Make It To Me (Chris Evans AU Fic)

What Goes Up*

"Hi dad!" A chorus of voices greeted the weary Chris as he trudged into the living room, finding his family all camped out on the couches as they watched a movie.

"Want some popcorn?" Ryan offered, holding up the bowl.

Chris just shook his head while he watched Sarge hop up next to Sophie and snuggled in while his daughter happily said, "Dad, Jack is going to come home this weekend! He just called us!"

He nodded in response to Sophie but his focus became preoccupied when he heard a pair of footsteps coming from the bathroom down the hall and soon a warm smile greeted him. Nina came over, wrapping her arms around Chris' waist and planted a sweet kiss on his lips, "Hi sweetheart. You're home late, did you get something to eat yet?"

Chris chuckled at how sweet and thoughtful his darling wife always was and gave her a little squeeze from his affection while telling her, "I didn't but-"

He didn't even get to finish his sentence because Nina just took his hand and started pulling him toward the kitchen as she told the teenagers in the living room, "Go ahead and finish the movie without me."

Nina guided him to sit down at the small kitchen table and pressed a kiss to his temple, a warm hand resting on his shoulder while asking him, "Now, what can I make you sweetheart?"

"Um maybe just like a sandwich. I can make it myself, honey," He said. "You go finish your movie with the kids."

She didn't say anything at first, just getting a beer out of the fridge and bringing it over to him before getting to work constructing a hearty sandwich and turning the stove on so she could grill it the way he liked while promising, "I'd rather hear about your day. You look so tired."

Now that he was finally in the comfort of his home and was safe with his sweet Nina, he let his guard down and a long sigh came from his lips, telling her, "You know how our Captain retired? Well now there's just so much shit and politics in picking a new Captain and it's making so many of the officers arguing and it's just a bunch of shit. All I want to do is go to work and do my job and go home but a bunch of the officers are coming to me and..." He trailed off with a huff.

Nina's eyes were arched in concern as she brought his sandwich over, putting it in front of him. She then went to stand behind his chair and rubbed his broad shoulders as he ate his dinner and Nina sympathized, "I'm so sorry sweetheart. That's so frustrating."

"It is frustrating, And-" He stopped to take another big bite before going on, "because it's weirdly political, it's causing people to turn on one another and I feel like everyone is forgetting that our job is about protecting other people and keeping the public safe, not climbing up some status ladder. It just makes me so angry and I'm so stressed about it because I feel like I have to deal with the repercussions of it but have no hand in solving it."

"Honey," Nina cooed as kept rubbing his shoulders that were tight from all the tension and stress he was holding in them. "I wish there was something I could do."

Chris ate the last bite of his sandwich before he wrapped his arms around Nina's waist, pulling her gently into his lap and holding her tight, "You already have made it better. Just being here with you makes me so happy. All is right with the world when I'm home with my Nina."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a sweet kiss to his stubbled cheek before her hand ran through his short brown hair and she went on, "I love you so much, sweetheart. I'm always in your corner and I'm always here for you."

"I know and that means the world to me," Chris honestly spoke, pecking at her lips. "I just want to forget about all the stress at work right now."