The White Queen (S.Rogers)

Chapter 78

Steve sighed, leaning back in the chair, setting down the file he had been going through. Reaching for the lukewarm cup of coffee on his desk, he grimaced as he took a drink. Nothing seemed to be going right today. It had started with the heater in the bedroom dying again, despite Steve having fixed it once already, causing him to wake up to the sound of it giving one last gasp, before refusing to put out any more heat. Brooklyn had only woken up after a while, when the cold of the room started to get to her.

That was something he had noticed, since her return from Europe. She was much more sensitive to the cold. He wasn't sure if it was an actual physical response, or an emotional or psychological response, but he still rolled over, tucking her body into his, while pulling as much of the blankets up over as possible, trying to keep her warm enough for her to go back to sleep. In the end, he had gotten up and gone to the closet at the end of the hall, stacking more than a few blankets on top of her. Combined with his own body heat, she had been able to sleep again, and he forced himself to relax, despite his own body starting to sweat.

After that, the coffee machine broke. Mid-perk. While making breakfast, he heard it sputter, and stop. The chances of two appliances dying in one day, both of which were considered essentials in the household he was apart of, seemed astronomical. But it happened. There had been enough coffee for both Brooklyn and he to have one cup each.

Then, in a fit so unusual for her, Juliana decided to have a temper tantrum over the fact that she had to wear a uniform to school. The reasoning that she had been wearing one, every day, since she had started school, didn't seem to matter to her. The logic that everyone else in her class was going to be in uniform didn't compute with her. The knowledge that she was still going to have to put on the uniform if she wanted to go to school didn't even impact her tantrum. She still sat on the floor, arms crossed, arguing with both adults over the wearing of the uniform.

Brooklyn, who herself was trying to get to school, had started to reach the end of her patience. He had seen it coming, the way she started to go cold in the face. The way her fingers twitched slightly, as if ready to give a slap. Not that she had ever slapped Juliana, at least not that he had seen, but he still felt the need to step in. The Avengers didn't have anything lined up for the day, so if he was a little later getting into the Tower, no one was really going to make a comment. Other than Tony. And only because he was an ass.

But for some reason, despite months of letting him co-parent her sister, Brooklyn was not appreciative of his efforts to help defuse the situation before both sisters were later leaving the house than they already were going to be. She had glared at him, while he had explained in as calm a tone as he could manage to Juliana that, while it would be nice to wear everyday clothes to school, for now she had to wear the uniform, or they weren't going to be allowed to leave her with her class. And wouldn't it be nice to go have fun with her friends? And as soon as Juliana had agreed, sniffed to clear her nose, and gotten up to go to her bedroom to change into her uniform, Steve had stood up, a smile on his face to show how proud he was of himself for defusing the situation. He was met with a slap to the shoulder, and a 'Goddammit, Rogers!' before Brooklyn stormed off to their bedroom to get dressed herself.

Unsure of why he was in the wrong, he had followed her, only to hear the door lock behind her.

In the few weeks since she had returned, things had been easy. Well, for the most part. There were things that irked him slightly, just like there were things that irked her. After the first night, Juliana had several nightmares, causing the little girl to seek them out in the middle of the night. Brooklyn and Steve had taken to keeping a set of sleepwear for each of them close at hand, in case they needed to cover quickly. There had been several instances where local businesses had given them free services or items, even while just walking by them, usually with some sort of deferential treatment towards Brooklyn.