Unexpected

Day at the Museum

"So Stark's still Stark then?" Steve laughed as I handed him a bowl of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce and a heaping helping of whipping cream I'd made using my grandfather's special recipe.

"Definitely. Dramatic, charismatic, and utterly ridiculous as usual. Thanks to that little therapy session of a mission report, I know far too much about his childhood now than I ever wished to."

Steve laughed, nodding before his face became more serious, "Good to know Banner's with him. After new York I was afraid he'd isolate himself again."

"He seems happy, tired of Stark's nonsense, but happy in that laboratory of his. It was good to see them all, to see how they were doing after all that." I agreed taking my seat next to him on the couch. "We've all been pretty busy recently haven't we?"

"Yeah," he sighed with appreciation as he scooped some of the whipped cream into his mouth, "Oh, this is good!"

"Always the tone of surprise." I joked with an eye roll

"No, never surprise! You're an excellent cook, Penny! I've missed your cooking."

"I'd say my cooking is one of my best qualities." I said with a joking, philosophical air.

"It's certainly not your worst." Steve chuckled, "I was never good at cooking and all the time I was gone in the field... well, let's say that we weren't getting alfredo and ice cream"

"Well, you're back. That means you'll have to deal with me and my cooking and me again. We can get back on our 'catch-up' from the Forties 'til now. Not gonna lie, I was hoping that we'd be able to watch a bunch of Christmas movies from over the years during December, but, well, you being A-Wall in Russia didn't help that marathon."

Steve grunted, putting his fist to his forehead as a brain freeze took over, "Next year then."

"I'll hold you to that." I laughed watching Steve's face contort, "Oh! That reminds me! Your Christmas present!"

"What?"

Popping up from my seat, I placed my half-eaten ice cream on the coffee table before scurrying over to my little Christmas tree. I snatched up the small package and brought it over to Steve who was looking between me and the colorfully festive wrapping paper with a look of... maybe it was shock. His blue eyes were wide with surprise and confusion and something warm. I smiled at his reaction, "For you."

He looked stunned, staring at the small package in his hands, his cheeks blushing ever so slightly, "You didn't have to."

"Of course I didn't have to, especially considering that I didn't know when you'd ever return, but... I don't know, I just hope you like it." I said, blushing a bit at the appreciation in Steve's face as I took my seat again, bunching up my legs underneath me. Anticipation bubbled up within me. I'd thought it was a great idea and I'd been so eager wrapping it, but as always when giving a present, now that he was actually about to open it I was nervous that he wouldn't like it.

Steve ripped the paper away, a small grin on his lips that reminded me of a child. Come to think of it, when was the last time that Rogers had been given a Christmas present? This was his first year out of the ice, and I'm not entirely sure how Christmases worked on the battle field of the world wars. Keeping my thoughts to myself, I watched as he lifted the lid off the box he'd unwrapped, grinning widely as he pulled out the dark navy, nondescript baseball cap and a jacket of the same color.

He ran his fingers over the fabric of the jacket, taking in its details, "Wow, Penny. This is really nice."

"Well, try it on." I urged, making him laugh with my tone of eagerness.