national anthem → s . rogers ( 2 )

[2]

Blossom hated sleeping alone. It reminded her that Steve was out somewhere, possibly injured, freezing, or worse. She missed his warmth and his comforting hold whenever she had nightmares, which was almost daily. She couldn't explain why, but she often dreamed of Steve dying while on a mission, the worst one had him getting shot while on a mission. She woke up sweating each night, and when she need Steve most, he wasn't there.

She stood from bed, his sleep shirt going to her hips, and she went to the living room. Creamsicle was curled up on the couch, his breathing even. Usually, he would be curled up on Steve's shield, sleeping soundly in the room with them, but when Steve was away, Creamsicle would curl up on Steve's couch cushion. Blossom sighed and kissed the cat's head, and his ear twitched slightly. She stood and walked to the kitchen, grabbing a mug before she opened the fridge. She pulled out the milk and shut the door with her side. She poured herself a mug and set it into the microwave to heat it up. She put it in for thirty seconds, and she paced the kitchen.

As the microwave beeped, she bit her lip and retreived the cup slowly. Creamsicle had woken up, and he was rubbing against her legs, going in a figure eight.

"I'll bet you want some of this, don't you?" she asked softly, and the cat gave her a knowing look. Shaking her head, Blossom walked over to the cabinet and pulled out a plastic bowl. She poured her cat some water and lowered it to the floor for him, which he drank quickly.

"That's my good boy," she whispered, finishing her mug of warm milk and setting the cup in the sink. She walked back to the bedroom and crawled under the covers slowly. She sighed, shutting her eyes tightly and falling back asleep, hoping to avoid yet another nightmare.

***

Steve just wanted to be home, with his wife, in bed, avoiding deceits and lies. The mission was done, the hostages saved, and team in good shape. Only problem was, Natasha, according to his mindset, had jeopardized the entire mission when she went to save S.H.I.E.L.D intel instead of protect the hostages. He was marching to Fury's office in the Triskelion, angry and tired. He entered the office, and Fury looked at him from behind his desk.

"You just can't stop yourself from lying, can you?" he asked, and Fury propped his head up on his hand.

"I didn't lie. Agent Romanoff has a different mission than yours," Fury replied, and Steve stood in front of him.

"Which you didn't feel obliged to share," he stood stiff, and Fury turned away.

"I'm not obliged to do anything."

"Those hostages could have died, Nick."

"I sent the greatest soldier in history to make sure that didn't happen."

"Soldiers trust each other. That's what makes it an army. Not a bunch of guys running around shooting guns," Steve said, quiet anger in his tone.

"The last time I trusted someone, I lost an eye," Fury stood from his seat and braced himself on the table.

"Look, I didn't want you doing anything you weren't comfortable with. Agent Romanoff is comfortable with everything."

"I can't lead a mission when the people I'm leading have missions of their own," Steve looked at Fury.

"It's called compartmentalization. Nobody spills the secrets, because nobody know them all," Fury said lowly, and Steve chuckled darkly.

"Except you," he said, pointing at him.

"You're wrong about me. I do share. I'm nice like that," Fury said softly, staring hard at Steve. He then motioned for Steve to follow him into an elevator, and Steve groaned inwardly.

'The things I do to be able to go home to my wife.' he thought, following Fury.

***

When Steve got home that day, Blossom was nowhere to be found. Instantly, he began to worry, but when she hurried out of the bedroom, he relaxed instantly.She ran over to him and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

"Thank God you're safe," she whispered, and he hugged her back tightly, resting his chin on her head.

"Another nightmare?" he asked softly, and she nodded, pulling back from him. She gently took his shield from his hand and brought him to the couch, sitting him down.

"You've had a long day, haven't you?" she asked, sitting beside him and running her fingers through his hair.

"Long and insane. I wish I could tell you..." he whispered, leaning into her touch. She pressed a kiss to his temple, and he smiled softly.

"I hate leaving you," he mumbled, and she smiled. He looked down at her, and Creamsicle jumped into his lap.

"Hey buddy," he smiled, petting the cat gently with tired hands.

"Can I get you anything to eat or drink?" Blossom asked softly, and he shook his head.

"Actually, I wanna take you back to the Smithsonian. I need to see my old friends again," he said softly, and his wife nodded.

I'll go grab your hat and my glasses, then we'll head off," she kissed his head, stood and left the room, with her husband smiling after her like a lovesick puppy.

***

"I can't tell you how much I love that bike of yours," Blossom whispered as they walked through the museum, hand in hand. He squeezed her hand and pulled her to his chest as people pushed past them rudely. They walked through the Air and Space museum to the Captain America exhibit, and Steve adjust his ball cap. Blossom fought the urge to remove her sunglasses, since she wasn't used to them, and he chuckled.

As they moved throughout the exhibit, a male voice on the PA system narrated the whole journey, explaining how her husband was a symbol to the nation. He walked with his head down, and she couldn't blame him. She gently squeezed his hand as they made their way around, and she stopped at the pictures of him before the serum.

"Well, he was adorable, but dear lord, that after picture..." she teased, and he looked at her, smiling shyly. She smiled back and looked around at the kids carrying plastic shields, and she smiled sadly. She and Steve were trying for kids, but so far, no luck. The closest they came was a year and a half into their marriage, but they had lost the baby, leaving Blossom heartbroken but personally determined to succeed. Steve looked around, his eyes landing on a little boy wearing a shirt with his shield on it, and instantly, the kid recognized him. Steve, noticing the look on the little boy's face, smiled a bit and put a finger to his lips, motioning for him to keep it a secret. The boy nodded, and Steve pulled Blossom to the next part.

They stopped in front of some old black and white footage from Steve's WW2 days. The next stop was the mural of the Howling Commandos, and she held Steve's hand. He sadly looked upon the painting, his eyes pausing on his best friend, James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes. Blossom knew that Bucky was the only Howling Commando to give his life, and when Steve told her the story for the first time, she cried harder than she had ever cried before.

Lastly, they went to the screening room, where more footage of Steve played, and the video of the interview with Agent Peggy Carter played. Blossom looked down as she talked, feeling guilty. She felt as though she took Steve away from her, and when she brought this up to Steve, he shook his head and held her close, reassuring her that it wasn't her fault in the slightest, and it was his call that did it.

'And besides, at least I know she got married and had the life she deserved. That's all I wanted for her, a life where she was equal and she was able to prove herself to be more than just a woman. And I know now that she got just that.' she remembered him telling her. She looked at him shyly, and she saw his old compass in his hand. She set her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. He looked at her, and she gently kissed his cheek.

"Drop me off at home, and then go visit her. I know you want to," she whispered, and he nodded slowly, appreciating his wife more and more.