliment because he sure is incredible,” Ellie confessed, meaning every word. Nearly every day since meeting Chris nearly two months ago, she had been struck by the way he carried himself, cared for others, and put them first. And after meeting Lisa, she knew it was in part because of the woman sitting across from her.
The woman gave her a slightly surprised and emotional smile, quietly saying, “After getting to spend time with you today, I think you’re pretty incredible too Ellie.”
“Thank you Lisa,” Ellie whispered sheepishly, surprised by the compliment.
“No, Ellie I mean that,” Lisa insisted, face serious. “I know Chris has told you a little about his relationship with Ashlee and I don’t think it’s a secret that things between them weren’t great. And so for me, getting to see how kind you are to him and the way you look at him means more to me than you know.”
She felt emotional at the praise, swallowing away the lump in her throat. “Well I don’t know how incredible I am, but I love your son a lot,” Ellie laughed quietly once she felt she had a hold on herself, a slight smile on her face.
“I know you do, and I know that Chris does too,” Lisa assured her, patting her hand against Ellie’s just as they saw Chris making his way back towards the table. He settled back into his chair with a small smile at Ellie, jumping back into the conversation with them when Lisa changed the subject to the bathroom renovation she was planning for her home. And as Chris’ hand blindly found her own under the table as they listened to his mother talk, she felt butterflies as she thought about their future, their lives together, in the coming new year.
A/N: We love these two so so so much. We loved writing this chapter and although some plans changed, we are so proud of it and looking forward to your feedback!
#playing with fire#chris evans writing#chris evans fic#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans x ofc#chris evans x oc#chris evans#chris evans story#chris evans x original female character#chris evans au#cevans#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#firefighter!au#firefighter!chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter chris evans
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Playing With Fire
Chapter 13
Summary: After a change of heart nearly ten years into her career as a pediatric intensive care unit nurse, Ellie Maxwell has moved back home and returned to her old job at the local bakery, where the regulars are the firefighters from down the street. When sparks begin to fly between Ellie and the guarded, closed-off Chris, will anything come of it?
Pairing: Firefighter!Chris Evans X OFC Elizabeth “Ellie” Maxwell
Word Count: 3,968
By: @k-evans-writes and @ourfinest-hour
We do NOT give permission for our works to be reuploaded, translated, or reposted on any other site. Our work is our own.
Warnings: Implied smut.
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Chris ran the towel over his damp hair as he looked at his reflection in the mirror, eyes moving over the places where the bruises from the accident had now faded on his ribs. He leaned down as he dropped the towel on the small vanity, leaning down to pick up his toothbrush before he caught Ellie’s eyes in the mirror, a smirk on his lips as he took in her appearance. She was still laying in her bed with Dodger at her feet, blonde hair tousled around her face and skin pink with exertion from their activities, with the blanket and quilt pulled up around her frame. “I really could get used to you having Sundays off,” he murmured as he moved his eyes back up to meet her own.
She blushed at his gaze but then shrugged, admitting, “I still feel bad about calling out today.”
He raised a single eyebrow at her as he brushed his teeth, waiting until he was done to ask, “Really? Because it didn’t seem like you were feeling bad a little while ago.”
Her jaw dropped at his words and he laughed at her reaction, turning and ducking when she threw a throw pillow through the doorway to the small bathroom. “I’m being serious! Maybe I should just go in.”
“Ellie, you said yourself you were overstaffed for today anyway,” he reasoned, remembering how easily she’d agreed to calling out for the day once she looked at the schedule, seeing Dottie was going in… along with five other employees. With one look at Chris’ over-dramatic pleading eyes, she’d texted Dottie that she was feeling under the weather, and within minutes she was under him. “C’mon, I want you all to myself today.”
She shrugged, sitting up in bed and bringing the quilt with her, watching him as he put on his jeans and picked his sweater up off of Ellie’s dresser and pulled it over his head. “I just feel bad,” Ellie whispered, Chris turning to watch her over his shoulder.
His hand moved to flatten his hair from where the sweater had made it messy again, pursing his lips with a shrug and offering, “Well if you need a repeat of earlier to make you feel less bad, I could be of service.”
At the small smile that crossed Ellie’s lips, Chris moved towards the bed with a pet to Dodger’s head, leaning down and pressing a long kiss to her lips. Ellie’s hand moved from the bed up to his shoulder and made its way into his hair. When they pulled away, her hand scratched the back of his head lightly as she asked, “How are you feeling about tonight? Do you still want Hazel to come with us to family dinner?”
He nodded, remembering how excited Hazel was to visit a “real farm, daddy.” The smile on his lips grew at the memory as he replied, “Yeah, I do.”
“It’s okay though if you’ve changed your mind. I mean, having Hazel meet my family is a lot and if you’d rather wait longer, I’m fine with that,” Ellie rushed to offer, eyes carefully watching him. It’d been a cautious few weeks between them in the wake of the accident and their fight, but it’d only reaffirmed to Chris - and Ellie - that they wanted to continue intertwining their lives together. “I know things between us are still newer.”
Chris shrugged at the words, agreeing and telling her, “They are, but I love you Elles and I’m all in.
And he meant that. As he looked at his sweet Ellie smiling right back at him, he knew that there was no part of his heart that didn’t mean it. Although they hadn’t been together long, he almost felt like he couldn’t remember what it was like without her. She had filled a void he didn’t even know was there, bringing back the sparkle in his eyes that had been gone for so many years. Ellie had been his rock through so many moments already and he knew that she wasn’t going to be going anywhere anytime soon if he had something to say about it.
But with that, came Hazel. She had adjusted to having Ellie around a little better than Chris had expected but he still was keeping a close eye on Hazel’s emotions and making sure she was doing alright with all of this. The amount of guilt he felt for Hazel having to grow up in two separate homes was something that weighed him down often and made him nervous to bring Ellie into Hazel’s life as his girlfriend, but all of his fears had been put to rest. He knew things with Ellie would only get more serious, which had made him want to finally bring Hazel along to one of the Sunday night Maxwell family dinners he’d been attending every other Sunday for the past two months, enjoying the time he spent there before he went to pick up Hazel from Ashlee’s.
Chris and Ellie spent the next few hours getting ready for the dinner, sharing the kitchen as he began preparing baked macaroni and cheese and Ellie made a batch of brownies for the evening. His heart felt so full, just getting to talk and laugh while they baked and did dishes together, because these were the moments he loved more than anything. Just getting to be with Ellie, sharing his life and having a partner is what he’d always dreamed of and getting to kiss her cheek while he was on his way to the sink, hear her laugh at his dumb jokes, or have her steal a bite of his macaroni when he pulled it out of the oven were the little things that made him purely happy.
That lightness and joy inside of him stayed planted even when they left Ellie’s little house, her taking Dodger to his place while he went to pick up Hazel, bringing her back home so she could change her clothes and have Ellie brush out her curls and do her hair. Once Hazel had little space buns in her hair and purple rain boots on her feet, they piled into Chris’ SUV with the food and Hazel’s squeals as entertainment, and drove the short distance to the Maxwell family farm.
Chris and Ellie held hands the entire way, both laughing at Hazel’s excitement and insistence on taking an animal home with her. But when Chris turned the car onto the long dirt driveway, silence suddenly fell over them, and his question was answered when he glanced in the rearview mirror to see a look of awe on Hazel’s face as she stared out the window. The silence carried through Chris carrying a slightly shy Hazel through the backdoor of the home with Ellie, introducing Hazel to each member of the Maxwell family, but it was obvious to everyone that it was a little overwhelming to the little girl glued to her dad’s leg.
With a sympathetic look to Chris and a nudge to Ellie, who was putting the macaroni and cheese in the oven to warm, Diana suggested, “Dinner isn’t quite ready yet so Ellie why don’t you go show Hazel around the farm now?”
Chris heard a tiny gasp as Hazel’s hold on his leg tightened, smiling as Ellie looked at them from over her shoulder. “Hazie, you want to go out and see the animals?” She asked Hazel, a wide grin on her face.
Hazel nodded enthusiastically and her arms dropped from where they’d wound around Chris’ leg. “Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
She began dragging Chris to the door as Ellie followed them, but as he helped her jam her little feet back in her rain boots, Brett mentioned, “And Hazel when you come back, we have a little present for you…”
“You guys didn’t need to do anything,” Chris murmured as he turned to glance at them from the side with a small shake of his head. They’d been more than accommodating, not only tonight but over the last several weeks, including making the traditional family dinner an early evening activity so that Chris could come before he had to get Hazel. And while he knew that he likely wasn’t the ideal partner that they had imagined for their daughter, one who was already divorced and had a child, they never made him feel anything but welcomed and loved in their home, something he already knew they’d carry over to Hazel as well.
But Diana shook her head, an amused expression on her face. “Don’t deny me buying presents for cute little kids, Chris,” she told him fondly.
With a tap to Hazel’s ankles once he was finished helping her with his shoes, Chris pulled himself up to his full standing height and agreed, “That’s fair. I have a hard time resisting some of those toys myself.”
“Daddy, c’mon!”
Chris chuckled softly as Hazel tugged on his hand, finally getting him to move to follow Ellie out the back door and out farther into the farm. He watched as Hazel hopped a couple steps in front of him to be next to Ellie, her little hand reaching up to hold onto Ellie’s, making the blonde woman smile warmly. Chris purposely hung a few steps back, loving to get to watch his two favorite girls interact. He knew this was Ellie’s happy place, being at the farm with all her beloved animals but he could see the joy in her eyes as she got to share each little detail with Hazel.
His eyes never left the pair while Ellie showed Hazel how to feed the chickens, sit on the horses and pet the goats, all with Hazel’s amazed expression painted all over her face. This little girl was truly in her element, surrounded by the various animals all excited for attention, and Hazel was more than happy to give it to them. They nearly had to peel her away from the chicks once Diana had texted Ellie that it was dinner time, Hazel pouting as they walked back to the house.
But the frown was turned into a wide grin as Ellie’s beloved cat, Bruce, made his appearance, climbing over their feet and through their legs the moment they stepped back into the kitchen. The chaos of a meal with two young children quickly settled over the home as they got Hazel and Nathan situated at the table with the adults following closely behind, and while the conversation flowed easily, Chris kept a careful eye on Hazel as she ate her food and chatted lightly with everyone.
They were mid-way through the meal and Nathan was on Chris’ lap as he gnawed on a teething toy when Hazel tapped Chris’ arm, quietly telling him, “Daddy, I’m full.”
He took a glance at her plate and saw that there was still a good amount of her broccoli left untouched, something she knew she had to at least try to eat before she was allowed to have the brownies she so desperately wanted. “Not until you eat that last bite of veggies,” he murmured, nodding his chin towards the vegetables on her plate.
Her lower lip stuck out as her shoulders slouched, and while he was not one to force Hazel to eat vegetables, he knew her. She liked broccoli, and Ashlee had told him she’d eaten a little at lunch but not much, so she was also hungry, and if he’d offered a brownie she would’ve jumped at the treat. “But-”
“No buts Hazel,” he interrupted, giving her a small look and pointing to the vegetables before he shifted Nathan in his lap, suppressing a laugh at the over-dramatic pout on her face.
“I’ve seen that face before,” Brett piped up, Hazel relaxing a little as Chris’ attention shifted to the man on the other end of the table. “Ellie used to always make that face about cauliflower.”
Chris snorted, his gaze moving to the blonde across the table from him as he told them, “Oh she still makes it.”
“Because cauliflower is disgusting,” Ellie told Chris plainly with a simple shrug of her shoulders, but then hid a growing smile behind her glass of rosé.
The little girl next to him nodded enthusiastically, informing Ellie with a sigh, “So is broccoli.”
“You like broccoli,” Chris pointed out, then nudged Hazel with his arm. “Two more bites, Hazelnut,” he encouraged.
Chris knew Ellie was watching them carefully, despite how quiet he tried to make his conversation with Hazel. But he was surprised - foolishly so, Ellie had proven to go above and beyond when it came to Hazel - when Ellie spoke up, “Hazie, if you eat that last bit of broccoli like your dad said, then you can have a brownie. And guess what?” She paused, a large grin on her face as she raised her eyebrows and dropped her voice. “I put chocolate chips in them.”
In an instant, Hazel was swallowing the last bites of her broccoli and asking if she could have her brownie, causing a round of laughs around the table. Chris leaned over to kiss Hazel’s cheek before she wiggled off her chair and hurried into the kitchen with the smiling blonde to get the treat. And while the two girls were in the kitchen, Daniel and Amanda both stood up, taking a sleepy Nathan from Chris before they slipped upstairs to put the baby to bed. As the door to the kitchen swung shut, Chris saw her parents’ eyes on him, some sort of unspoken truth between them that Chris wasn’t filled in on until a moment later.
“Chris, your daughter is just wonderful,” Brett took the opportunity to tell him while Hazel was out of the room. Although he didn’t know it, everyone in the room had been impressed by the way he parented the young girl.
“She really is such a good kid,” Chris turned to look at Diane as she piped in, “And you obviously are an incredible father.”
“Well I don’t know that I am but I’m trying. Hazel is the best part of my life,” he said, knowing it was the truth. Being a single father at twenty-eight years old wasn’t exactly what he had in mind when he imagined his life when he was younger, but he wouldn’t trade it for anything. He couldn’t imagine his life without his sassy energetic daughter that he adored to no end. Chris looked around at the kind faces of the family as he told them all, “Thank you for including her and being so good to her tonight.”
“Oh I almost forgot our little present for her!” Diana exclaimed as he got up, hurrying over to the cabinet where she was keeping it.
Daniel leaned back in his chair while he mentioned, “We were excited to meet Hazel. I mean, we’ve heard so much about her from you and Ellie.”
“… Elles talks about her?”
“Are you kidding? Our family group text is full of quotes from Hazel,” Ellie’s brother finished while his eyes met Chris’ blue ones.
“I guarantee Ellie was more excited for Hazel to come see all her animals than Hazel was. She’s been talking about it all week,” Brett couldn’t wait to inform Chris, knowing that his daughter had been practically buzzing.
“The two of them make a pretty good pair,” Chris smiled down as he reached out to grab the glass of water to take a drink.
He knew it was true. The pair had become thick as thieves already and seeing the two of them together made so many things stir inside him. But Chris didn’t have time to dwell on it, his focus being interrupted when Ellie came back in carrying a white tray of perfectly cut brownies, Hazel walking next to her legs with her mouth stuffed full of the chocolate treat, swallowing it as she climbed back up on the chair next to him.
“Hazel, we heard you loved to color so we got you a little coloring book and some new markers,” Diana happily smiled while putting the book and marker pack right in front of her, causing her little eyes to grow wide.
“Really?!”
“What do you say, Hazel Basil?” Chris prodded her while gently nudging her with his elbow.
“Thank you!” Hazel squealed as she quickly pulled the cover open and then spun it around, holding it up as she exclaimed,“Ellie! Ellie! Look, it has goats like the ones in the barn!”
“And it has a dog that looks like Dodger,” Ellie pointed out from across the table.
“Will you color it with me?” Hazel asked with hopeful eyes, her little grin showing up when Ellie nodded.
Chris watched as Hazel climbed onto Ellie’s lap ungracefully, settling in comfortably with a smile as she reached for the markers. His eyes lingered on the pair as Hazel, with a brown marker in hand, directed Ellie on what color marker to use where. He couldn’t help but see the way Ellie softened around Hazel, going from her normally perfectionist ways to being full of warm hugs, large grins, and attentively caring, all for that little girl in her lap that had changed Chris’ life. With Ashlee, he never saw a future beyond just the two of them alone together, never saw any kids running around or a dog, home, and picket fence in the suburbs. Obviously Hazel still happened, and while they both struggled initially with how to be a parent when they still were very much so children themselves, Chris had adapted better than Ashlee. She still struggled, and was open about it with Chris, with how to be a mother, how to occupy Hazel, and how to interact with her just as easily as Chris found things to be now.
But he didn’t see any of those struggles with Ellie, any of those growing pains when it came to shifting from Chris and Ellie to Mom and Dad. He - for the first time in his life - could imagine a future with a partner, having a family with them, and being happy. He could see Ellie holding a blonde-haired toddler as they both screeched with laughter as they watched Hazel joke around. He could see Ellie holding a child of their own and bandaging their scraped knees, kissing them better. He could see her bringing the kids by the firehouse to see him, and he could see it so easily that it almost scared him.
He had never felt this way before, with anyone at all. But he couldn’t keep running from life because of what went down before with himself and Ashlee. Chris had to keep going, embracing life as it came to him, and embracing all the love and possibilities granted to him by the smiling blonde across from him.
“What color should I use?” He heard Ellie ask as she rested her chin on top of Hazel’s curly hair, reaching around her to point at the section she’d color next.
“Um… yellow!” Hazel answered, holding up the marker to her.
“You think I should make the goat yellow?” Chris smiled himself as he heard the amusement in Ellie’s voice.
“Yeah, yellow is an Ellie Jelly color,” The little girl answered easily.
Diana asked with a smile, leaning forward to rest her chin in her hand, “Do you have a new nickname now, Ellie?”
“She’s my Ellie Jelly or my Ellie Bellie,” Hazel looked up from Ellie’s lap to inform them all, earning a little squeeze from the blonde who’s lap she was sitting in.
“How’d you come up with that nickname, Hazel?” Brett was curious to know.
“I dunno,” Hazel shrugged as she kept coloring in the tree she was working on. “Daddy says we’re nickname people.”
Hearing this made Ellie lift her head, looking right across at him and piped in, “That’s actually true, you do have lots of nicknames for people,”
Chris pursed his lips as he shrugged, a blush on his cheeks as he murmured, “Only special people.”
The rest of the evening passed all-too-quickly for Chris’ liking, but when he saw Hazel yawning and rubbing at her eyes, he knew it was time for them to head home. With hugs to everyone, Chris, Ellie, and Hazel headed back to the little house on the other end of town. The car ride was noticeably quieter than the one from earlier, this time filled with the quiet sounds of the radio as Hazel slept soundly in her car seat, not even waking when they got home.
He silently got out, going to unbuckle Hazel from her carseat and gently lifted her out, cradling the sleeping girl against his chest. Chris bumped the car door with his hip, closing it before starting to walk from the driveway up to the front door in the dim evening, but smiled warmly to himself when he felt a hand rest on his back, Ellie falling into step right next to him, laying her cheek against his arm as they walked.
Nothing felt more right than that moment, with Ellie by his side as they slowly climbed the creaky staircase with Hazel still sleeping soundly against him. They only split apart when Ellie moved to push Hazel’s door open and flicker on a light for him, then she turned to head to Chris’ room as he asked her to grab one of Hazel’s stuffed animals for him. Chris was getting the sleepy girl into her pajamas when Ellie brought the stuffed animal back, rubbing Chris’ shoulder as she told him she was going to go down and let out Dodger.
Chris tucked Hazel into bed, kissing her forehead and making sure she had her favorite animals tucked next to her as her heavy eyelids closed again. With one more kiss to her head, he went out of the room, leaving the door cracked open before going down to meet Ellie in the kitchen just as she finished filling up Dodger’s water bowl.
With a sigh and a yawn, Ellie looked at him with a half-smile, admitting, “I guess I better head home.”
And hearing that one statement made Chris long for the day when a day was over that she’d be walking upstairs rather than leaving. His emotions had been right near the surface all day and in that moment, all he could do was wrap his thick arms around her. Chris pulled her tight against his chest, engulfing her in his embrace while nuzzling his face in the crook of her neck, breathing her in while his voice crackled with raw emotion as he said, “I love you, Elles. I love you so fuckin’ much.”
The pair just stayed in that position for a long time, clinging to each other until Ellie put a hand on his cheek, guiding his face up so that she could press her lips against his. He could have just stayed there forever, just kissing her in the quiet of the evening but as much as he hated feeling their lips part, getting to see the honesty in Ellie’s eyes as she told him how much she loved him just as much was a good follow up to her kiss.
He left his arm wrapped tight around her waist, walking her to the front door where he held her a while longer, stealing a few kisses before she finally slipped out of his embrace and walked down the concrete pathway. Chris leaned against the doorframe, watching as she got into her car and slowly backed out, waving to him before pulling out onto the street and in that moment he knew it was only a matter of time until the fantasy in his head would become reality.
#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fic#chris evans writing#chris evans x ofc#chris evans story#chris evans x oc#chris evans#chris evans fanfic#original female character#chris evans ff#cevans#chris evans x original female character#ofc#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#firefighter!chris evans#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans
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Important Dates
Here's some important upcoming dates for our stories!
First, on November 13th, we will share the last chapter for On Deck. Don't worry though- we have big plans for these guys!
Then on November 17th, the final chapter of Playing With Fire goes live, and it ties up a lot of loose ends!
Lastly, on December 1st, we will begin posting In Living Color! We are SO excited and cannot wait until then, so we are planning to share some snippets weekly!
#chris evans story#chris evans fanfiction#chris evans fanfic#chris evans x ofc#original female character#chris evans ff#chris evans au#firefighter au#mlb! au#mlb au#mlb! chris evans#mlb!chrisevans#chris evans mlb#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans#chris evans x smut#chris evans smut#chris evans fluff#chris evans imagine#real life chris evans#real person fanfiction#real person fiction#chris evans x reader#chris evans x female reader#original content#chris evans x original female character
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Playing With Fire Sneak Peek
Playing With Fire updates every other Thursday at 3pm EST! Catch up on chapters HERE
“How was your first day of school, Hazelnut?” He asked her, his voice muffled against her hair as she squeezed him just as tightly, her giggles echoing in his ears.
“Great!” She cheered, her grinning face appearing once he set her back down on her light-up sneakers. “I had fun!”
“I’m glad you did sweetheart,” Chris told her sincerely, relief flooding him. He had been worried all morning that – despite her earlier enthusiasm for the day – something would go wrong, that she’d be upset and scared without him there to reassure her. And while he knew kindergarten wasn’t much different from her previous routine at the preschool just next door to the elementary school, it was still new to her…. And him.
“I made two new friends! And look!” She paused, shrugging her narwhal backpack off of her shoulders, roughly unzipping it and digging around the bag until her hand pulled out a tiny ball of modeling clay. “We made a turtle!”
“Wow, that’s pretty cute,” he smiled, squatting down to look at it with her after he shot a thankful smile over at the teacher, who was lingering in the doorway with a few other students.
Hazel nodded, looking down at the clay in her hands. As Chris picked up the backpack, gently helping Hazel shrug it onto her shoulders, the little girl quietly told him, “I wanna show mommy and Ellie.”
As a reminder, Ellie posts this week but there will be NO update for Sam. However, we have a surprise for this Sunday!
#playing with fire#chris evans fanfiction#original female character#chris evans fanfic#chris evans ff#firefighter chris evans#firefighter!chrisevans#firefighter!au#firefighter au#chris evans au#hazel's dad#dad!chris evans#dad! chris evans#dad chris evans#chris evans x original female character#original content#chris evans x ofc#ofc#real person fiction#real person fanfiction#chris evans x reader#chris evans smut#chris evans x smut#chris evans fluff#chris evans imagine#chris evans writing#writing#chris evans#chris evans story#cevans
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