scott x hope oneshots

wake me up

Scott's the kind of guy that likes to savor his mornings. Prison may have made him more of a morning person than he ever would have thought possible, but that doesn't mean he's ready to start his day with the sun. Scott prefers waking up slowly and enjoy the knowledge that he has nowhere to be and nothing to do.

Of course, he had plenty to do after he met Hank Pym. And his routine might have changed after Germany, but knowing he couldn't go anywhere took the fun out of lazy mornings in bed.

So the months in between his return from the quantum realm and his reunion with Hope are a special kind of hell. He still wants to stay in bed, but it's for all the wrong reasons this time. If it weren't for Cassie and the possibility of seeing Hope again, Scott isn't entirely sure he would be able to get out of bed.

But he does. He keeps slogging through his days, never losing sight of what he's fighting for: Hope, and this weird, lovable little family he has found himself.

Scott expects that dread to melt away once he's reunited with Hope. He expects to no longer dread waking up in a world without one of his favorite people. And he does, to an extent. But more often than not, he wakes up gasping for breath, still in the throes of a world where Hope does not exist.

It's made even more difficult that they never really got the chance to talk after they rescued Janet. It feels like Hope was kissing him on that pier one moment, and gone the next.

He starts to dread sleeping again because he knows how he'll feel when he wakes up and the kind of dreams that will plague him while he sleeps.

He tries to calm his nerves by spending as much of his waking time as possible with Cassie. God knows his Peanut has always done wonders for him, especially when he needs a little pick-me-up. He even begins the long (but worthwhile) process of rekindling his relationship with Hope. Maybe replacing the thought of her turning to dust or dying in battle with the image of her smile or her standing over him after they spar will help him sleep at night.

But it doesn't matter what he tells himself because every time he closes his eyes, he's gripped with the inescapable fear that'll he'll never see Hope (or Cassie or Luis or even Hank or Paxton) ever again.

One night, he finds himself awake at ungodly hours nursing a cup of tea that has been cold for longer than he cares to admit. He can't quite remember the images that jolted him out of sleep this time - was is Hope dying in the battlefield or Cassie turning to dust before his eyes?

He's startled from his maudlin thoughts by the sharp trilling of a cell. A glance at his phone reveals that it's Hope calling him. At three in the morning. Before he can let himself get swept away by what-if scenario, he picks up his phone.

"Hey, Hope." When he doesn't hear anything from her after a beat or two, he tries again. "Hope, you there?"

He hears her taking a shaky breath before she responds. "Yeah," she murmurs. "I'm - uh, I'm sorry for calling so late, Scott. I couldn't sleep." He imagines Hope tucking a piece of hair behind her ear, self-conscious about the admission.

Scott can also hear the rasp of her voice through the phone, almost like she'd just woken up. Or like she had been crying. He pauses for a moment, not sure what he should say.

He wants things to be the way they used to be, before Germany, but he knows the Snap created the kind of Before and After that can't just be ignored.

"I was awake, it's okay," he tells her softly. "Besides, there's no one else I'd rather talk to at three in the morning," he admits, hoping he might be able to tease a smile out of her. If he closes his eyes, he can almost picture the shy smile on her lips, the way she would duck down to let her hair cover her face.

"Not even Cassie?" she asks, clearly trying to play along. Her voice still cracks, but Scott gives a little chuckle anyway.

He hums. "I mean, I hope I'm not talking to Cassie at three in the morning. Even if she is 15 now, kid still needs more sleep than us old people."

"Who are you calling old, old man?"

"Old man," he repeats. "Aw, c'mon, Hope, is that the best you got?" he teases, smiling into the phone.

He hears Hope's throaty laugh through the phone and grins. "I missed that, you know," he admits, so quietly he's surprised Hope could even hear him.

She clears her throat before responding. "Missed what?" she asks, feigning lightness. Like maybe if they talk about one elephant in the room, they could ignore the other, much larger one.

"Us, talking. Hearing your laugh. Being the one to make you laugh." It's a somewhat uncharacteristic admission on his part. He and Hope have never been the mushy kind, and he knows Hope doesn't do well when outright confronted with feelings. But he also knows life is short, and he's gonna say these things while he still can (and for as long as she'll let him).

It's silent for long enough that Scott thinks he royally screwed up (again), and he should just say goodbye and end the call. He can visualize the way her eyes are probably widening, the way she's biting her lip and trying not to freeze at his words.

Another beat passes before he hears Hope's exhale on the other end of the line.

"Me, too," Hope mumbles. "I think I even missed your stupid jokes," she tells him, and Scott can see the way she's probably fighting the smile that's threatening the corners of her lips.

He knows everything's not perfect. It'll be a long time before their lives resemble anything like Before, but Scott knows they're getting there. Every second lived is one more tally for the heroes, and he is damn well going to enjoy every damn minute of their victory, awkward reconciliations and all.