"Come on old man," you say with a laugh.
"Take it easy, Y/n!" Steve groans, leaning on you for support.
"I thought you said you could do this all day?" you tease.
"Yeah, yeah, I know," Steve grunts, letting out a pained laugh as you help him hobble into the elevator.
You hadn't planned on spending your first three days home with the family on constant bedside watch, but Steve's injuries had been bad. Really bad. And without the constant healing sessions from you and Loki, Bruce said it would have taken him months to recover.
Now able to walk (with a good amount of support), Bruce had given Steve the all-clear to go back to his quarters, and you had eagerly volunteered to help him get there.
Moving slowly across the lab and up the elevator, you help Steve hobble down the hallway and to his room, kicking open the door and helping him sit on the edge of his bed.
"Okay, just...lay down - yeah, good. Fine," you say as Steve flops backwards, grimacing as his head hits the pillow.
You adjust the bedding slightly, propping his head up and making sure his neck is supported as you pull back the covers.
"So, Cap, how do you feel?"
"Like I got stabbed thirty four times," he groans.
"And shot four times," you whisper under your breath.
"And what?" says Steve, looking at you in shock.
You cringe. Tony and Bruce thought it best not to immediately tell Steve about all the trauma he had suffered. Something about the 'mental and emotional repercussions of such serious physical trauma'.
"Oh nothing. Yeah. Stabbed thirty four times wow sheesh that's...yeah. A lot," you say.
Steve grumbles for a moment, casting you a skeptical glance.
"Anyway, you need anything?" you say.
"No," he winces, "I'm fine. Go. You've spent enough hours with little 'ole me this morning."
You toss him a smile and cross to his door, ready to leave and find Loki.
"Actually, Y/n, wait. Can you...can you get something from my bed chest for me? It's a knit blanket."
"Yeah, sure," you say, walking to the end of the bed.
Steve is the only Avenger to have a 1940's bed chest at the foot of his bed. Instead of keeping all of his shit in a dresser or in a drawers, he insists on keeping it all in a chest. But hey, whatever works for him.
Opening it up, you see a nicely folded blanket right on top. A creamy white with rows of red and blue around the edges, you can tell it's been cared for. But you find it strange you've never seen it before. You've been in Steve's room loads of times, and it's never been out on his bed.
Steve can sense your curiosity as you bring it to him, and his cheeks grow slightly pink as you begin to spread it out, tucking him in gently.
"My uh...my dad was a soldier. Died in the war. The first one. My mom was a nurse. Before she died she made me this. I don't usually like to remember. I actually almost threw it out once. But...sometimes..."
Steve trails off as his fingers play with the frayed edges of the blanket. You place a hand on his arm and sit on the side of the bed as his face grows darker, the edges of his mouth downturned.
Your brow furrows as you watch the expressions on his face shift, dancing from one to the next. You know he's re-living a series of memories in his mind. Likely sparked by the trauma he has just endured. You worry for him. You want to know what he's feeling.
You close your eyes and focus on your Perception, opening your eyes once more and looking at Steve, who takes note of your silver gaze.
"Can I?" you ask. He nods.
You reach out for his emotions and find them quickly. They are strong. Powerful. Overwhelming. And very, very conflicting. Steve, for the most part, is happy. Content. Satisfied with the family he has found and purpose that he's adopted. But beneath this are layers of deep and painful loss. Regret. And an aching loneliness.
You let go, and shut your Perception as your eyes return to their normal color.
You crawl into Steve's bed, and snuggle up to his side, careful not to jostle him, as you lay your head on his shoulder. He adjusts slightly to make room for you and turns his chin, pressing a light kiss against the top of your head.
"I know it doesn't really help right now, but everything's gonna be okay, Stevie," you say quietly.
Steve lets out a long, deep sigh.
"I know, Y/n."
The two of you lay there for a while, simply lending the other comfort until you feel Steve's breathing even out.
Slowly, you roll from his side and creep quietly from his room, shutting the door behind you, glad he's finally getting to rest in the comfort of his own bed.
Stretching, you head down the hall to your own quarters expecting to find Loki there, but Nat's voice from the kitchen stops you.
"Looking for Loki?" she calls out.
"Yep!"
"He and Anthony went to the Library...I think Tony was with them," she says.
"Really?" you ask, surprised.
"Yeah, not sure why," she shrugs.
"Hm, okay," you say, getting ready to teleport to the library. But you stop and turn back to Nat. "Oh and by the way," you call over to her. She looks up from the dishes she's washing in the sink.
"Yeah?"
"Sounded like you had a fun night with Banner," you say with a wink as she blushes and focuses on the soapy water in front of her.
With Natasha's quarters right next door to yours, you had indeed heard her and Banner having what sounded like rigorous relations the evening prior while Loki was on Steve duty. But you are happy for her. It was about damn time.
Teleporting away from the main hall, you land right outside the large library doors curious to find where Loki and Anthony had stolen away to, and why on earth Tony had been with them.
As you wander through the aisles, you make your way back to the hidden staircase, assuming Loki had wandered up to the old study. And it seems you're right, as you spot the glow from the hearth almost immediately.
But the voices that float down the stairs stop you. You hold your breath, listening as Tony's demanding tone catches your attention.
"I just don't understand what's stopping you, Mischief. I mean, I already gave you what you need. Are you scared?"
"Preposterous."
"Okay. Well then what? You showed up here almost three years ago. And if my intel is right, it didn't take long for you two to shack up. So what gives?"
"I have a plan."
"Jesus H. Christ, you and your plans – has one of them ever panned out?"
You quickly bring a hand to your mouth, stifling a laugh as you remember Loki himself pointing out the similar aversion that you and Tony share towards Loki's 'plans'. But Tony starts speaking once more, and the concern in his voice causes your stomach to twist into a knot.
"Are you...having doubts?"
"What? Of course not, Stark. She is my sálufélagi."
"Okay, well, I don't know what the hell that means but if you don't move soon, I'll do it for you."
What are they talking about you wonder.
"It would be a mistake for me to act now, Stark. The implications are far greater than you realize."
"Just marry the girl for god's sake!"
Your stomach flips and your heart leaps into your throat as you struggle to control the gasp that so desperately wants to make its way from your lips. Marriage? You think back briefly on your encounter with Thyra in the markets in Asgard all those years ago. But Loki had never so much as brought up the topic with you, and you had never thought about it again.
"You think I don't want to? I received the marriage blessing from the High Queen and King of Asgard more than two years ago to marry her, you dunce."
"Then what's the hold up?"
"Asgardian marriage would kill her."
You feel your blood run cold, and you take an involuntary step forward, straining to hear as Loki and Tony continue to speak.
"I'm sorry?"
"Never has there been a marriage between one of my race and a mortal Midgardian. The ceremony is...quite complex. It involves intertwining life forces. Mine would crush the thin heartbeat of her mortality, extinguishing it like a simple wick. It would kill her, Stark."
"So then just elope here on earth! I can get you the papers today. I mean, come on how great would it be to watch your crazy old man's eyes pop out of his head when he sees a ring on her finger. Wouldn't that be satisfying?"
"Satisfactions not in my nature."
"Okay fine. Then go all out and have a good ole' fashioned human wedding, Lover Boy."
"That's not enough for me."
"Have you considered if it's enough for her?"
Silence. Loki isn't responding. Your fingers grip the wooden railing of the staircase so tightly that your knuckles are turning white as you lean forward. After an uncomfortable minute, you hear Tony speak once more.
"Listen, Loki. She loves you. In fact, I don't think I've ever seen someone love someone else the way she loves you. Frankly, I don't get it, but I know for a fact she'd be happier with a ring and no jedi mind-trick force-bond than nothing at all."
"I will consider-"
A loud creaking of the step beneath your foot interrupts the conversation above. In your eagerness to eavesdrop, you head leaned too far forward, causing the stair to creak.
Running up the flight pretending you had only just arrived you round the corner to find Tony and Loki on opposite sides of the room, Anthony playing with large puzzle pieces in the center of the room.
"Hi guys," you say cheerfully, trying to calm your racing heart. You walk up to Tony and give him a kiss on the cheek. "What's going on?" you ask casually.
"I was just coming to check up on Tony Jr.," says Tony, walking over to Anthony and scooping him up off the ground.
"And as you can see," says Loki, crossing the room and taking Anthony from Tony's arms, "he's doing perfectly fine."
"All right, I get it," says Tony, holding his hands up in surrender. "You want some family time. I'll hit the road. But before I go, how's Cap?" Tony asks you.
"He'll be okay. But it'll take a while," you say.
"I assumed so," says Tony. "Well, anyway, true to his word Banner put dinner on Cap's card tonight. If you three want to join us, Barton will be in around seven tonight for wings, ironically enough."
"Sounds great, dad. We'll be down around then," you say, tossing him a smile.
Tony ruffles Anthony's hair and slaps Loki on the back, much to his disdain, before pecking your cheek and leaving you, Loki, and Anthony in the little Library room.
"So the birdman returns in time for wings, hmm?" Loki chides with a small laugh, setting Anthony back down on the ground to play with his puzzle.
"Don't tease him, Lo. You know he's sensitive," you say as Loki pulls you by your hips onto the red sofa.
"I simply can't help it, darling. He makes it too easy."
"You make it too easy," you say with a smirk.
Loki rolls his eyes, wrapping his arms around your waist while you cuddle into him as you both watch your son play, enjoying the rare, quiet moment alone you have together as a family.