rodrikstark's headcanons (part 1)

bear (s. rogers x reader)

a quiet click, and your bedroom floods with a warm, dim light. you squint, only long enough to see steve squatting at your side of the bed.

"you're home," you mumble happily.

"i am." he barely whispers, the loudest noise in the room being the shuffling of your cotton bedsheets as you roll over to face him. steve pokes somewhere near your chest. "who's this?"

you bury your nose into the velvet-soft fur, which you had tucked into your neck before falling asleep. "captain a-bear-ica." steve chuckles. "some toy company sent a box for your birthday and i opened it."

"you opened my birthday present?" he asks incredulously.

you can tell he's kidding, but crack one eye open anyway. "are you mad?"

he scratches the belly of the bear with one finger, testing the material of his little cap suit. "thought we agreed to donate this stuff. don't want it cluttering the apartment."

you frown. "you're so mean. donate him?" steve almost loses his balance when you pull the teddy from its place in your blanket, shoving it toward him. "look at his face, stevie, he looks just like you."

confronted with the blank, beady-eyed stare, he can't quite agree. but he does like the weird little white wings sticking up from its cowl. cute touch.

you take the bear back tight in your arms, practically crushing it under your chin. "he's mine." as the desire to sleep overtakes your willingness to fake-argue with steve, your eyes flutter closed. "i get lonely sometimes, y'know. when you're gone."

"i know, baby." steve releases a heavy sigh, looking at his own stained navy suit, nothing like the cheery red-white-and-blue of your small friend. "gonna shower and eat somethin', but i'll be back real soon."

"wait." you prop yourself on an elbow, craning your neck and poking your phone on the nightstand. 2:07am, july 4th.

with your thumb, you scrub at a slightly dirty spot on his forehead before planting a kiss there. his eyes drift shut at the contact, a satisfied hum coming from his chest.

"happy birthday."