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“And where are my favorite nephew and his nanny heading off to?”
“The park!” Franklin beamed as you finished buttoning up his coat.
Johnny couldn’t help but smile back, “The park! That’s awesome, have fun buddy.”
You double checked that his shoes were tied, because they always somehow magically came undone in the span of five minutes, and gave him a thumbs up, “You ready to go?” Franklin gave you a thumbs up as well, “Alright.”
“Can Uncle Johnny come with us to the park?” Franklin pulled at the hem of your shirt and looked up at you with those sweet little eyes of his.
“I don’t know, you’d have to ask him.”
Franklin happily waddled over to Johnny and gave him the same look he had given you, “Uncle Johnny, will you come to the park with us?”
Those cute little eyes and squishy baby face were dangerous; Franklin had practically everyone wrapped around his little finger.
Johnny sighed, “How can I say no to that face.”
“Yay!” Franklin took hold of his uncle’s hand, then yours, and pulled the two of you out the door.
~
Days like this were what you loved most about your job. Getting to be out in the crisp autumn air, giggling and playing with Franklin. And it was an added bonus that Johnny was giggling and playing alongside you as well. You liked him, a lot, and what wasn’t to like? Johnny was kind, smart, funny, and incredibly handsome. At times you felt like he might like you too, but he was such a flirt, you weren’t entirely sure if he was actually interested, and you were too chicken to find out. So, you settled for sending him longing glances and imagining what could be.
You watched Johnny push Franklin on the swings, pretending he was in a rocket ship and travelling through outer space. It amazed you how good he was with Franklin. You wouldn’t have figured him to be good with kids, but he was a natural. It helped that he had no issue being goofy in public.
“Uncle Johnny, watch me go down the slide next!”
Johnny helped the swing come to a halt and the two of you watched Franklin run over to the slide.
“Be careful, Franklin, use walking feet.” You shouted after him, chuckling when Franklin slowed down as much as his excitement would let him.
“So,” Johnny crossed his arms over his chest, “how’s the most beautiful nanny in all of New York doing this fine afternoon?”
His flirtations always sent a flutter through your chest, but you would roll your eyes playfully to hide any sign of being flustered, “All of New York? Really?”
“Well, I could say the whole world, but that seems a bit much for a Wednesday afternoon, doesn’t it?”
“And if it weren’t a Wednesday afternoon?” You glanced at him and felt your knees buckle slightly when he smiled at you.
“Of course, then you’d be the most beautiful nanny in the whole universe.” He paired that knee buckling smile with a wink, and you wanted to melt.
“Are you watching?” Franklin shouted from the top of the slide.
Johnny turned to face him, “Yup! Go for it, buddy.”
Franklin’s giggle as he went down the slide was infectious, filled with such joy and merriment. When he reached the bottom of the slide you and Johnny jogged over to him, and each gave him a high five.
“Great job, Franklin,” you checked the time, “we can play for another five minutes, and then it’s time to go home, okay?”
“Okay!”
A raindrop landed on your cheek, then another on your sleeve, soon enough the sky opened up and all three of you were getting soaked. You picked up Franklin as Johnny scoped out a spot to wait out the rain. The closest thing with a roof was the small castle structure on the playground, so Johnny ushered you towards it. It was a bit cramped, but you hoped you wouldn’t have to wait too long.
“Does this mean no more playtime?” Franklin asked with a pout.
“Yeah, sorry, Franklin, we’re gonna wait until the rain lets up and then head home,” you set him down and held his hand, “but maybe we can go out again tomorrow.”
“Can Uncle Johnny come with us again?”
You smiled, “If he wants to, I don’t see why not.”
“He will.” Franklin’s tone was so matter of fact it made you and Johnny chuckle.
“Such confidence from such a little guy.” Johnny mussed Franklin’s hair.
Franklin looked up at you, “Uncle Johnny says that he wants to go out with you all the time, so that means he’ll come out with us again tomorrow!”
Both you and Johnny stared at Franklin with wide eyes, yours in surprise, and Johnny’s in embarrassment.
“Uncle Johnny says what all the time?” You posed the question more to Johnny than to Franklin, but Johnny refused to make eye contact with you.
Franklin answered, “He tells mommy all the time that he wants to go out with you.”
A pink blush spread from his neck to the tips of his ears, “You know the rain is looking a bit lighter, maybe we should just head back now.”
“Alright,” you picked Franklin up again and started walking, “does Uncle Johnny say anything else about me?”
An exasperated sigh fell from Johnny’s lip as you tried to contain your smile.
“Oh yeah, I heard him tell Uncle Ben that you were really, really pretty and that he likes you.”
The walk back was filled with Franklin recounting all the different things he’d overheard Johnny say about you. By the time you got to the Baxter Building, Johnny was red, how he looked when he used his powers but without the flames.
Once you set foot in the living room, Sue and Reed were there and Franklin went running to his parents to tell them about his day. You said a quick goodbye to them, gave Franklin a hug, and headed for the door. Johnny passed you on your way out, and you turned around to grab his arm.
“Hey, Johnny?”
“Yeah?” He still couldn’t bring himself to look you in the eye.
“Do you have any plans tomorrow night?”
At that he looked up at you, “N-no.”
“Good, would you like to get dinner together?”
You felt a rush of heat flow through his arm, “After everything Franklin told you, do you really think you need to ask?”