Man Out of Time - A Captain America / Avengers Fanfiction

Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Steve shifted in his sleep and smiled, the pleasant dream he was having of dancing in the Stork Club with Bernice made all the more real by the feel of the real-life Bernice in his arms. Even in sleep, whether real-life sleep or the dream-version, he had yet to let go of her, so close had he come to losing her. The dream lingered as she shifted in his arms and caused him to rise a little closer towards the waking world. Eyes still shut, he kissed her hair and relished the warmth of her skin against his.

"Go back to sleep, sweetheart." He inhaled her scent, something else he had sensed was 'off' about the imposter but had been unable to put together until he had the real Bernice back in his arms. And this was his Bernice. He had made certain of it! Oh ... about six times made certain of it! One advantage of the super-soldier serum was that it gave him unusual stamina to satisfy his wife. Not that he had any previous experience to compare it with! She sure seemed satiated by his amorous adorations. So satisfied that she had practically melted in his arms afterwards until Shapeshifter Fred had finally pounded on their door and informed them 36 little fairies needed to go to bed.

The dream lingered. He could almost hear the strains of Bing Crosby continue even though he was now almost fully awake. He touched the thin fabric of the white cotton undershirt she wore as a nightgown with regret, wishing it did not stand between his hands and her luscious breasts. His undershirt. It was long enough on her petite frame to cover just enough to not be totally scandalous. He ran his hand beneath the sheets to caress the curve of her buttocks where the shirt had ridden up and only a skimpy pair of underwear impeded his touch. Bernice smiled and snuggled closer, grimacing as the steel ring which had been bolted into her skull prevented her from resting her cheek against his chest the way he knew she wanted to sleep.

He stared around the queen's chamber. Bernice had made the drones strip the room of all personal effects of the prior queen, but he discovered after he had made love to her why she had taken this room. It was not out of any desire to seize the trappings of power, but out of necessity. The strange raised platform had a single purpose. Chitauri queens only mated with the strongest male. When one weakened, they would choose a new mate to create offspring with. They did not do so out of love or sexual desire. The circular bed which sat in the center of an ever larger, slightly lower raised platform was not to share with the queen's lover, but for the swarm that resulted from any pairing. Chitauri offspring, it turned out, needed to stay close to their queen and be 'reminded' of how to hold a shape until they were mature enough to hold one on their own or they would devolve back into slugs.

Talk about unromantic! All around them, 36 little fairies snuggled on top of one another like puppies, purring in their sleep like cats. It was the reason he had been forced to put his boxer shorts back on and Bernice his tee-shirt! The proper thing to do would have been sleep in separate beds, but there was no way in hell he was going to let her leave his side, so he had compromised his 1945 values for the more practical ones of 2012.

He realized that the sound of Bing Crosby singing I'll be seeing you had not faded as a dream should fade upon becoming fully awake, but was still playing from somewhere outside of the queen's chamber. Had somebody put on the music for them? The Chitauri did not seem the type to grasp the concept of 'romantic interlude.' Light streamed through tiny cracks around the frame of the doorway from the other side.

"I'll be right back, sweetheart."

Bernice mewled in protest as he slid out from her embrace and covered her up with the blanket, pressing his pillow where he had lain only moments before so that she would not miss his warmth. Her mouth moved into a dissatisfied little moue.