Steve had harbored great expectations for this Valentine's Day. He and Phil had planned out the whole day. They'd made the dinner reservations, bought the flowers, prepared dessert, bought wine, bought candles, bought some supplies for the bedroom later… It was so well-planned that Steve should have known there'd be a kink in the line somewhere.
When Steve drags himself back to their apartment after the mission that was supposed to be finished by yesterday, he expects to find Phil waiting for him. His tardiness means that he's already missed around half of the things they'd had planned, so he imagines Phil isn't going to be particularly pleased.
Except Phil's not in the apartment. Curiously, it's completely empty and any of his calls to the agent's cell phone go straight to voice mail. He spends an hour wondering if perhaps Phil is that angry about the whole thing before he hears the lock click. In comes Phil, looking as tired and disheveled as Steve himself is, which is something of a surprise given that Phil had taken the day off.
"What happened to you?" Steve asks, too sore to rise from where he's seated.
"An unexpected little HYDRA cell. We've got it under control," Phil says, tugging his tie loose and toeing out of his shoes.
He's limping slightly as he makes his way over to the sofa, and Steve's arms open to receive him.
"Today was supposed to be your day off," Steve says, kissing his temple.
"Just like you were supposed to be home last night," Phil says, nosing at the collar of his uniform.
"Mm, true," Steve answers. "It's kind of taken a wrecking ball to our Valentine's Day plans, though."
"Doesn't mean the day's been ruined," Phil assures him. "There's plenty of daylight left. And moonlight, while we're at it."
"Phil, I've gotta be honest… I'm pretty beat," Steve admits reluctantly.
"Which is why I propose a nap," Phil declares, rising slowly and tugging Steve's hand.
"A nap?" Steve echoes curiously, following him with a soft groan as the motion tugs at sore muscles.
"A nap," Phil repeats, leading him towards the bedroom. "Our reservations aren't until 8. It's just past noon, now. We can get a good few hours of sleep, shower and get changed for dinner. We'll save all the things we were going to do inbetween for tomorrow. And when we get back…"
"That sounds perfect," Steve sighs, as they shut the door behind them.
It's like a weight off his shoulders as they shut the blinds and close the drapes before disrobing and crawling into bed. There are new bruises, new wounds on Phil's body, as there are on his own, and as tired as he is, Steve can't help but take stock.
"This one's pretty ugly," Steve says, his fingers lightly brushing over the gauze on Phil's thigh. "You were limping."
"Just sore. I'll live," Phil claims, his own fingers busy finding every bump and bruise on Steve's body. Inevitably, he finds the healing tissue along his ribcage and makes a soft noise of concern. "This on the other hand…"
"Is fine," Steve says, grabbing him by the wrist and pressing a kiss to his open palm. "I'll heal, too."
Phil pulls a face and he knows they'll have a talk about this, but for now the agent seems willing to let the matter rest. They lie facing one another. Steve is scooted a little further down the bed than Phil is, allowing the agent to wrap his arms around Steve's shoulders and for Steve to do the same with Phil's waist. Nuzzling the shorter man's collarbone, Steve sighs in contentment, happy to be home at last.
This is where he feels safest. This is where he can truly drop his guard, where he can fully relax. When he and Phil are both here, he trusts himself not to have to sleep with one eye open. His hand slowly caresses Phil's hip as Phil's fingers gently slide through the hair at the back of his head. There will be plenty of time for Valentine's Day fun later on, but for now, he's thankful for a warm bed and the man that's in it.