Summary: With nowhere else to go, (Y/N), Carina and Bruce await Steve’s arrival at the Avengers Facility in upstate New York and (Y/N) is finally reunited with the super-soldier.
Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader
Word Count: 4.9k
Warnings/Disclaimers: None
A/N: Okay, folks, time to break out those tissues ‘cause the reunion is finally here! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!
By the time (Y/N), Carina and Bruce arrived at the Avengers Facility, the late afternoon sunlight was slowly fading into dusk and fatigue from their long day was beginning to settle in; the three of them piled into her Volkswagen Bug parked outside of the Sanctum Sanctorum after Bruce’s brief phone call, with the bulky pram wedged between both adults and held secure by Bruce’s arm during their two hour drive upstate. (Y/N) used that time to tell the scientist everything she hadn’t had the opportunity to earlier, from the events that led to the creation of the Sokovia Accords to the real reason behind Tony and Steve’s falling out. Bruce’s expression was uncharacteristically blank for the majority of the time she spoke and his brown eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, but she could still sense the sadness and disappointment radiating off of him. In the months following the disbanding of the Avengers, she’d often wondered how different the outcome would’ve been if Bruce never disappeared but after being the one to tell him that his second family was no longer a family, she was thankful that he hadn’t been there to witness the breakdown firsthand.
They were stopped at the compound’s front gate and were immediately allowed through once they gave their names to the security guard on duty; Rhodey must be expecting us, she thought with an inward sigh as she parked the car in her old parking spot, switching off the engine and opening the pram to check on Carina. “Did you have a nice nap, Cari?” Her daughter drowsily blinked up at her and (Y/N), knowing that the infant would need to be fed soon, nodded and masked her fatigue with a reassuring smile. “I know you’re hungry, lemon drop, I’ll feed you just as soon as we get inside.”
“Before we raided that last Hydra facility in Sokovia, Tony used to talk about relocating the Avengers somewhere upstate,” Bruce remarked as he helped (Y/N) pull the pram out of the car and took a moment to look around the unfamiliar surroundings. “It’s weird not being at the tower, but the privacy here’s nice.”
Summary: With nowhere else to go, (Y/N), Carina and Bruce await Steve’s arrival at the Avengers Facility in upstate New York and (Y/N) is finally reunited with the super-soldier.
Pairing: Steve Rogers X Reader
Word Count: 4.9k
Warnings/Disclaimers: None
A/N: Okay, folks, time to break out those tissues ‘cause the reunion is finally here! Thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!
By the time (Y/N), Carina and Bruce arrived at the Avengers Facility, the late afternoon sunlight was slowly fading into dusk and fatigue from their long day was beginning to settle in; the three of them piled into her Volkswagen Bug parked outside of the Sanctum Sanctorum after Bruce’s brief phone call, with the bulky pram wedged between both adults and held secure by Bruce’s arm during their two hour drive upstate. (Y/N) used that time to tell the scientist everything she hadn’t had the opportunity to earlier, from the events that led to the creation of the Sokovia Accords to the real reason behind Tony and Steve’s falling out. Bruce’s expression was uncharacteristically blank for the majority of the time she spoke and his brown eyes remained fixed on the road ahead, but she could still sense the sadness and disappointment radiating off of him. In the months following the disbanding of the Avengers, she’d often wondered how different the outcome would’ve been if Bruce never disappeared but after being the one to tell him that his second family was no longer a family, she was thankful that he hadn’t been there to witness the breakdown firsthand.
They were stopped at the compound’s front gate and were immediately allowed through once they gave their names to the security guard on duty; Rhodey must be expecting us, she thought with an inward sigh as she parked the car in her old parking spot, switching off the engine and opening the pram to check on Carina. “Did you have a nice nap, Cari?” Her daughter drowsily blinked up at her and (Y/N), knowing that the infant would need to be fed soon, nodded and masked her fatigue with a reassuring smile. “I know you’re hungry, lemon drop, I’ll feed you just as soon as we get inside.”
“Before we raided that last Hydra facility in Sokovia, Tony used to talk about relocating the Avengers somewhere upstate,” Bruce remarked as he helped (Y/N) pull the pram out of the car and took a moment to look around the unfamiliar surroundings. “It’s weird not being at the tower, but the privacy here’s nice.”
She smiled to herself, recalling all the picnics she’d gone on with Steve at their secluded spot overlooking the lake, and they walked up the stone steps leading up to the compound’s private living quarters. Her fingers anxiously fiddled with the frayed edge of her blaster’s shoulder strap as she led the way down the familiar halls, walking into the common room to see James Rhodes watching WHiH World News; the colonel’s arms were crossed over his chest and his frown remained on his face when he turned away from the television to face them. “You two made the evening news.”
Rhodes gestured to the television as it began playing amateur footage of their battle against Cull Obsidian in the middle of a Greenwich Village park. “-shocking cell phone footage shows Tony Stark’s Iron Man fighting one of the alien beings alongside New York City’s own Spider-Man, Doctor Bruce Banner of the Avengers and, to many’s surprise, award-winning historical-fiction novelist and Captain America’s former fiancée (Y/N) (Y/L/N). (Y/L/N) famously called off her engagement to the super-soldier after he violated the Sokovia Accords and was declared a war criminal, and she’s spent the past two years publicly denouncing the document-”
“I guess we made quite a scene, didn’t we?” (Y/N) tried to smile but it resembled more of a grimace.
“Hi, Rhodey.” Beside her, Bruce gave the colonel an awkward wave. “I’m sure you probably have some questions for us-”
“Trust me, I’ve got about a hundred of ‘em,” Rhodes interjected, his eyes softening as he looked them over and lingering for a moment on Carina before meeting their gazes again. “But you guys look like absolute hell right now, so I’ll order us some food while you get washed up and we’ll talk it out over dinner. Does the, um…does the baby need anything?”
It was no secret that (Y/N) and Rhodes didn’t exactly get along; from the moment they’d met, something about the colonel rubbed her the wrong way and she was well-aware that the feeling was mutual. But despite their shared dislike of one another, (Y/N) could’ve cried at the thoughtful and unexpected consideration Rhodes was offering them; instead, she smiled and contemplated his question for a moment before nodding. “Some diapers would be great, and maybe a new onesie? She’s a month old but she’s a little bigger than most one-month-old babies, so whatever size two or three-month-olds wear should be great…thank you, Rhodes.”
The older man acknowledged her gratitude with a small and slightly-awkward smile before turning and grabbing his cell phone from the nearby kitchen counter, and (Y/N) led Bruce down the hallway to the compound’s living quarters; he retreated into Wanda’s old bathroom while (Y/N) cleaned up in Steve’s and fed Carina in his vacant bedroom, a melancholy sigh leaving her as she held the hungry infant in her arms and looked around the room she’d once shared with the super-soldier. It looked exactly the same as it had when she’d taken the last of her things back to her home in D.C., and she felt an aching pang in her chest at the thought of Tony keeping all of his estranged friends’ rooms the same in case they ever came back. He really does miss them all, she tearfully thought to herself, trying her hardest not to imagine the billionaire trapped on the Black Order’s ship in the middle of space with only Stephen and Peter for backup; but she also believed without a shadow of a doubt that if anyone could successfully keep the Time Stone out of Thanos’ hands, it was Tony Stark.
Once Carina was fed and burped, (Y/N) removed her golden-yellow cloak and the rest of her silver Asgardian armor and reached into Steve’s closet for one of his old sweatshirts, slipping it on and smiling a little when she detected the faint scent of his sandalwood cologne. She gathered her daughter back into her arms and chuckled as the infant babbled happily up at her. “Now that your tummy’s nice and full, maybe Mommy can try and eat something…if she’s not too worried about a certain super-soldier, of course,” She quietly added before being struck with a sudden idea. “Do you want to see your daddy, Cari?” The infant cooed and her (Y/E/C) eyes glimmered as her lips curved into a grin reminiscent of her father’s, making (Y/N) giggle in amusement and walk over to the dresser beside the bed; placed around the CD and vinyl record player were several framed photographs, the majority of which were of her and Steve before the Sokovia Accords and the disbandment of the Avengers. “Here he is, lemon drop. What do you think?” Carina’s hand reached out towards the photograph closest to her and she let out another incoherent babble; in the photograph, (Y/N) was pressing a sweet kiss to Steve’s cheek while the super-soldier’s face was scrunched up in laughter. “This was our first date; I introduced him to Mexican food and the incomparable Selena Quintanilla Pérez – both of which he ended up loving a lot more than I thought he would, so that was a pleasant surprise – then, we caught a 30th anniversary screening of Back to the Future and we topped the night off with ice cream. Did you know that your dad was the first man to ever give me flowers before a date?” She tenderly sighed at the memory of Steve standing on her front porch, a nervous but enthusiastic smile on his face as he clutched a bouquet of pink roses in his hands and told her how beautiful she looked. “I think I might’ve fallen in love with him all over again that night…”
A tentative knock on the bedroom door shook (Y/N) out of her musings and after pressing a kiss onto her daughter’s forehead, she opened the door and followed Bruce back to the common room. In their absence, Rhodes had several large pizzas delivered and along with the diapers and the onesie, he’d ordered several sets of baby clothes, a soft blanket, a pacifier and some powdered formula, all of the basic essentials that (Y/N) had been forced to manage without since the day Carina was born; she thanked the colonel profusely for his thoughtfulness and although he’d given her an indifferent shrug in response, she could sense that some of the unspoken hostility between them had dissipated. (Y/N) and Bruce, whose stomachs began rumbling with hunger the moment they stepped into the kitchen and smelled the fresh pizza awaiting them, both scarfed down their pizza in record time while Rhodes watched with a mildly-impressed look on his face.
After dinner, (Y/N) worked on carefully wrangling a squirming Carina into her new duck-patterned onesie and matching cotton hat while Bruce took it upon himself to explain everything to the colonel; he told him how they both ended up stranded on a hostile alien planet and how they helped save the Asgardian people from the destruction of their home-world, and then went on to detail the attack on the Statesman and how they managed to escape back down to Earth. Rhodes interrupted every so often with a clarifying question or quip, but he mostly listened to the scientist speak with a stoic expression on his face that briefly faltered as Bruce described their fight against the Black Order in Greenwich Village and Tony’s abrupt departure, along with the scientist’s brief phone call to Steve.
“Did either of those aliens mention where their ship was headed?”
(Y/N) shook her head and her temples throbbed in pain as she unconsciously began to search Loki’s imparted memories for an answer. “Before invading Earth on Thanos’ behalf, Loki was kept at the Sanctuary, an asteroid field inhabited by the Chitauri. He never really knew where it was located, unfortunately, so we’ve got no way of knowing where it’s at or even if Thanos still uses it as his base of operations.”
With a nod, Rhodes rearranged his troubled frown into a look of confidence. “Tony’ll find a way to contact us but in the meantime, we need to get a location on Vision. I wasn’t joking earlier when I said that you both look like hell, so try and get some rest while you still can, okay? ” The mechanisms in his leg braces whirled when he stood up and he waved a hand towards the cluttered workshop across the room. “If you guys need anything, I’ll be getting in touch with some of my contacts in the CIA and work on tracking Vision down.”
The colonel retreated into the workshop and began pulling up various holograms while Bruce turned to (Y/N) and nodded towards Carina, who was resting against her chest and preoccupied with the giraffe-shaped pacifier clutched in her tiny fist. “If you’d like, I can watch Carina while you finally get some rest? I know that you haven’t gotten any sleep since our last night on Sakaar, so you’ve gotta be dead on your feet right now.”
“But aren’t you tired too?”
Bruce shook his head. “The Big Guy slept plenty for the both of us back on the Statesman. Look, I took care of a lot of babies during my year in Calcutta so trust me, Carina will be in very capable hands.”
“Of course I trust you, Bruce.” (Y/N) smiled warmly at him and carefully placed her daughter in his waiting arms, giving the cooing infant a look of playful seriousness as she addressed her. “Be good for your Uncle Bruce, Cari. No hair-pulling and please try not to spit-up on him again, okay?” She tickled Carina underneath her chin and beamed at her adorable giggle. “I’ll see you in the morning, my lemon drop.”
After kissing her daughter’s brow and quietly thanking Bruce, (Y/N) made her way back down the hallway to Steve’s bedroom and paused long enough to kick off her boots before flopping onto the bed, burrowing into the soft and familiar bedding and inhaling the faint scent of her partner’s cologne as she finally allowed herself to succumb to her overwhelming exhaustion and fall into a dreamless sleep.
The bright and early morning sun shone through the compound’s windows as (Y/N) restlessly paced up and down the hall, alternating between staring down at the smooth floor beneath her well-worn boots and searching the clear blue sky outside for any sign of the Quinjet. Despite being well-rested for the first time in months, nervous butterflies filled (Y/N)’s stomach almost the moment she woke up and only seemed to intensify by the minute; she’d preoccupied herself with feeding, burping and changing a drowsy Carina and once those tasks were completed, she’d begun pacing around the compound’s common room and workshop, but an emergency State Department meeting was called via hologram and since she had no desire to see Secretary Thaddeus Ross after all he’d done during the ratification of the Accords, she was forced to pace in the hallway outside of the living quarters.
“If you keep doing that, Carina’s gonna throw up everywhere.”
At Bruce’s sudden warning, (Y/N) tore her eyes away from the window and stopped pacing the moment she realized that Carina’s open pram had been closely following her anxious movements. “Oh, shi-Sorry about that, lemon drop. Mommy’s just a little nervous right now.” She leaned a shoulder against the window and looked out at the compound’s still grounds with a weary sigh. “Got any tips for how to tell a super-soldier that you conceived, carried and gave birth to his child all while he was on the run as a fugitive of the law?”
The scientist took a sip of his coffee and thought her question over for a moment before answering, “Other than breaking it to him slowly, I don’t think there’s any good way of telling him all that. It goes without saying that Steve’s an old-fashioned guy so yeah, he’s gonna feel guilty and blame himself for not being there for you and Carina.” He cast her a furtive look as he leaned against the window beside her. “Are you upset at him that he wasn’t there?”
“No. No, I know that he was away doing everything he could to make the world a safer place, and after…after everything I went through on Sakaar and after barely escaping Thanos and his Black Order, I’m just grateful that I’m even alive to see him again.” She reached down into the pram and lightly caressed the soft skin of her daughter’s cheek. “And I’m beyond grateful that Carina has the opportunity to finally meet him.”
“Well, I won’t lie and say that he’s not gonna hate himself once you give him the news,” Bruce sighed, looking out the window as (Y/N) turned to discreetly wipe a stray tear away. “And that’ll be rough, no doubt about it, but if he loves you as much as you love him, then I’ve got a feeling that you’re both gonna be able to work through all of this together.”
With a grateful smile, (Y/N) playfully bumped the scientist’s shoulder with her own and arched a curious brow. “Any chance that one of those seven PhD’s of yours is in psychology?”
“Nope, but who knows? Maybe I’ll go for lucky number eight after we stop Thanos and save the world again.” He grinned and bumped her shoulder back, returning his attention to the window before them and standing a little straighter as he continued. “And it looks like you’ll be able to test out my not-so-expert advice sooner rather than later.”
(Y/N)’s head snapped up at Bruce’s comment and her heart jolted in her chest when she spotted the distinctly recognizable Quinjet making its descent from the clouds. The knowledge that Steve and her friends were so close by nearly made her break out a sprint to the compound’s hangar, but she caught herself before she could and quickly turned to Bruce beside her. “Can you please watch-?”
“Of course.”
Pressing a fleeting kiss onto his stubbled cheek, (Y/N) took off her uru bracelet and pressed it into the smiling scientist’s hand before hurrying down the hall; she skidded around corners and only ran faster down the hallways the closer she got to the hangar, ignoring the stitch beginning to form in her side and the tears that threatened to fall as she did. When she finally reached the double doors that led into the hangar, she didn’t hesitate to shove them open and stumble out onto the platform that overlooked its vast interior just as the Quinjet’s ramp began to lower. The first to emerge from the aircraft was Natasha, her face drawn with unease while she turned to watch the others descend the ramp; Vision was sporting a visible wound along the length of his torso and was being supported by Wanda and Sam, both of whom looked completely drained and in need of several hours of good sleep. The sight of her friends – as bone-tired and weary as they were and despite the circumstances surrounding their return – brought a smile to (Y/N)’s face, a smile that only widened when her super-soldier finally emerged from the Quinjet.
Steve Rogers looked exactly the same as he had the last time she’d seen him, with his long blonde hair combed back, a scruffy beard obscuring the lower half of his face and his old Captain America uniform faded and worn from two years of continuous use. During their time apart, she’d forgotten just how tall and broad Steve was; his muscles bulged against the fabric of his uniform and as he strode down the aircraft’s ramp, he was forced to lower his head to avoid bumping it against the frame. His azure eyes were entirely focused on the trio limping ahead of him but as if sensing her familiar presence, he looked up at the platform she stood on and the air in her lungs vanished as their eyes finally met.
“(Y/N)…” Steve breathed in disbelief, and the sound of her name being uttered so softly and full of devotion was all it took to spur her into action; she hurried down the flight of stairs, any thoughts of tripping or falling far from her mind as the super-soldier ran towards her, meeting her halfway and catching her when she threw herself into his arms. “God, I missed you, sunshine.” She buried her face in the crook of his neck and released a shuddering sob as he tightened his arms around her and lifted her off the ground. “Baby, I missed you so much.”
“I missed you too, sweetheart.” (Y/N)’s eyes stung with tears and when she pulled back to look at Steve’s face, she saw that his azure eyes were also beginning to water. Before she knew it, their lips crashed against each other and Steve’s hands tightly clutched her borrowed sweatshirt while she threaded her fingers through his long hair and pulled him even closer; their kisses were searing and desperate, the product of over six months being apart from one another, and in that moment, she felt as though they were in a world all their own. Not much time had passed when (Y/N) was forced to pull back and catch her breath, but the super-soldier continued pressing kisses across her cheeks and jawline, reverentially caressing her lips with his once more before resting his forehead against hers. “Holy shit, t-that was…I think you might’ve just taken my breath away…”
Steve grinned and affectionately nuzzled the tip of his nose against hers. “Not bad for a one-hundred-year-old guy, huh, sunshine?”
Remembering the similar words he’d spoken to her just after their explosive first kiss onboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier, (Y/N) breathlessly chuckled and shook her head. “Not in the slightest.” She allowed her eyes to flutter closed as one of her hands rested against the side of his face and softly caressed the skin of his cheek, giving herself a moment to revel in her partner’s loving and secure embrace. “Welcome home, Steve.”
Their peaceful moment was interrupted by someone clearing their throat nearby and when (Y/N) looked over for the source of the noise, she was met with Sam’s trademark smirk and raised brow. “Hey, no hug for your best friend in the whole entire world? That’s pretty cold, Booksmart.”
“Birdbrain!” Extricating herself from Steve’s embrace, (Y/N) surged forward and into Sam’s open arms; her best friend squeezed her tight and she was forced to choke back a sob. “I missed you, Sam. I even missed hearing that goddamn nickname.”
He chuckled and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. “Right back at you, (Y/N); getting called ‘Birdbrain’ by these guys just wasn’t the same.”
When he released her, she turned to Natasha and pulled the spy into a warm hug that she was quick to return. “Seeing as they’re alive and well, I take it that these two somehow managed to stay off your nerves?”
“Barely. I resisted killing them because I knew you’d be a little bummed if I did, so you’re welcome for that,” Natasha joked, pulling away and smiling as she looked her over. “I wish that this were under better circumstances, hot-shot, but it’s great to see you again.”
(Y/N) gave the spy’s hand an affectionate squeeze and looked past her at Wanda and Vision, frowning in concern as she took in the younger woman’s gashed forehead and the android’s slashed midsection; it was clear that they’d recently had a run-in with the Black Order and (Y/N) thanked their lucky stars that despite his serious injury, the Children of Thanos failed to retrieve the Mind Stone from Vision. “Wanda, Viz, are you both okay?”
“We will be.” Wanda’s smile was forced as she adjusted her hold on Vision beside her. “And are you okay? We were ambushed right after we saw the footage of their attack on New York, and we saw you fighting one of those creatures off.”
“Sporting traditional Asgardian battle armor, no less,” Vision added, wincing a little while Sam moved to support his other side but still managing to give her a weak smile. “We weren’t even sure it was you until Captain Rogers told us about the phone call he received from Doctor Banner.”
Swallowing nervously, (Y/N) glanced around the small group before settling her gaze on Steve, whose brow was furrowed in apprehension as his eyes searched hers. “It’s kind of a long story, but we should probably head inside first; Secretary Ross has Rhodes trapped in a meeting right now and I just know that he’d love to see you guys again.”
The corner of Steve’s lips curved upwards at her thinly-veiled sarcasm. “Well, in that case, we shouldn’t leave the Secretary of State waiting.” After taking hold of her hand, they walked up the flight of stairs and made their way through the compound’s private quarters to the workshop; the super-soldier interlaced their fingers and she looked over at him, her heartbeat quickening as they shared a smile. While she was still filled with anxiety over telling Steve about Carina, her partner’s soothing presence helped to alleviate some of her worry and gave her the strength she needed to finally introduce him to their daughter. They walked into the workshop with their hands still joined, ignoring the conference table populated by holograms of suited men pouring over documents and heading straight towards where the hologram of Secretary Ross stood before a frustrated Rhodes; the look that crossed the Secretary of State’s weathered face when they entered the room could only be described as pure loathing, and Steve’s grip on her hand tightened before he tersely greeted the older man. “Mr. Secretary.”
Secretary Ross’ eyes blazed with anger. “You’ve got some nerve, I’ll give you that.”
Beside (Y/N), Natasha smirked and retorted, “You could use some of that right now.”
“The world’s on fire, and you think that all is forgiven?” The Secretary of State looked over at (Y/N), his eyes narrowing in distaste as she arched a defiant brow and refused to look away. “All that time spent lawful lobbying for the deactivation of the Accords, only to throw it all away the minute they come calling. They’ve really got a hold on you, don’t they, Miss (Y/L/N)?”
In that moment, Steve’s entire demeanor shifted, white-hot rage radiating off of him as he clenched his jaw and stared the older man down. “I’m not here looking for forgiveness, and I’m way past asking for permission. Earth just lost her best defender, so we’re here to fight.” He took a step forward before continuing on, the timbre of his voice low and full of warning. “And if you wanna stand in our way…we’ll fight you, too.”
(Y/N) moved to stand beside her partner and flashed Secretary Ross a humorless smile. “All that time spent dividing and villainizing Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, only for it to fail spectacularly the minute the world needs saving again.”
The Secretary of State’s nostrils flared and he indignantly turned to Rhodes. “Arrest them.”
“All over it.” But instead, Rhodes swiped his hand and the holograms faded away, leaving him standing in the empty workshop with a growing smirk on his face. “That’s a court-martial. It’s great to see you, Cap.”
Steve smiled and let go of (Y/N)’s hand before striding forward to shake Rhodes’. “You too, Rhodey.”
“Hey,” The colonel greeted Natasha as she gave him a brief hug, a happy gleam in his brown eyes as he looked the fugitives over. “Well, you guys really look like crap; must’ve been a rough couple of years.”
With his arm still wrapped securely around Vision’s waist for support, Sam shrugged noncommittally and even managed a small grin. “Yeah, well, the hotels weren’t exactly five-star.”
“I think you look great.” (Y/N) turned around to see Bruce timidly enter the workshop and anxiously fiddle with the sleeves of his torn blazer as the others stared at him in various degrees of surprise. “Um…yeah. I-I’m back.”
I guess that old flames really do die hard, (Y/N) thought with an inward smile, watching the expression on Natasha’s face shift from astonishment to admiration and her lips curve upwards. “Hi, Bruce.”
Bruce’s ears flushed red with embarrassment but his eyes remained trained on hers. “Nat.”
“…This is awkward.”
“Sam!” (Y/N) hissed, rolling her eyes as Sam merely grinned at her light chastising and Steve stifled a chuckle beside her. “Bruce, do you think you can check out Wanda and Vision’s wounds? I don’t like the look of either of them and there’s no telling when they’ll have another chance to have them treated.”
The scientist, whose brown eyes had widened in realization at what she was subtly attempting to do, nodded and stepped forward to help Sam support Vision. “Yeah, of course. C’mon, we’ll do it in the common room, it’s more comfortable in there.” He flashed her a supportive smile while he began guiding the wounded android forward. “Where do you guys keep the first aid kits around here, Rhodey?”
One by one, the fugitives filtered into the common room and once she was sure that their focus was entirely on their wounded friends, (Y/N) reached out and wrapped a hand around Steve’s wrist to stop him from following them. “Steve, can you and I go somewhere to talk for a few minutes?”
“Sure.” Steve allowed her to take his hand and lead him down the hallway towards the living quarters; they were several feet away from the super-soldier’s closed bedroom door when she suddenly stopped and turned around to face him, and his brow knit in concern when he caught sight of the expression on her face. “What is it, (Y/N)? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong, sweetheart, I promise, it’s just…there’s something I have to tell you, but I…” She took a steadying breath and looked down, her eyes level with the empty spot where his suit’s star once resided. “I-I don’t know how.”
He moved closer to her and hesitated for a moment before cupping her face between his large hands; her eyes fluttered closed and while she savored the gentle way his thumbs caressed her cheekbones, she reached up and loosely held his forearms. “Baby, can you look at me?” She opened her eyes and was met with Steve’s, the super-soldier’s azure irises filled with a soothing reassurance that instantly melted her heart. “You see? I’m right here, sunshine. Whatever it is you’ve gotta tell me, I promise you that I’m not going anywhere.” (Y/N)’s eyes searched his and after a long moment, she nodded and stretched up to press a chaste kiss to his lips. “Okay, I’m all ears.”
Ultimately deciding that it would be easier for her to just show him, (Y/N) squared her shoulders and took another deep breath before taking his hand and leading him into his old bedroom; Carina’s pram was floating beside the bed and the infant was fast asleep, with her tiny fingers curled around the hem of her blanket and her breath coming out in steady puffs. She retrieved her uru bracelet from the dresser beside her, slipping it on before taking hold of his hand again and quietly speaking. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I was already twelve weeks pregnant the last time I saw you. This is your daughter, Steve.”
A/N: Yep, you might wanna hold onto those tissues for the next chapter lol thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!
