Over the next two days she slowly started to get Steve use to her touching him again, a nudge here, a clapped hand there.
She also got him use to her taking care of him when he had an asthma attack or dizzy or weak spells, staying up with him through the night when he got some kind of 24 hour bug.
It all added up to where on the third day she was able to walk up behind him and throw her arms over his shoulders and he wouldn't react even when she rested her chin on the top of his head.
Without the serum it turned out Steve was only 5ft and 4in tall, just short enough to fit into her 6ft body perfectly like her own use to against his 6ft 2in frame.
She had to admit, being the holder for once felt nice.
The first time she saw him pulling out that sketch book of his again was when she was just waking up from a midafternoon nap.
Before her eyes opened she herd the telltale skritching of a pencil on paper and her lips curled slightly "if your drawing me I get to kick your ass" she muttered "language" he said absently and she opened one eye to look at him he sat legs crossed at the edge of her bed the pad balanced on his lap and he was smiling.
It was nice to see him smiling.
She watched almost hypnotized as his hands moved across the paper, long artists fingers darkened with charcoal dust standing out against his pale skin.
She liked the way it made him relax the thin line of tension always held in his small body abating the way it only ever did when he was in her arms, while he was distracted with the pad and paper she took the opportunity to actually look at him.
Steve wasn't just skin and bones like he was saying but it was a near thing, he had lithe muscles over his arms and chest, he lacked any kind of body fat, enough so she could see just a hint of his ribs pressed against his skin.
But while his skin was strangely pale it wasn't sickly so, and though he was thin it was to the extent he looked like he had anemia, he had a healthy appetite even if he ate a lot less than usual, yet he still had the same charm as when he was huge.
His hair was like strands of gold and his eyes were a deep pale blue, barely a shade lighter than they use to be, maybe just little brighter but they still had the pale grey flecks.
His eyelashes cast shadows over his cheeks, pale enough they looked white, and though his cheekbones stood out his cheeks weren't concave like most people she had seen that were his size, and she had seen a lot of them.
She didn't honestly know why she bothered trying to compare him to other people; he was as incomparable like this as he was after the serum.
She saw him glance up and pause in his work to look at her more fully, light catching his hair and making it shine just right "what's that dopey smile for?" he had one brow risen in a look shed come to think of as a curios amusement.
Shaking her head she pushed herself up "nothing, I'm just thinking" at his silence she motioned toured the book on his lap "well are you going to show me or not?" he suddenly went read "uhh..." she rose her own brow at the man then sat up fully and copied his position.
"Come ooooooonnn. I never get to sseeeeeeee" she whined and pouted for the extra effect, all it did was make him laugh "ok fine" she grinned and scrambled across the bed before he could change his mind.
Beth settled down behind him her legs on one said rest of her on the other she kept herself propped up on one arm to look over a slim shoulder.
The page had a few random etching on it but the largest was of her lying on her stomach as she had been with a blanket over her waist and tangled around her legs, one of her arms tucked under the pillow the other resting by her face which was peaceful and relaxed with sleep.
Her lips parted eyes lightly closed and her hair falling gently over her forehead, her brows shot up at the detail and likeness of the drawing then she turned her head to grin at Steve who was watching her and waiting for her judgment.
"I like your subject matter" she said turning to lean back on her elbows "it's very me" he snorted at her, leaning back to rest against the knee she had risen "your straying to sound as shallow as your brother"
Her grin got wide enough it hurt her face "where do you think her got it from? Didn't you know? All my brothers' best habits came from me"
Steve perked a brow at her "recklessly throwing himself into situations that serve no purpose other than to show off, test his armor, or get himself maimed?" she shrugged "so he picked up a few of the less appealing ones, and if memory serves which one of us threw himself at people three times their size?"
His face heated up again "if memory serves both of us" she paused then made humming sound "eh it's true" she bent forward and nuzzled his hair "but you know you love it" then flopped back down on her back.
There was a moment of silence before she heard him shifting "yeah I do" then he slumped until he lay against her stomach, she reached out to stroke his hair and smiled when he leaned into the touch.