Brooklyn - Steve Rogers X OC Spinoff

39 - Steve

Steve arrived home much later than he'd hoped. He wanted to get home before Avery went to bed and definitely before Maddison had to leave for school. But things took longer with Stark than he'd anticipated, and traffic was a nightmare. He ended up driving upstate New York during rush hour, almost bumper to bumper for more than two hours. It put his entire plan behind schedule and didn't get him home until after 1AM.

Steve stepped quietly into Maddison and his place, seeing Bucky and Emilia on the couch. Emilia was on top of his chest, her head tucked into his neck with a small pillow under her neck to keep her comfortable. But Bucky was wide awake and watching TV as quietly as possible. He turned to stare at Steve as soon as he walked in. "You should've been here, man." He quietly scolded.

Steve sighed, nodding his head. He knew he should've stayed and taken care of Maddison while she was worried about this. But he also knew talking to Tony wasn't something he could do over the phone. Plus, he didn't want to wait too long. He wanted the lawyers on it immediately. He moved to sit down in the chair across from the couch, scrubbing his hand down his face. "I know. I just wanted to get a head start on this." He said quietly.

Steve couldn't help but admire his friends on the couch. How they'd still looked at each other with the same level of love and respect that they always had. Maybe even more now that Emilia was pregnant. Bucky looked at her like she was the entire solar system. Like the universe and everything in it existed for her. He loved watching his two best friends be loved like they deserved. He loved knowing that they'd found each other again after all odds were stacked against them. They deserved this.

Bucky quietly sighed, seemingly refusing to be loud enough to risk waking his wife. "I get that, but she needed you. Fuck, Steve, she still does." He scolded.

Steve scrubbed his hand down his face again, nodding his head. "I know, Buck. I'll be there the second she gets out of class, and I won't leave her side again. She'll have to tell me to go away to get me to leave her side." He promised.

Bucky lightly chuckled at that but kept the scowl on his face. "Em made her stay home. She's in bed now. Em wanted her and I to stay in there with her, but I said she'd be fine on her own until you got home." He explained quietly.

Steve hopped up, patting his friend on the shoulder before making his way into he and Maddison's bedroom. She was sound asleep, clutching a pillow and curled in on herself. Even asleep he could tell how anxious and scared she was. He knew she had to be almost sick with worry about what was going to happen with this custody case. He hated that he left her to feel like that alone. He just hoped that she'd be able to forgive him for having to leave. It wasn't that he wanted to, he never wanted to leave his girls. But he wanted the lawyers on this as quickly as possible.

Steve climbed in bed facing Maddison. He rubbed his hand along her plump waist, resting his forehead against hers. He worried that he'd woken her up when she started to stir, but she didn't. She just carefully maneuvered to lay against Steve as closely as possible. She curled up so close that it felt like she was trying to disappear into his skin. But he didn't mind it one bit. He just held his girl with a tight grip and kept her head situated on his chest.

Steve laid with Maddison for a while. He wasn't tired yet, but he refused to let up on her. He refused to not hold her how she needed right now. He knew he'd owe her a hell of an apology for leaving today, but he was hoping things would work out how he hoped and that she'd be able to overlook that he had to leave. He also hoped that she would consider that she was looked after, that Bucky and Emilia would take care of everything.

Eventually, Steve fell asleep, but he woke up when he felt Maddison stir. She let out a small cry, her heart feeling like it was ready to pump out of her chest. He knew he couldn't let her stay asleep feeling like that. "Mads, hey angel, wake up for me." He said quietly. He patted her back and lightly shook her in hopes of waking her without startling her. She let out another small whine, and even he could see how worked up she was becoming. "Come on, angel. Open those beautiful green eyes for me." He insisted still somewhat quietly.

Finally, Maddison opened her eyes. She signed in relief when she saw Steve staring down at her. "Steve..." She said quietly.

Steve pulled her into his chest again, holding her close. He ran his hand through her hair, shushing her. "It's okay, angel. I'm taking care of it. I promise you, he'll never touch her." He promised.

Maddison buried her face in his neck, making him almost smile that she sought him out for comfort. "I can't lose her." She said into his neck.

Again, Steve quietly shushed her and held her close. "We won't. She's not going anywhere that she doesn't belong, and she belongs with us." He promised. And it was true. Avery was their little girl, he'd never let her be anywhere but with them.

Steve just held Maddison for a little longer, noticing she wasn't falling back to sleep but simply sitting there in his grasp. Not that he minded, no, he loved having her soft body against him. He loved feeling her on top of him and needing him like that. He lived for it. "What are we going to do?" She asked quietly after what seemed like a lifetime.

Steve leaned in, pressing his lips to her forehead again. "You're going to focus on school, work, and Avery while I handle this." He reassured her. "I promise, I'll handle this. I don't need you stressing about this." He added in before she could protest.

It felt like Maddison did want to protest, but she either didn't have the energy or didn't have an argument. So, instead, she settled against him yet again and let him soothe her back to sleep.

Steve just enjoyed the feeling of her on top of him and clinging to him. He felt proud that he was able to take her back to a peaceful sleep. She needed this.