Reality in Motion

f(irst)ake date

Stepping out of the elevator, he slipped his hands into his pockets and glanced around the main area. Q was sitting at her usual table, hunched over a puzzle. She had come with him, but stayed downstairs in the main area - not wanting to intrude on his time with Peggy. She hadn't noticed him yet; focused on the puzzle she had been working on for the past six months. The nurses were kind enough to not let any of the other residents or visitors touch it.

Steve watched her for a moment, noticing how her expression was focused and determined. Her eyes were sharp, but her lower lip was protruding in a soft pout. It made her manner seem a little less intense. He leaned against the doorframe of the room, arms crossing over his chest. From his position he could see that it was turning out to be a landscape of some mountain range with a castle nestled in the middle. She only had a few more pieces to place down and her face softened even more as she realized she was getting closer to finishing. He didn't dare disturb her; he wanted her to finish it and was curious to see what happened after she did.

A few moments later, at its completion, she sat back in her chair with a proud grin. She bit her bottom lip and nodded to herself, her eyes flicking over the puzzle. Her hands skated lightly over the puzzle, admiring her work. It was such a pure, almost intimate moment that made Steve feel as though he was sharing something special with her.

In that moment, everything around him shifted. Almost like everything was coming into focus after the longest time. And she hadn't even done anything to him. All that had happened was that he had watched her get excited over finishing her puzzle.

But in that same moment, he finally understood what that fizzy feeling that had been plaguing him ever since New York was.

He had feelings for Q.

At the realization, Steve felt his palms become sweaty and dropped his arms to wipe them on his jacket. The fizzy feeling left his body, but stayed by him, swirling around until he could practically hear it. No, he couldn't have feelings for her. She was his friend - and his assigned SHIELD analyst. This wasn't how feelings for someone were supposed to arise, it happened too quickly. It was supposed to be slow and steady, a gradual growth - not fast and hard, an instant change. There was no way he could have feelings for her.

But then she looked at him.

Even though she had looked at him countless times before, it was like it was the first time she had ever looked at him. The corners of her warm, brown eyes crinkled up as she gave him an easy smile. He had to remember to respond with one of his own. Shit. He did have feelings for her.

He swallowed hard, trying to get his act together. He didn't want her to know - she couldn't know, not yet. Usually she was able to read him like an open book, so he needed to make sure she couldn't. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable or like she had to feel the same way he felt about her. So he would try his very best to keep what he'd realized under wraps.

"How's Peggy?" she asked as he moved over to the table she was getting up from.

"She's doing well." he replied truthfully.

Today was one of Peggy's good days. She remembered him the whole time. They talked about the past, both theirs and hers. Reminiscing about Camp Leigh, her teasing him and him rolling his eyes at her. Then came the parts he missed. She told him stories about what happened to her after he went into the ice, about how she founded SHIELD with Howard and everything in between. Well, what she could remember at least.

"That's always good to hear." Q commented honestly. She always hoped he had good visits with Peggy. But when he didn't, he could always count on her to distract him or make him feel better. He was lucky to have her.