AN: The frame work referenced is from Agents of SHIELD. It's an evil computer program. One a person is linked into it, they become completely unaware of the outside world. The only way for someone to leave the framework is from an exit inside.
1-Mile High Club
"I've never done this." Steve hissed out of the corner of his mouth. Ororo leaned back in her seat on the quinjet.
"Why am I not surprised?" She hummed, running her hand up his thigh. He clenched his fists. Steve glanced around him, but everyone was too distracted going over the finer points of their recent fight to notice the two of them. She stood, sweeping out towards the on board armory, her cape billowing behind her. Steve watched her go. He shouldn't do this, he definitely shouldn't do this. This was work, even though they were technically done with the fight, it was unprofessional.
Yet something pulled him towards the weapons lock up. Attempting to look nonchalant, he shut the door behind him, locking it. Ororo was sitting on the bench in the center of the room, smirking at him.
"This is insane." He said as he approached her.
Ororo shrugged in response, standing and reaching for his belt. "Come on, Steven."
He glanced over his shoulder. Ororo pressed her lips to his neck.
"Relax." She whispered. "What's the worst that could happen?"
"The others could hear us?" Steve suggested.
Ororo grinned. "Then I suggest you keep it down."
10 minutes later Ororo left the armory first. The jet was landing on Avengers' Tower's helipad. Smiling at the others, she sat across from Natasha and began a conversation with her. Steve counted backwards from 100 before walking out. The second he stepped out of the room, the rest of the team burst into applause. Steve glared at them.
Wolverine and Tony were holding cigars. "Welcome to the mile high club, bro." Tony grinned.
"We..." Steve stammered, looking at Ororo who was innocently looking away. "Did you?"
"No." Tony said. "But as a multi platinum member of the club, I can say with expertise that your stealth technique needs work." He glanced over at Ororo. "Not you, darling. You were flawless, as always."
"She don't need you butterin her up, bub." Logan grumbled.
Tony smirked. "Course not. That's our dear captain's job." Steve glared at Tony as he innocently held out his hand. "Cigar."
Ororo moved to push the offered cigar out of Steve's sightline. "I can't believe you talked me into this." He said as the jet landed.
Ororo arched an eyebrow and didn't say anything. Walking out of the plane she waited until they were out of everyone's earshot before whispering. "The mile high club is even better when I do the flying."
Steve's jaw dropped as she tilted her head upwards.
"Does it look like rain today?" She asked, smirking.
2-Not used to being a Damsel in Distress
Steve woke in a white room, his head was pounding. Glancing around, he sighed. It was a room almost identical to the one SHIELD had put him in after he'd been defrosted. Clearly they thought they needed to prepare him for something. He stood, walking over to the window. He had to admit that this time, the simulation looked real. They even got the smell of the city right. A dull nostalgia throbbed in his heart, but he shook it off, rolling his shoulders. Leaning his forearm against the window. This was definitely Tony's idea of a sick joke, but he wondered why Ororo would have gone along with it.
The last thing he remembered was her next to him. They'd been in the Tower, arguing about something ridiculous, he was pretty sure it had started over wanting to repaint the bathroom, but had escalated. Sure they'd disagreed, but it wasn't anything so serious that it warranted this. No, if this was happening, she had nothing to do with it. A flutter of fear entered his gut. What if something had happened to her?
The door opened behind him. He kept staring out the window. If the scene outside was a hologram then there would be tells. All he needed to do was wait and observe.
"Tony, I don't know how you tricked Ro so you could do this, but when she finds out..." He turned, his voice dying as he took in the sight in front of him. It was impossible. He stared across the room at the woman who'd just entered. He suddenly felt as though he was underwater, his lungs constricting. It couldn't be.
"Hey soldier." Red lips broke into a smile.
"Peggy." He breathed, not wanting to believe that Peggy Carter was actually standing in front of him. This had to be a hallucination.
"Of course." She walked across the room, stopping just a few inches in front of him. He drew back. She put her hand on his arm. He jumped at the contact. So she was real. "You gave me quite a fright." She continued. "But Stark managed to calculate the trajectory of the crash based on the direction and your heading and, while you were a bit frosty, we brought you home." She smiled as he processed it. He'd dreamed of this exact scenario for about a year after waking up in the SHIELD compound.
"I-" His brow furrowed. "I don't remember."
"Well." Peggy shrugged. "I suppose that's because you were unconscious for a while." She grimaced. "And the first time you woke up, you...you were a bit delusional." She tilted her head. "Is it you?"
Steve crossed his arms, stepping back. He had no idea what was happening, but his best bet was playing along and getting as much information as possible. "Who else would I be?" He asked. Peggy tilted her head. It really looked like Peggy, down to the perfume she preferred and the way her lips pulled back when she smiled. Steve swallowed, his hand reaching to touch his wedding ring, a habit he'd picked up to ground himself since he'd gotten married. But it was gone. He looked down at it in confusion. Peggy shook her head, moving away sadly.
"I suppose that answers my question." She said, pressing a hand to her temple. "You know, it hasn't been easy for me, coming in here only to hear you ask why you aren't in 2017. Steven."
He shook his head. "I just..." He looked down at his hand. "This isn't real."
"No. Steven." Peggy put her hands on his arms. "What you keep telling me, isn't real. You suffered a terrible trauma and it affected you." She swallowed. "We've been trying to help you heal, but no normal person could have survived what you went through." A hand came to cup his cheek. "Our working theory is that your brain rewired itself incorrectly when you healed causing all these...false memories."
Steve shook his head. "I'm not creative enough to come up with a fraction of what I've lived for the last 6 years." He backed away. "I've faced things that I could never imagine, experienced things, met people." He glanced down at this empty ring finger.
Peggy inhaled sharply. "Ororo?" She said. "You've mentioned her." She bit her lip. "The first time you woke up you fought through almost a whole battalion of SSR agents, demanding that we take you to her." She pulled away. "You think you're married to her."
"I am." Steve said. "I am married to her." Peggy sighed.
"A flying woman who can summon lightning and storms from her finger tips?" She asked. "Do you hear how crazy that sounds?"
"It's the truth." Steve said stubbornly.
"I know you believe that." Peggy murmured. "But none of it was real."
Steve shook his head, grabbing at the hem of his shirt. "About a year ago, I was helping a squadron of the X-men take down an anti mutant cell. They took control of Tony's suit and he hit me in the side with a unibeam. The burn healed, but it left scarring." He pulled up the shirt. Peggy crossed her arms, her eyes full of pity.
"Steven." She murmured. "Look at your waist."
He couldn't. He refused to believe that everything he'd lived was a lie.
"Steven." She repeated. "Look."
He dropped his gaze. There was nothing. The slight stretched and discolored skin was gone. He pressed his hand to it, not wanting to believe it was true. Stumbling back, he heaved a breath, not wanting to believe...
No.
He hadn't realized he'd spoken aloud until Peggy flinched back.
"It was real." He insisted.
She shook her head. The door opened and Howard Stark swaggered in, holding a chart. Steve couldn't believe his eyes.
"Captain pearly whites." He smirked. "You going to sock me for being a terrible father again?" He motioned to his black eye. "Aim for the other side, I'd like some symmetry."
"Howard." Peggy scolded. "This isn't funny."
"I know that." Howard looked over at her. "I figured it out one round of fisticuffs ago." He looked over at Steve. "They call me a genius, but I still needed a punch to the face to figure out something was wrong with you, but not our Peg." He shook his head. "She knew you were nuts the second you gasped awake spouting nonsense." Glancing over his chart, sighed. "I mean, what kind of name is Ororo?"
Steve looked at them. "Am I imprisoned here?"
"No." Peggy looked horrified. "Of course not. We're just worried that you might hurt yourself." She wrung her hands. "There's a lot of people who want to thank you for your service, but..."
Steve glared at the two of them. "There's nothing wrong with me, this isn't real."
"Oh, but Orlolo, the flying woman is." Howard muttered.
"Ororo." Steve said. Peggy looked at him sadly.
"Steve." She murmured, holding her hand out for the chart in Howard's hands. The other man hesitated before handing it to her. "These are the pictures of you from after the crash." She flipped a few of the pages before giving it to him. Steve looked down, his hands reaching for it. The black and white photographs showed him on a hospital bed. He was unconscious and covered in blood. There was also an enormous gash on the side of his head.
He swallowed.
"You'd been through a traumatic event." Peggy said. "I know it seemed real, but...it was all a hallucination."
Steve looked back at the pictures. "7 years." He murmured. It couldn't have all been fake...could it?
Peggy and Howard put their hands on his shoulders. "It's alright." Peggy murmured. "We're here to help you."
3 months passed and Steve became accustomed to life in the 40's. For all of the noise and lights of the 21st century, there were a great many things that he missed. And Ororo; every day without her was torture. While Peggy and Howard's story seemed plausible, he couldn't shake the idea that it was some type of mind control or a Hydra trick. After all, he'd seen many things over the last few years. After alien invasions and evil robots, was it so crazy that some one had fabricated this?
The longer he stayed, the more he doubted it. He'd make appearances as Captain America. He'd smile, but the second the people left he'd shut down. He knew he was hurting Peggy and the others.
"Well." Howard said. "I know you've been on edge, but I have just the thing to help get your mind off your troubles." He waved a pair of tickets in his face. "Apparently the dodgers are calling up a player from the negro leagues. The news is being kept secret, but-"
"Jackie Robinson." Steve said, interrupting him. He'd been staying at Howard's house, aware of the irony of the situation. In the 21st century, Tony had allowed him to stay in his home. Howard's brow furrowed. "How did you know..." He shrugged. "I guess being Captain America comes with its perks."
"Ororo told me." Steve murmured. "Her grandparents met at that game." He looked up at Howard. "April 15 1947. The news is being kept secret, so how can I know that?"
Howard looked at him sadly. "I think you need some rest."
Steve shook his head. "I think I need a walk." He stood and walked out of the apartment. The sunlit street was completely against his mood. He'd tried every conceivable means of breaking through the illusion. He'd tried testing the limits of the illusion by travelling. He tried to seek out the mind stone, but couldn't find it. He even tried finding Charles Xavier, but there was no trace of him. Nothing, not even his family existed. He tried looking for Ororo's family. Of her father's family there was no record. Her mother's even less. Kenya didn't exist as an independent country and there was no record of white haired priestesses who could control the weather, even though he knew that generations of women in her family had her abilities.
It was as though nothing about her was real.
Peggy was waiting for him outside. She smiled, but he could tell it was forced. "Where are you going?" She asked. He shut his eyes, trying to steady himself.
"Just need to clear my head."
"Well." She said. "I know you wanted a free day, but you've got a meeting with the Canadian veterans' association."
Steve grunted. "I guess I'm going to the office."
Peggy fell into step next to him. "They're sending a representative named." She looked down at the brief in her hand. "James Howlett."
Steve froze, keeping his face blank in case he had misheard. "What was that name again?" He asked, pretending to be bored. His heart was beating out of his chest.
"James Howlett." Peggy said. "He's going to meet you at the SSR office. Where are you-?"
Steve took off. The SSR office was three blocks from the apartment Howard had put him up in. Running, he dodged and weaved through the crowds. The building that the SSR office used had a front as a telephone company. Running through the women at the switchboards, he bounced, nervously as the elevator came up. What he was doing was insane. This wasn't the Wolverine he knew, in fact it was doubtful that he'd be able to help him, but it was a connection, however tenuous, to his past...or future. He wasn't sure. The elevator stopped. He stepped out onto the office floor. The agents looked up from their desks.
"Captain." Agent Sousa stood, leaning on his crutch. "You've got a visitor in your office. We called Agent Carter to tell you, but-"
"I know." Steve cut him off, walking towards his office.
"Might wanna knock first." Jack Thomson smirked. Steve glared at him. "Howlett brought his secretary. She's colored, but the legs on her." He whistled. Steve was itching to throw a punch when he blinked.
"A black woman?" He asked slowly. "What color was her hair?"
Thompson's brow furrowed. He was about to answer when Peggy came into the office, completely out of breath. "You can't just take off like that." She said. Then her expression went blank. "I think." A distinctly un-Peggy voice said. "You shouldn't take this meeting."
"And I think." The door to his office opened and Logan stepped out, glaring at him. "That he can do whatever the hell he damn pleases." He glanced over his shoulder. "Ain't that right, Ro?"
Ororo moved into view. Steve's heart jumped to his throat as she smiled at him. "Couldn't have said it better myself." She moved past Logan and grabbed Steve's arm. He prepared for a kiss when She yanked him down. A gunshot rang out. Agent Thompson was holding a gun and it was smoking. Pulling him into the office, the three of them huddled behind the desk. Gunshots rang out, peppering the door and wall with holes.
"Not a good way to treat a returning hero." Logan growled, crouching at Steve's left. Ororo was pressed to his right side, holding him close.
"Can't you just..." He made a blasting motion. Ororo shook her head.
"The framework doesn't allow me to use my abilities." She explained. "Or Logan his."
Steve frowned. "Framework." He'd seen a piece of covert intel on it when he'd been looking through some of Fury's files. "Who put me in it?"
"Some crazed fanatic who blames you for stopping the rise of the master race." Ororo murmured. "They wanted you out of play because they thought it would make the rest of us lose hope."
"Guess he over estimated your importance." Logan grumbled. "We kicked his ass."
"The only way out is from inside." Ororo murmured. The shooting stopped.
"Steve." It was Howard's voice. "The people in there who have you hostage are dangerous."
Steve made to stand, but Ororo held him tighter. "No." She said. "The framework operates on a sort of artificial intelligence. Now that it knows you're aware its fake, it'll work to keep you in here." She glanced around them. "And if you die in here. You die in the real world as well." Steve nodded.
"Howard, I think there's been some type of misunderstanding." He shouted, pointing to the window. The glass had been broken during the shoot out.
"Steven, are you okay." Peggy's voice rang out. Steve shut his eyes. It sounded like her. It really did. Ororo gave him a pained look. He looked over at Logan.
"You and Ororo go out first." He whispered, anticipating that Ororo would protest, he added. "They probably want me alive, but you, they'll kill on sight." He pulled her in for a kiss. It had been too long since he'd held her. She threaded her fingers in his hair, gasping desperately. The kiss turned salty as tears, he realized were his own, fell. "I can't lose you." He murmured. Ororo pulled back.
"You follow, Steven Rogers." She said. "You do not try any unnecessary heroics."
He grinned. "That doesn't sound like me at all." He reluctantly let her pull away, her hands dropping from his as Logan ushered her out the window. "STARK." He shouted. "I'm going to come out now, but I need your word you won't shoot."
"We were aiming at the criminals, Cap." Thompson said. "They're some kind of illusion. Cooked up by the Soviets."
"They want you to think you're back in your delusion, Steven." It was Peggy. "Please. Don't let them win."
Ororo and Logan were safely out the window, going down the fire escape. Steve moved to the window. He had one foot out when the door banged open. Stark and Peggy were standing in the door, looking at him bewildered.
"Steve-" Peggy began.
"Rogers." Logan said from below. There was a car waiting for them. Steve gave Peggy a sad smile.
"I wish you were real." He jumped, landing next to the car. Getting in the back with Ororo, he slammed the door shut. Logan took off, driving as fast as he could.
"Damn these old cars." He growled. Ororo gripped Steve's hand.
"There's a doorway." She explained. "It's where Avengers Tower will be. When we plugged into the framework, we put it there. If we go through, we exit the framework."
"We're about 15 blocks away." Logan growled as he ran a red light. "I always hated this era."
A shot rang out. Steve pulled Ororo down to the bottom of the car. A bullet when straight through and hit the windshield.
"I'd say we're being followed." Logan announced.
"Your sense of humor is ill timed, Logan." Ororo mumbled as she looked up at Steve. He craned his head, trying to see out the back window who was following them. Another shot rang out. Logan turned a corner. The next 5 minutes seemed to freeze. He could feel Ororo's heart hammering against his chest. The car lurched to a stop.
"Come on." Logan said. Steve opened the door, Ororo's hand held tight in his as they ran. The building where Stark would one day set up Avengers tower was currently an office building. Steve kicked down the doors.
"The basement." Ororo said to his unspoken question. They ran. Logan bringing up the rear.
"Next time you decide to marry someone stupid enough to get trapped in an evil computer program." He grumbled as they burst into the storage space on the bottom floor the building. "I say you leave him and move on."
"And here I thought we were friends, Wolverine." Steve said, shutting the door behind them and dragging a large file cabinet in front of the door.
"Don't make that mistake again, Bub." He grumbled, walking over to a group of uneven floorboards. Gripping them, he pulled. Steve moved over to help him. A tunnel was hidden beneath the floor. "Prohibition." Logan explained. "There's a ton of bottles down there, shame they're made up of ones and zeroes."
The door began rattling. "I'm glad you have your priorities in order." Ororo sighed, as she went intot he hole. Steve followed. The tunnel was dark and damp. Ahead, a flickering blue light obscured his view of the end of it.
"That's the gateway." Ororo grabbed his hand.
"Steven." Peggy's voice echoed in the corridor. He turned. She was standing, pointing a gun at Ororo. He put himself in front of her. "They're lying to you."
He shook his head. "This isn't real." He whispered. "None of it."
"How isn't it real?" Peggy said. "Steven, how does anything you say you lived through makes sense?" She had tears rolling down her cheeks. "Stay."
"Peggy." He began. "Give me the gun."
"You already left me once when you crashed that plane." She was shaking. She looked so real and a stab of guilt ran through Steve. "You're home, Steven. You don't need to run off. Your entire life is here. The life you've always wanted."
He held out his hand. "The gun. You don't want to do this."
"Rogers." Logan growled. "She's not real, she's a piece of hardware."
"Logan." Ororo hissed, her hand going to Steve's back, steadying him.
"I love you, Peggy." Steve admitted. "That will never change, but...this isn't my home. Not anymore." He stepped back, holding Ororo and running at the gateway. then they were falling falling falling.
He gasped awake, his lungs burning. He was lying on a cot with wires attached all over his body. He pulled them off, wanting to stand, but his legs were weak.
"Don't stand." It was Ororo's voice. She was at his side, taking his hand in hers. "You've been in there for a while. Your body needs to become accustomed to movement."
Steve let his head fall back onto the cot as doctors surrounded him. "Ororo." He said.
"I'm here." She squeezed his hand.
"You're real." He murmured, his eyes growing heavy. "You're real."
Hours later, they were both in his old quarters in the Tower. Steve had wanted to go home, but Tony insisted that they stay in the tower so he could monitor them in order to see if there were any lasting effects. The two of them were lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"When I came off the ice." Steve murmured. "There were moments when all I wanted was to fall asleep and wake up back in the forties. Have people tell me I'd been hit in the head and it had all been a hallucination." He looked over at Ororo. She turned, her expression soft as she propped her face on her hand.
"I'm sorry they used that dream against you." She murmured. "Can I ask..." She paused, uncertainty furrowing her brow. "There's a lot about the 21st century that might seem unbelievable. What made you so sure that you hadn't imagined all of this?"
Steve shook his head. "I couldn't invent you." He took her hand. "And I couldn't invent how you make me feel." He pulled her closer. "I knew you'd find me."
Ororo hummed, running her hand over his side. Steve bit back a groan. "You knew?" She asked. "That your hero would save you?"
"Yeah." He grimaced as she laughed. "It's the first time I've been a damsel in distress."
Ororo grinned, moving to lie on top of him. "How does it feel?" She asked, her fingers running along the collar of his shirt. Steve groaned.
"I understand why people swoon over Thor after he saves them?" He mumbled, closing his eyes, trying to regulate his breathing.
"I hope I'm more impressive than Thor." She punctuated the statement with a roll of her hips. Steve gripped her thighs.
"So much more impressive." He agreed. "Ororo." He murmured, his skin heating as she reached for the hem of his shirt. "I think-" She silenced him, her lips covering his. He gently eased her off. As much as he'd missed her, he needed to get something off his chest first. She looked at him, her expression curious. "I need you to know that nothing happened with Peggy."
"I know." She sat up. "The guilt would eat you up alive and you'd have confessed it already." She ran her hand down the side of his face. "Steve, I know who I married." She bit back a smile. "Besides, how much trouble could you really have gotten yourself into in 3 days?"
Steve sat up in horror, feeling his skin crawl. "3 days?" His throat was dry and he could hear his heart pounding in his ears.
"Yes?" Ororo's brow creased. "What's wrong?"
"Ororo..." Steve wasn't sure how to explain his panic. "I was in there for 3 months."
3- Therapy
"This is unnecessary." Steve said, pacing. Across the room, Jean Grey arched an eyebrow.
"Why do you say that?" She asked.
"I just..." Steve glanced around the library, trying to voice his thoughts. "I've been displaced before, I can handle it." It wasn't the first time he'd lost his past.
Jean tapped her pen against her pad. "So because you can take a hit, you think you're invulnerable."
"I can take this type of hit." Steve stopped his pacing and crossed his arms. Jean pressed her lips together.
"If you, for example had a piece of shrapnel sticking out from your chest, you'd go see a doctor." She said. Steve frowned.
"Yes..." He said, knowing where she was going.
Jean straightened her notepad. "Well then, I'd say being stuck in the framework for 3 months-"
"It was 3 days." He interrupted. Jean gave him a gentle smile.
"For us, yes. But you experienced 3 months in there."
Steve sat down heavily. "Look." He said. "I'm only here because Ororo's worried."
Jean shook her head. "We both know that's not true."
He glared. "Are you reading my mind?"
"No." Jean said. "I don't have to. If you just needed someone to talk to, you could have talked to Sam Wilson." She paused, letting the suggestion hang in the air between them. "You came to me."
She was right. Steve exhaled slowly. "This isn't going to be easy for me." He murmured, the admission grating, even as he felt the truth of it. "I haven't been too good about taking care about myself."
Jean nodded. "I know." Steve arched an eyebrow. "Your wife is my sister, Steven. I've heard things." She chuckled. "Don't worry, nothing that we discuss in this room will make it back to Ororo."
Steve exhaled.
"So." Jean held up her notepad. "Where do you want to start?"
Steve walked into the house, listening to Ororo talking quietly to someone in the living room. Stopping in the entrance, he watched as she and Jubilee looked over a paper, Ororo giving suggestions while Jubilee listened, her eyes slightly unfocused. Ororo seemed to notice this.
"So basically, if you add the part about green unicorns, you'll ace this paper on Gothic literature."
"Sounds good." Jubilee agreed. Steve snorted as Ororo gave her friend an indulgent smile. "What?" Jubilee looked at her in confusion.
"You weren't listening." Ororo said.
"I totally was." Jubilee protested.
"2 words." Ororo said. "Green. Unicorns." She handed the paper back to her. "My notes should help you enough." Turning, she stood, a smile growing on her face as she looked over at Steve. He smiled, content to simply watch her. Jubilee looked between them and rolled her eyes.
"Gross. Mom and dad are going to make out."
"Mom and dad?" Ororo pressed a hand to her chest, pretending to be insulted. "That's Scott and Jean."
"Right." Jubilee bumped her hip as she passed. "More like Grandpa and trophy wife." She nodded at Steve as she walked past him. "No offense Cap."
Steve shrugged. "I've heard worse.
Jubilee hesitated before hugging him. He blinked down at her in surprise. "Sorry." Jubilee said, stepping back. "I know it was only 3 days, but...Ororo really missed you." She stepped back, clearing her throat. "Thanks Ro." She left, slamming the door behind her. Ororo winced at the noise.
"So." She crossed her arms. "You hungry?" She smirked. "Grandpa."
Steve shook his head, pulling her close, winding his arms around her waist. "I just need you."
4- Fear of sleeping
Ororo dug her nails into his shoulder, moaning into his ear as she rolled her hips against his. He gripped her hips tighter, thrusting. She was tight, warm, and real. Oh, she was very real. Pressing his forehead against her shoulder, Steve nipped at the skin on the juncture of her neck and shoulder. Her legs squeezed his waist harder. "Steve." She breathed. He was so close. He pressed her harder against the wall, one hand leaving her waist to further steady himself. Ororo's head went back. "You're close, aren't you?" she whispered. Steve could only groan as she clenched. Shivering, he nodded. Ororo let out a small laugh and he could feel her vibrate around him. He'd missed her. "Yes." She encouraged. "Yes. Yes. Yes." A small spark emanated from her fingertips and zipped down his spine.
Steve shuddered, pressed his hips forward as he spilled inside her. He caught his breath, shaking. His skin cooled. Ororo squirmed slightly letting out a frustrated whine. "Sorry." He said, pulling back from the wall and carrying her to their room. Ororo put her arms around his shoulders, her eyes looking into his. "The wall at the top of the stairs wasn't my first choice." He settled her gently on the bed. She lay back, her hands crossing above her head, grinning up at him. He knelt between her legs, taking a moment just to look at her. He'd never tire of it and he'd sure as hell never take it for granted again. "But I just couldn't help myself, angel."
"Ever the romantic." Ororo arched her back, lifting her hips in invitation.
Steve nosed her neck, his tongue tasting her sweat as he kissed his way down her body. Ororo closed her eyes, her lips parted in a smile as moved with him. He cupped her gently, drawing his fingers through her wetness. Pressing her heels down onto the mattress, she rolled against his fingers. Her chest heaved as she covered his hand with hers, urging him to go harder. He slipped a finger in, feeling a fresh rush of arousal as her legs opened even wider, putting one over his shoulder.
"Stop..." She ground against his hand. "Teasing." She jumped as he circled his thumb around her clit.
Steve kissed her stomach, moving lower, replacing his fingers with his tongue. She still tasted the same. "Oh." She gripped his hair, pushing him harder against her. He looked up at her, eyes closed, mouth open, head back, the hand that wasn't in his hair, kneading her breast. She was magnificent, perfect. His.
"STEVE." The shout of his name was accompanied by her pulling at his hair and pressing her foot into his back. Steve groaned grinding against the bed as her moans made his blood rush south Ororo panted as she pulled up, wiping at his mouth and licking his lips. She brushed her hair out of he face, smiling up at as he moved up, settling next to her. Pressing herself against him, she kissed him, her body slick with sweat. He cradled her against him, feeling a contentment settle in his bones.
She moved back, smiling up at him. "So." She said, running her hands down his chest. "Don't think that this means I've forgotten our conversation from earlier."
"Hmmm?" Steve pretended to hum, but inside he tensed. Ororo gave him a knowing look.
"You haven't been sleeping." She propped her face up on her arm. Steve shut his eyes, rolling onto his back.
"I've been going over mission reports." He mumbled.
"Because you aren't sleeping." Ororo prompted. He nodded.
"I just..." He hesitated, unsure why he was worried about admitting the truth to her. "I sometimes wonder if this is the simulation. If I'm going to shut my eyes and find you gone." A glance in her direction revealed her brow furrowed in concentration. When she saw she had his attention, she raised a hand. Sparks jumped from her fingers. Steve shifted back. A small smirk broke out on Ororo's face. She was teasing him.
"Real enough for you?" She asked. Steve shook his head. "I don't know what you're going through, but I do know this. Whenever you need reminding that this is real, I'll be here." She waved her fingers in front of his face. "Ready to jumpstart your reality." Steve snorted, catching her hand and bringing it to his lips, kissing her fingers.
"I would have thought puns were beneath you."
Ororo smiled. "Shows how much you know." She moved closer. Steve shut his eyes, taking in a sharp breath as she kissed his eyelids. "I'll be here in the morning." She whispered as she held him. "I'll watch over you."
5- You're what?
Steve leaned his head on Ororo's stomach, sketching the tree across the lake from them. She ran her fingers through his hair, reading her book. It was a relaxing day at the institute. The grounds were empty because Logan was running a training exam in the Danger Room. All the students were either freaking out before taking the test or freaking out after it. Steve frowned at the willow, trying to capture the way the branches swayed gently in the breeze on his sketch pad. The pencil scratched across the page as the paper of Ororo's book rustled.
"This is nice." Ororo murmured. Steve lowered his pad, closing his eyes and leaning back his head to let the sun soak over his skin.
"It is." He agreed. Ororo's fingers stilled.
"It is a shame though." She said, sighing dramatically. Steve opened one eye, arching his brow. "That this isn't going to be possible soon."
Steve frowned. "Because winter's coming?" He asked, unsure what she meant.
Ororo shook her head, looking down at him indulgently. "No, because there won't be enough space."
"In the grounds?" Steve asked.
"On my stomach." Ororo corrected, smiling. Steve frowned. She waited, clearly for him to put together the dots. Shaking her head, she sat up. Steve's head slid off and he dropped it to the ground. "I'm going to go find lunch." Her voice said from above him. "Seeing as I'm eating for two."
It finally clicked. Steve shot to his feet, staring at Ororo. She put her hand on her hip, tilting her head as she smiled at him. He raked his eyes down her form, but couldn't tell any difference. "You're what?" He asked, hardly daring to believe. She took his hand in hers, pulling him closer.
"Think that'll be okay?" She asked. "Sacrificing your pillow."
Steve put his hand to her waist, his heart hammering in his chest. "I think I can handle it." He said. "But it'll be difficult." He grinned. "Clearly I'm going to be the one of us that's going to suffer most in this."
Ororo laughed. Steve used her distraction to sweep her off her feet, carrying her to the Institute.
"Come on." He said. "I want to tell everyone."