All things considered, the couch in Q's living room was probably the best thing he had slept on in a month. Sure beat the various motels he and the others had stayed at while tracking down whatever Chitauri weapons from the Battle of New York that were being sold. The couch had pillows and blankets for him, plus he was actually able to sleep through most of the night considering there wasn't any need to keep watch. The part he hadn't been able to sleep through gave him the opportunity to finish one of the bookcases that Q had given up on after their dinner had arrived.
Of course, there had been a slight argument over who would take the couch versus who would take the bed. Q was insistent that he take the bed considering he was the guest, but Steve argued that he should take the couch since he was the guest. He could practically hear his mother's voice in the back of his head telling him it was impolite to kick a lady out of her own bed. While it was left unsaid, there was a feeling in the room regarding them just sharing the bed like they had used to do. It wasn't something either of them acted on; both aware that they weren't allowed to. So he slept on the couch.
Waking up early enough meant he was able to go on his run without catching anyone's attention. No one was out before the sun except for him, which was something he enjoyed. A chance to be by himself. It had been awhile since he had a moment or two to himself. There were no early morning runs when tracking down Chitauri weapons' dealers, nor was there any real alone time. Someone was always around, or there were team meetings or delegations or what have you. He was always Captain America. Or whatever now he was without his trademark shield. He had given up the Captain America title when he chose Bucky over Tony. He wasn't quite sure what that made him now. Non-Captain America? All he knew was that he was never able to be just Steve Rogers. At least not until he got to upstate New York, and back to Q.
He had lied when he had told Q what brought him back. While it was true that the butterfly necklace at the street market had reminded him of her, that wasn't the first time he had thought of her. During the past several weeks since he had gone rogue with the others, there were random moments where he found himself missing her. Little things, like the pendant, reminded him of her. Or when it was his turn on watch, sometimes his thoughts would drift to her - wondering what she was doing at that moment. When he did have dreams instead of nightmares, they almost always were about her and their picturesque future together. Briefly, he wondered if Wanda was the one influencing his dreams so that he could get a good night's rest.
At first, it confused him. He had made it clear to not only Q, but also himself, that they were no longer together. And the chances of them getting back together were still pretty low. Though, apparently what he had said, and how they had left things, were no concern of his heart. It still longed for her - even in the simplest of ways. The butterfly pendant just happened to be the thing to push him over the edge.
When he had found out what happened to her, and the deal she had made, he figured it was as good as time as ever to check in on her. Just to make sure she was okay. Or at least that's what he told everyone - and himself.
Letting himself into her apartment, he took a minute to survey the area. There were still a few boxes scattered around the floor, waiting to be unpacked. But the bookshelves had been assembled and placed where she wanted them. Ready to be filled with her knick knacks, photo albums and hopefully books. Slowly, it was beginning to look more and more like a home. The thought of which sent a pang through his heart for a reason he wasn't sure why.
With Q not awake yet, he set the breakfast sandwiches that he had picked up in a warm oven, then went about turning the makeshift bed he had slept on into the turquoise couch again. Folding the blankets and setting them at the foot of the L, then placing the pillows on top of it. It took him less time than he knew it would, meaning he still needed to find something to do to fill the time before she came downstairs. He couldn't very well get a shower considering her only bathroom was upstairs and he didn't want to risk waking her just so he could shower.
Not wanting to unpack any of her boxes without her permission, he searched the small kitchen for a coffee maker or something of the sort. He knew he wasn't going to find one; Q didn't even drink coffee, but it still didn't stop him from looking. Instead of a coffee machine, he found a box of hot chocolate packets, some tea bags that were probably there when she moved in, honey and a tea kettle, which would have to work. He could make the hot chocolate for her, and get his caffeine from the teabags.
The shrill sound of the tea kettle whistling was what finally woke Q up. It took a second for her to remember where exactly she was - something she figured would go away once she got more and more used to her new life, then another second to remember who else was in her apartment. A slight zing of excitement went through her stomach at the reminder that Steve was there, and not only was he there, but he stayed.
"Good morning." she greeted him once she stepped around the stairs. His back was to her for a moment, pulling something out of the oven. Dressed in a tight fitting tee and a pair of basketball shorts, it was clear he had gone for a run while she was sleeping. The normalcy of it made her heart skip a beat. As he turned away from the oven, she spotted two breakfast sandwiches in his oven mitted hands, "Oh, didn't realize you went foraging." she teased. He rolled his eyes slightly, trying not to be obvious about how he was checking her out.
It had been a long time since he had seen her what she wore to bed. Just an oversized tee with no bra that barely covered the underwear she was wearing. Gave him a chance to get a good look at her ass and legs. Her curls were still as wild as they always were when she first woke up, but there weren't those dark circles under her eyes anymore. Like she actually slept through the night. Relief briefly flittered through him at the thought of her no longer being plagued by nightmares.
"Had to do at least a perimeter check." he teased back easily, "Make sure you picked a decent neighborhood to move into."
"And you think I didn't do extensive research on their breakfast sandwich places and pizza spots beforehand?" she cocked an eyebrow while moving to sit in the small dining area that was nestled against the wall. It had a long bench that was big enough for two people protruding from the wall so that a small table and two chairs could fit in front of it.
"Doesn't mean I couldn't do my own recon." he shot back with an easy smile, plating their breakfast sandwiches. He brought her breakfast to her first, then doubled back to get his. She had lounged out on the bench, so he took the chair across from her.
"You finished the bookshelves." she pointed out with a tilt of her head in the direction of where he had set up the empty, but built, shelves. A clear indication that he hadn't slept through the night, and she knew about it. Though she didn't comment on it further, she just pointed out the fact.
"Yeah," he looked back at her after looking over his shoulder at the bookshelves, "they were a little more complicated than those IKEA stools, but I think they'll hold all your stuff." he grinned at her, not noticing the slight furrow of her brows at the reference, "Let me know if you want them someplace else." he moved to take a sip of his tea while the furrow of her brows got deeper.
"What IKEA stools?" she asked while picking at the bun of her breakfast sandwich. Steve paused in his sip of his tea, talking over it as he explained,
"The stools we built in my old apartment, remember?" he waited a beat and the furrow of her brows smoothed out. She dropped her shoulders and let out a small laugh,
"Oh, right. Oh my God, those things were so uncomfortable." she repeated what she had said the night before, but didn't seem as confused as she had been a moment prior, "But I was a little worried the one I built would break under you." she laughed, shaking her head as she did.
While Q took a bite of her sandwich, a wave of deja vu washed over Steve. Eyes falling away from her face, he thought back to the night prior; they had definitely had the same conversation they were having in that moment. She had even said pretty much the same thing again, but acted like it was her first time saying it.
Not wanting to push it, he chalked up her temporary lapse in memory to it being early in the morning. She had just woken up after all. Maybe it was just taking a minute for her to get her thoughts organized again. She claimed she was fine, better even, but he had no idea what went on in that head of hers. Had given up trying to figure it out too.
Beside the strange moment of deja vu, breakfast continued on normally. It was nice to be able to sit with her in the quiet normalcy. There was no reason to worry about being found out by the people he and the others were looking for, or the people who were looking for them. Armory Square was an oasis compared to the chaotic cities they had been residing in for the last month. There was no rush to do anything. They could just sit there and talk.
Though, to be fair, Q did most of the talking. While he was sure she was more than okay with hearing him talk about what he had been up to since he left Wakanda, she had more important things to tell him. Like about Bucky's recovery; telling him about the few days she had spent with him before coming back to the States. Some of the guilt he had been harboring for years finally started to fade away once he learned about Bucky's new life.
From listening to Q talk about Bucky's new life, he seemed to be okay. Better than when Steve had first found him in Bucharest. He heard all about the small cottage in the Wakandan valley, the healing tribe that helped both of them, the farmwork she had, surprisingly, done, and even about Chad the goat. As far away as Wakanda was, it was the safest and best place for Bucky. Steve was sure he would be visiting soon, just to check in and make sure everything was really okay. And to check in on Chad the goat since Q wouldn't be able to in the near future thanks to the ankle monitor she was sporting.
"That's not uncomfortable, right?" he gestured to the ankle monitor that was wrapped around her right leg. She hadn't really talked about it, but it had been on his mind since he had first noticed it. Sticking her leg up and out, she showed it off like it was some fine piece of jewelry.
"Nah," she made a face, shaking her foot a bit, "Sometimes I forget it's there." he stared at it for a moment longer, watching the green light blink against the thick, black plastic. It looked heavy, but not impossible to break through. He knew he couldn't do such a thing though. That would cause more trouble for her. And he was already causing enough just by being there. "Steve, it's fine. I only have to wear it for six months." she got his attention away from the ankle monitor, "Just so the government can make sure I'm not a threat or whatever." she waved her hand in the air, thinking the whole thing was ridiculous, "I'm just glad it's black. Goes with everything." the two of them shared a grin. He was happy to see her sense of humor was back. One of the many things he had missed about her. That, and his concern subsided a bit; as long as she wasn't worried about it, or it wasn't hurting her, he wouldn't focus on it.
"Though you're lucky they don't think of me as more of a threat than they already do," she started while sliding out of her seat with her empty plate and mug, unconcerned with how he was still finishing his sandwich, "or else you wouldn't even be able to be here." she glanced at him with a half smile, "There'd be cameras and shit everywhere." she joked as she made her way to the kitchen to deposit her dishes into the sink. "Some real Big Brother shit." she made her eyes wide at Steve from behind the sink. A snort escaped him and he rolled his eyes in response,
"Jar." he automatically responded out of habit. Then followed up with "Is this your way of telling me to get lost?" he raised his eyebrows while popping the last bit of his sandwich into his mouth. Although he didn't want to go quite yet, he would if she wanted him to. He could understand why she didn't want him around; it was a danger to her, and also maybe a painful reminder that they were no longer together. Something that had become apparent in her attempt to kiss him the night prior. Even if they weren't together, it didn't mean he had stopped caring about her. He still loved her, still wanted to make sure she was okay, and help her if she needed him to, but he would go if she wanted him to.
"No, absolutely not." she turned off the sink and quickly shook her head while answering him, "It's nice to have a familiar, friendly, face around." he considered her answer for a moment before getting up from his chair,
"That and someone to carry all your heavy shit and build you furniture." he added with a grin, vindicated when she tried and failed to not smile at his joke. Narrowing her eyes in a playful manner, she snatched his plate from his hands to rinse off while he set his empty mug in the sink.
"Okay, so real talk," she prompted as Steve turned so his back was nestled in the corner of the counter. He wasn't sure what she was about to continue with but he figured he might as well prepare for the worst, "How did you find me?" she raised her eyebrows at him while his furrowed. A beat passed as he waited for her to break, but she didn't.
"Q, what?" he let out a small laugh, pushing off the counter a bit, "We talked about this last night." he tried to remind her, "I talked to Dawson, remember?" he gave her a look, tilting his head down a bit. This time her brow furrowed,
"You talked to Dawson?" she sounded almost amused by what he said, "I didn't realize you two were talking." she grinned at him. Another wave of deja vu washed over him, just as it had during the breakfast they shared.
"We talked about this." his concern was beating out his annoyance with the repeating conversation. He knew he should wait until there was another example of a lapse in memory, but he couldn't help his effort to try and get her to realize something was going on.
"No, we didn't." There was a slight smile on her face, clearly thinking it was some sort of joke. He paused for a moment before shifting closer to her,
"Are you okay, Queenie?" he kept his voice soft while he leaned closer to her, not wanting to upset her, "I'm not trying to make you upset." he voiced his position, hoping not to get into an argument with her, but watching as the smile on her face faltered a bit, "This is just...we had the exact same IKEA conversation last night too." he pointed out, gesturing to the breakfast table they had been sitting at minutes earlier, "There's been these like small lapses in your memory." his stomach sank at the realization that she might not remember certain things, like about him and her. "I'm just...worried that it might be something serious. Something that has to do with the effects of whatever Princess Shuri did to help you." he shifted so he could lean one hand on the counter beside the sink and still be able to look at Q. A small wince crossed her face at the mention of her having memory lapses.
"How many?" her voice was soft and nervous, but she kept her eyes on him, watching him for any of his tells that he might be lying to her.
"Only two so far," he assured her, still not wanting her to get upset, "but I think it's something to talk about." she stared at him for a moment longer before pulling her lips in and nodding.
"Bucky mentioned that when he woke up, it took a second for everything to come back to him." she started to explain, wringing her hands together, "Memories and stuff. I thought since I could remember everything immediately, it meant I was fine." she glanced away from him and swallowed the lump in her throat, "Though maybe not." he watched her eyes fill up with tears, already reaching out to comfort her.
"Hey, it's okay." he assured her, "You're okay." he rested a hand on her arm, "Bucky said it came back, right?" she nodded and he continued, "Maybe your brain just needs to heal a bit more. You've dealt with some stressful stuff over the last few weeks. And this move probably didn't help either." he didn't know much about how the brain worked, but if she still had some of her super soldier properties in her, he knew that in time, it would heal. She would just need to help it along. "We'll figure it out." he promised her, just as he had the night before when they discussed her future. Originally, he thought figuring it out was more about her future career path, not her long term memory, but apparently there was more to it.
"No, no I can do this on my own," she backed away a bit, from his touch, and put her hands up, "This doesn't concern you." he gave her a small smile,
"When you're forgetting things that involve me, it does." he tried to joke, but it came out a bit more serious than he intended. Trying to make up for it, he added, "Can't have you forgetting when you puked on my shoes." At the reminder of their failed bar tour, she let out a low groan.
"And here I was hoping you would forget that." she covered her face with her hands while he laughed at her reaction.
"Never." he assured her much to her disappointment, "I'll tell that story at your funeral." she groaned again, hands dropping from her face so she could look at him,
"Well, consider yourself uninvited to my funeral." she said in a serious tone, though he didn't take it that way, still grinning at her.
"Let me help you, Queenie." he lifted his chin in her direction, "'Bout time I repay you for the years you spent on me." she raised her eyebrows at that in silent agreement, only for him to add, "Plus, who better to help remind you of what you forgot, than someone who's been around you as long as I have." Neither one of them touched the unspoken except for the two plus years he hadn't been, even though it was lingering over them. Still, she sighed, giving in.
"Alright." she raised her hands up, "One ticket down memory lane, I guess."
A/N: You know me, I love a good memory loss trope. Don't worry, nothing terrible is going to happen - this is just my way of bringing back all the lovely Queve moments in an effort to get these two back! together! Please don't be mad lol but PLEASE let me know your thoughts/any specific Queve moments you want to relive! I love any/all feedback you can give me. As usual, I hope you're all staying safe and sane and healthy.