in the shadows ━ steve rogers

chapter forty

"I'm fine," he muttered and she shook her head at him.

"Can you even see?" she asked, glancing at the many bags he was having trouble carrying. "Because I can't see your head and—" She grimaced, hearing a clunk against metal. "—there's a lamppost in front of you."

"I promise, just one more store," Adelaide told the couple as Grace walked over to the soldier. "You two can stay here. I'll be right back."

Grace let out a breath and looked down at Steve. "At least there's no bump forming. That's a good sign."

"Oh, in your vast medical knowledge?"

She narrowed her eyes at the man. "Watch it, Rogers... Need I remind you that you burned water?"

Adelaide walked into the nearby candy shop and was immediately welcomed with the aroma of too much sugar. She glanced around the store, seeing the various colors and shapes of the different candies.

Adelaide took a lollipop off the stand and smiled softly, holding it in her hands. The twists of the candy and the many colors invited her to find more sweets. What could she say? She had a sweet tooth.

"Mommy!" Adelaide turned around and saw a little girl with bright blonde hair run past her toward an older woman. "Can we get this? Pretty please?"

"I don't see why not, my little butterfly," the woman replied, taking the little girl into her arms. Adelaide moved behind another shelf, still watching the mother-daughter interaction. "Are you going to eat your veggies tonight if we get it?"

"I promise!"

The woman smiled and walked toward the register with her daughter. Adelaide looked around the shop and saw all of the young families out for the day. She felt a twinge of pain in her chest before promptly dropping the lollipop and walking out of the shop.

Grace looked up from checking on Steve's forehead when she saw the blonde walking toward them. "Hey," she smiled, getting Steve's attention and he glanced up. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

"Yeah, whatever," Adelaide replied distantly, brushing past the couple and they glanced at each other in confusion. "Let's just go."

"I thought you wanted to get lunch before we left," Grace said, furrowing her brows at the young blonde.

Adelaide shook her head. "Not anymore."

"Addy—" Grace let out a breath and ran a hand through her dark locks. "I'll be right back."

"Actually..." She turned back to look at Steve and he shrugged. "You mind if I talk to her?"

Grace smiled softly and nodded. She watched as he walked in the direction Adelaide had vanished before smiling to herself and sitting down on the bench.

"Hey." Adelaide looked up from the swing she was sitting on to find Steve walking toward her. "You up for some company?" She shrugged wordlessly, swinging her feet off the ground. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"Do I have a choice?" she replied and he shrugged. Adelaide shook her head and fluttered her lips. "Did you have a good relationship with your parents?"

Steve nodded. "With my mom," he said and she looked at him. "My dad, not so much. Why do you ask?"

"I saw a little girl in the candy shop with her mom," Adelaide said quietly, looking down at her hands. "And I was jealous of someone that I don't even know because of my own, stupid past. I was abandoned by my parents when I was five. Left at a fire station because they didn't want me anymore."

"I'm sure that's not true."

She shook her head. "No, I heard them. They didn't really try and be discreet with their feelings toward me. And I bounced around foster care for the next ten years or so, but nothing ever stuck. Until I came to SHIELD."

"How'd that happen anyway?" he asked.

Adelaide chuckled softly. "Funnily enough, Grace was living near the school I was attending at the time. I got suspended for fighting. I wasn't good at expressing my frustrations so it usually came out with my fists. So, she approached me, recruited me to the SHIELD Academy and here I am. But sometimes I just wish I had parents."

"Who said you don't?" Adelaide raised her eyebrows and looked at the man in confusion. "As far as I'm concerned, Grace has a maternal instinct toward you. I think she sees a bit of herself in you. And I think you can always count on Gracie to be there for you."

Adelaide smiled lightly. "She was right," she said, rubbing her nose. "You are good at pep talks."

Steve shrugged. "I try my best. Now, how about we go back to a very worried brunette who's waiting for us?"

Adelaide glanced at his outstretched hand before nodding and following him out of the park. Grace was on her phone, rolling her eyes at whoever was on the other end. She turned when she saw the two blondes. "I gotta go." She stood up. "Hey, are you—" She was cut off when Adelaide wrapped her arms tightly around her. "Oh, what's this for?"

"Just... thanks for being you." Grace looked at Steve who smiled at her. Adelaide pulled away and let out a contented breath. "So, lunch, anyone? I'll buy."

Grace watched as the blonde retreated and she glanced back at Steve. "What just happened?" she asked.

"Just a girl being appreciative of your amazing self," he replied, kissing her on the forehead. "Come on, you, let's get some food."

⸻ ~~~ ⸻

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊𝐄𝐃 𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐓𝐎 the living room where Adelaide was looking through the chest full of movies and Steve was on the couch reading one of her journals. "So, I just got off the phone with Nick," she said and they both looked up.

"And?"

"And it looks like your vacation time is over," she replied. "And we'll be based out of DC." She looked between the two. "I hope your both up for some action."

Steve shrugged. "Addy's been showing me some new fighting skills. Some of it I still don't understand, but I'm ready."

"Me too."

Grace nodded, sitting down beside Steve and leaned her head on his shoulder. "Looks like it's time for the next adventure..."

⸻ ~~~ ⸻

an: and with that,
ladies and gentlemen,
we move to winter
soldier! (and sam)

but may I just say, I
love addy's relationship
with both grace and
steve, it might be one
of my favorite things
I've written and will
write for this book