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DAY 141
Honey knew that they would have to go back to New York sooner or later.
But an immense part of her wanted to stay in Malibu forever, basking in the sun on the beautiful beach outside of their vacation loft with Steve and soaking in their giant, content bubble. She couldn't remember the last time she had been this happy, but perhaps she had never been this happy. It was as though she was alive, but not truly living until he had confessed his feelings for her.
And oh - did she feel very much alive.
The pit of dread had formed deep inside of her stomach though when Steve's phone rang and he stared at the screen for what felt like forever, his face drooping slightly at whoever's name had popped up. It took him a few moments to finally answer, even hesitating slightly before he said hello, as his fingers ran anxiously through his hair.
Honey perched on the mattress as she observed his facial expression as he listened to the person on the other end, resting her chin in the palm of her hand as she picked at her bottom lip - a feat she had developed as a child whenever her anxiety levels spiked. Her dad would always lecture her for picking at her lips whenever she felt the slightest bit of stress.
Her gut instinct was screaming at her - something about this call made her feel uneasy.
"What are you talking about?" Steve quipped lowly.
She blinked nervously up at his rigid figure, her brown eyes pleading for him to look her way just once to let her know what was going on, but they didn't. They stayed focused on the ground by his feet, never flickering or wavering anywhere else as he waited for a response.
"You and Banner have been working on time-" he paused as he shook his head doubtfully, a huff of disbelief leaving his full lips. "Tony, are you sure being a recluse in the woods hasn't made you completely fucking senile?"
Tony.
Playboy Stark.
Honey's ears instantly perked up at the mentioning of another Avengers member, understanding now why he had looked so uncomfortable when the phone initially rang. The jitters in her stomach quickly transformed into curiosity as she strained to hear what Stark was saying on the other end, but all she could hear was low mumbling from her spot on the bed.
"The stones are gone, they helped wipe half of the planet, remember?"
It had been a while since she had seen Steve this annoyed, and it was a sight she didn't miss, either. His chest heaved in a heavy manner, his nostrils flaring as his jaw clenched tightly.
"And you're certain about this?" he asked slowly, his body turning away from her as he paced towards the bathroom prudently, as if he didn't want her to overhear.
She pushed herself up from her lying down position until she was sitting upright, crossing her arms in front of her chest as her eyebrows knitted together tightly. She obviously didn't know all of the details, nor did she really want to, but she was smart enough to comprehend that they were talking about the blip - and whatever stones that had something to do with it.
The nausea had settled back into her stomach.
"Tony-"
Steve stopped abruptly, lifting his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose. His reflection in the bathroom mirror was directly in her view, giving her a full perspective of just how serious the situation seemed. His blue eyes caught hers as she examined him with concern, and realization flooded through them, like he had remembered she was there and had no idea what was happening.
"I'm not in New York, I'm in California."
His body twisted back around to face her, his eyes watching her carefully now as he walked towards the bed slowly, still focused on the conversation at hand.
"Okay," he said, calmer now. "I'll be there by tonight."
Honey nibbled at the inside of her lip now, only adding onto her already raw lips that she had picked at profusely earlier. She watched as he removed the phone from his ear, flinging it onto the mattress as he ran his hands through his hair with a deep sigh. Leaning over gently, he reached out to caress her cheek, the corner of his lip lifting into an apologetic smile.
"Vacation is over," Steve whispered meekly.
As disappointing as those words had sounded running through her ears, as sad as it felt to have her heart drop into the pits of her stomach, she was more worried about him. Lifting her hand to rest on top of his that was still rubbing her cheek, she leaned into his touch, her eyebrows pulling together once more as she silently wondered if everything was okay.
"We have to leave?" she asked softly.
He nodded faintly, his hand traveling down to her neck to pull her towards him, pressing his lips firmly against her forehead. "Don't worry, we can always come back."
Honey hated the feeling of having zero control.
And that's how she felt in this moment - no control over the growing fear of the unknown. What was waiting for them back in New York? Or most importantly, what could possibly be waiting for them that had anything to do with the events that happened over a year ago?
As she quietly observed Steve throwing their belongings back into the suitcases they had brought, packing away their short-lived bliss on the west coast, she couldn't shake the growing premonition in her veins that felt very far from being okay.
teeny author's note:
thank you for getting this to almost 300k!!
i would like to say that from now on - the story will have depictions of the events in endgame. the timeline will be different, certain plot points will be different. things are happening after one year, not five years. it's not going to be the same as the movie, i've moved it around to fit MY plot, so just keep that in mind moving forward. love you all.
