Happy Valentine's Day y'all. Thanks for all the positive feedback on the story. As my gift to you, here's some fluffy fluff fluff. Enjoy!
The Playground
It had been days since Tony had left Steve behind to wait for Peggy to wake up. Or had it been weeks? Steve really hadn't been outside too much since arriving at The Playground, and had begun to lose track of time. His days were now occupied with sitting at Peggy's bedside and the occasional break to wander back up to his room to shower and change his clothes. He had made friends with the agents on the base, speaking to them in passing, or even reluctantly sharing stories about various battles. It was obvious that they were all trying to keep his mind occupied from the fact that Peggy had still not woken up.
Simmons found him in his usual spot, a chair parked right next to her bed. Steve practically had a full beard now, he had found no need to shave while on base, and he looked like he hadn't slept in a few days. Simmons approached him with a cup of coffee and a hand on his shoulder. Steve looked up, eternally grateful for the offering.
"Thank you." He said, accepting the mug. It was probably his tenth cup of coffee he had that day.
"You really need to get some rest. Running on no sleep is extremely unhealthy, and we can't have you in the next bed from exhaustion." Simmons responded, looking down at Steve. Her face was etched with concern for him.
"I know, I just feel like the second I leave, or if I close my eyes, she'll wake up, and I don't want her to be alone." Steve looked to Peggy, still in shock that she was there, right before his eyes.
Simmons nodded, she understood Steve's concern. She herself wouldn't want to leave anyone she cared for alone, even for the shortest time. "Why hasn't she woken up yet? Is there something wrong?" Steve's voice cracked, but he recovered quickly, covering it up by clearing his throat.
"We're not sure to be honest. All of her functions are normal, she's breathing on her own, everything. Traveling through different dimensions of time and space can clearly wear your body out. I think she will just wake up on her own time. Whenever that is."
Steve simply nodded, and looked back to Peggy's sleeping form. He took a long sip of the coffee, letting the hot liquid warm him slowly. Simmons noticed that Steve looked almost lost by her answer. "Perhaps talking a walk might do you some good, Captain. If you're not going to sleep, at least get up and move around a bit more." Simmons was all but begging him now.
"Sure. A walk actually sounds nice." Steve submitted, knowing that at least if he saw daylight, Simmons might not worry about him so much. He stood up, and stretched out his enormous frame. The chair he sat in was almost comically small for his large body, but he still made due. Simmons smiled and breathed a small sigh of relief that she was actually able to get through to him. "I'll leave you to it Captain." Simmons went to turn and walk away when Steve's voice caught her attention.
"Dr. Simmons, would you like to join me?"
"Certainly Captain." She flashed a wide smile at Steve, as he motioned towards the door.
They made their way up towards the main level of the base, sharing light conversation back and forth. They wound their way through the hallways, Steve taking notice of every SSR symbol that had been painted onto the walls. Steve observed Simmons as they took their walk, she was bright and bubbly, but he could tell she definitely had a fierce streak hiding in her as well. She reminded Steve a lot of Peggy.
Simmons steered him towards the kitchen area, guiding him to sit at one of the stools near the counter. Daisy Johnson followed behind Simmons, wanting to finally sneak a peek at the special visitor on base. Daisy awkwardly wandered around the kitchen, fishing for an introduction from Simmons. After some glances back and forth, Simmons rolled her eyes, and went to introduce Daisy to Steve.
"Captain Rogers, this is Agent…"
"Johnson. I know. I've heard about you. All good things of course." Steve interjected before Simmons could finish her introduction. Steve had extended his hand towards Daisy.
Daisy shook it, and mumbled a few words incoherently. Steve looked at Simmons with wide eyes, and a confused look plastered on his face. She shrugged, anyone who knew Daisy knew this was a common occurrence. Realizing how awkward the atmosphere had become, Daisy seemed to snap out of her trance and actually began a conversation with Steve.
"So, no more Avengers." Daisy deadpanned.
"Uh, yeah. Not for me at least." Steve really didn't know what to do with this situation anymore.
"That was the best you could come up with? No more Avengers?" Simmons looked Daisy straight in the face. "Well you try having a conversation with Captain freaking America and see how well you do!" Daisy exclaimed back to her friend. "I've been doing just fine since he got here, actually." Simmons quipped back coolly.
"Um, ladies. Agents. Whomever you are, I'm right here. And you don't have to keep calling me Captain America, or even Captain Rogers. You can just call me Steve."
"Sorry. So, what do you do now?" Daisy spoke back up.
"I wait for Peggy to wake up. After that, who knows." Steve shrugged his shoulders simply.
"Well, where do you go after this? Back to the Avengers Facility? Home?"
"You've seen that woman downstairs, right?" Steve asked Daisy and she nodded in response. "That's my home. I don't need to be anywhere else but right here with her. Awake or not." The two women in the room visibly softened.
"And if she doesn't wake up?" Simmons asked, all scientific logic aside.
"Can I ask you a question Dr. Simmons?" She nodded. "Have you ever loved someone with your whole heart? So much that when you're in the same room with that person, you can't breathe, but when you're apart, your heart aches for them?" Simmons smiled and looked down, hiding the blush that creeped across her face.
"That's how I feel about Peggy. It's how I've always felt. I've been in love with her for 75 years, and if I have to wait for her to wake up, I'll wait until the end of time if I have to. This is my second chance, and no matter what happens, I'm not messing it up this time."
Daisy looked away to wipe a tear that threatened to fall, as Simmons simply smiled at Steve.
The moment was quickly interrupted by Hunter running into the room. "There's a problem in Agent Carter's room. Come now."