"Honey, I'm home!" Steve shouted into the giant apartment, not able to contain the giant grin stretched over his face. Alba shook her head with a reluctant smile, leaving the steaming pots on the stove to plant a soft kiss on his lips and help him out of his coat.
"You look happy," Alba noted. "Had a good day?" Steve shrugged. His day hadn't been remarkably great, but having her to come home to, was.
Even before he signed up for the military, he lived alone in a cramped apartment in Brooklyn. In a sense, joining the military eased his loneliness. It gave him friends, partners…it gave him Peggy. And then, after feeling like he was on top of the world, he woke up nearly seventy years later and had to start all over again.
Being part of the Avengers helped, of course, but things were never the same. Everyone had their own family, significant others, they had their own lives to go home to. And for the past few years, all Steve could think about were the people who had once been in his life and were lost to the times.
But now, he had someone.
Alba.
Ever since the attack on the law firm, she had been living in his apartment. If he said he was rushing to get her back home, he'd be lying. Because the truth was this was the happiest he had been in a really, really long time. Maybe the happiest he'd been ever.
To come home to Alba after a long day, inhale as much of her delicious food as physically possible, and then sprawl out on the couch with her and watch her mull over her case files as he watched mind numbing TV…was heaven.
It was such a mundane routine, and yet, it was the part of the day he looked forward to the most.
Of course, not everything was perfect. Alba was anxious to go back home, and Steve tried his best not to take it personally. After all, it wasn't as if he'd been the one that had to uproot his entire life while also pushing through the second trimester of a pregnancy.
Second trimester of pregnancy.
He couldn't believe how fast time was flying. He didn't know the first thing about being a father, and it terrified him. His own dad died in the WWI before he was even born. His mom told him stories, of course, but it wasn't enough. He'd always wonder what his relationship would be like with his father.
Their child wasn't even born yet and Steve was already having nightmares about HYDRA or any other enemy coming after him or her. Or Alba. He would be devastated if something ever happened to Alba, but if someone ever hurt their child…he would die. He was sure his heart would break into a million pieces and he'd never breathe again. He had lost friends, lovers, but his child? His own blood?
He prayed every night for the safety of his unborn child. Usually after Alba fell asleep in his arms, he would stroke her small stomach softly and prayed. Part of him knew it was silly. He wasn't quite sure any amount of prayers could save him from the never-ending stream of foes, but that's how he was raised.
"Steve? Are you already tuning me out?" Alba teased. He ran a hand through the back of his head, tugging on the strands there before asking her to repeat herself.
"I was asking if you wanted to shower now before the food is ready. We all know how you get after stuffing your face. Food coma." She snorted.
Steve scoffed and tugged on her hip, tilting her off balance and sending her stumbling into his arms. "Are you trying to tell me I stink?"
"Your words, not mine." Teased Alba, the words lost in his chest as she sank into his embrace and wrapped her arms around him. He dropped a kiss on top of her head before ambling to the bathroom and hopping in the shower.
If Steve had to pick one thing he could bring back into the past with him, it wouldn't be the internet; it would be plumbing.
Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that showers come with multi pressure water hot water jets. He groaned as he rolled out the kinks in his body from today's assignment. He would have a couple of bruises tomorrow for sure.
Steve turned, catching a glance of Alba's forgotten shirt on the counter, and tensed. The past week had been heaven, but also hell. With each passing moment, the tension between them grew.
Alba had made it very clear to him that she was ready to take things further, but after the bombing she just seemed so…fragile. Now she had finally regained her strength, the cut on her forehead was healed up, and she seemed more interested in touching him now more than ever. Last night she had strolled out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel and proceeded to get dressed in front of him. It had taken every ounce of his discipline not to throw her over his shoulder and take her on the nearest surface. He was starting to think she was doing it on purpose at this point.
This was Alba. Of course she was doing it on purpose.
It wasn't that he didn't want to make love to her again. Of course he did. Just the thought of it got him wound up in seconds. But he wanted this time around to be special. Yes, they were already expecting a child. But that didn't mean he didn't want to do things right by Alba. He wanted everything to be perfect the next time around.
He finished washing off and sat at the table just in time to watch Alba place a heaping plate in front of him.
Today it was lasagna. He took a huge bite, ignoring the steam coming off the plate, and groaned into his plate.
Alba laughed at the expression on his face as she joined him at the table.
"Why does it look like you're making love to a plate of lasagna? Should I be worried?"
He gulped down the mouthful of food before responding.
"How do you make everything taste so good?" As if he couldn't believe the explosion of flavors going off in his mouth, he took another huge bite and then started shaking his head.
"You need your own restaurant."
She laughed. "Please. It's just food. You can cook too."
"I make roasted chicken with potatoes, or spaghetti. Maybe soup. You have some skills, doll."
"If you're really grateful, you should do the dishes. I need to get started on these files for work."
Steve didn't even pause before answering. "Done." He devoured everything on his plate and did just as he promised, gathering all the dirty dishes and getting to work in the sink.
He felt Alba's gaze following, and sure enough, she was staring from the couch.
"See something you like?"
Alba snorted. "Steve, why aren't you using the dishwasher?" He shrugged.
"I got to rinse them anyway, might as well just wash 'em."
"Steve…do you want me to show you how to use the dishwasher?"
He cleared his throat. "Under one condition. You can't tell anyone else it's taken me this long to figure out how to use a dishwater."
Alba threw her head back and laughed as she made her way into his open-concept kitchen.
"I don't blame you. All the appliances here are very high tech. It took me a few tries to get the oven settings right last week." She showed him how to load everything into the dishwater.
"Did you guys have these in the forties?"
"Only rich folk had them. My mom worked as a nurse, so it's not like we had much money to spare." Alba helped Steve set up the dishwasher with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Your mom died before the…accident, right?"
"Yeah. She was a nurse. Died of tuberculosis before I enlisted."
She sighed. "That must have been tough."
Steve wasn't sure where curiosity was coming from, but he liked it. He liked sharing this part of himself with her. He never really talked about the past. When he ever did, he had to get ready for the jokes and teasing.
But not with Alba. His past was just an important part of his life as the present. He wanted her to know.
"It was. My mom was probably my favorite person. I looked up to her so much. She believed kindness made us stronger."
Alba placed a hand over his. "She would have been really proud of you, Steve."
Steve wanted to agree, but he just couldn't be sure. "I hope you're right. I just cant be sure."
"What do you mean?"
He leaned back into the kitchen counter and sighed. "Everything was so easy in the forties. I mean, war is never easy, but the good guys were so much easier to tell apart from the bad guys. It was easier to to do the right thing, because the right thing to do was so clear. Now, every time I help, I feel like I'm doing more harm than good." Alba reached up and cradled Steve's face in her hands and meet his eyes intensely. She needed him to understand this.
"Steve, there's not a bad bone in your body. Your heart will tell you what to do. Trust your instincts. If you ever find yourself unsure, I'll be here for you."
3 Days Later
"Alright kids, let's get these prom pictures out of the way!" Alba rolled her eyes at Tony's exasperating tone. It was finally the night of the Mayor's Annual Charity Ball, and Alba would be lying if she said she wasn't excited about going. This wouldn't be her first time going, she'd been invited through work before, but this would be her first time going anywhere as Steve's date.
She took one more look at him and tried to ignore the flutters in her stomach. He looked ridiculously handsome in his formal military uniform. The green wool hugged his broad shoulders perfectly. If he wasn't so keen on taking things slow, she would've dragged him into the bedroom and showed him exactly what she thought about his uniform. Punctuality be damned.
She met Pepper's eyes across the room and mouthed 'thank you' as she got in position next to Steve for pictures. She had only met her a week ago, but Pepper had somehow managed to save her life by having gowns sent to Stark Tower for the ball.
If that didn't earn Alba's everlasting gratitude, nothing would. It was the perfect dress. White silk cut in a timeless style. It fell off her shoulders and hugged her cleavage and waist before flaring around her hips. It also did an excellent job of concealing her growing belly. There was no question in Alba's mind that she would start showing soon. Just to be extra careful, she'd thrown on a pair of Spanx. When Steve saw them, she was sure he was going to go into cardiac arrest.
She had to call her best friend/Doctor and have her personally explain to Steve that shape wear wouldn't harm the baby.
It was all worth it. She felt like a million bucks, and from the way Steve was staring at her, she was pretty sure he'd agree too.
"You look beautiful." He whispered. Alba relaxed into his arms and grinned up at him, ignoring Tony's pestering paparazzi mode.
"You're looking pretty good there yourself, Sir."
Steve barked a laugh. "Sir?"
Alba flushed, running a hand over his muscled arm. "I think it's the uniform. Authoritative Steve just…does things to me." She whispered the last part into his ear just to mess with his, smirking cheekily when she noticed the tips of his ears grow red.
"Get a room, you two!" Shouted Tony from behind the lens. Alba rolled her eyes but couldn't contain the grin that broke out over her face.
"If you're not careful she's gonna end up pregnant, Cap. Oh wait. She already is."
Steve tensed. "If I catch you repeating that tonight I will—"
"Yeah, yeah. Relax, old man. My days of drunken confessions are over. I got secrets to keep now."
"That's right," Pepper chimed in, draping an arm over her date's shoulder. "You should ask him what happens when he watches that Amazon commercial with the dog and the baby."
Tony turned and gave Pepper a betrayed look. "It's a dog and a baby, what else is the intended purpose of the commercial other than to cry?"
Steve pulled Alba aside and Tony and Pepper made their way to the lobby. He was kind of nervous, but excited to see Alba's face when she saw the gift he'd gotten for her.
"I have something to give you."
Alba drew a brow playfully. "Oh? What is it?"
Steve drew the small velvet box from his pocket and placed it into her hands, reveling in the way her face went from basic curiosity to excitement.
"I found them when I was in Tokyo two weeks ago. They reminded me of you." Alba opened the box ever so gently, jaw dropping when she caught sight of the two glistening pearl earrings staring back at her. They were beautiful. She picked one up and inspected it carefully before launching herself into his arms.
"I love these. Thank you, thank you, thank you." She said, sealing each 'thank you' with a kiss. He chuckled deep in his chest, wrapping an arm around her waist and bringing her close to deepen their kiss. In reality, as corny as it sounded, he was happy to have someone to even buy things for in the first place. It was crazy to think how Alba had changed his life in just a few short weeks.
Even though the group had left with enough time to arrive early, they ended up being late. The traffic was backed up for miles. Of course they were fashionably late. Alba felt what had to be every pair of eyes scrutinizing her from the moment she walked in through those doors.
When she used to attend these functions as Marcus' date, no one paid her a spare glance. But now, when walked sandwiched between Captain America and Iron Man, it felt like she was suddenly under a microscope. She took a shaky breath and squared her shoulders, silently reassuring herself.
She had taken on murderers and all types of criminals in court with no fear. What were a few hundred New York City socialites?
Steve sensed her hesitation, pulling her close and giving her a reassuring squeeze. Tony and Pepper went off their separate ways, greeting people left and right like the power couple they were.
"They make it look so effortless." Said Alba enviously, watching the couple as if they were meant to be there. Steve chuckled and nodded along.
"They've been doing this for a long time. You've come to these things before, right? What's got you so shaken?" He'd seen Alba in her element. This wasn't like her.
She shrugged. "There's just so many eyes on me now. Before, I was just a lawyer. Nobody cared who the hell I was or what I looked like. Now that I'm with you…I feel like I'm under a microscope." He understood better than she knew. Constantly being watched was exhausting.
"It's daunting now, Alba. The staring will go away as soon as everyone realizes you're that bad ass lawyer that locked that murderer in prison for life. And if they bother you just say the word. I'll be your bodyguard tonight. My shield's in the trunk." She couldn't help the goofy grin that took over her face.
Steve was right. What were the stares of a few people? She was more than capable of handling anything anyone could throw at her.
"Let's do this."
Author Notes
Hey guys! Recently rediscovered this fanfic and I am determined to finish it! I had so much fun writing this fic and talking about it with all of you guys so I'm excited to get back into that. I am so so sorry for the hiatus. Meant to write a longer chapter, but work calls and I really wanted to get this out so it might be a little rushed. I am going to get back to writing tonight so hopefully the next chapter will be up for the weekend :)
This primarily is pretty much all from Steve's POV. He really doesn't get enough attention lol. I know a few movies have come out since the last upload so just to refresh the timeline; this is after Ultron but before Civil War/Infinity War.