( ALWAYS )
INSTEAD OF GETTING STEVE THE FOLLOWING DAY, EDITH GOT A LETTER FROM GORDON. Which, okay, that wasn't bad. In fact, she was relieved that he was okay and was taking care of himself and his fellow soldier. He couldn't really tell her more about that operation and when he was going to be home for leave, but he was doing good. Drinking lots of free coffee from one of the woman that was in the village.
The paper had came, displaying a man that looked exactly like Steve but bigger on the front page, Edith cursing herself for not seeing it before. Whatever was holding Steve up had something to do with that, there was no way that that wasn't Steve. She could see the familiar determine set of his shoulders. The way he held himself. It was all there.
So, Edith paced around her apartment basically all night, robe tied tightly around herself, hair in curlers. The pipes had been groaning so badly that she had called the plumber when it became a decent hour, which occupied some of her time, but when he had deemed the pipes all right, there was no leaks or anything like that, Edith was left to her own devices. Wondering where Steve was and why he hadn't contacted her to at least tell her he was okay.
The knock on the door startled Edith out of her stupor. She had been staring at the newspaper that was laying on the table, black and white picture of Steve laying open so she could stare, thumb nail between her teeth. As soon as it registered in her tired mind that it was a knock on her door, Edith rushed to get it, not caring that she didn't look presentable. Flinging the door open, she stopped to see a tired looking Steve standing in front of her. Though, instead of her small, fragile Steve, he was basically a whole new man.
She had to look up now to see his face, only coming up to about his shoulders. He was muscular now, like she observed two days ago, his shirt tight against each bulging muscle. He still had the same blue eyes with flecks of green, but now he had seemingly better bone structure, his jawline sharp and his hair somehow shinier, more full of life. No longer was Steve the sickly guy who had stolen her heart. He was this man. Edith couldn't help but think both of them were beautiful though.
She reached out, her fingertips landing on the front of his chest, before she was pushing her hand onto it until her palm was pressed against the fabric of his shirt. His heart was beating at a better pace than it had been when he was smaller, hammering against her hand as it did its job. Edith watched her hand as she moved it, keeping it firmly pressed against Steve's new body as she traced the muscle under his shirt, then along to his artist hands. She picked it up, examining the hands that were no longer stained with graphite, but still held the soft elegance that he could use to draw with. Making sure it still felt alright, Edith intertwined their fingers, the hand not being held feeling the new power that Steve acquired in his thick arms, tracing up to his broaden shoulder.
She stopped there, giving herself time to feel the power that was also in his shoulders now, that somehow fit him better than the small ones ever did. The determined set was relaxing now, but it was still there and it was still entirely Steve Rogers. She gave it a squeeze, her fingers then moving along his neck, tracing the jawline, coming to a rest with her hand cupping Steve's cheek. Her eyes watched him close his eyes, leaning into the touch.
When those blue eyes opened, meeting her own, Edith carefully tugged the hand she was holding. Steve let himself be pulled, stepping into the room, the door closing behind him. Edith stepped into his arms then, wrapping her own around his waist and burying her face in his chest. He smelt the same, like those asthma cigarettes and leather, though there was a hint of asphalt underneath it. She could really care less at the moment, just glad it be warm and inside Steve's arms.
They stayed like that, Edith wrapped tightly in Steve's now muscular arms, pressed against his lean body. it was nice, just listening to him breathe, knowing full well that with this new body, he was probably able to get all the air into his lungs and not worry about whether or not he needed to be careful of his asthma.
When she finally pulled back, she felt Steve's arms tighten only a minuscule, still holding her close as she gazed up at him. Different body, same man.
"When you said you joined the army, I didn't expect this," she mumbled into the air between them. Her hands were absentmindedly tracing up and down his spine, feeling the vertebrae just under the skin and all the new muscle clinging too it. At least it wasn't sticking out of his skin anymore.
Steve let out a small chuckle, "I think this was the thing that got me into the army." Edith nodded, letting her head fall forward and hit his chest, pillowing it as she closed her eyes. Now that she knew that Steve was okay, the exhaustion from staying up since she saw the front page of the New York Examiner finally hitting her. "Edith, darling, are you okay?"
"I was so worried, Steve," she told his chest, not sure if he could hear her or not, but not really caring. "I saw you running after that taxi, not knowing it was you, then the paper came out and it was you, but I hadn't heard from you and you didn't come home," she hugged him closer, squeezing him so tightly she's sure Steve's old body wouldn't have been able to breathe. But this one, this one took a steady breath in and then let it out. "I was just so worried."
"I'm sorry," Steve whispered, leaning forward and pressing a kiss into Edith's hair. She felt it, burrowed deeper into the warmth that Steve was radiating as she listened to his voice. It sounded the same, but different somehow. The Brooklyn accent was still hiding just beneath the surface, coming out only when he said certain things, but his voice sounded more... she didn't want to say musical, but it was like that. "I'm so, so, sorry, darling."
"Just come home," Edith mumbled. "Promise me you'll come home."
"Always," Steve whispered, pulling Edith that much closer, "always."
They stood like that for another couple of minutes, Edith practically falling asleep. She felt Steve gently lift her up, Edith staring up at him with half-closed eyes as Steve carried her to where he knew her bedroom to be. Once inside, he placed her gently on the bed, helping her take out the curlers she had put in with a stressed hand sometime in the night, glad that it was pretty earlier in the morning. He put them on the dresser carefully, helping her remove the robe, hanging that on the bed frame at the end of the bed.
He tucked her in, pressing a kiss to her forehead, turning to leave once he pulled the quilt up to her chin. Edith reached out and grabbed his wrist, stopping him from leaving. When he turned back to look at her, Edith moved over in the bed, pulling the blanket down and inviting him to lay down with her. When the look in his eyes changed, the one that seemed like he was seriously thinking about it, she whispered, "Please?"
Steve sighed, his chin hitting his chest for a second, before he moved to unbutton his shirt. Edith watched him, examining the skin that was being revealed as he removed his clothes, noting that there wasn't any scars on his body that she could see. She knew there had once been a few on his body, she remember he had mentioned something about scoliosis, but there was no scar on his back from any procedure the doctors might have done.
He climbed into her bed after setting his clothes neatly folded on the dresser beside the curlers, Edith immediately moving so that she was pressed against his side. A content sigh escaped her as she cuddled into the warmth, her eyes closing. His arm was around her, tracing some kind of pattern into the base of her spine, Steve's breathing even and slow.
"So, does this mean you're going to fight in the war?" Edith asked after a few minutes of comfortable silence. Her mind wasn't going to let her sleep until she asked the question. She waited, knowing the answer, but needing to hear him say it.
"Actually, I'm going on an USO tour to help sell bonds," Steve said. Edith blinked, moving so she could see Steve's face, her chin rested on his chest. His face was completely serious, Edith's eyebrows furrowing. He pulled her closer, "I know, I know. And I wish I could tell you why, but it's all classified."
Edith pouted but nodded, leaning forward and placing a kiss on Steve's lips. It was only supposed to be a peck before she settled back in to sleep, but Steve was Steve and she missed him. When she leaned back, he chased her, pulling her back down to keep their lips meld together. Edith felt his hand move from her back to her hair, a groan leaving her throat when he traced the seam of her lips with his tongue.
Edith opened her mouth, let their tongue mingle as they kissed, before she had to pull back to breathe. A moment later, Steve's lips were back on her's, kissing her breathless. He moved them, her back hitting the bed gently and Steve hovering over her, his lips staying against her's and his tongue exploring her mouth. She'd never been kissed like this ever, and she couldn't help the sound that escaped her as Steve took her bottom lip gently between his teeth before letting it go.
Her hands had moved on their own accord, one resting on his shoulder, the other in his hair. A groan escaped him when she tugged lightly on his blonde locks, making their mouths separate, both of them panting due to lack of oxygen. "Where'd you learn to kiss like that?"
She watched with glee settling in her gut as Steve turned red, watching it stain his face, his ears, and down his chest. Edith placed a kiss on his heated cheek, pushing on his chest to get him to flop back onto his back. With that, she settled back into his side, resting her head over his heart, hearing it hammer in his chest. She closed her eyes, steadying her breathing so that she could fall asleep with Steve.
Steve moved, trying not to jostle her too much, before she could feel him place a kiss on her forehead. Edith smiled, rubbing her face against his chest like a cat would someone's hand, soaking up the affection from him. "I love you, Edith," was whispered into the air.
"I love you too, Steve."
Edith started to doze, realizing that for the the first time all night, the pipes were quiet. She fell asleep feeling safe and warm in Steve's arms.
____________
i love these cuties too much asdfghjkl they're so cute and fluff and next chapter is the uso tour so it'll be letters! it's gonna be crazy because there is actually only about five or so more chapters left in volume one! wow, this is going good, i hope. i hope you guys are enjoying this as much as i am!