~Amelie's POV~
I pulled my knees to my chest, watching as Winter shuffled a little in his sleep, burying his face into his pillow.
A sliver of early morning sunlight peered around the crack between the curtain and wall, and illuminated the room enough for me to see his arm flexing as he let out a tiny snore.
I didn't have the heart to tell him about the visitors he had. I was called to meet them in the reception, but by the time I got back upstairs, T'Challa and Shuri were waiting to discuss the new arm and healing methods.
It had been two days, and I hated not telling him. He needed to know.
He had a whole family out there, and he didn't know.
An older teenager and a young girl had been sitting on a sofa in the reception with a large box of possessions between them. They were kind, and explained that their Grandmother had grown up as a friend of Steve Rogers, and since she had moved into a nursing home they had discovered a box of his belongings. They knew he lived at the Tower and hoped someone could pass them on.
The box was heavy, and I made it halfway to Steve's door when the bottom of the box broke. Scattered on the floor were sketchbooks filled with drawings, a thin tie, a small comb, and a handkerchief with SR stitched in baby blue in the corner.
As I was fixing the box and putting everything back, a small photograph slipped out the back of a sketchbook. Steve was stood beside a younger teenager, smiles big and stretched across their faces. He looked so different, it must have been taken before his serum.
Beside them was Bucky Barnes. Not my Winter, how he is now. But Bucky stood proudly next to the girl, his hand pressed against his chest as he laughed along with the others.
I slid it back into the book of drawings, and noticed on the front page, Bucky's name.
These weren't all Steve's.
I asked the children before I headed to the lifts for their names.
Tom and Jules Barnes.
I needed to tell him. Today.
He yawned, and rolled onto his back, shuffling towards me as he slowly woke up, eyes fluttering as he stretched his arm above his head. "Good morning." His voice was thick with sleep, rough and scratchy as he rolled onto his side.
We lay facing each other, eyes moving across the others' face. He smiled, and lifted his hand to my cheek. The contact warmed my skin, sending a shiver down my spine.
"You're awake."
"I am," I wrapped my arms around my pillow, moving closer under the covers.
"Are you okay?" He mumbled, eyes searching mine as he cupped my chin, his thumb stroking my hair off my face.
I nodded. He was always alert when he was with the others, or outside of this room. I would let him wake up, and tell him later. "I'm good. I have work today though, what are you going to get up to?"
He smiled as I spoke, his eyes meeting mine for a moment as he paused, "I'm going to find Shuri before she leaves."
"You mean-?"
He nodded, smile nervously growing larger, "I'm going to have the arm. She told me there's ways to remove it, and I can give someone a remote that can detach it from a distance, just in case. I want you to have it."
I snuggled back further down the bed, wrapping my arm around his waist as I moved closer to his chest. "I'm sure I will never need it."
"Have it anyway." His lips pressed against the top of my head, his hand trailing my hair through his fingers.
I closed my eyes as I listened to his heart beat, focusing on the regular drum against his chest. It rocked me back to sleep, my eyes pulling themselves shut as he spoke to me quietly, Russian words a lullaby soothing me.
I woke up as Winter moved, the bed tilting as he stood up and walked across the room.
I sat upright, rubbing sleep from my eyes as I heard the knocking on the other side of the door.
He waited, turning to look at me, checking I was okay before he opened it.
"Who is it?" I yawned, as I shuffled out of bed and pulled a jumper on over my pyjamas.
Winter shrugged, and opened the door, stumbling back a little as Wade shouted from the other side. "Hi there, you're Winter, lovely to see you! I'm Wade, just here to visit you guys. Amelie, how are you?"
Winter looked a little taken aback, confused at Wade's sudden loud shout, after the peaceful quiet of our bedroom.
"I'm good," I scrubbed at my face a little, "wheres Peter?"
"Making breakfast, I thought you'd want to join us. Both of you." His mask was pulled over his face, so I couldn't see his expression, but his voice was clear and happy, and made it obvious that this was a genuine offer.
"And Mum?"
"Already got her coffee."
I looked at Winter, smiling as I said, "do you want to go?"
He really didn't look like he wanted to. But he nodded.
"We'll be up soon, thanks Wade."
He did an elaborate bow, bouncing onto the balls of his feet before bending down and brushing the floor with his hands, "you are very welcome."
Winter closed the door quickly, as soon as Wade had taken a step back to the lifts.
"You don't have to come to breakfast-"
"I'll go. Wade is important to Peter, who is important to you, so I will go." He wrapped his arm around me, hiding his face from mine as he pulled me to his body.
His train of thought was clear to me. Anything he thought I needed, or anything he thought would make me feel safe, he would do. He would sit outside of his tight comfort zone to make sure I saw my family, went to work, returned to the normal life I had had before we met.
"I have the day off tomorrow." I mumbled, "whatever you want us to do, we'll do." I promised.
I dressed quickly, pulling black jeans and a white shirt on before putting the jumper back on, so I could keep my top clean while I ate breakfast. I shoved my phone and purse into a bag, and laced up my trainers, so I could head to work straight after eating.
Tonight. I would tell Winter tonight, after my shift.
Winter was looking at me, eyes drawn to my clothes as I danced in front of the door. The promise of breakfast ignited my hunger, and my stomach rumbled loudly with the thought of food."What?"
He shook his head, but didn't move his eyes.
"Winter?"
"That's mine." He finally met my eyes, "the jumper."
Heat flooded my cheeks as I realised what I'd done. "I'm sorry," I began tugging it over my head, but got a little flustered, the jumper catching on my bag strap, "I'll take it off." I pulled, but the jumper was now masking my face, and I was stumbling in the dark.
I felt Winter's hand on me, carefully pulling the jumper back down, smoothing my hair with a shaking hand, "its not mine anymore."
I stared at him, "but you just said-"
"It suits you. Keep it."
I floundered a little, his expression was so heartbreakingly gentle, his eyes soft and caressing mine, caught me off guard.
"That was the first thing I owned properly." His hand trailed down to the sleeve of the jumper, his fingers igniting sparks in my body. "I am giving it to you."
I stared into his eyes, unable to express the torment of emotions knotting in my stomach. Instead I held onto his shoulders, rolled onto my toes, and pressed my lips against his.
He staggered back, but caught me and kissed me back, soft and gentle, and perfect in the moment.
I was a little out of breath when I pulled back, his eyes burning, matching my own.
We stood, staring at each other, until I glanced away, "shall we get something to eat?"
His smile was genuine as he wound his fingers around mine, waiting for me to lead the way to the kitchen.
We were greeted with the smell of fresh coffee and croissants, and my stomach growled again at the sight of the pastries spread out on the table.
There were croissants, jams, fruits, fresh coffee, a pot of tea and fresh orange juice. My hand slipped from Winter's as I detoured to the coffee, pouring a large mug and holding it to my nose, almost melting at the smell.
Winter had a bemused smile on his face when I turned to look at him. "Do you want something to drink?"
"Juice is fine." His voice was quiet, but I could see he wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought he might have been.
Mum poured him a glass, "come sit here Winter, help yourself to anything." She passed him a clean plate, and gestured to everything laid out.
I squeezed between Winter and Peter, laughing at his grumble as Wade plucked the jam from in front of him.
"We haven't done this in so long." Mum said as she sipped her cup of coffee, "we'll start doing it again."
"We are busy, in fairness," I grabbed a pastry from the large plate in the middle of the table, and messily cut it open, "aren't you in work today?"
"In half an hour," she nodded, "so you can argue between yourselves who does the dishes."
"Not it!" Peter and I shouted at the same time, our hand slapping the top of the table.
"I have a class to go to!" He grumbled.
"I have work!" I shot back, "and it's my first full day, I can't be late."
Winter watched our playful bickering quietly, until he broke in, "I can do it."
Peter and I fell quiet as Mum shook her head, "that's very kind Winter, but you don't have to."
"I'll do it." He repeated.
Wade turned his head between Peter and Winter, before adding, "if Pete has classes I'll help too. I have to shoot after though."
I felt a little guilty, "I have some time to do them before I have to get to work." We were still eating, there wasn't a huge rush in finishing and leaving.
Peter nodded, "me too."
"Well that's sorted then," Mum delicately bit into a croissant, before shaking the crumbs onto the plate in front of her, "you can do the dishes together."
She stood up a few minutes later, draining the dregs from her coffee cup before adding to the small pile of dishes next to the sink.
"Do you want more to eat?" I asked Winter, checking as he was peering at his half-eaten pastry.
He blinked as he looked up, shaking his head, "I'll finish this," he mumbled. I waited as his sipped his drink slowly, "I'm still not used to the... sweetness."
I smiled as his lips turned up slowly, eyes burning into mine. I wanted to lean into his side and rest my head on his shoulder, but I was aware we were in public and my cousin was sat next to us.
We slowly finished eating, and Pete and Wade gathered the dishes and piled them onto the side. I pulled on gloves and filled the sink with hot, soapy water, while Wade began humming a song to himself. Winter sprayed the table and wiped the crumbs and rings from glasses and mugs into the bin as I stacked clean plates onto the draining board.
Peter began singing along to Wades humming, and I danced along as we each took a cloth, and dried the dishes. Winter swayed slowly in place, head nodding slightly to the beat.
It was fun, and lighthearted, and ten minutes later when the kitchen space was spotless, I finally wrapped my arms around Winter, nestling my head into his chest.
"Are you sure you want to go alone?" He murmured.
I nodded, "I need to get used to it again. I'll have my music on, and if I need you I'll ring. You have your phone?"
He pulled it out of his trouser pocket as I took a step back.
"On loud?"
He nodded again, and carefully unlocked the phone to show me the loud ringtone he selected for me. He worried I would need him and he wouldn't know about it.
It was sweet, and the reason why his phone was never less than 50% fully charged.
"Let me walk you downstairs." His voice was almost a whisper as he looked down at me, eyes dancing across my face.
I squeezed his hand, waved goodbye to the others, and walked with Winter to the stairs.
He held our hands together as we walked down them, but stayed quiet.
"Was that okay, having breakfast with my family?" I asked gently, not quite sure if he was uncomfortable.
"I enjoyed it."
I nodded, "excited about your arm?"
He glanced down at me, voice scratchy as he spoke, "yes."
I pulled a face as we reached the bottom of the stairs, and turned to face him, "why are you quiet?"
He looked a little surprised, but answered my question, his voice dropping even lower, "because it's been a long time since I've had two arms. That's a long time I've gone without being able to hold you, carry you, look after you properly. And I cannot wait to lift you in my arms, and hold you as you fall asleep. This gives me more freedom to be me, and makes it easier for me to give you everything I want to give you."
His speech caused my breath to catch in my throat, his roaming eyes falling to a stop as they met mine. His hand was cold as he placed it on my cheek, cupping my face as he brought his lower, lips brushing slowly against mine. "I'm quiet, because right now, all I can think about is you."
My eyes fluttered closed as he pressed his lips firmly against mine, my feet stumbling until my back was pressed against the wall. I ached to stay here, not leave for work, but Winter pulled back too quickly, leaving me breathless. "You have to let me know as soon as you are at work. Don't wait until you've put your stuff in the back, don't wait until it quietens down on a break - as soon as you step foot in the building, let me know you're there safe."
I nodded wordlessly, tilting my head up as he kissed me softly again. The privacy of the stairwell made him confident to speak to me, and after his silence while we ate, I wanted to hear him speak more. Fill my mind with his words.
But I had to go.
"I love you," my cheeks ached from smiling as I stepped to the door, my hand resting against the handle.
"Я подарю тебе все твои мечты. обещаю." (I will give you all your dreams. I promise.) My heart fluttered, and as his own smile stretched slowly across his face, he whispered "I love you."
***
It was busy. The evening rush filled the room.
Tables were full of people drinking, waiters bounced shoulders with people standing at the bar, and I could barely hear the customers shouting their orders.
I spotted a younger woman at the end, staring in my direction. I had seen her when she first joined the throng of people waiting for drinks, and I finally finished serving the gentleman who appeared moments before her.
"Hi," I called as I approached the end of the bar, already straining my ears to hear against the chatter in the room, "what can I get you?"
"An angel cocktail please."
I frowned, "angel?"
She nodded, eyes skirting to the side where a group of men laughed and tapped their bottles against each others'.
"I heard they're really good - they really help a girl out." She stared at me, and it suddenly clicked.
No one had asked for an angel cocktail while I'd worked here, but I knew what to do.
"One shot or two?"
"Three."
I felt my legs shake as I nodded. "Coming right up."
I squeezed Eve's arm as we met in the middle of the bar, "triple angel cocktail at the end of the bar. Get the phone."
Her smile dropped immediately as she nodded and disappeared to the back of the room. I went back to the younger woman, "do you need to-"
"Hey, why are you taking so long?" A large guy walked over. I'd served him earlier in the night. At the time he had seemed nice enough, and he filled the tip jar with a few spare notes.
Now, my stomach turned.
"I'm just waiting for my drink." The woman glanced at him, then back to me.
"What's taking so long with her drink?" He turned his attention to me, eyes dark and stormy, lip snarling into a frown.
The door opened, and I made the mistake of glancing at it. Winter.
The mans hand reached across the bar, grabbing my arm to yank me towards him. His spit hit my cheek as he lowered his face, "I said, what the fuck is taking so long. Do I need to do it myself."
It wasn't a question.
My heart was pounding against my chest. I had been about to help get this woman to the staff room, not being dragged over the bar.
"Hey!" Someone shouted, "get off her, man!"
I tried pulling my arm, but his nails ripped my skin.
I yanked back, regaining my balance as Winter strode over. His face was dark, angry, eyes focused on the man in front of me.
I grabbed the woman, pulled her around the bar and ushered her to hide in the back, just as a crack sliced through the room.
Everyone fell silent as the man dropped, taking two chairs with him as he fell to the floor.
I stared at Winter who glared at him, before turning to face me, "are you okay?"
I nodded slowly, my heart still racing, my pulse throbbing as I tried to wrap my head around what happened.
"I..."
He peeled his sleeve up, exposing scratches down his arm, blood trickling from one of them. "You are not okay."
Two police officers pushed the doors open, and the crowd parted as they rushed to the bar.
"What happened here ma'am?"
Eve took a second to meet my eyes, before she leant forward, "a man harassed one of our customers, she asked for Angel - our codeword for help. While my colleague was assisting her the man grabbed her, caused her harm."
"This man? What happened to him?" One of the police officers was kneeling next to him, nodding when he confirmed a pulse on the unconscious man.
Someone stood near the officer answered, "he tried to fight that guy too. He pushed him in self-defence."
"Yeah!" Someone else chimed in, "that guy was helping those women."
"He helped them?" The officer looked at Winter, whose eyes looked panicked and worried.
I nodded, "yeah."
The officer pursed their lips before turning to me, "ring an ambulance, and then we'll need to take statements. Who here saw this happen?"
Half the bar answered in chorus, although in varying states of drunkenness.
Every single statement confirmed Winter was acting in defence.
The woman left with her friend who came to pick her up, and Eve poured us both a vodka as soon as our shifts ended.
Winter was sat by the bar, in silence, watching as we stacked the chairs away.
Eves phone chimed with a message from Nick, and after kissing my cheek and heralding Winter our saviour, she skipped out the door into Nick's car.
I faced Winter, watching as he stood up. "Are you okay?"
He didn't answer. Instead, he held both his arms out, scooped me into his chest, and spun me in a circle. When we fell to a stop he didn't put me down, but held me to his chest as I wound my arms around his shoulders.
"I am now you're safe." He whispered against the shell of my ear.
A shiver travelled down my spine as he gently placed me on my feet. He pressed his lips to mine, "I've waited so long to do that."
"Two arms." I whispered, as both his hands held my lower back close to him, thumbs rubbing circles, massaging gently.
"Two arms." He nodded, lowering his head to press a kiss to the top of my head.
"I'm so glad you're here." I mumbled, falling completely into his chest as he wound his arms tighter around me, holding me like precious cargo.
"You're safe Amelie," he murmured, "I will always make sure you're safe."