( NEVER LETTING GO AGAIN )

BEING THROWN INTO THE S.H.I.E.L.D GYM MATS WAS NOT HOW EDITH LIKED TO SPEND HER MORNING. Natasha was always brutal, enjoyed seeing the way Edith's skin bruised a dark purple. And it wasn't in a sadistic way that Edith thought. Natasha liked to see her overcome the bruises, get stronger from them, learn from the pain. 

But, yeah, having thighs around your throat before getting thrown to the mat was not a fun way to get knocked down. Maybe for some people, Edith was finding out in this new century, but Edith would always prefer big, beefy blondes. And their newly well proportioned bodies. Though, she still couldn't help but miss when Steve was only inches taller than her instead of a foot. Plus, the only thing that really changed about Steve from before and after the procedure was how long Steve could run without his inhaler. 

Edith lay where she landed for a bit, chest heaving as she stared at the gym ceiling. Natasha always pushed her to her limits, which was good, she was learning a lot and could even best the red head sometimes in hand to hand. It had been several months since Steve had dropped her off in this century and told her he needed to get back. And it wasn't bad. It took some time to get used to. It was so loud, everything in constant motion. Plus, the screens were always so bright and the advancement in technology spectacular. Clint Barton was showing her the ropes in that aspect and always sent her funny dog videos that made her smile when she was feeling low, sitting in the apartment that was going to be her and Steve's when he finally defrosted. 

They were taking it slowly, Nick had told her. He didn't know what the side effects of being frozen for seventy years could do to the extremities and they weren't going to risk it. He let her see him, though. She had sat by his warming body and watched him, tried to memorize his face in case something did happen. No matter what the Steve from the distant future said, they were changing things with her being there and something could still go wrong. 

"You're getting better," Natasha told her, smirking when Edith grunted at her with a turn of her head. Natasha's green eyes stared at her, always evaluating, but Edith couldn't care right now. She was starting to ache in her muscles and she was starting to wonder how long the two of them had been at it. When Edith had arrived at headquarters, the sun had just started coming up. Natasha was already there and almost done her own warm up. 

The woman held the strictest work out schedule of any of the agents that worked here. It obviously got results, Edith having muscles she had really only seen on Steve, but it was hard work. Some days, she just wanted to stay curled up in bed and watch some of the classic TV that everyone has been recommending to her. And, if she found a guilty pleasure in Dog Cops, the show Clint had showed her, then nobody needed to know. 

"You're gonna have to get up again, Edith," Amusement. That's what was in Natasha's voice. When they had first started this companionship, it would have been some cold remark correcting what she had done wrong to get her thrown onto the mat. Now, it was her poking fun in the way she knew how to. Edith liked this Natasha over the cold and scolding one in the beginning. 

"Can we just finish this session doing the corpse pose?" Edith groaned, but rolled over to push herself up. She got her arms under her and pushed up, being stopped by Natasha's foot in the center of her back. With a sigh, she started dong push ups, counting down in her head until she was done and got her feet under her again. Natasha only did the push-up foot when she thought Edith needed it. Edith didn't want it, but Natasha sometimes didn't care what Edith wanted in the name of exercise. 

They sparred for a little while longer, Edith ending on the mat a couple more times before Natasha finally called it quits. The two of them chatted amicably as they made their way to the showers. 

Edith sighed as she stepped into the stall and under the water, using her powers to make the pressure just a little bit better. She heard Natasha swear in Russian and did the same for her, hearing the sigh that came with it. Both of them were quick to wash up, Edith glad that one of the first things Natasha taught her was to bring her own soap and shampoo so she wouldn't be stuck using the mediocre stuff S.H.I.E.L.D provided. So, Edith stepped out of the shower smelling faintly like roses. 

Natasha helped her with the hair dryer, something Edith was a little afraid of because of the noise. Sure, they had them back in her time, but she hadn't had one herself. So, it was weird to use one so regularly. Also, she put her hair in curlers rather than use a curling iron, so when Natasha had done her hair in less than twenty minutes with the tool, Edith had been awed. Today, she had put her hair in a ponytail, not wanting to take the time have Natasha try to teach her how to curl her hair herself. 

So, when she was dressed in jeans (jeans! actual pants!) and a simple shirt, slipping on her sneakers over her socked feet, she was ready to get on with her day. She made sure that the ribbon Steve had giving her in lieu of a ring was firmly on her finger, then decided to fix her ponytail. Edith was just pulling on a jacket, an old bomber that looked a lot like the one Steve used to wear, when over the speakers that were throughout headquarters crackled to life and a woman's voice called out, "All agents, code thirteen. I repeat, all agents, code thirteen."

Natasha and Edith shared a look with each other, before both of them were sprinting out of the room. They weren't going to beat Steve out of the building, wouldn't even be able to stop him, but Nick had said that she would hustle to the parking garage in case of code thirteen. So, the two of them were shoving past agents that were rushing in the opposite direction to try and stop Steve. 

Edith and Natasha burst out of the stairwell and into the parking garage in no time, Nick waiting by a couple of black SUVs. He took no time shuffling Edith in, nodding to Natasha, before they were pulling away. Edith was pretty sure they burned rubber off of their tires, but she had no idea. 

Edith watched the city fly by, her eyes glued to the sidewalk and road to see if she could spot Steve, scanning the people walking around. She couldn't imagine what Steve was feeling right now. All the lights and noise had been overwhelming to her, and she could not compare in terms of hearing and seeing and feeling as Steve. He was probably freaking out right now. 

They pulled into Times Square, where Edith found it to be the worst when it came to being pelted with sensory overload. And there he was, right in the middle of it all, looking around. He was wearing tan pants and an SSR shirt that was white and clinging to his frame. As soon as they stopped, Edith's hand was on the door handle, ready to haul herself outside and throw herself into her husband's arms. The only thing that stopped her was Fury putting a hand on her arm, making her glance at him, and the shake of his head. 

She watched as the man got out of the SUV, making his way over to Steve as agents surrounded him in black tactical gear. Edith knew that if Steve really put his mind to it, he could beat all of them and run away again, but she knew that he wouldn't. Something in his eyes told her that he was scared, but hiding it well. 

She spotted his heaving chest and was starting to panic because they didn't have the nebulizer with them. He hadn't needed it for a long time, but it was still ingrained in her mind to deal with his asthma. 

Edith watched as Fury broke the news, watched Steve turn away to look at his surroundings again. Nick waved his hand, Edith immediately opening the car door and stepping out, shutting it behind her. The noise drew Steve's attention to her, where he froze. He blinked and turned to Fury, demanding, "What the fuck is this?" 

Some of the agents looked surprise at the vulgarity. People had been taught how much of a hero Captain America was, placing him on a very high pedestal that they forgot he was a soldier in war. Plus, they didn't have Edith's intimate knowledge of what it was like to have Steve cursing in her ear about how good everything felt while they were making love. 

She could see the rage welling up in Steve, see him tensing, ready to fight. She understood. There was no way that she could be here, not in the past he had left behind. 

"What kind of fucking trick is this?" Steve asked, his eyes locked firmly on Fury now. Edith continued her approach slowly, making her way past Fury and in front of Steve. The man still glared at Fury over her head, his hands clenched into fists at his sides, he whole body radiating with rage. Edith could sense the loss and grief he was trying to push away. She hadn't left people behind when she had left, Gordon, Steve, Bucky, and the Ruperts the only people she had.

Steve had left everyone behind when he had went into the ice. Edith knew that there was going to be some hard days ahead getting him acquainted with the modern age. She was also still learning it herself, even after all these months. Steve picked up things quickly, but this was still a helluva lot, even for him. 

"Steve, honey," she reached out for him, watched his body tense even more at the move, watched his blue eyes scan her, look for the best way to take her down. Then, his eyes landed on her left hand and the ribbon that she was still wearing. It was dirty from how long she had kept it on her finger, Steve being too busy with the war to pick her up an actual ring. The ribbon had been enough. It would always be enough. 

"Edith?" Steve gasped wetly. Edith couldn't help the tears that sprung to her own eyes as she nodded. Steve seemed to break down then, stumbled the step forward, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Edith grabbed onto him just as tightly, wasn't surprised when he lifted her off of the ground. She simply wrapped her legs around his waist and clung tighter. Like him, she was trying to push herself into his body so that they wouldn't have to be apart again. 

The kiss wasn't unexpected. As soon as Steve gathered himself up more, he was planting a bruising kiss on her lips. She matched his fervor, let him prove to himself that they were both alive and together again. 

When he pulled back, Edith stared at him for a second, before she was letting go of his shoulder and using her fingers to lightly trace over his brow bone, the curve of his cheek, the slope of his nose. He let out a wet laugh at that, kissed Edith's fingertips as they felt his lips and followed the line of his jaw. 

"I love you, Steve," she whispered in the air between them. 

"I love you so fucking much, Edith," Steve whispered back, putting as much force into the word as he could muster. 

Then, he hugged her back into him, and Edith held on tight, promising herself that she wasn't letting go ever again.

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y'all are probably wondering why they aren't keeping the pda to themselves? well, because they're the only two people in the world at that moment, okay. 

when fury asked if steve was okay, instead of "yeah, i-i had a date", he said, "yeah, i- i just broke a promise." which now, he technically didn't!

next chapter will probably be a filler with steve learning about edith's waterbending and them getting used to the future together for a little bit before we dive right into the avengers!

also, its my birthday today!!
so, have an update and have a good day!