Hello Captain (Steve Rogers)

Stay With Me?

Sarah's POV

I felt sweaty and disgusting, so I brought some pj's into the bathroom with me, soft shorts and a fitted tank top, and got in the shower. The warm water felt wonderful as I lathered up and washed today's stresses away. I finally got out and dried off, brushed through my tangled mane, pulling it up in a messy bun, and brushed my teeth. I got dressed and went out to the living room to check on Steve. He'd found 'my list' and was scrolling through it, reading the short blurbs for each movie.

I went in the kitchen and put some microwave popcorn in to cook while I quickly scrubbed the dishes and left them to dry. I wiped down the table and counter and hung the rag up to dry as the microwave dinged. I poured the popcorn into a large bowl and hit the kitchen lights on the way to the living room.

I set the alarm on my phone for 6 AM and plugged Steve's phone in to charge; I had noticed earlier that the battery was pretty low. Mine was fine for a while yet. Good thing we had the same kind of phone. It made explaining things to him so much easier.

I looked up to see that Steve had stopped on a chic flick I had been wanting to see for a while, The Fault in Our Stars. Chloe had said it was incredible – and sad. Pretty sure I wasn't up for more tears right now. "We can watch that if you want, but I think it's a sad one," I warned.

"Maybe another day." He handed me the remote and went to refill his water glass. 

"Sure." 

I scrolled up to the comedy tab and clicked on the first Disney movie I found- The Emperor's New Groove. Can't go wrong with Disney- and it was one of my favorites. Steve turned off the living room lights and settled back on the couch, ready to relax. I hit play and grabbed the popcorn bowl, ditching the remote and scooting over next to him so I could share with him.

We contentedly watched the movie, munching on handfuls of popcorn occasionally. It wasn't long before we polished off the popcorn and I set the bowl on the coffee table.

I think we both must have drifted off because I woke up at 2AM from overheating. At some point, Steve had pulled me onto his lap and wrapped his arms around me. My TV had turned off from inactivity, so we must have been asleep for a while. Steve wasn't kidding, he really was like a furnace. He was still sound asleep as I carefully wriggled my way off of his lap.

I still couldn't believe what a crazy day it had been. I went to plug in my phone in my bedroom and get a drink. Steve was still sleeping but looked uncomfortable scrunched up on my small couch. I figured I could wake him up long enough to get him to bed. I still didn't think he should be alone yet. The events of today, combined with reliving his story had hit him hard emotionally.

"Steve," I whispered quietly, not wanting to startle him. I gently shook his shoulder, warily standing back far enough I should be able to move if he took a swing at me. Some guys woke up like that if they were in a strange place; I knew enough cadets that did that if you woke them suddenly at Academy.

It was a good thing I was prepared, too, since he sat bolt upright and his fist came flying. I dodged most of the blow but he still clipped my cheek. Judging from the sting, I was going to have a bruise in the morning.

"Jeez, Steve! Next time I'll let you get a sore back from sleeping on the couch."

"Peg-Sarah? Are you okay?"

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Steve's POV

"It's my fault for startling you awake. Come on, let's go to bed," Sarah said as I started to get up from the couch. 

I'd been so deeply asleep I wasn't sure where I was. I froze when my overtired brain comprehended what she was saying. My hand came up to her face and I saw her try not to flinch when I gently ran my fingers over her cheek. I needed to see how bad it was, I couldn't tell if it was bruised or if that was just the way the shadows fell across her face, so I took a step back and flicked the light switch.