"This looks amazing Rosie!" Bucky complimented as she set the dishes down in front of them. Steve got served first, then Bucky, then she sat down with her own plate.
"It's just a little family recipe, both Dad and Mum liked to cook so we had a lot of those. It's nice to have someone to make dinner for if I'm being honest," she said bashfully, looking at Steve with a smile.
"Thanks again for having us," Steve said.
"This is a thank you dinner for you! You've been so good about letting me tag along with you these past two weeks, I have more content on Brooklyn then I know what to do with! Oh, and a sorry dinner for taking your pal away from you so much Buck,"
"Don't mention it, feel free to take him out any time you please, bring him back be 10 on the dot though or there'll be hell to pay!" Bucky winked, and started cutting into his pork.
"Grace!" Steve protested, but Bucky just stuck the food in his mouth and Rosie laughed. "You act like you were raised by wolves,"
"We were raised by wonderful women, I just happen to be a slow learner," Bucky said through a mouthful of food. He then groaned. "This is amazing,"
Steve frowned at his friend, who he had specifically asked to be on his best behavior, then gave a wincing smile to Rosie and took a bite himself. He groaned too.
"Yeah, he's right for once, this is really good."
"I'm glad you guys like it!" Bucky made another appreciative noise. "Though if I realized I'd be feeding a pig i'da served something other then your cousin Buck,"
The table laughed and the meal continued, the evening marched on at a slow pace, Rosie starting to clear the plates and getting stopped by the boys who insisted on washing up. They ate apple pie (Which made Steve blush yet again as Rosie admitted she'd made it especially whe she found out it was his favorite) and listened to her records.
The evening came to a close and everyone left happily, and the tradition of Rosie's dinner began. Once a month she'd cook a lavish meal and they'd dress up in nice clothes, coming over and having a grand time. When money was tight for the boys she'd send them home with leftovers, and it was sometimes what kept them going (Not that they'd let her know that). She noticed when they were looking a little more lean though and would often force them to come more often when that happened, although Steve would never accept any money.
Steve never forgot to bring a flower after the first dinner. Sometimes Bucky would boost him up against a wall and he'd grab a lily or a rose from one of the rich women's gardens down the way, or he'd spend an afternoon picking wildflowers for a proper bouquet. His job was going well, and despite their money troubles he soon had a fair amount saved, and was ready to ask her on a proper date.
It was mid November, when disaster struck.
Rosie was sitting in her apartment, trying to put pen to paper when she sighed. It had been at least a week since she heard anything from Steve. She had been planning on asking him on a date, she knew she should wait till he did (Something she struggled with but knew was appropriate for the time) but it had been August when she came and they barely left each other's side since. She'd been getting frustrated when her advances, little hugs and hand touches, kisses on the cheek in gratitude, made him blush but garnered no date invitation or advances of his own. And when he just disappeared, she thought he must need space.
She assumed that he didn't like her as she thought he did, maybe he went off her when he realized that she likes to nap in the daytime, and that she snored when she did. Or maybe it was when she spilled gravy down her dress the other month during their dinner. Maybe Bucky had set him up with a better looking dame (That one she shook off. Steve wasn't the sort to go on looks alone, and Bucky was almost as good a friend to her as Steve was, he'd never do that). But after a full week with no word, despite her letters continuing to flutter through his letterbox, she decided something had to be done.
She put on her nicest dress, the pale blue one Steve liked, he commented once that she looked like a summer's day in that dress, and did her hair up. She put on her perfume and lipstick, and nodded at herself in the mirror before marching down to his apartment, the one she'd never actually been inside. God, she really was an idiot wasn't she. He clearly didn't like her. She almost turned back but furrowed her brow and continued on. If he didn't like her that was fine, and if he didn't want to be her… friend he could bloody well say so to her face. She had other things to do for sure! Plus the war was about to start so now would be the perfect time to get out of dodge if there was no reason to stay.
"Steven Grant Rogers, open the door!" Rosie said firmly as she knocked, holding her bag tightly with her left hand, her chin tilted up and a defiant look on her face.
"Go away Rosie," A quiet voice said from inside, which despite the thin quality, she recognised as Steve's.
"No! How dare you tell me to go away through the door Steve, I thought you had better manners than that," Rosie protested, her voice wavering a little. She could feel her eyes start to prickle.
"Just go home, go find some other guy to hang around with," He mumbled, Rosie bit her lip and frowned.
"Steve, I'm coming in!" She said. There's no way she'd be brushed off like that, she'd have it out with him in person and then leave a note for Bucky telling him to come on over for a goodbye dinner before she left for good if that's how he felt. She'd say goodbye to him and her other few friends from the 40's and run off home.
"Don't!" His voice cracked, but Rosie was already opening the door, to be met with a sad sight.
Steve was curled up on his side on the sofa, his face pale and sweaty, tucked into his shoulder as he tried to hide from her gaze. He was wrapped in blankets and tissues and glasses of water were placed next to him so he could reach them. Now inside, she could hear every breath as it rattled from him.
"Steve-" Rosie said, her hand still on the door handle as she looked at him, her heart breaking for the sight that she saw in front of her.
"This is- this is why I told you to go Rosie," Steve said, not even looking at her. He couldn't even muster the energy to sit up. "You don't need to deal with this, Bucky's at work right now but he's taking care of me. You can go and live your life, don't feel like you gotta stay and deal with me,"
"Stevie," Rosie said, shutting the door behind her. He didn't look up. "Stevie, please,"
He looked up at her, his eyes misty with shame and embarrassment. He expected to see her face full of pity at best, disgust was more likely. No girl wanted to step out with a boy they might step on, let alone one who looked like he was a dying old man at 23. But what he saw was Rosie, in her best dress, looking like an absolute picture, with tears running down her face.
"Rosie, please don't cry, I'm not worth crying over," He said, his voice cracking as his eyes welled up too.
"Steve of course you are you huge idiot," She ran to his side, kneeling at his head and placing her hand on his cheek. "You're freezing!"
"Get like that in winter," He joked, his smile fond and watery as he looked at her.
"I'd kill you myself if I didn't think you were doing a good enough job of that yourself already," Rosie warned, grabbing a cloth from the side and dipping it in water, carefully wiping his skin. She felt how cold he was even under the blankets and made a decision. "Right, move over."
"What?" Steve exclaimed, starting a coughing fit.
"I run hot, you're a couple degrees from an ice cube. I'm getting in there with you and warming you up."
"Like hell you are! You'd catch it!" Steve protested, bundling himself even tighter with what strength he had.
"I have an immune system of gold I promise, and if I do catch it you'll be all better and can bring me all the chicken soup your heart desires. Now let me help you or by god i'll start crying again," Rosie lifted the blankets and got into the makeshift bed, wrapping her arm around Steve and pulling him close so his head rested above her heart.
"You really shouldn-"
"Shut up Steve, you need to rest," Rosie cut him off, and he was suddenly too warm and comfortable to argue. He turned bright pink when he realized what his head was resting on, but she was so soft and warm he couldn't help but relax.
Rosie arranged the blankets nicely around him, and started to stroke his hair gently from around his face. He closed his eyes, and his ragged breathing calmed slightly, no longer quick and harsh from the cold. She watched him as he slowly gave into the sleep, his beautiful features relaxing slightly.
"Rosie?"
"Yes Steve?"
"I'd- I was gonna ask you on a date. I saved up the money to take you to that nice restaurant on fifth, but we had to spend it on my medicine. I uh, would you still like to maybe- go out on a date with a smutz like me?" He asked, hand delirious with sleep and illness, his eyes closed.
"Steve, i'd have gone anywhere with you on a date if you'd only asked you stupid man," But by the time Rosie had finished speaking Steve was already asleep, exhausted.
Rosie smiled at him fondly, once again stroking his fine blonde hair from his eyes and gently laying a kiss on his forehead before nuzzling into him herself. She slowly closed her eyes, her breathing evening out as she felt herself slipping into a state of calm she hadn't felt in years. The issue with her mind was that it was always working on about thirteen different things at once. She'd always have a to do list as long as her arm, draw this, write that, clean this, cook dinner, remember to wash her hair, should she try making her own drapes? If she made a chair would it be nicer then the one she bought at the market? Should she drop some dinner to the next door neighbors? The mum looked awfully frazzled and needed a break. But when she was with Steve she never felt like she was running out of time. She always, funnily enough, felt like she had all the time in the world to simply enjoy the moment.
Using a quick flick of her wrist she used her telekinesis to fix a few things without waking Steve. She closed the drapes and set some more logs on the fire, straightened out the blankets and binned all the used tissues. She dumped out the old water and poured a fresh cup in case he wanted it when he woke up, and then finally gave in and dozed off, hugging Steve to her like a teddy bear.
"Well ain't this cosy!" Bucky crowded as he burst in. Rosie woke immediately, having to gently get her telekinesis to put down the knife it grabbed and poised to hurl into Bucky as a reaction, luckily he didn't notice the pointy object being set down.
"James Barnes don't you dare wake him," She hissed, tucking Steve's head under her chin even more to protect him from the loud noises.
"James huh? Guess I really am in trouble, can't believe the little Casanova managed to charm a dame into his sickbed, I should start taking tips from the punk,"
"I swear James i'll never cook for you again," She promised, and James paled, but the damage was already done and Steve began to stir, waking up and groaning.
"Bucky? Rosie?" He mumbled, trying to sit up then realizing he was caught in sheets and something very warm. He opened his eyes and came face to face with Rosie's rather ample cleavage, causing him to hold his breath and go redder than he ever had before.
"It's ok Steve, you can go back to sleep, Bucky was just being a nuisance." Rosie promised, kissing him on the head again.
"I- I'm actually feel- feeling a lot better Rosie! Yeah! I'm gonna run to the bathroom!" Steve untangled himself the best he could and walked as quickly as he could to the bathroom to deal with the tightness that had suddenly sprung up in his pants. Bucky tried to hold back his laughter at his best friend, he almost felt bad for him, but he'd take an embarrassing exit for waking up on top of a girl like Rosie any day.
"So Ro," Bucky started, looking at her as she got up and patted down her hair, straightening all the blankets out and getting to her feet.
"Yeah Buck?" She asked, leveling him with a look.
"I was only jokin', sorry about waking him up," He said bashfully, he actually did feel a little bad now the humour of the situation had left him. Steve hadn't got nearly any real rest the last few days, Bucky had stayed at home with him as long as he could keeping him warm and stopping him from being down in the dumps, but he had to go to work eventually.
He hated leaving him at home like that alone but Steve had refused to let Rosie know about how ill he was. He was coming out of it now, but he still wheezed so bad at night Bucky worried that each one of his breaths was a death rattle.
"I know Buck, you're everything to each other. God knows you're doing your best." Rosie said with a soft smile, walking up and giving him a warm hug around his middle. Bucky returned it, smiling into her soft hair that smelt of roses and honey just as Steve always waxed lyrical about. "Next time though, let me know he's ill? Even if he doesn't want you to? I was so worried, I though, I thought he-"
Bucky looked down at her, pulling her away so he could look at her face. He saw a few unhushed tears threatening to fall before she blinked them away and he tucked a piece of loose hair behind her ear.
"It doesn't matter what I thought anyway. But you could do with some help when he's like this and by god I want to be the person to help ok?"
"Rosie, that boy is half in love with you whether he admits it or not, you never need to worry about that. He'd sooner jump in front of a train then make you hurt. He's just a stubborn mule who doesn't realize. I promise. Next time I'll send a carrier pigeon, or a skywriter."
"Or just give me a call. That works too," She giggled.
Big thanks to the person that commented on every chapter. I know I already updated today but this one's for you. Hey, if you guys keep commenting I'll probably be at 50,000 words in no time! There's about one more chapter till Steve becomes Captain America, then about 3 more till we meet the Avengers. So stay tuned everyone!
