Steve put away the last of the fruit in the fridge, glaring at the remnants of the smoothie disaster from this morning. He'd been so excited to help Celia start off her day on a good note and he'd completely ruined it. Well, not completely, but sometimes it was okay to let your mind be over dramatic. He just needed to do something to help take his mind off what was going to be going on in the gym below him today.

Seeing Celia effortlessly save Tony from that nail a week ago had been pretty shocking. After those first few days with her having shown no hints of any extra abilities besides the healing, seeing that out of nowhere had been almost too much to handle. They had just started to find their footing with the healing thing, but these new possibilities were like pulling the rug out from under their feet.

It wasn't that he wasn't happy for her to have inherited more of his gifts, but he just didn't know what that meant for her. She seemed happy enough in her old life, even though he'd only seen a glimpse of it before everything changed in that elevator. But he had seen the twinkle in her eye when Tony showed her the clinic he was building and the office he'd set aside for her. Steve knew how much Celia liked helping people, but was she going to now be doing it on a grander scale?

This superhero life wasn't all it was cracked up to be, even for him. When he'd gotten the serum, he thought he'd be another face in the crowd, just another soldier out there doing his part. But things obviously didn't work out that way and he'd had to adjust, because what other choice did he have? Not everyone had the ability to do that though. Steve could see Celia being able to, since she'd already reinvented herself once in her life, but did she really want to do it again? He couldn't see her flashing her face on TV screens like Tony, so she'd have to be careful for the rest of her life.

Not like she wasn't already living a careful life. Steve didn't think someone who got their name legally changed through the courts like Celia had would ever fully let her guard down. And with all the things she'd been doing to help other women, she was more like a Shield agent than most people. Maybe she was better suited to this life than he wanted to admit.

Steve glanced over to the clock on the stove, glaring at the minutes that were going by too slowly. He had no idea how long this session was going to take. What did he even do in his spare time anymore, besides do something with Celia? It hadn't even been two weeks since they first met and somehow she was a giant part of his life. Not that he was complaining. The rest of the team was great and he liked spending time with them, but that was different. They saw him as Captain America first and were just starting to get to know Steve Rogers. Celia only knew him as Steve, and that was kind of refreshing. He didn't have to wear that persona around her and when it tried to slip through, she called him out on it. It was nice to have someone be more interested in him as a person than him in his role.

Steve slowly washed the dishes he used, trying to draw out the task while he thought of what to do next. Normally, if left to his own devices, he would be down in the gym working out himself. But he didn't want to get in the way. And he didn't want to leave his floor, in case Celia came back or they needed him for something. He really needed a hobby.

So many times since he'd woken up he'd considered starting to draw again. He'd walked around an art supply store once and was awed by all the options there were now. Back in his day, he'd used whatever he could get his hands on, and more often than not, they hadn't been high quality items. But he always figured technique and skill were more important than what you had to work with. He'd seen art installations made with trash that took his breath away.

It was getting started that was the hard part. Bringing things into this time that reminded him of his past was always tricky, so he didn't do it often. Steve always had to weigh the risks versus the rewards. Was the possible pain he felt going to be worth it in the end? He thought back to when Celia asked him if he'd cried yet. No one else had really asked him about how he'd felt, but he wasn't too upset about that. He didn't want the others to see him vulnerable. But he didn't think he was completely opposed to letting Celia see that side of him. She'd sobbed and wept and writhed in pain in front of him. She probably wouldn't judge him for shedding a few tears in front of her.

"Jarvis, how are things going down there?" he asked, cringing at the idea that he was spying, but unable to help himself. It wasn't as if he was going to watch what they were doing over video, but a little update wouldn't hurt.

"Ms. Burke is currently running on a treadmill," Jarvis answered. Steve figured that wasn't so bad. He wasn't expecting Natasha to make her fight hand to hand while Clint shot arrows at them, but he could never be too sure. The people on this team were always cooking up something strange.

Steve wandered into the bedroom, settling down on his side of the bed. He could read a book while Celia was gone and at least be somewhat productive. There was still a lot of history to catch up on, even if parts of it weren't too interesting. He was a few pages into the leadup to the Vietnam War when he realized that he'd come to think of his bed as not just his own. Steve had always slept in the middle of his bed, because why wouldn't he? Why sleep on one side when you had all that extra space? But now it seemed so natural for him and Celia to go to their separate sides, as if they'd been doing it all along.

He hadn't shared a bed with many people in his life. Steve slept with his mom sometimes during the colder months of his youth and Bucky when he was older for the same reason. And on the battlefield, you only got so much space in between your fellow soldiers. But this was different. This was more intimate. Not that they'd done anything of course, but more often than not, they ended up tangled up in each other. He wasn't complaining about it though. Steve didn't think he'd slept so well since he'd woken up.

And he had to admit he wasn't really looking forward to her moving into her own room. Part of it was Steve not wanting Celia to go through her healing thing alone. Another part just found comfort in her being by his side. When he had a nightmare and opened his eyes, seeing her lying there helped snap him back into the present.

Steve groaned, trying to focus back on his book. He didn't understand why his thoughts kept slipping back to Celia. They barely knew each other still, but yet, they had something in common that most people didn't. They both had to leave their old lives behind and start fresh. Not at all the same circumstances, but they knew what it was like to be alone in the world.

Steve was finally able to engross himself in his book, flying through chapters as he read about the terrible war and aftermath. If history told him anything, it was that there would always be a need for people like him. When he looked back up at the clock, he was startled to find three hours had passed. How long was this session supposed to last? What were they even doing down there?

He set his book down, knowing he wasn't going to be able to sit still any longer. It was a good enough time for lunch, so Steve headed to the kitchen to make a couple sandwiches. No mystery smoothies this time. Surely Celia would be done soon and they could laugh over lunch, with her teasing him about being so worried. They were probably just talking. Steve was putting the finishing touches on the sandwiches when he heard the quiet sound of the elevator doors opening. Well, that was pretty good timing.

"I was starting to get worried that Natasha had killed you," Steve laughed as he walked over to greet her. His next words got caught in his throat when he saw Celia being supported on either side by his teammates. "What happened?"

"You thought I what?" Natasha asked.

"Why just Natasha?" Clint pouted.

"It's not as bad as it looks," Celia brushed off, as if she wasn't being held up by two other people.

"She just took a bit of a fall," Natasha explained.

"With 200 pounds on her back," Clint added.

"Not that far," Celia said, negating her argument when she shifted and winced.

"I think I can take it from here," Steve ground out through a clenched jaw. He stepped up to them purposefully, giving Clint a nudge out of the way. He lifted Celia into his arms, grimacing when she couldn't hold back a hiss of pain. "We'll discuss this later."

"Dad's never gonna let us play with her after this," Clint muttered as they walked back onto the elevator.

"She's a big girl, I'm sure she can sneak out," Natasha scoffed.

"Don't be mad, they didn't do anything wrong," Celia sighed, resting her head on his shoulder.

"I want all the details after," Steve grumbled, carrying her into the bedroom. He hadn't been expecting her needing to heal when she came back. Maybe being a bit sore from running for a while, but not having to be carried.

"Wait, don't put me on the bed!" Celia protested as he began to set her down. "I'm too sweaty. Just set me on the floor."

"If you think I'm going to lay you down on the floor like an animal, you're out of your mind," Steve snorted, placing her softly on top of the mattress.

"Always a gentleman," Celia grinned, shifting around to get comfortable. "Especially when you know I'll do the laundry."

"Well, you have to earn your spot on my floor somehow," Steve joked, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her.

"And after the smoothie this morning, I'll keep kitchen duty as well," Celia giggled, scrunching her nose at the memory of it.

"I hope that doesn't make this part worse," Steve said with a cringe. Gastrointestinal issues were something he wasn't sure if the healing would take care of. And if it did, what would that look like?

"Don't worry, that stuff is long gone. I was lucky enough to experience it a second time," she snickered.

"Do I want to know?"

"Probably not, but I'll tell you anyways," Celia sighed, closing her eyes and trying to settle. Steve knew how hard this next part was for her. How did you convince your body to let you fall asleep when you knew you were going to immediately wake up in pain? She'd been doing good with it the past week, but this was the first time since the abduction that she'd had something significant to heal, instead of just normal living wear and tear. "I can hear you thinking."

"Developing new abilities? Because I'm pretty sure that one didn't come from me," Steve chuckled.

"And they say you aren't funny."

"Who says that?"

"Everyone."

"Unfortunately, I was only just starting my comedy career when the war got in the way," Steve smirked, reaching a hand out to brush a stray curl from Celia's forehead. "What are we dealing with here?"

"Just tweaked my back a little," Celia mumbled, leaning into his touch. Steve shifted so he could keep stroking her head from a more comfortable position. A little touch or scratch always helped to settle Celia for this next part.

"You want me to stay?" Steve murmured, always making sure he gave her the option. He didn't want to assume she wanted him there every time, even though he would be if she wanted it.

"Please," Celia breathed out, reaching up to grab him around his wrist. Steve nodded, even if she couldn't see it, sliding onto the bed to lie down next to her. He started their usual routine, with him talking about whatever came to mind. This time it was just regurgitating everything he'd read earlier while he was waiting for her. Steve kept his voice deep and even, letting the natural rumble vibrate into her side.

It didn't take long for her to drop off and then she was squirming. The only good thing about this time was she didn't have to be careful with her movements during, since he didn't think she was planning on going right back to sleep. They still didn't know how sensitive the healing ability was, so Celia always tried to keep as still as possible while she healed, so she wouldn't cause any more damage and fall into a cycle of repeatedly waking up. Steve knew how hard that was for her, since moving through the pain felt more natural, but he just did his best to try and ground her during it. This time, however, he gave Celia her space to move how she wanted.

After a few minutes of wiggling and moaning, she finally settled, her limbs splayed to the side. Steve let himself relax too, relieved that this round was over. He felt guilty for feeling so affected by watching this every time, since it wasn't like he was feeling any of the pain. But it was its own kind of torture watching someone you cared about be in pain without being able to do anything about it. And knowing deep down you were the cause. Steve tried not to think that way anymore, since it only upset Celia, but he couldn't help it sometimes. But if Celia really joined the team, he was going to have to get used to seeing this.

"Well, I think I'm ready for a shower," Celia sighed, plucking at her sweaty top.

"That sounds like a good idea," Steve agreed, propping himself up on one elbow.

"So, I was wondering," Celia started, rolling her head to stare up at him through her long lashes, "what's your shower look like?"