A/N: songs to set the scene:

- American Pie by Don McLean
- WandaVision! - Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Robert Lopez
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September 25, 2021

Jamie's POV

My eyes flutter open with the small amount of light seeping through the curtain of my bedroom window. I wipe the sleep from my eyes and feel a weight on my chest. I glance down at the beautiful woman I'm getting to share a bed with. I run my hand through Sofia's silky smooth brown locks and crane my neck down to kiss her forehead. She stirs awake and hugs my torso closer.

I trace patterns on her clothed back and hear her hum in satisfaction. "Good morning," I softly greet leaving a kiss on the top of her head. Sofia moves her body to rest her chin on my chest. "Good morning," her raspy morning voice is as attractive as her normal voice. Her smile brightens the room and I place my hand on the side of her face. "How'd you sleep?" I ask and she turns her head to kiss my palm. "I slept great. You're like my own personal space heater though," she chuckles and I just smile. "Sorry about that," I quickly apologize, but she just giggles.

Sofia props herself up more and I notice her leaning in more towards me. I decide to meet her half way and our lips gently touch. "I could get used to that," I whisper against her lips and feel her shake her head against mine. "You're cute, Sergeant," she pecks my lips once more before resting her head in the crook of my neck. I wrap my arms around her, wanting her to be as close to me as possible.

We stay like that for a while and I feel Sofia's breaths evening out as she drifts back to sleep. I hear a faint knock on the door before Kimberly and Emily's heads pop through a crack in the door. I put my finger up to my lips telling them to be quiet. They wiggle their eyebrows and I roll my eyes. They back themselves out of my room and close the door.

I rub Sofia's back, gently trying to wake her up. "Hey Sof, time to wake up," I whisper in her ear and she moans a little. I won't lie, but that moan sent a wave through my body that I wanted to hear again. I shake my wandering mind back to the present. It is too early in the morning and in whatever we are to be thinking of her in that way.

"Sof, we need to get up," I rub her back again as she mumbles something into my neck. "What time is it?" She asks, rolling over to grab her phone. "It's eight o'clock madam," I roll my body towards hers and kiss her clothed shoulder. "Why are we up so early?" She asks, putting her phone back on the nightstand.

She rolls over and wraps her arms around my neck. I instinctively kiss along her jawline and down her neck, earning giggles from the goddess. "Well, Jonathan and I usually make breakfast on family movie days. We make either pancakes or I make my famous omelets, which is what EJ probably will request," I say into her neck feeling the vibrations against my lips from her still giggling.

"You cook too? Jeez where have you been all my life Jamie Hamilton?" I pull back and look into her eyes. "I've been here waiting patiently," I peck her lips and roll out of bed. I head to the bathroom and do my morning routine. I remember that I forgot to grab clothes and open the door to head back into my bedroom.

My eyes roam the room and see Sofia's bare back facing me. I clear my throat and turn around quickly. "I'm sorry!" I feel heat rising up my cheeks and feel completely embarrassed. "It's alright, you can turn around now," Sofia's soft voice meets my ears. I turn and see her now in a simple black shirt accompanied by leggings. "Very casual, Ms. Carson," I pretend to brush dust off her shoulder and she rolls her eyes.

"My turn in the bathroom?" She asks and lifts up her toiletries bag, pointing towards the bathroom. "Yeah! All yours!" I bow and gesture towards the open door. She chuckles and kisses my cheek. I head to my dresser and grab a pair of joggers along with my Captain America shirt. I throw on some boxers and get dressed before Sofia steps out of the bathroom.

"I take it you like Marvel?" She gestures towards my shirt and I nod. "What gave it away?" I quirk an eyebrow and smirk at her. "Well, it could be the Captain America shirt," she moves closer to me and runs her hands along the cotton fabric, "or it could be the matching rings you and John have with Bucky and Steve's famous line 'I'm with you 'til the end of the line,' or maybe the fact your text tone is Tony Stark's Jarvis."

I shrug and place my hands on her waist, "I'd say those are some pretty good observations you've made, Ms. Carson. Anything else you've noticed?" I feel a wave of confidence rush over me as I squeeze her sides and hear her gasp. "That you have the softest, kindest eyes with hints of gold, green, and brown," she lets out barely above a whisper. I feel her breath against my face and move my lips closer to hers, ghosting them. "What ya waiting for, Sergeant?" Sofia teases and my lips crash against hers immediately.

A knock on my door jolts us apart before we can even make the kiss heated. I kiss the side of Sofia's head and head towards the door. "Ah! You two are awake!" Emily is excited. Marvel movie days are her favorite, and I can't blame her. We don't get to have them often anymore since we only do them when John and I are both home.

"Yep, we're headed out now. I'm still making omelets?" I make my way out of my room, following Emily to the kitchen. "Yes sir! And before you ask, I already checked on EJ. I told him we'd give him some Ibuprofen after breakfast to help with the little bit of pain he's feeling. He said he's okay though and will come out of his room when breakfast is ready," Emily gives me the morning rundown and I nod along.

"Thanks, Em. Our love birds up?" I ask and hear a scoff come from the kitchen. "We weren't the ones who just got out of bed," Kimberly states from the kitchen table. I roll my eyes and flip her off. I see Jonathan behind her wiggling his eyebrows and I shake my head. "Alright, enough you three. Is everyone cool with the usual omelet line-up?" I ask the group and hear a collective yes. "What's your usual line-up?" Sofia asks, taking a seat next to Emily at the table. "Jamie makes a bacon omelet with tomatoes, spinach, onions, and cheese. He also makes hashbrowns and one of us usually cuts some fruit. We only have cantaloupe, strawberries, and blueberries though," Kimberly informs Sofia. I turn around from the coffee maker to find Sofia's eyes on me as my sister tells her what we usually do.

I wink at her and watch a blush creep up on her cheeks. "Sof, would you like coffee?" I ask and she shakes her head. "Not much of a coffee drinker. Do you have any tea?" She asks and Emily is already walking towards the cupboard to grab the English breakfast tea and chai tea packets. "Which one?" Emily shows her and Sofia points towards the chai.

"Another non-coffee drinker. Jay, how does that make you feel?" John asks as I prepare the vegetables for the omelets. "Honestly, more coffee for me the better," I keep my focus on the cutting board. I feel a hand tap my shoulder and smile seeing Sofia waiting for the water to heat up. "Need any help? I'm a great sous chef," she smiles and I shake my head. "I'm good, thank you though. Maybe I'll use your skills for dinner some night," I say and she nods her head. "Sounds like a deal, Sergeant," she grabs her mug full of chai and heads back to the kitchen table.

~~

"Jamie, you've out done yourself. Best omelet you've made," John shoves the last bite of his breakfast into his mouth and I just chuckle at him. I stand to grab the empty plates and Sofia soon follows my lead. "You don't have to help clean-up," I state, putting the dishes on the counter next to the sink. "In my family, if you cook it means you don't clean-up. If you won't let me clean-up, at least let me help," she smiles at me as she places the mugs and cups she grabbed on the counter. "Alright, I can't say no to you already. I'm in for some trouble, aren't I?" I ask and she nods her head with the cutest grin on her face.

"EJ, what movie is up first?" I ask while Sofia and I start cleaning the mess from breakfast. "Black Widow is the most recent movie you've missed and then we're going to start watching WandaVision," he says, looking at his phone, I guess to make sure he's got the right Marvel projects we've missed. "What's Black Widow about?" John asks and I zone out, focusing on how domestic this all feels. Sofia fits right in with our little family dynamic and I only hope she'll stick around.

"You good there, Sergeant?" Sofia's soft voice breaks me from my trance. "Yeah, just got lost in thought," I smile at her and finish washing the last dish. I hand the wet plate to Sofia to dry, and lean my back against the counter to listen to EJ and John get into the great debate on who should be the next Captain America.

"It should be Sam. Steve gave the shield to him cause he's trusted by the people and has more in common with our world today," Jonathan states his reasoning and I have to agree with him. "But Bucky is a super soldier and can do everything Steve did!" EJ tries to counter argue, but is failing.

"Bruh, he's a criminal even though he was brainwashed by Hydra. He doesn't have the trust of the people, but Sam does. He may have been in the military, but that all goes out the window when you throw in the 'brainwashed by Hydra' bit," John continues with his reasoning.

"Jay, what do you think?" EJ turns towards me and I let out a soft laugh. "I think we should trust Steve's decision. He saw an honest integrity within Sam and knew that the Captain America mantle would be too much for Bucky. He trusted them both with his life," I open my arms as Sofia leans into me and I keep my eyes on the two nerds sitting at my dining room table. They both look at me and smile at the interaction happening.

"Anyways, what's Black Widow about?" I change the subject and EJ sits up a bit more. "It's a movie centered on Natasha Romanoff. It takes place after Civil War," he keeps the summary short, knowing I hate spoilers. "Cool! Shall we get started?" I gesture towards the living room and everyone makes their way towards the two couches.

"Go ahead," I kiss the top of Sofia's head and she cuddles further into me. "Where are you going?" She looks up at me and I smile. "I'm gonna make another cup of coffee then join you," I kiss her forehead and she heads towards the living room. I pour myself another cup of coffee and slowly make my way to the living room.

I quickly find my spot on the floor in front of Sofia's feet and outstretch my legs. "Alright, let's get this Marvel movie day!" I clap my hands together with a big grin on my face. EJ clicks the button on the remote to get Disney+ open and quickly finds Black Widow. He presses the button to start the movie and we all settle into our spots. I love having everyone together in this room. Even if Sofia is new to all of this, she feels like she's supposed to be here.

~~

"Wow, that was pretty good," I stand from my spot to stretch my back from sitting on the floor. "I think the special effects could've been better, but I love the introduction of Yelena along with Red Guardian," John adds and I just shrug. "You know I'll watch anything with Florence Pugh," I say without thinking and instantly worry that Sofia will take some sort of offense to it. "She's a great actress! Her upcoming movies are going to be big just because she's in them," Sofia adds from the couch and I let out a sigh of relief. "I loved her in Little Women," Emily and Kimberly say in unison.

"So, EJ, what's next?" I grab my now empty coffee mug. "Well, they're not movies but they're still part of the Marvel Universe and very important," he scrolls through his Disney+ profile to find the next thing to watch. He stops on something called WandaVision. "Wanda got her own show?" I state, confused. "Yeah! I've heard it's great!" EJ says excitedly. "Alright, well I'm going to go to the kitchen real quick. Anyone want anything?" I look around the room and meet shaking heads, not wanting anything.

I head to the kitchen and put my mug in the sink to wash later. I grab a glass to get some water. "Can I get one of those?" Sofia's faint voice passes my ear and sends shivers down my spine. "Sure," I grab another glass and turn to meet her body, which is very close to mine. "Thank you," she pecks my lips as she takes the glass from my hand. "You're very welcome," I smile and follow behind her back to the living room. We return to our seats and I notice EJ already has the TV set-up to start the first episode of WandaVision.

"So when is this taking place?" I ask as EJ starts the show. "A few weeks after End Game, so post-Blip is still fresh," he explains and I nod along to his explanation. "Sof, you've watched the Marvel movies right?" John asks and I turn my head to see her better. "I have. Captain America might be my favorite," she answers and I'm not upset by her answer. "Captain America is Jamie's favorite. Him and Johnny are our own Steve and Bucky bromance," Emily jokes and I just roll my eyes. "They even have matching rings," Kim adds and I flip her off.

"Yeah, I noticed it last night. When did you guys get them?" Sofia puts her hand on my shoulder and I shrug. "I think it was two Christmases ago," I look at John, who shakes his head in agreement. "Very nice. My sister and I have matching necklaces but I don't wear mine nearly as much as her since I'm always dressing up for some sort of media," Sofia leaves her hand on my shoulder, running her thumb over my neck and EJ clears his throat. "Can we start the show now?" He asks a bit agitated and we collectively say 'yes.'

The show starts and the premise is interesting. Marvel touching the sitcom world with Wanda is fascinating, and not to mention I love Wanda Maximoff and Elizabeth Olsen's portrayal of her. "I'm so confused," Emily sighs and I chuckle. "Sis, we're barely ten minutes into the show," she turns and flips me off, and I just shrug. I feel Sofia's hand on my neck mindlessly scratching it and it nearly lulls me to sleep.

~~

"That's insane!" John exclaims and EJ has the biggest grin on his face. "Crazy, right? Wanda's magic is so powerful she can bend reality," EJ starts and my phone ringing takes me away from the group. I head to the kitchen to better focus on the call.

"Hello?" I ask and my heart prepares for the worst. "Sergeant Hamilton, this is Staff Sergeant Atkins. We need Echo Company to the base Monday 0500 for a fitness assessment and physical," the man on the other side of the phone states before hanging up. "Who was that?" I turn around and have three sets of eyes watching me. Kim looks to be holding back tears, automatically assuming the worst. "Work, I have to be on base Monday for a fitness test and physical," I put my phone on the counter and hang my head. "We just got you back," Kim rushes to my side and I hold her close to my body. "This doesn't mean anything. They do these all the time while people are on leave," I caress the back of her head and can hear a faint sniffle.

"We just got you back," Kim says again, this time a bit more tear-filled. I kiss the side of her head and let her get her tears out. "Everything will be okay," I soothe and look over to Emily to take my little sister back to the living room. "Come on Kim, let's tell John and EJ," she takes Kim's body and holds her close. I mouth 'thank you' and she gives me a tight-lipped smile. I look towards Sofia, who's been standing in the kitchen doorway watching everything unfold.

"Are those phone calls common?" She asks softly and I nod my head. "I get them, usually when we get close to being deployed again. Kim's reaction is normal, but I think it's heightened since our mom passed away a few weeks ago," I lean against the kitchen counter and Sofia joins my side, resting her head on my shoulder. "So where does this leave us?" I ask, worried she'll feel differently about us knowing that I literally could get called to leave at any time. "Jamie, I feel the same way about you that I did the day we met when you were on-set. It's scary, but sometimes the best things in life can be a bit scary sometimes," she says and butterflies fill my stomach.

"We should get back out there. Get this phone call out of my brain for a while," I smile at her and she kisses my check. "Sounds good to me, Sergeant," she grabs my hand and we walk back out to the living room to rejoin the group. Before I can even sit back down on the ground I'm being bombarded for details on my phone call. "Alright, listen. All I was told was to be on base Monday at 0500 for a fitness assessment and physical. I'm sure it's to make sure everyone is healthy. Nothing for anyone to worry about, okay?" I look at each person to make sure to get my point across.

They all nod their heads and I take my seat on the floor, stretching out my legs. Sofia's hand instantly goes to my neck and she scratches the skin, which feels heavenly. "How many more episodes do we have, E?" I ask and he scrolls his phone, not paying attention. I look over at Kimberly and she smacks his phone from his hand. "What?" He looks at her and she gestures towards me.

I suppress a laugh and recompose myself, "how many more episodes?" EJ turns back to his phone before answering, "Around six. Should we figure out lunch before we continue?" He looks at me and I don't even think about it as John quickly confirms, "Yes! I'm starving!" I roll my eyes at his dramatics and quickly think through our options. "We can order pizza and for dinner I can make pasta?" I ask the group and they all seem to agree pretty quickly.

I step to the kitchen to call our order in. Our usual pizza place, Dang Brother, on base has been our go to since Kimberly and EJ moved to live with me. They beat any chain pizza around. I place our order: a large cheese pizza and a large Ninja Punch, which has a buffalo sauce base, chicken, bacon, jalapenos, and a ranch drizzle. John and I have steel stomachs and love spicy food.

"Alright, pizza has been ordered," I take my seat back on the floor and put my phone on the coffee table. "What kind of pizzas did you get?" Emily asks. "One large cheese and then one large Ninja Punch. No one really specified, so I hope those options are okay for everyone," I look around the room and everyone just shrugs. "What's a Ninja Punch pizza?" Sofia asks and John's body perks up. "Just one of the best pizzas you can get here in Oceanside. It's got a buffalo sauce base and jalapenos. It's spicy, but delicious," he explains the pizza perfectly and I turn to better see Sofia's face. "Sounds interesting," she turns her attention back to the TV as EJ starts up the next episode of WandaVision.

~~

An hour later the pizza finally arrives and we head to the kitchen to eat lunch. "So Sofia, any other upcoming projects other than what you're filming," Kim asks and the room falls too silent, anticipating her answer. I already know when she finishes filming her movie she'll go back to LA and probably forget about me. "I'm releasing my debut album early next year, so I'll be busy doing press for that in the Spring. Other than that I'll have some events coming up for various organizations I support and a few speaking engagements," she spouts off her upcoming schedule like it's written on the walls.

"Sounds like you're a busy lady. Gonna be able to have any time for this poor guy?" John says without thinking. Both Kim and I kick him under the table, and I keep my eyes diverted from Sofia's direction. "If Jamie still wants me around, I'd figure out my schedule. I know mine is much more flexible than his, and if you're not deployed I'd like you to come with me to a few of the events," my head snaps in her direction, shocked by her suggestion. "If I'm not across the world, I'd be happy to join you if that's alright with those two," I gesture towards EJ and Kim.

I can't help but notice Kim's giant grin spreading across her face. "Please take my brother everywhere you go. He needs to see more than Oceanside when he's home on leave," she happily gives her permission and I roll my eyes. "I guess I'm all yours if I'm here then," I look over and smile at an already beaming Sofia. "Great cause I only ever travel with my mom and as much as I love her, I'd love the extra company," she smiles and I see the sincerity of her words by the way her smile reaches her eyes.

"Sergeant, when does it look like you'll be getting called back?" John asks in a serious tone. "Not sure and I'm hoping it's at least not until the new year cause I wanna be home as long as I can," I take a bite of my pizza and hear a slight huff come from EJ. "What?" I ask and he just shrugs. "Don't act like you want to be home. We all know you'd rather be out there away from the problems here," he stands from his seat and immediately leaves the kitchen.

I look at Kim stunned at his sudden outburst. "Does he really think that?" I ask and she wipes her mouth. "I'm sure he's just upset with you willingly agreeing to travel with Sofia, instead of being here," she states and I feel guilt wash over my body. "I didn't mean to make anyone upset," Sofia interjects and I put my hand on her thigh, shaking my head. "Not your fault at all. I'll go talk to him after he cools down a bit," I reassure her and she puts her hand on mine, squeezing it.

"John, what do you do?" Sofia asks, trying to change the subject. "I'm a Lieutenant in the Navy, specifically an engineer. I got home the same weekend Jamie did. I'm on land for the next six months though," he shares and she just intently listens. "Must be nice to have them both home," Sofia directs at Emily and Kim, and they both just nod. "We get lucky when their schedules line up like this. I think we've only been lucky to have one Thanksgiving and one Christmas where they both were home, and that was years ago," Emily states and I remember that year vividly.

That year was when I had my heart broken while on deployment and never bothered looking for love after that. "Jay, you okay?" John asks, breaking me from my trance. "Yeah, got lost in thought for a second," I finish my last bite of pizza. "You guys finish up, I'm going to talk to EJ," I push my seat but Sofia puts her hand on my arm to stop me. "Can I talk to him? I feel like I caused his outburst a little," she looks up at me and I nod my head, retaking my seat.

She heads out of the kitchen and I turn back towards three grinning idiots. "Yes?" I ask, amused. "I don't think anyone ever volunteered to talk to EJ after one of his outbursts. I don't even volunteer to talk to him and I'm his sister," Kimberly states and Emily nods in agreement. "Jamie, if you don't keep her around, I'm going to stop being your best friend," Emily jokes and I look towards the last idiot, "John, gotta anything to say?" "I agree with both of them. Jay, she's unbelievably perfect. Are you going to talk to her about you being transgender?" He asks and I wipe my hands on my pants.

"I told her last night. Kind of hard to hide scars, even if they are a decade old," I shrug, taking a swig of water. "She obviously reacted well if she's still here," Emily pointed out and I agreed. "It was freeing and I wasn't expecting her to be so calm about it. She was more interested in my scars from deployment afterwards," I smile, chuckling a bit thinking back to last night.

Sofia's POV

I knock on EJ's bedroom door and hear a faint 'go away.' I crack the door open and poke my head in, "Hey EJ, can we talk?" He keeps his attention on his phone, so I take that as a silent 'okay.' I take a seat on the edge of his bed and take in his room. It's similarly laid out like Jamie's, but has the teenage boy touches to it: posters of a few Marvel movies and a Marine Corps poster, I didn't even know they made those; an Xbox sits in his dresser along with a nicely sized tv mounted to his wall.

"Look EJ, I didn't mean to upset you. I want you to know that I never want to take your brother away from you," I start into what feels like a very important conversation. I've already won over Kimberly, but EJ seems a bit more timid to let someone into his brother's life. "Can I let you in on a little secret?" I look at EJ and notice him put his phone down, giving me his undivided attention.

"I really like your brother, which is crazy since we've barely known each other for a month," I verbally admit and watch his face soften a bit. "And even though I said I'd love for him to be with me wherever I go for my upcoming work schedule, I know you guys are important to him and he'd want to be here with you all," I watch him smile a bit. "I'm sorry I reacted the way I did. The last person to say they liked Jamie left him while he was away. I just don't want to see my big brother get hurt when he's already been through so much," EJ meets my eyes and I can see how much he cares about Jamie just by how he talks about him, it's the same way Paulina and I look when we talk about either sibling.

"EJ, I can't promise that I won't be scared but I'm willing to see where things go with your brother if he's okay with it," I watch him smile a bit and nod. "I think he'll be okay with it," a voice comes from behind me and I turn to see Jamie leaning against the door frame watching us. EJ gets off his bed and heads over to his older brother. Jamie pulls him against his body, but keeps his eyes on me. I feel warm flooding my body while under his gaze and can't help the smile on my face.

Jamie mouths a 'thank you' at me and I shake my head. "EJ, go get the TV ready to watch the rest of WandaVision," he pats his shoulder and the teen makes his way out of his room. "How much of that did you hear?" I ask, getting off the bed and walking towards the older Hamilton. "Enough to know that you really like me," he takes my hands and pulls me into his embrace. "Also, that EJ listened to you without cutting you off at any point," he kisses the top of my head and I rest my ear against his chest, hearing his fast heart beat.

"He just loves his big brother so much, he doesn't want to see you get hurt," I look up at him and he's already smiling down at me. "I'd like to think you wouldn't hurt a fly, Ms. Carson," we share a light kiss. "Never, I fall in love too quickly to ever be the one to hurt someone," I state, but quickly realize what I just said. "Someone falling in love with me?" Jamie quirks his eyebrow and I lightly shove his arm. "Maybe, but we have a long way to go before I admit it," I kiss his cheek and walk past him, knowing that my words have left him a bit stunned in the doorway.