Hooh, this one's a big'n. I couldn't break this up into two chapters. I'm back! And with a LORGE one 3 I think you'll like the end. I apologize for the delay on these, I've been working on myself and my PUPPY! She's adorable :) Her name is Ruby and she's resting on my lap as I type this x)
I squealed writing the end tbh, I hope you do too.
Thank you all for the PM's and comments! Thanks to wonderwomanbatmanfan for her comment, and for Lorelei and Steve…. Who knows? ;)
Please enjoy.
The trio had agreed to converge on Steve's apartment on Christmas morning, and before Lorelei was planning to take off her dress and makeup, Lorelei was wrapping the final gift that she was able to pick up, Steve's compass.
She grinned at the engraving once again before beginning to wrap it up in butcher's paper and twine. Lorelei looked up at a knock, furrowing her brow. She stood, opening the door to reveal Steve.
"Hey, can I come in?" Steve said, gaze moving to look in the room.
Panicking, Lorelei covered his eyes and pushed him out into the hall, slamming the door behind her.
"No peeking!" Lorelei said sternly. "I'm wrapping presents!"
Steve chuckled, Lorelei removing her hands.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something." Steve said, "would it be possible to come in?"
"Give me a sec. I'll let you in once I'm done."
Lorelei entered her room and rushed to finish wrapping, tying the twine firmly around the box before opening the door and letting Steve in.
"So, what did you need to talk about?" Lorelei asked curiously.
Steve paused, ears turning red. "I just wanted to see you." He admitted.
Lorelei chuckled. "We've been busy, haven't we?"
"We have," Steve agreed.
Lorelei sat cross legged on the bed, patting the spot next to her. They sat for a long moment, Lorelei unsure of what to talk about.
"What's your favorite color?"
"What is this, twenty questions?" Lorelei joked with a chuckle, she fell silent, deep in thought. "Well, it used to be purple as a little girl, but since I've grown up, I don't know. Maybe red, a rusty red. Reminds me of Mars."
Lorelei smiled. "How about you?"
"Blue. Reminds me of the ocean."
"Fair, fair." Lorelei agreed, "favorite food?"
"Apple pie." Steve sighed, leaning back.
"American apple pie for the American Icon." Lorelei teased, "very typical for the guy named 'Captain America'."
Steve rolled his eyes, nudging Lorelei in an attempt to stave off her teasing.
"What about you?"
"Hmm… Well, I've got to say I'm a sucker for a good burger. I missed those on the MISS. The food isn't worth writing home about."
"What's the food like there?"
"Since we were so far from earth, we had certain crops grown, potatoes, tomatoes, stuff like that, but most meals were in a pouch or freeze dried. There was a lot freeze-dried fruits and veggies, and nuts. If you wanted scrambled eggs it'd be dehydrated and gross. That didn't last long, as we ran out early on." Lorelei groaned, leaning against Steve.
"What was it like in space?" Steve asked, curious.
"Phenomenal." Lorelei sighed happily, "There's a sort of awe seeing a planet loom outside your window, it's beautiful. The station could get pretty crowded and you'd just want a moment to yourself. Sometimes I'd strap my sleeping bag below one of the windows. I'd wake up to the view and take it in. Seeing space stretch out forever, the view of the Milky Way as far as you could see could give you a sense of how small you were in the grand scheme of things. I'd often wonder if there was life on other planets in the universe."
"Life? On other planets?" Steve's brows shot up in surprise.
"We're just one planet out of billions out there. There are solar systems out there with multiple planets orbiting them. Many are Earth's size, within the Goldilocks zone. If they had water on them, they could host life like us. But there could be planets that have different compositions that could host different life forms that aren't like us altogether."
"Do you mind explaining?" Steve asked curiously.
"We evolved to breathe oxygen. Early in our Earth's evolution our atmosphere was extremely harsh, our planet was far hotter than it is now, it contained no oxygen, which we need to breathe and survive. If a human were sent to that time, billions of years ago, they would suffocate to death," Lorelei explained, Steve rapt with interest, "but," Lorelei held up a finger, "there were bacteria that evolved to breathe early Earth's atmosphere, they evolved to survive in that harsh environment. Say we apply this information to another planet, exactly like our early Earth. But what if oxygen wasn't introduced on that planet? What if life there evolved into people like us, but didn't breathe oxygen? What if they evolved to survive in a hotter environment? What if they used photosynthesis just like plants, and used their Sun to create food? They wouldn't need to eat physical food, meaning they would have no stomach or intestinal tract. They wouldn't have a mouth, meaning they would have to rely on other means to communicate. Their skin would probably be thicker to survive in a hotter environment. The possibilities are endless."
"Huh." Steve said. "I never thought of that."
"Well, I was a nerdy kid growing up." Lorelei shrugged, sliding down and resting her head on Steve's legs.
Steve stiffened, surprised by Lorelei's actions, but gradually he relaxed.
"What was it like growing up here?" Lorelei asked.
"It was… tough. I got sick a lot. Didn't help my asthma." Steve recalled with a grimace.
"Did they recommend cigarettes?" Lorelei sat up in interest.
"They did, actually, how did you know?" Steve asked in surprise.
"History. Yeah, no. Those cause cancer and heart problems. Along with other stuff. It probably made you more sick." Lorelei said, tapping Steve's ribs. "It's very addictive, and not the best for you."
"They discovered in like, 2006 that cigarette companies intentionally made them more addictive and in… I think around 2019 they made them advertise that fact publicly. They were banned globally in 2039." Lorelei said. "Anyways, when did you decide to throw yourself at bullies?" Lorelei's gaze took on a teasing glint.
"I did not throw myself at bullies!" Steve protested .
"Bullshit." Lorelei laughed. "I've seen your method."
Steve sighed, leaning against Lorelei.
"I never liked bullies." Steve admitted.
"Don't I know." Lorelei snorted.
Steve sighed, "I guess… it's because I know what it's like to be on the receiving end," he said quietly. "I was always small for my age, and sickly... I spent most of my life pushed around. I learned early on that bullies never stop unless you stand up to them."
Lorelei hummed in agreement, recalling her adoptive parent's son. He *loved being cruel to her, especially since her adoptive parents did nothing but encourage him.
"My Ma used to say 'You can't back down from bullies, Steven. You have to stand up for what's right, even if you're standing alone.'" Steve continued, unaware of Lorelei's thoughts.
"That's good advice." Lorelei replied, voice quiet, "Your Ma sounds like she was a good woman."
"She was," Steve smiled fondly, "She always knew what to say. What about your parents? What were they like?" Steve asked curiously.
Lorelei hesitated, "there isn't much to say. They were present, but only when it involved my brother."
"They weren't involved in your life?" Steve asked.
"Oh they were," Lorelei replied calmly, "but only to compare me to their biological child."
"That's… That's not fair." Steve protested, surprised.
"Life isn't fair sometimes." Lorelei shrugged.
"But still, they adopted you, why did they adopt you if not to love you?" Steve asked, anger flaring.
"They wanted a child, they struggled to conceive, so they adopted me. Then my brother was born and all the attention was focused on him because he was their miracle baby and I was the baby who had no blood ties to them. The only tie was a piece of paper. Some people only love who they want to, and make up reasons not to."
Steve remained silent, the room filling with a tense silence. Lorelei looked up in surprise when Steve stood and started pacing. She caught glimpses of his clenched jaw and angry expression.
"Steve?"
There was no answer.
"Steve." Lorelei stood, feeling the rage from her Mark, reflecting the anger within Steve.
"Steven. Look at me."
He whirled.
Lorelei held his arms, trying to exude a sense of calm.
"I'm fine. Steve."
"It's not-"
"Steven, think of it this way. I wouldn't have pursued becoming an Astronaut if it hadn't been for my family. And if I hadn't become an Astronaut, I wouldn't have been brought here. I'm grateful that these events happened. They made me who I am now."
Steve sighed, pulling her into his arms and pressed his cheek into her hair. The scent of lemongrass and oranges filled his nose, relaxing him further.
"I know, it's just, you're amazing, Lori. Your parents were blind to that fact." Steve said firmly.
Lorelei pulled her head back in surprise.
"Bad call?" Steve asked.
"No, it's nice."
"Oh. That's good." Steve replied.
"Now I gotta think of one for you." Lorelei said.
Steve gave an amused look that said 8'go ahead.'
"Stevie?" Lorelei tossed out.
"That's just weird to hear from you." Steve chuckled.
"Steef?"
"Steef? What the hell is that?" He reared his head back.
"I dunno." Lorelei shrugged, "what about Stevo? Ven? Even Steven?"
Now that one," Steve held out a finger, "was what I was name-called as a kid."
"Okay, steer clear of that one." Lorelei said.
She pondered for a moment before a wicked grin grew on her face.
Having grown used to Lorelei's antics, Steve eyed her warily.
"Steve-O-Licious." Lorelei said with a smirk.
"Steve-O… Licious?" It took Steve a moment to realize.
"No. You're not gonna call me that." Steve groaned, throwing his head back.
Lorelei grinned, "whattaya gonna do, Mr. America's Ass?"
"A-" Steve stuttered to a halt. "Wait- you've been lookin'?"
"As has every woman you've walked past." Lorelei grinned slyly, watching as Steve flushed scarlet red.
"You better be careful Doll, one might say you're jealous." Steve said, clearing his throat.
"I'm a red-blooded woman. Course I might get jealous." Lorelei said as she approached Steve and fixed his tie. She glanced up through her lashes.
Lorelei could hear Steve's heartbeat quicken from her heightened hearing as she fixed the tie which had come loose. She heard him swallow before speaking.
"Y'know," Steve began, voice a tad strained, (much to Lorelei's enjoyment) "you don't have to be jealous. I haven't been paying attention to other women."
Lorelei's hands stilled, gaze flitting to his. "Oh? And why is that, Steve?" Lorelei asked.
He grinned, eyes full of mischief. "Maybe it's cause I have someone else in mind already."
"Someone special?" Lorelei asked, arching a lofty brow, voice playful.
"Very special." He replied. "smart, strong, and stubborn as all get out."
Lorelei chuckled, feeling pleased. "She sounds like quite the catch."
"She is," Steve agreed, his gaze locking onto hers. "And I think she knows it."
"Maybe she does." Lorelei grinned, not trying to hide her smile.
Steve licked his lips, inhaling briefly. "I'm dying to kiss you right now."
"Then what's stopping you, Steven?" Lorelei asked, tilting her head up with a coy smile.
"Nothin. Just wanted to admire your pretty face a little longer, Doll." Steve said with a grin, feeling victorious that he had once again flustered his Soulmate.
"You're incorrigible!" Lorelei groaned, throwing her head back in exasperation.
"I know." Steve chuckled before leaning on and pressing his lips against hers, gently weaving his hand through her scalp, tangling his fingers in the dark curls of Lorelei's hair.
Lorelei, despite all her grumblings, eagerly jumped into the kiss, placing her arms around his neck and lacing her fingers together. He tasted like the coffee they served at the canteen and smelled like leather and the strangely distinct smell vibranium had.
"A bit eager, are we?" Steve murmured in amusement.
"Oh shut up and kiss me, dumbass." Lorelei sighed in exasperation, grabbing the tie she had so neatly fixed and pulled him down for another kiss.
The door knocked, halting their little moment.
The two separated at the surprise visit at her door. Lorelei sighed before opening the door.
She wasn't surprised to see Bucky grinning down at her, before lifting his eyes up to see an equally disheveled Steve behind her, awkwardly wiping Lorelei's lipstick away.
"I thought that's where you would be, punk." Bucky grinned. "Sorry, Dollface. I gotta take him."
"No problem, Bucket." Lorelei replied. "Someone prevented me from wrapping my presents neatly."
"Perfect. I'll be taking your beau, then. Goodnight Lorelei. See you tomorrow morning." Bucky smirked, gesturing for Steve to follow.
Lorelei laughed, shutting the door. Lorelei couldn't help but feel that this Christmas was shaping up to be the best one yet.
･ ｡ﾟ: *. .* :ﾟ.
Bucky eyed Steve as they left. "You might wanna fix your tie."
Steve looked down in surprise, seeing the tie askew from when Lori had pulled him down.
"You also got a little somethin' right there." Bucky added, tapping the bottom right of his lower lip.
Steve wiped away the last of Lori's lipstick.
"Don't say anything, Punk." Steve warned.
"Wasn't plannin' on it, Jerk." Bucky replied easily, tucking his hands into his pockets with swagger.
I AM SCREAMING HAHAHAHAAAAAAA
Enjoy a little of Steve's perspective. ;) Hehehehehehehe