Those Who Fall: Falling Series 3 (Modern Domestic Stucky AU)

Nine

Struggling to catch his breath, Steve stood upright as he looked down at the twin bed. Wondering -- as always -- why fitted sheets were so damn difficult to deal with. Grabbing the matching floral flat sheet, Steve shook it out. As he started laying the sheet on the bed, a throat clearing interrupted him.

Turning, he saw Wanda standing in the doorway holding her clothes in a ball in front of her abdomen. Her hair was twisted in the towel and, much to Steve's dismay, her pale golden-brown skin wasn't dirt covered, but bruised. Immediately, anger flared through Steve's petite frame.

Tamping down that fury, Steve cleared his throat and gestured towards the walk-in closet where a small square was on the wall beside it, "You can just drop those down the chute, and I'll wash them later."

Giving a slight nod, she entered the bedroom and walked by Sophia's bed. Pulling down the hatch and dropping them in the laundry chute. Once done, she awkwardly stood there. The sleeves of the sweatshirt dwarfing her hands as she crossed her arms, hugging herself.

Meanwhile, Steve shook a pillow into the matching floral case. Completely content with changing the linen in silence. Steve had always been a fairly quiet person himself, so whenever he was around children that didn't want to talk, he wasn't going to make th--

"Are you going to adopt my baby?"

Dropping the pillow, his eyes widened in surprise. Stiffly, Steve tried for nonchalance as he picked up the other pillow. Although his mind was screaming, WHAT THE FUCK, his mouth questioned, "Is that what you want?"

"It doesn't matter what I want," Wanda held herself a little tighter, her head ducking slightly as she glanced at Sophia's empty bed. Currently, the little girl was in Ethan's room, listening to the bedtime story being read by the great, Auntie Tibs.

"It matters," Steve kindly corrected. Wanda peeked up at him, unconvinced. So, Steve continued, "Just like whether you stay here. It's all your choice. If we're not the right family for you, we'll find one that is. If you want us to help you further your education, we will. We're not going to make you do anything."

Wanda studied him and Steve jokingly added, "Except maybe encourage you eat a vegetable occasionally."

That teased a smile out of the teen. It didn't last though. She chewed on her lower lip, "And what about my baby?"

"Well," Steve blew out a huff of air, "If you want to have a family adopt them, we'll help you with that... And if you want to keep them, we'll help with that."

Expression smoothing, Wanda stepped around the bed. Idly looking at the books and small vases Bucky made with fake flowers, she asked, "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Steve answered, simply. "I told you, we're not going to make you do anything."

Surprising Steve, Wanda's arms wrapped around him. Enveloping Steve in a hug, that he immediately returned. Even if awkwardly so, due to the odd angle of it. Not that Steve was going to complain. Instead, he wrapped his arm around her in a side hug.

The hug didn't last long. Just a quick embrace that Steve definitely hadn't been expecting, but wasn't going to turn down either. Rather, he was glad that it happened. Even if Wanda did pull back with a wet face, Steve was counting that as a win.

As he picked up the purple ombre comforter, Wanda grabbed the other side to assist. Steve smiled at that. Placing the pillows against the headboard, Steve offered, "How about tomorrow we go shopping? I don't work on Fridays, and I need to pick up some groceries, so it won't be a hassle. But we could pick up some clothes for you. Maybe pick up some crosswords or something. What do you like to do?"

Clearing her throat brought Steve's eyes to her neck. With her long hair twisted up in the towel, he was able to see the finger-print size bruises there. Ducking his head, he disguised busying himself so he could grit his teeth. They had only been given the details that Maria knew, and Steve wasn't about to start interrogating this poor girl. But his assumptions pointed to one person, and if he ever met him, he'd need Bucky to hold him back so he wouldn't kill the bastard.

"I like to read," Wanda quietly said, breaking through Steve's thoughts.

A small smile tugged at his lips and he said, "Then, we'll pick up some books. Until then, you can read any books that we have. I'm sure that Katie wouldn't mind if you borrowed them -- although, she is a fan of those over-dramatic Harlequin romances. Jonas and Luke shouldn't mind you borrowing some of their graphic novels."

"Okay," Wanda nodded, looking down at her hands that rested on her noticeable baby bump. And while she didn't say much, the small, private smile she gave to the floor, said a lot.