Chapter Text
You unlock your door and Steve gestures you inside. He follows you in and locks the door behind him, it’s not the first time you’ve been in your place together but this time is different. This time he almost died. He’d protected you and saved the world again.
And he’d kissed you. And you’d kissed him.
“Was I one of the targets?” You ask softly not looking at him.
“Honestly I don’t know. I’d imagine you were though. You’re a smart woman who wouldn’t just let Hydra take over.”
“Fucking nazis.” You grumble and he chuckles softly.
“Agreed.” He’s followed you to the kitchen where you pull a beer out for him and slide it across the counter. “You’re okay though right?” He asks and you know he doesn’t mean just physically.
“I mean it wasn’t like it was fun watching you almost die twice, but Tony and Pepper were a godsend.”
“Good. I’m glad I had somewhere safe to send you and Monty.”
“Thank you.” You tell him softly before turning away and blinking rapidly to clear the tears that have suddenly sprung to your eyes. Steve seems to know that something is wrong anyway because he makes his way over to you and pulls you gently into his arms.
“Indy?” He asks quietly, “Are you okay?”
“I’m just, I think I’m just processing everything that happened. I’m so glad you’re okay.”
“I’m okay Indy.” He mutters into your hair, “we’re both okay.” You wipe your eyes before you turn and wrap your arms around Steve’s narrow wait. You like being here, in his arms, it’s probably the safest place that you’ve ever been.
“Sorry.” You mutter and Steve shushes you gently.
“Indy don’t be sorry, please don’t be sorry for caring.” He says and you tilt your chin up toward him. He seems to understand your unasked request and presses another one of those thrilling kisses to your lips. When he pulls away he smiles a slow, soft smile at you. “I like being able to kiss you.” He admits, his ears turning slightly pink with the admission.
“I like being able to kiss you too.” You tell him, with a smile of your own. Hunger gnaws at your stomach and when it lets out a grumble you and Steve both laugh quietly. “So dinner?” You ask and he nods, “how does pizza sound?”
“Sounds amazing.” He admits and you pull out your phone to order pizzas for you and Steve.
He eats three pizzas on his own, so you’re glad you’d ordered so much food. The two of you stay up late into the night, talking about everything, childhoods, families, the Avengers and Bucky.
Bucky becomes a topic that you talk about almost every time you’re together. You’re slowly following his tracks, piecing together the places that he’s been since he’d left Steve unconscious on the shores of the Potomac.
You’ve followed him from DC to New York, you’d lost him for a while there but then he’d shown back up in Morocco. You’d been able to track him through the African continent, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt then up into Europe. He’d bounced around there too Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, France, back to Spain and finally to Romania. Bucharest to be exact.
That’s when all hell breaks loose. The King of Wakanda is killed in a terrorist attack, one that is supposedly Bucky. You know it isn’t. You’ve traced him too well, you know he’s in Bucharest when the explosion happens in Vienna.
You understand Steve’s decision when he calls you. You understand why he is going to stand with Bucky and you’re more than a little relieved that you can tell Steve almost exactly where to find Bucky. Which he does just in time.
You don’t hear from him for a while, you try to avoid the news cycle too but it’s hard. You know that Steve and Sam are involved in some sort of fight with the Romanian police. That they and Bucky get caught along with the new King of Wakanda.
You have no idea when you’re going to hear from Steve. You don’t know if he’s even okay but you know that Bucky had escaped in a helicopter. Or something, the rumors are all over the place. Thankfully you’ve got an inside source, Sharon, keeping you filled in on everything. You’ve gotten used to not knowing exactly what’s going on.
Steve calls as he and Bucky are flying to somewhere in Siberia. He won’t tell you more than that, for your own protection. He’s worried that someone, you assume Tony, is going to come and take you in. Take you somewhere he can’t protect you, you’d disappear first.
It’s a tense couple of days. You try to keep yourself busy with finding some painting that nazi’s had stolen from some family. Clearly, you were very invested and not worried about Steve at all.
When you finally hear from him he sounds exhausted. But he’s safe, he’s alive and he’s got the rest of his team out of prison. Something called the raft, it sounds absolutely abysmal, you’re honestly not sure how the world governments are all okay with it. Steve isn’t sure they all are.
He asks you to come with him, to go somewhere safe but you can’t. You can’t leave Monty and you can’t leave your grandparents. You’re not sure how much longer you’ll have them and you’re not willing to risk missing out on the time you have left with them.
Besides. You and Steve have time. Time that seems to slip through your fingers as Monty, Miriam and Indiana dissolve to ash.
At least, you still have Steve.