Then I saw you

Hot Bath

Astraea POV.

My eyes slowly started to flutter open, a pleasant way to wake up compared to how I usually scare myself awake. I looked to my left to be met with a heartwarming sight: Bruce was lying next to me, looking as peaceful as ever. But my little staring session got interrupted when the door to my room opened. I was met with yet another of my many soulmates: "Hi baby, are you feeling better?" Steve asked me sweetly. "I'm doing better," I smiled, "but I am a bit dizzy."

Steve smiled and moved towards me, and I sat up on the bed. He walked over to the side of the bed and started petting me softly, trying to tame some of my bed hair. He let out a small laugh as one stubborn piece of hair refused to lay the same way as the rest of it. His laughter quickly spread to me. Soon we were both laughing when Bruce started shifting in his sleep, and that promptly stopped our giggling. "How about we get you showered and some breakfast in that stomach of yours, hmm?" Steve offered me, and I nodded my head and smiled at him. Steve helped me stand up due to my weaker state. We walked to the bathroom, and he sat me down on the closed toilet lid. He sat down in front of me, looking deeply into my eyes. I could tell he wanted to talk about something serious.

"Astraea, we need to talk." I knew it! "Yesterday, when I had to carry you from the med bay, you barely weighed anything. And I don't know if you have an eating disorder or something else, but you need to gain some weight." I could see tears building up in his eyes; he was really worried about me. "I don't have an eating disorder; sometimes I just don't have enough money to get food." A sad smile was displayed upon his features; he was more at ease now, and he placed his hand on my cheek in a loving manner. I leaned into his touch, desperate to soak up all the affection, scared that it would be ripped away before I even knew what had happened. "You don't have to worry about money anymore, baby; we can take care of you." We? It felt so weird to me; I was finally with my soulmates. If I could go back in time and tell my younger self that I had found all of my soulmates, My younger self would probably be freaked out because there was a freaking time traveler in front of her.

I closed my eyes, trying to remember this moment forever. But it wasn't long before it was ruined. I felt a finger drag over my wrist. I hissed slightly as the finger found the cut I made yesterday, and my eyes flew open. Immediately, I was met with a crying Steve looking down at my scars. Tears also filled my eyes. Ever since I met the guys, tears just came so easily to me. "Why?" The singular word was spoken so quietly that I nearly missed it. "I don't know; I'm sorry; I'm so, so sorry." "Don't apologize; you can't do anything about it now. I just want you to know that you are safe here. I don't know what has happened to you before, but here, when we're together, you are safe, Astraea. Please don't do this again; I can't lose you too, Astraea."

Steve's POV.

I could see Astraea start breaking down in front of me; she fell into my arms, hugged me as tight as she could, and started sobbing on my shoulder. "Shhh, baby, I know." I started comforting her, trying to be strong for her even though tears were streaming down my face. I wasn't sure if she could hear me because she was crying so hard.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Bruce stood there, looking very worried about the crying girl in my arms. I nodded my head to signal that I had the situation under control as I simultaneously comforted Astraea. Bruce seemed to understand, and he walked out, closing the door behind him. After a while, Astraea's crying had quieted down to small hiccups. I pulled her out from my shoulder, made direct eye contact with her, and gently wiped the tears from underneath her eyes. "Sweetheart, we don't have to talk about it anymore, but if you want to, I'm right here. Anyone of us are here if you need to talk, but let's not focus on this today, okay?" "Okay," she responded with a slight tremble in her voice.

I stood both me and Astraea up, making sure to hold on tight so she wouldn't fall. "Are you okay standing on your own while I turn on the shower?" "Yeah, you know, I have stood on my legs for about 20 years now," she sassed back. "Don't start getting sassy with me now, baby." "Mhh, what if I like being sassy?" Oh? That's how she wants to play; I can play that game. I walked closer to her, tucking her hair behind her ear, and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Are you sure you want to go down that road, baby?" My other hand grabbed the back of her thigh. "I think we both know who's in control here, but go ahead, try to test my boundaries, and see what happens." My threats were empty, but she didn't need to know that. "You wouldn't do anything," she teased. "Oh, believe me, there are so many things I would want to do to you." My hand moved from her thigh up to her ass. Her mouth opened and closed as she tried to come up with a witty comment. "Aww, poor baby, did you get all flustered for me?" I pulled her chin up toward my face. "Do you like it when I talk to you like this?" "Mhm." She said it more as a moan than a reply.

"How about you get all of those clothes off, you baby?" She looked at me with those big deer eyes, as if she couldn't believe the words that came out of my mouth. "You know, so you can take a bath." Her face turned bright red. "Were you hoping for something more, baby?" I said it suggestively, and if possible, her face turned even redder. I started to laugh, and soon the both of us were laughing. "Well, I'll leave you alone so you can shower in peace." "Okay, I'm going to be quick," she responded. "There's no need to hurry; take your time and relax," I told her, and she smiled back at me. I took a moment to admire her beauty. I was truly lucky to have her; she was all mine, and I was all hers. I turned around and left to start making breakfast for Astraea, me, and the rest of the team.

I started thinking about our future, about how, if we were to get married, who would marry her first, and about children. My thoughts started to drift to Bucky and how he would have loved Astraea. We would have loved Astraea together. Bucky and I were soulmates, but after I fell into the ice, all I felt from our mark was coldness. I soon realized I had started crying. I swear, after I met Astraea I became so sensitive. I think it stemmed from the fear of losing her; she can't protect herself against the threats from our everyday work. Nobody can protect themselves against HYDRA.

Astraea POV.

I had just finished my shower and got dressed in a T-shirt and some sweatpants that Steve had left for me. The sweats were pretty loose on me, so I pulled the string tight around my waist so that they wouldn't fall off me. Soon I was walking into the kitchen, where I found Steve making breakfast. I smiled to myself before walking up to him. I snaked my hands around his waist, hugging him from behind. "Hi, baby, did you take a good shower?" Steve turned around, smiling down at me. "Mhm, I smell like you now." I smiled at him. "I like it that way," he replied, his eyes darkening with lust. "Here, I thought you were supposed to be a saint, but you're much more of a sinner, aren't you?" "You don't even know yet," he said, smiling down at me, and I smiled back up at him. Steve leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't sexual; it was sweet and filled with love, but I'm not saying it didn't turn me on.

"So he gets kisses, and you haven't even spoken to me yet. I don't think that's quite fair, darling."