"Steve, you know I don't really do holidays." Brooklyn grumbled from where she sat at his kitchen island. He'd woken up early and made her waffles with fresh cut strawberries and a mountain of whipped cream, and that was after collecting her favorite latte from the coffee shop across the street.
Steve Rogers snickered without looking up from the crossword puzzle he was working diligently on, "Who says we're celebrating? Can't I just make you breakfast because I love you?"
"It's Valentine's Day." Brooklyn deadpanned, stabbing a chunk of waffle, and shoving it into her mouth, "The strawberries were placed to look like little hearts."
"Doesn't mean we're doing anything else. Just wanted to show you I loved you." Steve shrugged as he squinted down at the paper, "What's a four-letter word for a feeling of adoration?"
Brooklyn rolled her eyes and sipped her latte, "Aren't you hilarious?"
"You must think so, because you stick around." Steve teased as he finally looked up at his girl, "If I made a reservation, would you go to dinner with me tonight?"
"No."
"If I flew you to New York to see Dallas for the weekend, would you see a Broadway show with me tonight?"
"No."
"If I already got you a present and it's something I can't return, would you reject it?" Steve questioned with a grin. He sat down his pen and pushed the newspaper aside so he could stare down Brooklyn for an answer, "Well?"
"Well, what?" Brooklyn spat back, taking the last bite of her waffles, "Valentine's Day is for children. Please don't fall for it, it's just a reason to jack up the prices of candy and flowers."
Steve studied Brooklyn as she stared him down, taking in the flecks of green in her hazel eyes and the way her shorter hair looked even thicker than it had before she left. She'd spent hours training at the gym, and it was beginning to show as her stomach began to shrink and her muscles grew firmer again. Some days she'd overexert herself, and Steve would sit in the bathtub with her and massage her tense shoulders as she soaked. It was more of a treat for him than her, because it always ended up with her straddling his cock and riding him until she felt nice and loose again.
He wanted to ask what happened to the locket he gave her. He hadn't wanted to bring it up, because he knew she took it with her, and he knew it didn't come back with her. He considered getting her a new one but decided against it. Replacing it would most likely make Brooklyn feel bad, and she wasn't big into receiving gifts in the first place. Instead, Steve had picked out something she had once mentioned she wanted.
Brooklyn pursed her lips as Steve gazed at her silently, not responding to her, "What did you get me?"
"You'll know when you get it. First, I made a reservation in Manhattan tonight, after which we're going to see a show that Nat recommend, it's kind of a Wizard of Oz spinoff sort of thing." Steve said with a smirk as he attempted to sound like he knew what the hell his friends had set up for him and his girl.
Brooklyn nodded, "So, Wicked? It is very good, I haven't seen it in person."
"She said I might understand what's going on." Steve shrugged and Brooklyn just laughed, shaking her head as he leaned far across the counter to kiss her. As he pulled away, he murmured, "Then tomorrow we'll spend time with Dallas, and come home Sunday night. At which point your present will be ready for you."
Brooklyn sighed, massaging her temples, "I think the whole New York trip is present enough for a holiday I don't like-"
"It's too late, I already bought it." Steve lied, moving around the island to grab her by the waist, "Go pack, we're leaving at noon, so we have time to drop our stuff off and get cleaned up before dinner tonight."
"Where are we staying? The Plaza?" Brooklyn teased as she looked over her shoulder at Steve.
He squeezed her a little tighter, pressing a firm kiss to her cheek as she giggled, "Somewhere even more exclusive."
Steve carefully landed the borrowed quinjet on the docking pad at Avengers Tower. As soon as the wheels were on the ground, he looked over to see Brooklyn's eyes wide as saucers.
"Are you sure I'm allowed to be here?"
"Of course!" Steve laughed, unstrapping his seatbelt to stand, "Why wouldn't you be?"
"I'm not an Avenger." Brooklyn muttered as she took Steve's hand tentatively, seeming to stiffen when Tony Stark appeared from the glass doors leading inside.
Steve snorted as they trotted out the back of the jet, sparing a loving glance at his girl, "I'm Captain America. If I say you go somewhere, you get to go there. It's that simple. Plus, we have a whole floor to ourselves, it's not like we'll be a bother."
"Cap." Tony greeted as they reached him, "Agent Hayes."
"Wow, you actually know my name?" Brooklyn teased as Steve shook Stark's hand, "Nice to see you again, under better circumstances."
"Well, I figured if Cap still wants to be with you after leaving him sad and alone for over a year, you'll most likely be sticking around." Stark told Brooklyn and Steve narrowed his eyes at the billionaire as he made fun of his girlfriend. Stark noticed Steve's frustration and chuckled, "Easy, Capcicle, it's all in good fun, right Hayes?"
"He's called me by my name twice. He's winning brownie points from me." Brooklyn told Steve as she leaned up to kiss his jaw, "Can we go get changed for dinner?"
Steve nodded and led Brooklyn towards the elevator, looking over his shoulder to see Stark giving him a thumbs up from the doorway. Once the doors slid closed, Steve turned to Brooklyn, "He's right you know."
"About what?" Brooklyn hummed as they soared higher.
Steve's mouth twisted and he looked down to hide his cheeky grin, "About you sticking around. I have no intention of letting you go."
Brooklyn sighed, but when Steve turned to her he realized she was smiling, "I know. I wasn't planning on going anywhere, but you wouldn't let me if I wanted to. I'm too lucky to throw this away, you realize that right? You're pretty much perfect."
Steve dipped down to capture Brooklyn's lips in a tender kiss before whispering, "I enjoy having someone to spoil and take care of. I've always been on my own, it's nice to share a life with someone."
The way Brooklyn's eyes widened as she looked up at Steve made his knees weak. They weren't filled with fear, but with surprise and adoration. This was the woman who had panicked at the first sign of a potential proposal, but this look was different. "You want to share your life with me?"
"I already do." Steve clarified, giving her an out in case he was misreading her signals, but he was almost positive that her breathless expression meant she was happy with what he'd implied, "I'd like to make it official, if you'd let me. I'll do it right, but I want to make sure you'd say yes."
Brooklyn seemed to consider this for a moment, and it was as if she finally realized what he was asking her, because her smile dropped and she looked at the ground as the elevator doors opened, "I-"
"Don't need to have an answer. I'm not asking you to marry me." Steve assured her as she looked around the floor in amazement. Steve had seen the view of Manhattan from the 90th floor before, and he was much more interested in gauging his girlfriend's reaction to their conversation. "I just want to know if it's something you'd be interested in."
"Yes." Brooklyn blurted, and Steve saw her immediately stiffen, and he wondered if she hadn't meant what she said. She raised her head as she stepped towards the massive windows overlooking New York, then turned around to face Steve fully. With a deep breath, she repeated, "Yes. I would be interested in marrying you. Very much so."
Steve blinked as he crossed the space to take her hands, realizing she was shaking a little, "Are you sure? I'm not asking you now, I just want to know if that's something you'd ever want, and I-"
"Steve, I just told you what I would say. If you buy a ring, I'll say yes." Brooklyn reiterated, looking almost as stunned as Steve felt. Her chest rose and fell as she nodded quickly, her smile growing the longer she gazed at Steve, "Honestly, let's get married this weekend. We can elope, and we can run away together. Get away from SHIELD and the Avengers and be together. Just the two of us. What do you say?"
Steve was taken aback by her suggestion, if only because it was very out of character for Brooklyn. She'd mentioned running away before, but she'd never been so eager to marry Steve and move to the suburbs. That was his dream, not hers.
"I…maybe. I was kinda thinking we could- well, yeah, maybe." Steve stammered as he looked around the room for some sort of answer. Did he want to get married right now? Did he care if he didn't get a wedding? It's not like he had any family or close friends to invite anyway, so what did it matter? It just seemed rather brash to make a life changing decision on a whim like this. "Isn't it a little fast? What's the rush?"
Brooklyn sucked in a sharp breath and laughed, "I just… I thought we could have a real life outside of all of this. I don't want to worry about you all the time. Working for SHIELD is dangerous work. Being away for so long made me realize that. I kinda want out, and I want you to leave with me."
The man sat on his bed as his mind raced. Leave SHIELD? Leave the Avengers… not just leave but run away where they couldn't be found. It sounded nice. He understood why Brooklyn wanted that, because of everything she'd seen and experienced. SHIELD owned her body and her mind and could track her and control her. No wonder she wanted to be free.
But Steve had a higher purpose. He was meant to do what the normal man couldn't, and it was his responsibility to uphold that purpose. He couldn't run away. He couldn't turn his back on what Erskine had created the serum for: to protect those who couldn't protect themselves.
"Brooke… I can't." Steve said softly as he tilted his head back to look up at her. She nodded, sighing deeply as she took a seat beside him. "I understand."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." Brooklyn answered with a smile, "That doesn't mean I've changed my mind."
"Let's not worry about that now. Things could change someday. Just, not right now." Steve assured the woman as he kissed her cheek, "For now, I'm taking you on a date and to see a show."
Brooklyn's soft smile warmed Steve's heart. She didn't look the least bit disappointed by his confession. Perhaps she always knew what Steve's answer would be, but he was glad she asked. It gave him something to think about.
When the sun broke over Manhattan, Steve awoke to find Brooklyn's bare back pressed against his chest. He ran his fingers over her hair, causing her to moan and roll over, nuzzling her head against his neck, "Morning."
"Good morning, Sweetheart." Steve hummed as he ran his hand from her shoulder blades to her ass, taking a full grip of her plump skin to pull her closer. "When is Dallas coming?"
Brooklyn groaned and tried to nip at Steve's skin as she pushed her hips towards him, "She said she'd be here by ten."
"What time is it now?"
"Not ten." Brooklyn purred, dancing her fingers down Steve's chest towards his cock, grabbing it lightly, "I have a few ideas for us to pass the time."
Steve's lower stomach clenched at her touch, moaning as he arched his back, "Yeah?"
"Yeah." She quickly straddled Steve, hovering over him for a moment as he gripped her hips to guide her down onto him, hissing lightly as he slid inside her.
"Captain Rogers, you have a visitor downstairs."
Steve snapped his head up at the ceiling and groaned loudly, but Brooklyn just leaned over and overtook his mouth with her lips. She shoved her tongue down Steve's throat and he tried to focus on what JARVIS had said instead of the feeling of Brooklyn slowly moving up and down his throbbing dick, "Baby, your sister is here."
"Shh, she can wait."
"Captain Rogers, Mister Stark has allowed your guest access to the tower's elevator."
Steve shoved his fingers into Brooklyn's hair, feeling her tighten against him, "Sweetheart we don't have time…"
"Babyyy…" Brooklyn whined as Steve flipped them around quickly and took charge, ramming into her until she finally gasped and bit her bottom lip to keep from screaming. She panted as Steve pulled out of her, kissing her quickly before retreating to the bathroom.
Not a minute later, Steve could hear Dallas's loud voice echoing through his bedroom, teasing her older sister, "Bitch, did you just have sex? You knew I was coming!"
"I didn't know what time it was!" Brooklyn shrieked and Steve smiled to himself and turned on the shower, effectively trapping Brooklyn naked in their bedroom with her nosy sister.
Two hours later, Steve sat across from Brooklyn and Dallas at a little coffee shop at the corner of Park Avenue and 42nd Street. He'd frequented it before the incident with the Chitauri, and was glad to find it rebuilt after all the damage they'd caused.
"I'll take an Americano and a club sandwich please. Extra cheese, butter, not mayo." Dallas ordered as her bright eyes scanned the menu, humming as she considered whether or not she wanted Tony Stark to pay for anything else, "That's it for now. I'll probably order some sort of dessert to go."
Steve thanked the waitress before turning his attention back to Brooklyn, who scrolled through Dallas's phone casually, occasionally smiling softly, "What'cha looking at?"
"Dallas got a cat." Brooklyn said dully, and Dallas looked taken aback by her lack of excitement.
"Mr. Mittens is a gem, and you should appreciate him more." Dallas barked back in response, swiping the phone and flipping through her photos until she found the one she liked. She turned it to Steve, showing off a scrawny black and white kitten, "He's cute right?"
"Very." Steve answered, noticing how Brooklyn rolled her eyes, "You don't like cats?"
"I'm more of a dog person." She grumbled, crossing her arms, "Which is ironic, because Dallas is basically an overexcited puppy and I'm the bitter house cat."
Dallas snorted, beaming up at the waitress as her Americano arrived, "What's the old saying? Opposites attract? Guess that goes for pets, too. Gotta have something to balance you out, ya know?" Dallas winked at Steve, and he shot her a warning look, causing Brooklyn to look between the pair curiously.
"What was that?"
"What was what?" Steve parroted as he sipped his black coffee.
Brooklyn narrowed her eyes at Steve, but he didn't budge, "That little exchange there."
"Don't know what you're talking about." Steve answered with a shrug, looking to Dallas, "Do you know what she's talking about?"
"She's just worried I'll steal you away." Dallas winked again, more obnoxiously to make a show of it for Brooklyn.
The shorter woman groaned and leaned back in her chair, placing her hand over her eyes, "You're insufferable. You're lucky I love you, because if anyone else flirted with my boyfriend like that, I'd kill them."
"I just like to watch him squirm." Dallas purred towards Steve, running her fingernails up and down the underside of his exposed forearm and causing the hairs to stand on edge. "He's adorable when he's embarrassed."
Brooklyn quickly pushed back from the table, causing Steve to jump and Dallas to pull her arm away. She grinned wickedly down at her sister, then turned to Steve sweetly, "I have to use the bathroom. Are you gonna be okay, or do you want to come with? They probably have a family stall?"
"Public indecency."
"Nobody asked you." Brooklyn bit back at her sister, but Dallas just leaned her arm over the chair back and sipped her drink as she gazed up at Avengers Tower.
"I'll be fine. I can handle her." Steve promised Brooklyn before tugging her down to kiss her. As Brooklyn walked away, he turned to Dallas and sneered, "What the hell was that?"
"I panicked! You're the one who asked if she didn't like cats, I was just trying to distract her!" Dallas argued, hunching over, and looking over her shoulder to make sure her sister was gone. "Did you look into the kind I told you to?"
"I did." Steve said evenly. He paused for a moment before taking a deep breath, "Something happened last night, though. It, uh, makes me reconsider tomorrow."
Dallas leaned her head to the side, causing her long pixie-cut to fall away from her face, "You rethinking the puppy thing? It did seem a little extreme of a Valentine's gift for someone who has a fear of commitment. I mean, sure, she wants it, but are you willing to be the one to take care of it?"
"No, not that. I… she…" Steve trailed off, trying to decide whether or not he should disclose the details to Dallas, but she was the best person to ask for advice, "Brooklyn told me she wanted to get married this weekend."
The woman across from Steve straightened up as her jaw slackened a little. She quickly pushed back her short hair and clamped her hands together, resting them on the table as she lowered her voice, "Really?"
"Yeah. Kinda came out of nowhere. She said we should get married and run away together. I was… surprised. This came after she told me she'd say yes if I asked."
"She's normally so gun shy about the M word." Dallas added. She rested her lips against her fist and stared at Steve's coffee intently. "Do you want to run away with her?"
"I can't, Dallas. I can't just up and leave." Steve answered, looking up to make sure Brooklyn wasn't coming. "I don't know where this is coming from, but I want to marry her. Maybe I should ask her tomorrow with the puppy?"
Dallas seemed to consider Steve's dilemma, and he wanted her to hurry up and give her some advice before Brooklyn came back, but she didn't seem to be in too much of a hurry. Steve huffed in frustration as he clenched his coffee, and that was enough to draw Dallas's attention back to him, "Don't do it."
"What?" Steve tried to hide his surprise. "Don't propose?"
"No. Don't do it. Not yet." Dallas said quietly, looking over her shoulder nervously, "I mean, I'm sure everything is fine." She looked back to Steve with a forced smile, "It's Brooklyn. She's… she's a little nervous, and a little reckless. I've talked to her a lot since she's been back from Belarus, and she's struggling. I think this whole running away thing could be a fight or flight instinct. She's scared to fight again." Dallas said softly as she rubbed her molars together, "Don't propose yet. Give her a little more time."
Steve's heart hurt at the woman's words, but he knew she was right. His Brooklyn was just barely starting to reappear. He couldn't risk it by pushing her, even if she had given him the go ahead. "Okay. Should I still buy the puppy, though?"
"Did you pay for her yet?"
"No." Steve admitted, scratching the back of his neck.
"Maybe now isn't the time to give her a living thing to take care of. She seems to be struggling to take care of herself…" Dallas slowly responded as Steve's expression changed to a beaming grin when Brooklyn reappeared from inside the restaurant.
"So," she said as she sat down, "what did I miss?"
By Sunday afternoon, Steve and Brooklyn were heading back to D.C. Steve had decided not to buy her a puppy yet, at Dallas's urging, but he couldn't stop thinking about what Brooklyn had said. She'd told him that she would say yes. She'd basically already accepted his proposal; he just had to get the ring and plan the time. Part of him wanted to ask her without a ring and have her pick the one out she wanted.
The other part of him knew Dallas was right- Brooklyn wasn't acting like herself. She hadn't been since Belarus, and Steve was beginning to wonder if she had told Steve they should get married to keep him from leaving her. Or to keep her from running away. He didn't understand, and she didn't want to share, but something was definitely wrong, and neither a ring, nor a puppy, were going to fix it.
"So, you said you got me a present I couldn't return even if I wanted to." Brooklyn said from the passenger's seat and Steve winced a little.
"Maybe I just said that to get you to come to New York with me?" Steve offered and she just shrugged, not seeming to care much one way or another.
"It was a great weekend. Even if I hate Valentine's Day."
"I'm glad you enjoyed it." Steve answered, thinking about their conversation from Friday night, "So, I wanted to talk to you more about the whole getting married and running away thing."
Brooklyn perked up and turned to him, but Steve kept his gaze on the skies as they approached Washington, "Yeah? What about it?"
"Why are you so keen on running away?" Steve questioned, finally sparing her a full look. "I'm Captain America. That isn't just something I can give up and pass on to somebody else, I'm the only person in the world with a working version of the super soldier serum. I have a responsibility to serve and protect, and you were the one who taught me how to do that with SHIELD. I just don't get why you want to leave it all behind? What happened in Belarus that you aren't telling me?"
He looked away from Brooklyn to make sure he was still flying straight, but Steve could hear his heartbeat in his ears as he waited for her response. What she gave him was her favorite excuse, "It's complicated."
"Then start explaining. I've got time." Steve answered with a sharp look, noticing how uncomfortable she looked, "I love you. I want to marry you. Hell, I'll marry you today if that's what you want, but I need you to be honest with me. I get that you're a spy and that you have to keep secrets, but why are you keeping secrets from a mission that's already done? I killed that man, Brooklyn, nothing you say about it now can change what happens moving forward-"
"I can't get pregnant.", Brooklyn answered in exasperation. Steve looked to her for a moment, then looked back through the windshield as she elaborated, even though he wasn't sure he didn't want to hear what she had to say. "While I was in Belarus, the General had his physician check to make sure I was clean when he decided to start the affair. The doctor told me I had damage to my uterus, and therefore, couldn't get pregnant." Brooklyn sighed as Steve tightened his grip on the controls.
Steve heard the control snap before he realized what had happened. He let go and the pieces crumbled to his feet as he turned on autopilot to address Brooklyn, "What?"
"It's okay. I didn't want kids-"
Steve was shaking as he realized it was him. He did this. He hurt Brooklyn. She wasn't able to have kids before the General even laid a finger on her. That was on Steve.
"I took that option from you." Steve told himself, feeling tears begin to well up in his eyes. "My God, what have I done?"
"Steve. It isn't your fault. It was an accident. I don't blame you."
"I… I don't know what to say." Steve stumbled, standing quickly and storming to the back of the jet so he could pace back and forth. "Does Fury know?"
"He knows now. That's why I haven't been working. They aren't sure if I can go back in the field. He's worried about internal bleeding should I sleep with an asset…" Brooklyn stood and grabbed his arms to stop his pacing, "I've assured him that I'm fine, and that I'll be as careful with everyone else as I am with you. It's honestly better this way- for work especially."
"Fuck, Brooklyn!" Steve yelled as he punched the side of the jet, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you'd do this." She droned. "I knew you would be all overdramatic about it and make a big deal about it. So maybe I don't want to have an office job, and I want to run away and have a life with the man I love? I thought maybe we could just… not have any luck, you know? That you'd never have to realize why we couldn't get pregnant." Brooklyn wrapped her arms around Steve's chest, but he was still stiff as she held him, "Darling, it's okay. We're okay."
Steve felt terrible. He'd hurt Brooklyn so much more than he'd been led to believe, and she acted like it didn't matter. She always protected Steve, but she always protected him by lying to him. Omitting the truth was just as much a lie. "I'm so angry."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm angry at myself." Steve said as he carefully pushed Brooklyn's shoulders away. "I need some time, okay?"
He couldn't face her, but he heard her sniffle before she whispered, "Okay."
Everything in Steve wanted to whip around and pull her into his arms and promise he'd make it up to her, but he couldn't. Steve couldn't fix the damage he'd done, and she thought she had to lie about it.
Steve dropped into the pilot's seat and realized he'd shattered the controls. Brooklyn didn't sit beside him, so he just stared out the window in silence, glad Dallas had told him not to propose. He had to take some time to forgive himself and forgive Brooklyn for choosing not to tell him such important things.