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topherfoxtrot · 3 years

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One day in the simple life of Jack Daniels.

This is the next installment in what I'm calling the Springville AU. You can read the first part here but basically John and Olivia move to the countryside with new identities post tfatws. This was written before the finale so nothing that happens there affect this fic. As always like comment and share if you want more people to read it. Hope you enjoy :)

John and Olivia woke up with the alarm clock at 7am. Olivia was the one to turn it off because it was at her side of the room. She sat in the bed and stretched without opening her eyes entirely quite yet. John's big hands crossed her back and neck swiftly. Olivia has no choice besides falling back into bed.

"Good morning." John whispered right next to her ear.

"Waking up in a good mood?"

"It's been a while huh?"

They both laughed.

"Stay here." John pleaded.

Olivia smiled and pressed herself against John before letting go and getting up for once.

"You know I can't. Otherwise how are the kids going to understand Romeo and Juliet?"

"That's the play of the week?"

"Of the month!" Olivia laughed "There's no way they could read all those pages in seven days."

"If they attended to school on our days they would be obliterated."

"Okay boomer." Olivia shrugged.

"What?"

"The kids taught me that."

"What does it mean?" John was embarrassed but curious.

"Well, I guess you'll have to Google it to find out."

Olivia left the room with a proud smile on her face before John could say anything else. He laid his head again and took a deep breath. I love this woman, he muttered to himself before getting up.

Their house was small. Without the veteran benefits and Olivia's paycheck there wasn't anything fancy they could afford. Still, the house was cozy enough. And the thermoregulator worked out just fine, most of the time.

While Olivia was taking a shower John started preparing breakfast like the usually did. That way Olivia could get at school on time. He put the bread in the toaster and broke four eggs, two for each of them. They used to have bacon as well, but not on those trying times. Thinking about it made John angry. He was the only person to receive three medals of honor for his services in all american history. Yet there he was not having bacon for breakfast because it was too damn expansive.

The toaster sound interrupted his thoughts before they could get any worse, but the handle of the pan still got a little crooked because of the strength John applied on it unconsciously. It has been a couple months since he got the serum but sometimes it was still hard to control his own strength.

At least it was just a pan this time. Couples weeks prior he grabbed Olivia way too hard during sex. She warned him before any damage could be done but since then John has been extra cautious around her. Every little thing in his routine was a reminder he took the serum. A reminder he couldn't save Lemar. A reminder he was not the hero they wanted him to be. It's all so unfair, he said out loud without realizing it.

"What is unfair Johnny?" Olivia came from their room all dressed up already. Her shirt was red and her scarf was brown. The overall was by the door, near the photographs they kept from their previous lives.

"What? Oh nothing! I was just... thinking out loud."

While Olivia was distracted getting the breads, John untwisted the handle of the fan. He then served her the eggs.

"Those look good! But what were you thinking about?"

"About how pretty my wife is!" John sat by the small table.

Olivia's smile was short. She quickly shifted to a serious and worried face.

"You can talk to me John. In fact, you have to." She was kind but firm.

John took a deep breath, "I know, I'm sorry. it's unfair how it all turned out. I did my best, you know I did-"

"I know that!" Olivia reassured.

"...and still it wasn't enough for them. They don't know what it takes to be a hero, Olivia."

"That's all in the past. We are different people now. Okay, Jack?" She winked at him.

"Oh yeah! That's right Maria!"

They both laughed.

"You're the real hero here." John said, "Thank you for staying on my side."

Olivia smiled from ear to ear and they both finished their breakfast in a good tone. When Olivia got up John walked with her. She entered their car and John stayed at the door while she drove away. The air was cold and the snow was still shy, but not for long.

There was nothing on their front yard except grass. There was a rod on the wall near the door but there was not flag on it. When they moved in John tored the flag to shreds. Afterwards they made a fire with it. It was really cathartic.

John breathed the cold air one last time before getting in and closing the door. He took a cold shower (the only one he knew how to take) and did the dishes from last night. With Olivia working at the school he was responsable for most house chores. He didn't like the idea of being alone the whole day at the beginning, but he had to get used to it eventually. Someone had to work and John's set of military skills proved to be quite useless in the countryside small town they scaped to.

He tried construction for a while but he would twist metals and break woods with his bare hands more often then he would like to admit. Besides even though he had a thick beard now he was still scared someone would recognize him. Recognize Captain America.

He left the job, he and Olivia had a big fight that night. In the midst of his own shame and self loathe though John figured there was indeed something he was good at: welding. And with his super strength it was even easier to handle the right tools. John worked the whole night and by the morning when Olivia woke up she met John sleeping in the spare room (the one for the kid they never had) with a heart shaped welding sculpture on his arms. Since that night John has found a new passion and income. The word spread fast that Jack Daniels, the newcomer, was a really skilled artist. He started doing pieces by demand.

***

After the shower John dressed casual clothes and went to his work room. There were still some leftovers from last night so he could work a little more instead of cooking lunch. The heart sculpture was on the wall right next to the clock. John worked until 1 pm. After lunch he did some laundry before someone knocked at the door.

"Are you Mr Daniels?" The old man asked.

"Just call me Jack, please. How can I help you sir?"

"Oh nothing special!" he made effort to talk "My boy is coming back from his first tour and I wanted to give him something y'know 'to thank him for his service', as they say."

John's face went completely blank while the man got a cellphone from his pocket to show a reference photo of what he wanted: a worm carrying a bazooka.

"First tour, you say..?" John's voice cracked.

"Yes, he went to Afghanistan!"

John swallowed and blinked more times then he should. The cold breeze from outside made his bones shiver but he stayed still as if he was actually frozen. Not by the cold though but by his own memories. After what seemed like an eternity's the old man spoke again.

"Are you okay Mr Daniels?"

"Jack!" John blinked, "Call me Jack. And please get in it's super cold outside! What's your name again?"

"It's David!"

John offered a cup of coffee to the old man and took him to his work room. David looked at all of John's previous works fascinated.

"You really know your way around welding. When did you start with it?"

"My father taught me. It was the last thing he taught me in fact."

"Oh I'm sorry."

"Don't be." John smiled politely "That was a lifetime ago."

Speaking about his life before Springville was starting to feel weird. John Walker was starting to feel like a whole different person. And Captain America was somehow an even older memory. John used to spend his days surrounded by men and women in unforms. They spoke loud and smiled bright. Jack on the other hand spends his days welting metal around and taking care of the house.

The change was abrupt but John was getting used to it. Now he wonders if forgetting his old life isn't actually a good thing. Maybe that was the problem in the first place. In Springville John gets to spend time home with his wife. John gets to wake up late if so he pleases. John gets to breath for once.

David and John talked for a while to set prices and sizes and deadlines. Once they were finished John walked David out. When the old man finally left John sighed really loud and pressed his head softly against the door. He had being holding that breath even since David entered the house.

John was done with the military (or rather the military were done with him) and even though he had some peace at his new home the world outside was still spinning. And young boys with no perspective were still being sent to fight someone else's wars. John used to take such proud of his service. How could he?

***

When Olivia got home from work John was at his room. The work was a good distraction.

"A lot of work?" Olivia leaned at the door.

"Hi, babe. Yeah an old man came here earlier. Requested a piece for his son."

"That's great! What did he order?"

"A video game thing. His son.... He's coming back, y'know.. from his first tour. They sent him to Afghanistan."

"Oh my gosh John." She got closer to him, "How are you feeling?"

John just shrugged, "Do you mind making dinner tonight? I'm kind of busy here." That was code for 'I don't wanna talk right now'.

"Yeah, of course. I'll let you work."

Olivia kissed her husband and left to take a shower. Dinner was served at seven. They both sat at the small table while the television showed the news. When Captain America Sam Wilson showed up Olivia quickly grabbed the remote to change channels, but John slightly hold her hand.

"Leave it." He said. And she did.

Sam was visiting a highschool. The kids were all really excited to meet him personally. There were lots of selfies and lots of laughter. Sam was simply the life of any party he was in.

"He's a hero." John said.

"He really is." Olivia agreed, carefully studying John's face.

He looked at the television for a while before getting back to his dinner. A good hero, he repeated to himself as an effort to let that sink. Olivia touched his hand kind of worried.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes, yes I'm alright, Olivia." He smiled to make her feel better, "I've been thinking. Sam is with them, but he's them. He can inspire kids without making them do the same mistakes I did."

"It's a good way of looking at it, John."

"Thanks. I was the hero they asked for but maybe wasn't the hero they-" he pointed at the kids on the TV, "...the hero they need."

Olivia smiled and grabbed John's hand. "I'm really proud of you."

"I'm proud of us!" John replied, their fingers intertwined.

They finished dinner and went to sleep. Tomorrow would be another day in simple life of Jack and Maria Daniels. And they were both really greatful for it.

#john walker #john walker positive post #Olivia walker #foxtrot fanfic #Springville AU #tfatws spoilers #the falcon and the winter soldier spoilers #johnolovia #i cant believe i love olivia more than marvel does #ive been in a really strong fugere urbem phase okay??

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