It had long been said that the Battle of New York changed everything, but if it truly had, then what happened in Sokovia had change the world further still. The Avengers had been successful in their mission to stop Ultron, but the collateral damage ended up being far more than any of them could have ever imagined.
When all was said and done, the Sokovian capital city of Novi Grad had been completely decimated, $474 billion in damage had been accrued and 177 civilian lives had been lost. Among the dead was Pietro Maximoff.
With her last living relative gone and the only home she had ever known in shambles, Wanda Maximoff's life was suddenly set adrift. After the help she had given them in defeating Ultron, Wanda was accepted into the ranks of the Avengers, who were experiencing an upheaval of their own.
In the midst of battle, the Hulk disappeared on a Quinjet and, in the time since, Bruce had been presumed dead. Thor returned to Asgard to learn more about the recently discovered Infinity Stones and Tony retired from the team leaving Steve, Natasha and Clint to assemble a new team of Avengers consisting of Sam, Rhodey, Wanda, and Vision.
In the aftermath of Ultron's attack on the Tower, the Avengers established a new base using a series of long abandoned Stark Industries warehouses. Upon its completion, the facility served the dual function of housing the Avengers' compound and accommodating what was left of those who were loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D. The day to day operations were being run by the combined efforts of Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Helen Cho, and Erik Selvig.
Naturally, Steve had made the new facility his home. As much stability as he had secured over the last few years, more and more, he found that changes had seemed to become unavoidable. Some changes were for the better, while some were for the worse. One negative change was that he and Martha were once again living apart. That change, Steve hoped, would be temporary if all went according to plan.
"Things feel different," Martha confessed as she sat up in Steve's bed.
It was the weekend, so she had slept over. The commute to and from the base in upstate New York to UNIT headquarters in Midtown Manhattan had quickly become something of an inconvenience. So Martha was currently living in Tish's old apartment at the Continental. As media liaison to the New Avengers, Tish found it easier to do her job when she was able to keep a watchful eye on the team's movements and wardrobes thus she had taken up residence in the new facility as well.
Steve was sitting on the edge of the bed. He stopped in the middle of pulling on his shirt to look back at Martha. "What do you mean?" He asked, attempting the mask the trepidation in his voice. Her statement seemed sudden, but even he had to admit that things weren't the same as they had been before Ultron's assault on the Tower. Here they were, eight months into their engagement and it was as if they were only making guest appearances in each other's lives.
Martha crawled forward and leaned against his bare back. "Things feel different at work," she clarified with a soft smile.
Steve relaxed against her. "What's going on at work?"
"Politics," Martha answered with a heavy sigh. "Tensions seem to be brewing back home following the elections. Political shifts always make the UN a bit tetchy and the Sokovian situation only made a bad situation worse."
Steve nodded. In the three months since their defeat of Ultron, the New Avengers had been keeping a relatively low profile. With the exception of a break-in which saw a shrinking man make off with one of Howard's old prototypes, Steve's days mostly consisted on running drills with his new team.
"Maybe you need a change of scenery," he told Martha.
Martha kissed his neck just below his earlobe before climbing out of bed. "I thought that's what our sleepovers were for." She padded over to the window and looked at the view overlooking the compound.
Steve stood up slowly and walked over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and propping his chin on her shoulder. "The reason we're having sleepovers is because I can't bear to be away from you any longer than I have to be," he insisted before placing a tiny kiss at the point her neck and shoulder met. He felt Martha tremble at the contact and pull his arms tighter around her.
"Does that mean you'll skip this morning's training session and sleep-in with me after all?"
Steve let out an amused huff against her skin. "Sometimes being a leader means making necessary sacrifices."
Martha put just enough distance between them to allow her enough room to turn in his arms. "I'm not even on your team. So why is it that I'm the one making the sacrifice," she teased once they were face to face.
Steve squared his shoulders and resettled his hands on her hips. "Maybe you should be."
"What?" She stared at him in confusion.
"Be on the team," he clarified.
"Steve…"
"I know what you're going to say," he said, cutting her off. "You're going to tell me all the reasons it wouldn't work. That we shouldn't mix business and pleasure and that you love the job you have. But the truth of the matter is that the lines are already blurred, Martha. They've been blurred since the day we stepped foot in that exam room together. We're partners in pretty much every way…" He moved his hands so that they cupped the sides of her face. "Except one," he finished his thought, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs.
Martha stared him, silent and unreadable. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were proposing to me all over again," she responded finally.
"Are you accepting?"
"Steve. I…" Martha shook her head and let out a tiny disbelieving laugh. "Well I'm a bit shocked it took this long for you to ask."
Steve's brow furrowed. "What?" It was his turn to look confused.
Martha smiled brightly and gently gripped his wrists. "Your team has been actively trying to recruit me for months," she confessed.
"What?" he repeated. "Why didn't you say anything?"
"I reckon I didn't really take them seriously. Not at first. They're always going about this or that." Martha shrugged. She pulled his hands away from her face and led him back over to the bed, sitting on the edge. "But I suppose things changed right after the Battle of Sokovia. Remember how I helped Helen out with the medical facilities when the renovation project was just getting off the ground?" Steve nodded. "Clint bought me a coffee and we had a chat."
Steve sat next to her. "About you joining the team?"
"Not in so many words," Martha replied. "He is capable of being subtle when he really wants to be." She smiled fondly. "We talk about different things, but mostly, he talked about his relationship with Natasha. About how they're partners in every sense of the word," she said echoing his earlier sentiment. "He told me it was scary going into battle together knowing he could lose her at any moment, but at the same time…it made him fight harder. And I know exactly how he feels. So as much as I've loved my time with UNIT…my heart is always going to be with you when you're out there in the thick of it." She cupped his face this time. "Perhaps it's time the rest of me caught up."
The corner of Steve's mouth turned up. "Is that a yes?"
"I'm all yours, Cap." She pulled his face to hers and kissed him gently.
Steve wrapped an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. Martha looped her arms around his neck and arched her back, curving into his embrace. Steve grunted softly in response using his freehand to pull her onto his lap. She settled into a straddled position and Steve gripped her hips, holding her firmly in place.
Martha broke their kiss and panted, her forehead pressed to his. "What about you're training session?"
Steve locked eyes with her, his expression serious and businesslike. "It's been cancelled in favor of new hire orientation. I want to get you settled in as quickly as possible."
"Shouldn't you let your team know?" She lowered her head to nuzzle his neck.
"Only my participation in training has been cancelled," Steve answered. "I briefed Natasha on the possibility of my absence and left her with a contingency plan just in case."
Martha stifled a laugh against his throat as she stroked the hairs at his nape. "You and your plans."
"The only plan I have right now is to make sure that you're happy with your new position."
Martha lifted her head. "New position?" An amused smile played across her lips and Steve immediately regretted his word choice.
"You know what I meant," he replied, his air of professionalism faltering.
"And what if I'm not satisfied with the position I'm put in?" She shifted her hips in a way that was guaranteed to elicit a response.
At that juncture, Steve lost all sense of propriety. He had intended to literally get her oriented with the way they did things around the compound, but she clearly had other things in mind. In the moment, Steve was ready to do whatever she asked of him even when she wasn't using words.
He flipped them over so that Martha was pressed into the mattress and his body covered hers. He closed his eyes and began a trail of kisses along her collarbone. "Then we'll consider every position we can think of until we're thoroughly satisfied that we've found the one that makes the best use of your talents."