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4 YEARS AFTER DECIMATION

JUNE 2025

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Marlena rolled over in bed, her arm instinctively draping itself over the broad chest of the beautiful blond man that lay at her side. A soft smile pulled at the corner of her lips as she remembered the night the two shared together. There were so many different emotions Marlena spent associating with Steve over the last few years, and she spent those years questioning each and every one of them until last night. Marlena knew exactly how she felt about Steve, and she was done feeling guilty about it. There was no one in the world who would ever replace Bucky Barnes—he was her first true love and the father of her beautiful children—but she spent so long fighting what she wanted for his sake. Marlena knew she would likely never see Bucky again, and she knew he wouldn't have wanted her to spend her life groveling over the pain of losing him. He would have wanted her to be happy, and Steve just so happened to be that for her.

As Marlena lay wrapped in the super-soldier's arms, she couldn't help but look over the precious features she spent years shying away from. She loved the fair color of his otherwise flawless skin. She loved the way his eyelashes seemed to brush the apples of his cheeks. She loved the way his dirty blond hair fell in his face. She loved the soft fuzz of his growing beard. His pink lips were closed as he slept, and Marlena couldn't help but gently brush her thumb across them before very lightly trailing her fingers across the soft skin of his bare chest.

For the first time in years, Marlena felt genuinely happy. There was still the dull ache associated with the loss of her family that would likely always remain, but she was okay with that. The pain served as a reminder that her family was real rather than some twisted fantasy she dreamt up when she was younger. She was ready to move on, and she was ready to do that with Steve. Marlena always wondered why Steve ever felt anything for her—she wondered why even through the constant battle contained within herself she felt for him as well—but after so many years she finally had her answer. The pain of their lives had brought them together under the most unfortunate of circumstances. They were each other's light in the darkness and the sail that guided their lost ship to shore. They'd always been there for one another without question and without hesitation.

Steve's eyes began to flutter open as he processed the feeling of Marlena's fingertips sliding across his chest. He grabbed her hand off of his chest and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss to the top of her hand before returning it back to his chest.

"Good morning," he greeted her with a smile.

Marlena couldn't get over how attractive and husky his voice was fresh from sleep. Hell, she couldn't get over the fact she let herself ignore everything about him for the sake of guilt. "Good morning, Steve," she spoke softly.

Marlena maneuvered herself onto her stomach and propped her arms on Steve's chest. She looked down at him with a genuine smile on her face, something of which he returned with ease. To see her smile, to see her happy after so many years in pain made him so incredibly happy. He just never thought it would be because of him.

"You seem exceptionally chipper this morning," Steve said to her.

Marlena brought her hand to his face and ran the soft pad of her thumb across his cheek. "I have every reason to be."

Without waiting on a response, Marlena leaned down to press her lips to his. Steve smiled into the kiss and wrapped his arms tightly around her body. He never wanted to let her go again.

"I think we have a lot to talk about," Steve said as he pulled away from her.

Marlena let out a breath and sat up, pulling the sheet over her bare body. "I know we do," she spoke quietly.

Steve stood up and started for the bathroom, "I'm gonna shower and we can talk over breakfast."

Marlena only nodded and grabbed her clothes from the floor. She made her way out of Steve's room and down the hall to her own. The moment she stepped through the door she immediately felt out of place. It was almost as if the room was no longer hers, but she was okay with that feeling. There wasn't a doubt in her mind she would be spending the remainder of her nights with Steve.

After opting for an afternoon shower, Marlena threw on a pair of black leggings and a plain white t-shirt she'd stolen from Steve four months prior before heading to the kitchen. She could still hear the water running from Steve's room, so she decided to get a head-start on breakfast. She wouldn't do any cooking, of course, as she was very prone to destroying anything she placed in a pan, but she could begin the prep for him.

Marlena gathered all the appliances and supplies needed to make pancakes and organized them on the stove and on the counter. She figured the two of them could share a "celebratory" pancake breakfast given everything that had happened. Marlena felt it was necessary to celebrate, at least for her sake. She was finally allowing herself to be happy despite the guilt-driven voice inside her head telling her she didn't deserve to be, especially with Steve. The voice taunted her with visions of Bucky, but she found peace in the belief that all Bucky would've wanted was for her to be happy, and so she was.

As Marlena looked over the items along the stove and counter, she noticed she was missing the flour. She opened up the overhead cupboard to retrieve it but let out a huff when she noticed just how high up it was. She stood on her tiptoes, but as a naturally short woman it proved much more difficult than anticipated. She was ready to climb onto the counter until a long arm reached above her to grab the bag.

"You know I'm short," Marlena turned to look at Steve, who seemed to be very amused from watching her try to grab a bag of flour. "Why do you feel the need to stick everything so far out of my reach?"

"Believe it or not, it's very amusing watching you act like you aren't an entire foot shorter than me," he chuckled and began preparing for breakfast.

"Try nine inches shorter."

"Still...it's cute."

Marlena smiled and hopped onto the counter. She watched him as he mixed together all the ingredients. He was so good at cooking, yet she was the complete opposite. She could boil noodles at best, but god forbid she try to make a batch of pancakes. She tried it once before and regretted it immediately.

"So," Steve glanced up at Marlena as he mixed the ingredients. "What made you want pancakes? What exactly is there to celebrate?"

Marlena scoffed and shook her head. "I'm not sure whether or not I should be offended."

Steve only smirked and turned back to the stove, urging Marlena to continue with the answer to his question.

"I feel like I've accomplished a goal," Marlena began slowly. "I've spent years feeling guilty about, well, how I feel about you. I've been fighting myself and you for years, telling myself that I didn't deserve to be happy because you were the one I wanted to be happy with. There were times you were all I could think about and suddenly my mind would switch off and begin torturing me with Bucky, and I couldn't take it. I've spent a little over a year trying to convince myself that Bucky would've wanted me to move on and be happy with life, even if it meant that happiness came from you."

Steve stopped what he was doing so he could look at her. He knew just by looking at her face it was taking every last bit of her courage to say what she needed to say. She'd been suppressing her feelings for years, so there was no doubt actually talking about them was difficult. He wouldn't rush her, though. He wanted her to say what she needed to say the way she wanted to say it.

"From the moment I met you there hasn't been a single instant where I've needed you and you haven't been there for me," Marlena continued quietly. "You've been with me through so much that I honestly don't know what I would've done had you not. There's so much I'll never be able to repay you for, but what I do know is that I'm going to start by giving you the happiness and the life that you deserve—that we both deserve. If that's what you want."

Steve placed a hand on Marlena's waist and slid her into his body. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist and brought her face closer to his, her eyes flickering to his lips and back to the blue eyes she'd come to adore so much.

"I need you to know I will always love Bucky—he was the first love of my life—but I can't keep denying that somewhere in this annoyingly hectic life of ours, I fell in love with you," Marlena finished with a small smile.

Steve let out a shaky breath and pressed his lips to hers. He'd been waiting so long for her it physically ached, but standing there in the kitchen with his arms wrapped so tightly and protectively around her, the pain was gone. He felt whole for the first time in four years, and it had everything to do with the brunette holding him so securely.

"I don't think you understand how long I've been wanting to hear those words come out of your mouth," Steve breathed out.

"What words?" Marlena teased him.

"You know what words, Marlena."

Marlena smiled and pressed her forehead to his, "What words, Steve?"

"I love you," he answered softly, his lips brushing against her own.

"I love you...so much."

Marlena closed the distance between them and kissed him again. Steve picked her up off the counter and carried her into the living room. He placed her on the couch, eliciting a giggle from the brunette. He hovered over top of her with a smile on his face.

"What about the pancakes?" Marlena asked him, though she couldn't exactly bring herself to care about them at the moment. Steve was all she could concentrate on, and she was more than okay with that.

"I've spent years feeling guilty for wanting to hold you...for wanting to touch you," Steve let his eyes roam over her body. "I don't anymore, so I'd like to spend as much time as possible getting to know every single part of you."

"Then the pancakes?" Marlena's breath was shaky, but that was likely due to Steve and the way he'd spoken to her. She'd only ever known the version of Steve she called her best friend, but the version of Steve that so gently ran his hands over every square inch of her body was someone so different yet the same all at once. She couldn't deny how much she loved it either.

Steve couldn't help but laugh at her, but that did nothing to ruin the moment for him. He only longed for her more. "Then the pancakes, Mar."

Marlena only smiled and pulled him to her body, her lips crashing into his for what seemed like the hundredth time in the last seven hours. She let her hands explore every inch of his body. His skin was soft and warm beneath her fingertips, and as she allowed them to glide gently over his back. She reached the bottom of his shirt and grasped the fabric tightly, only encouraging him to remove it completely. Steve grabbed her shirt as well and pulled it over her head. He smiled at her, his blue eyes filled with so much love and admiration for her. Spending so many years loving her and watching her love his best friend had been absolute torment, but he would take that pain over and over if it meant the end result was her. It was just the two of them, and that was something Steve refused to lose.