Fallen | Steve Rogers

1

You never fail...

The ceremony is necessary...

Sloppy...

Pretending to fail...

The thoughts snap Lauren out of her sleep... but they're not hers. She sits up in her shared bed, removing her eye-mask from her face. She lets out a deep breath as she swings her legs out of the bed, slipping on the slippers she has on the floor. She makes her way to the kitchen part of the base, where she sees Natasha staring at the wall while her fingers twitch.

" I called it," Lauren says.

" You heard?", Natasha asks.

" Would I be up if i didn't?", Lauren asks, " How long have you been up?".

" Not long", Natasha responds, " Has it happened to you?".

" All the time", Lauren says as she pours some water into the tea kettle, " Some things just... never go away".

" How's your husband?", Natasha asks as Lauren turns on the stove and puts the kettle on top of it.

" Sleeping. I made sure of that", Lauren says as she turns around to face her friend..

" Have things been good between the two of you?", Natasha asks.

" Yeah. We're just... going through a bit of a dry spell," Lauren responds as she crosses her arms.

" So, no sex?" Natasha asks.

" Not in three months", Lauren says, " I really want to fix that".

" Why haven't you?" Natasha asks.

" I... we're just really busy, you know, with tracking Rumlow, and all", Lauren sighs.

" It doesn't mean the man can neglect his wife like that", Natasha says.

" He's not."

" The water's done."

Lauren turns off the stove, picks up the kettle as she grab two tea cups from the cabinets. She pours the hot water into the cups, then adds two green tea bags in them.

" Bottoms up", Lauren say as she hands Natasha her cup, " Have you heard from Clint at all?".

" Not since last month. It's understandable, though", Natasha says, then takes a sip of her tea.

" Having three kids is not an easy task", Lauren says, making her chuckle.

" Are you happy?, Natasha asks.

Her words catch Lauren by surprise.

" Of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?" Lauren asks.

" Well, because it just seems like Steve isn't treating you the way you deserve to be treated," Natasha says.

Lauren scoffs.

" Steve treats me with the utmost care. He's never been disrespectful or nonloyal to me in anyway," Lauren says as she puts the tea cup down, " You're forgetting, honey... I don't need a king to be a queen".

" You're reading scripture now?", Natasha asks.

" What kind of scripture are you reading to have come to that assumption?", Lauren asks, " I'm fine, Tasha. Really".

" I don't believe you", Natasha says as she crosses her arms, " Start talking, Rogers".

" Why not Stone?", Lauren asks.

" You're stalling", Natasha says.

" You're pushy", Lauren says as she leans back on the counter.

" Just tell me the truth, Lo. We're best friends... always and forever", Natasha says with a look of genuine concern in her eyes.

" I am telling you the truth: I am madly in love with Steve... and I'm happier than I've ever been in my whole life", Lauren says, looking her dead in the eyes, " He's my world... I'd do anything for him. Come on, let's get you to bed".

" I'm not eight", Natasha says.

" Yeah, but you're stubborn ," Lauren says as she links her arm with Natasha, " And you're moody when you're tired".

" So are you", Natasha defends.

" Which is why we're going to bed", Lauren says as she leads Natasha to her room, " Sleep".

" Don't tell me what to do", Natasha says as she lies down in her bed.

" Then don't make it so I have to.Goodnight,Natasha)".

" Goodnight, Lauren."

Lauren walks back into her room, where she finds her husband no longer sleeping.

" Why are you up?", Steve asks in a groggy voice.

" Why are you up?" Lauren asks.

" I asked you first", He says.

" I asked you second", Lauren says.

" I had a bad dream. Your turn", Steve says as she crawls back into the bed where he wraps an arm around her shoulders.

" Natasha", Lauren responds, " She was thinking about what happened to us in the... you know".

" Was she okay?",  He asks as she rest her head on his shoulder.

" A little shook, but she'll get through it. We always have".

"Sounds alright to me."

Steve kisses the top of her head.

" What'd you dream about?" Lauren asks as she closes her eyes to listen to his heartbeat.

" Can't you just read my mind?", He asks.

" I promised you I would never do that anymore... or to anyone, at that. It's too dangerous".

" Not when you know how to control it... which you do."

" Can we not talk about this right now", I say.

" You're the one who brought it up."

" I think we should go back to bed", Lauren says as she crawls under the covers once more, " Goodnight, Steve".

" Night, Lauren", Steve says as he lays down on his back.

" I love you", Lauren says as she rest her head on his chest with one leg bent over his and his hands resting on her back.

" Love you, too", He says, then kisses the top of her head and brings his head back down to the pillow, where she falls asleep while listening to his booming heart.