Chapter Text
FOUR
“You were right.” Steve circled the large oak tree, breathing the fresh clean air he didn’t know he missed. Peggy sat on the grass with her legs folded to one side, looking up at him and watching him intently. “This place is nice.”
“Not a lot of kids come here to play.” Peggy said, “Not a lot of kids in this neighborhood in the first place.”
Steve decided to join her on the ground, not really knowing what to talk to her about. She was quiet too, except for the comments about the neighborhood or about Ana Jarvis’ amazing creme brulee he should try while he was here. Neither of them knew how to talk about the unbelievable, weird thing that happened. Where do you begin?
“So uh, what do you do these days?” He asked. Work seemed like a safe place to start.
“Oh,” Peggy sighed. “Well, work’s work . I’m not gonna lie…” she glanced at him, “...everyday I wake up and wonder if I’m still on the right path. If all this is even worth the trouble.”
“What are you talking about? You’re Peggy Carter.”
She scoffed, “Doesn’t mean a thing these days. It’s...different from the war. I had a purpose. Back then it wasn’t strange seeing a woman in uniform giving orders. Now I’m just a glorified lunch lady with an officer’s paycheck.” she laughed halfheartedly, looking down at her pointy shoes, “They only think of me when I’m not there to fetch their morning coffee.”
“Hey, hey…” Steve gently lifted her chin, “None of that. It’s going to get better. Trust me.”
“Why Captain Rogers, do you know something that I don’t?”
“Yeah, a few.” He chuckled. Like the fact that in a few years she would help build SHIELD and have her name on history as the woman who fought in the war alongside Captain America, though she’d become a legend in her own right for standing her ground at a time when women aren’t regarded as highly as men. If only Steve could tell her these things, along with the fact that she was going to marry a wonderful man and have two children and live a long life that won’t be easy, but she’ll be strong enough to live through the trouble. If only he could tell her that without ruining everything for her. “Just trust me on this, alright? You’re doing just fine.”
“I wouldn’t want to know what my future holds anyway but...it’s nice to know I’m on the right track. And I always trust you.” She said with complete confidence, “What about you? What do you do... in the future? ”
Steve huffed out a breath, “Hmm. Not a lot has changed. Still fighting bad guys. Believe it or not, the world never runs out of people who think they’re better than the others. And uh, lots of other strange things I never would have dreamed of seeing.” An alien invasion, a flying ship and a secret country-- to name a few.
Peggy nodded, “Then I’m glad you’re there to keep the world together.”
He shook his head modestly, “No, it isn’t just me. There’s…” Howard’s son, Tony. But he can’t tell her that. “...there’s this…” Brilliant doctor who turns into an enormous green monster, but that too, he couldn’t tell her about. A norse god, an archer, a master of the mystic arts, a spiderling and a lot more. What could he tell her? “...well, there’s Natasha, too.”
“You’re partners, I gather?”
“Yeah uh...it’s a long story. We’ve worked for the same organization for years but rarely on the same missions. Oh you should see her in action. She’s amazing at what she does. So we lived in the same building as the others and we trained together as a team, but that’s that.” Then HYDRA happened, then SHIELD fell. “Until a crisis presented itself and we found ourselves in a situation where we only had each other to trust. I owe her, you know. She’s had my back for years. We looked out for each other. And then another thing happened…”
She watched him carefully, noting the slight blush that crept up on his cheeks when he started talking about Natasha. He thought so highly of her, proud of having her by his side on and off the battlefield.
“A lot of things tend to happen around you, I believe.” Peggy said with a small smile.
He chuckled, “Oh yeah, we tend to draw a lot of trouble. So after that we uhm…” Steve looked back to their years on the run. It wasn’t an easy time, sometimes they went hungry, slept too little or not at all. Patched each other up when they got roughed up and the like. But it helped that he had Natasha and Sam with him. Especially Nat. She had a comforting effect on him that no one else had. “...we went on the run .”
“Like proper fugitives?”
“Well…” Steve chuckled, looking for a better word, “...yeah, like that.”
“Steve Rogers gone rogue, huh?” She smirked, “I would love to see that happen.”
He shrugged, a sly smile on his mouth. And they were quiet again, perfectly content of living in the moment. They both knew it wasn’t permanent, but just because it wasn’t going to be that way forever, doesn’t mean they couldn’t cherish it. This was definitely for keeps.
“So this Agent Romanoff someone special, then?”
“Yeah,” Steve replied without hesitation. But then his eyes met Peggy’s and she realized that wasn’t what she meant. “But not... special , like special someone.” He scoffed, “She’s one of the best people I know and yeah sure, she is beautiful but...we’re just friends. We work together, and we’ve been through hell and back together. It’s.. .hard, I think. In this line of work you just can’t--”
“Hey,” Peggy laughed, putting a hand on his shoulder to ease the tension, “It’s okay, you know. Actually I’d be glad to know you have someone by your side. The right partner. ”
Steve smiled sadly, because it could have been Peggy. But fate had different plans and Steve cannot undo the course of history. Things were meant to happen but ending up with Peggy Carter wasn’t one of them.
He remembered all the things he adored about Peggy--her strength, courage, compassion and her big heart. And to top all her great attributes, she wasn’t hard to look at; at all. Steve remembered thinking that he wasn’t going to find anyone as beautiful and as brave as her. And that moment seemed like just the right moment to close the distance between them.
He leaned in, hesitant at first, and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. A promise, that whatever trouble she comes across in the years ahead of her, he will always be by her side, no matter the distance or the time.
But Natasha... could it be? He never really thought about it. No, it did cross his mind but they were either busy getting shot at or too injured to do really consider it.
Natasha rolled to her side, flinching as the morning sun hit her face. The analog alarm clock on the bedside table read 6:15 AM. Howard dropped off more clothes the other day--a couple of pant suits because he decided she’d look good in them, some tight-fitting dresses because duh, of course. And then a pair of yoga pants, athletic shirts and running shoes she was actually grateful for. She washed her face with cold water and wiped it dry with a fancy-looking face towel, changed her clothes and slipped into a pair of running shoes.
Comfy.
A run will be good for her. Maybe take the edge off of worrying too much about the time travel situation, and also the Steve-might-not-be-going-home-with-her situation. And besides, she’s been in the 40’s for two days and she hasn’t seen the city yet.
“Hey!” Steve called out, taking a break from his pre-run stretching to face her. He looked like a treat, with a ridiculously tight shirt-- seriously, the guy should buy his own clothes because the people who buy it for him have other agenda-- and shorts that were shorter than she was used to. And really? Perfect hair? He just woke up! “I thought I heard someone in there. Going for a run?”
Natasha nodded, “Just around the block. See some of the old places.”
“Perfect. Actually I was going to run a few blocks and then ride the bus all the way back to Brooklyn. Wanna come?”
“Brooklyn? Why? Did Howard find anything new?” Natasha stretched her arms, then her legs. “...and isn’t that where you grew up? It’s a little risky, someone might recognize you. I should go if it’s important.”
Steve shook his head, “Nah, nothing. I just thought I’d...well, nevermind. And you’re right...it’s risky.”
Shoot.
He grew up there, of course Steve would want to see the place again.
The last time they were there, they were both still in shock and didn’t have the chance to get around. And why did he have to look like a sad puppy? Natasha sighed and stopped Steve on his tracks just as he was about to make a head start.
“Hey, I’m sure it will be fine if we don’t stay there long.”
Steve smiled back, and waited for her before running down the paved path.
The short trip-- forty five minutes, more or less --proved to be informative for Natasha like it was nostalgic for Steve. She studied the crowd around her, subtly of course, and realized how similar it was from modern commute. Take away phones and other devices, the people held on to the morning papers, their noses buried in books as they waited for their stop. The wardrobe was something else, though. Everyone looked dapper, clean-cut and very sophisticated, she thought about starting a campaign to bring back the 40’s fashion when they go home. Or when she goes home, whatever.
They had to stand throughout the trip, standing close across each other, their bodies touching at every speed bump and brake because the buses were brimming with the working population getting to their jobs on the other side of the city.
Steve smelled amazing, even soaked in sweat. Which was unfair, because she must have reeked like garbage.
“What are you thinking?”
She hummed, her eyes darting to his.
“You seem to be doing a lot of thinking these days.” he adjusted his hoodie to cover more of his face using his free hand, the other holding on to the bar above their heads. And because the bar was too high up for her to hold onto comfortably, Steve let her hold his arm for support.
Natasha scoffed, keeping eye contact. “Something to do with being stuck here, Steve.”
“It’s not that.” His face was stern, and there was something about being pressed together in public transportation that made Natasha shift uncomfortably.
“Fine. Is there something you want me to say?”
Steve’s brows furrowed and he just sighed. “I don’t know, Nat. What do you want to say?” his voice rose a little, catching the attention of the elderly woman on the chair beside him. “What do you want to say, Nat?” he repeated, softer now.
Natasha bit her lip to hide the quiver. If she got it right, they still had twenty minutes before the bus stops in Brooklyn, and she wasn’t sure she can hold out for long. So she resorted to the one thing she did best, “Friendly reminder, Rogers . Anything you do has a consequence. You and I being here in this stupid bus, you and I running around Stark’s neighborhood like we belong there, you hanging around with Peggy Carter, everything . Everything has a price, you better be willing to pay it.”
His mouth opened slightly, his mind conjuring a clapback but he couldn’t muster anything. The bus came to a sudden halt, pushing Natasha onto Steve’s chest as her hand instinctively held on to his waist. Steve’s arm was around her shoulders. And suddenly Natasha forgot what she was riled up for. He’ll always be there for her, and he’s proven time and time again that she can count on him. Thinking that he’d rather stay here where he was welcome rather than go home to where his new life was and where she was felt stupid.
An insult to Steve’s character, really. They were partners, right? He won’t leave her, right?
“Sorry.” She looked away and recomposed herself. “I just want to go home. Soon, preferably.”
“I know.” he sighed, his breath hot on her cheeks. “You’ll be home soon, I promise.”
“Sir, the lady’s here to see you.”
Arnim Zola shift his glasses and looked to the door. He put down his steak knife and wiped the grease off his mouth, impatient for the news his personal eyes and ears to the city brought him. A slender, blonde woman strode into the room, her mouth plastered into a sly, permanent red grin that concealed the fact that she wasn’t who she seemed.
Dottie Underwood was a force to be reckoned with. Zola knew that and recognized her talent and potential.
“Doctor,” She greeted in a sing-song voice. She looked like she was smiling but her eyes were devoid of any emotions. “I brought you something extra special today.”
“What is it?”
She smirked and sat on Zola’s dining table. “He’s back. Captain America’s alive.”
“What? But that’s...he crashed, didn’t he? Nobody survives that.”
“You don’t believe me?” she pouted, “...silly little man, have I ever failed you?”