Time Unchanging

Chapter 42

Steve underestimated the hunger in him. His desire grew and his hands began to wander. The others looked away, though Bucky and Loki were ready in case something happened. When Steve's hands ran across Eva's back, she stiffened. She hoped he hadn't noticed, but of course, he did. He pulled away and saw the sheen of tears in her green eyes.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"No," she said, making him look at her, "I'm sorry. I keep ruining things-"

Steve looked disgusted at the notion and walked a little ways away. "No, you didn't! SHE did this to you." He looked at her, upset. "SHE is to blame!" He looked Eva in the eye. "She traumatized you in one of the worst ways! You can't even breathe when we mention her name!" The name Natasha Romanoff and its variations had become taboo after Eva's episode in the lab, and everyone respected the rule, removing it from their vocabulary and the compound. "After everything, if all I can do is hold your hand, I'll accept it!"

She gave a nervous chuckle. "Steve-"

"I will wait until you are comfortable again! Until you can be touched without fear of what comes after! Until you can stop checking every few minutes if this is real! Until you know we won't hurt you or disappear!"

She smiled, a tear of happiness escaping. How could she not love this man in front of her? The amount of patience he had was astounding and her heart skipped a beat. Just as he had in the forties when he was nothing more than a tiny twig of a man, he captured her heart and she finally felt like she was home. This is real.

Steve went up to her, not taking her hands like he wanted, but he continued anyway by saying, "It doesn't matter how long that takes, I'll wait because I love you, Evelyn." He smiled lovingly at her. "And nothing will change that. I know what happened changed you," he began blushing, just as he had on the night he confessed his feelings the first time, "but your smile still lights up my world, big or small. Your laugh makes me smile. I love how you always smell of coconut and strawberries no matter what. You supported me, even before I was Captain America, even when told not to." Eva clasped her hands in front of her face, trying to contain the feelings pouring from her. "So, you aren't to blame and I will wait until you are comfortable again."

She smiled up at him and asked, "What did I do to deserve you, Steve Rogers?"

He returned the smile. "You exist and that's more than enough."

She took his hands. "Kiss me."

It was Steve's turn to be nervous. "You sure?"

"Yes."

He pulled her back to him and kissed her hard. This time, he was careful and kept his hands where they wouldn't trigger Eva's shame. She had nothing to be ashamed of. He prayed that this would be the end of him needing to ask, but he knew it wasn't.

When they pulled back for air, they placed their foreheads together. This made Loki a little envious and Bucky suddenly missed his boyfriend very much.