On Your Left

Chapter 3

It had been a rough day for the two of them, but mostly for Steve. After he parked the bike on the side of the building, Y/N got off and looked at him.

"You've been talking about it all day. What's got you thinking about leaving?" She asked him.

"I'm having a hard time finding right from wrong. Before the ice I knew what I was doing, of where I belonged. But now I haven't got a clue."

"What if you took some time off?" The two of them entered the building. "What if you took a week or two even?"

"I can't take a week off. What if they need-"

"What if they don't?" Y/N interrupted as they climbed the stairs.

"I'm Captain America. I'm an Avenger. I have a duty to protect."

"And I'm Y/N Banner. I'm an Avenger too. There are also five others along with an entire team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. You aren't alone."

"Y/N."

"Steve." She raised an eyebrow at him. "Listen, sleep on it. Come back to me when you're ready. I don't care what you choose as long as you're happy." She stood on the landing of the floor that their apartment was on. She caressed his cheek before pulling him in for a kiss. "Whatever you choose, I will support."

Steve pulled her into a tight hug.

Their neighbor Kate walked out of her door just as Steve let go.

"So sweet. That is so nice." She was wearing pink scrubs, her phone to her ear in one hand, and her basket of laundry in her other.

Both of them walked past her towards their unit, waving small hellos as she offered them a quiet hi.

"I gotta go, though. Okay. Bye." She hung up the phone before turning to them. "My aunt, she's kind of an insomniac." She laughed lightly.

"You know, if you want, you can use our machine. Might be cheaper than the ones in the basement." Y/N offered.

"You also wouldn't have to climb up and down the stairs several times." Steve added.

"Thank you, but I already have a load downstairs, and you really don't want my scrubs in your machine. I just finished a rotation in the infectious disease ward, so. . ." Kate countered.

"We'll keep our distance, but the offer still stands. Who knows, you might even be pulled into a movie night with us. We're going through a bunch of classics." Y/N smiled.

"Oh, that sounds like fun. You'll have to let me know." Kate smiled warmly back. "Oh, I think you left your stereo on."

"Oh. Right. Thank you." Steve responded.

Kate left and both Y/N and Steve stared at each other with concerned looks. They never left anything on when they left, mainly due to the fact that they never knew when they would be back.

"Fire escape," Steve whispered over the 1940s record that was turning in the player.

As they made their way out of the building, around the back, and up the escape, Y/N couldn't help but think about where she had gotten most of Steve's records.

She had found an older gentleman online who was selling a bunch of them at once. Said that all of them went, or none of them did. She had been struggling for days to try and make Steve more at home, so she decided to contact the man, who suggested that they meet at one of her favorite local coffee shops. When she saw him, she thought that he looked very familiar, though she couldn't place a finger on why.