[ He almost doesn't even wait for it to fall on the floor, and just scoops her up in his arms, pulling her in for a kiss. It's not heavy, it's not meant to go anywhere, it's just meant to start their day together. ]
I love you.
[ He's not sure he's said that lately, so he thinks he really should. He wants her to know. ]
[ She won't object to being picked up, settling into his familiar hold and enjoying the kiss. Her arms settle around his shoulders, fingers toying with the hair at the nape of his neck. ]
I love you too.
[ She's also not the best at saying it, the weight and fear of loss sometimes standing in the way of vulnerability. Of acknowledging feelings and emotions. She's not sure when it got easier to lean in and share, but it just feels natural with him. ]
Pancakes sound perfect, but only if you let me help. [ Even if it's just holding the whisk or keeping him company. ]
[ She's too stubborn to let him do all the work, honestly. She'd have sneakily worked her way into the kitchen to help. Even if it was just grabbing plates and random things.
Julia offers a happy hummed response before he pulls away, casually following on his heels as he moves. ]
Well... Quentin is doing alright, laying low and taking care of himself. Spending some quality time with Eliot. [ He deserved it, they both did. Taking a step back from Fillory and letting the others really take over. ] Alice is Alice, Kady is... Kady. [ So complicated. Julia leans against a counter, somewhat out of the way as she talks. ]
Did I tell you Josh and now Margo are both Werewolves? [ She honestly can't remember what she's filled him in on and what's been missed because it's all equal levels of strange so nothing really stands out anymore. ]
[ He is glad that Quentin and Elliot are spending some time together, though he's not really sure what she means by Alice is Alice and Kady is Kady. He doesn't think if he asks, though, that he'll get an answer. But he doesn't know them all that well, so. ]
--No?
They are? Werewolves exist?
[ Of course they exist. He shakes his head as if to say, don't answer that. ]
None of that sounds too bad. Maybe the werewolves thing, I'm not really sure what to make of that.
[ Oh god, well... In the grand scheme of everything that has happened, that wasn't as high of a priority as there wasn't much they could do about it.
She also couldn't blame his surprise on that fact. It's hard to know what's still fiction and what actually exists. And then if it exists in this universe or timeline and what didn't. And if it previously existed and is now extinct or literally still a figment of someone's imagination. She pulls a few items out of the fridge as she talks, whatever catches her eye that might be good on pancakes. ]
On the upside for us and everyone else, it's not transferable through anything other than sex - so takes a bit of effort to become a werewolf. [ She'll let Steve guess who gave lycanthropy to who between Margo and Josh as she starts washing blueberries. ]
And we'll see if things stay this way or if someone comes along and tries to pop the bubble. [ Something she's grateful Steve understands. Even if she wished neither of them had to fully understand the unreasonably high stakes that often come with a large crisis. ]
[ The washing of the blueberries is temporarily abandoned, having just finished filling up the small bowl with water. She lounges against the counter, giving him a coy look as she smirks -- her tone turning more than a little flirty. ]
Oh, very satisfied?
[ Listen, she's happy to answer any questions he has before digging into how things have been going for him... She just needs to have a little moment of joy. It's not a surprise, the feeling more than mutual and something she tries to express as often as possible -- but it's still always fun to hear. And something fun to lean into for a minute. ]
[ If she wants a truthful answer. He loves her, and he loves the time they spend together. He's happy here and wants for nothing else.
For a long time, he thought it impossible. Especially after Peggy - he's one of those people who believes in soulmates. He still does. To find two, he thinks, that's incredible. ]
[ It's earnest and sincere, her heart melting a bit further than she honestly thought it could. She'd also never expected to find anyone that would love her -- the real her, battle wounds and all. The good, the bad, and the traumatized pieces that rolled into an amalgamation of this timeline's version of her. The final version of her.
It was hard to trust, at least it was hard with everyone else. He made it so easy. He made everything feel a bit easier. There's true beauty in support and she's not quite sure she can ever fully express how much he means to her, not certain what her life would look like right now without him. ]
Well... That makes two of us. [ She returns to the blueberries, grabbing a few supplies to dry them off. ]
Also no cure for the lycanthropy. Just ways to manage it. How's everyone in your circle? [ Since it's also been a minute for her with his friends and team. ]
[ He figures he should elaborate, but there's nothing exactly like anyone turning into a werewolf. Or so he thinks. ]
Buck's getting therapy, Clint and Scott have mostly retired to be with their families.
[ And now Steve gets to retire too, though with Julia that's never really a guarantee, and it's more like a soft retirement. There's always something happening, but they don't always have to save the world. So that's nice. ]
[ Truthfully, when it came to everything else going on around them, she often viewed no news as good news. But, what could be considered absolutely drastic for a 'normal' person might not even register on a scale for them. And she missed that. She missed when the little things mattered. When her grades mattered and picking the right grad school was the hardest decision in front of her. It felt like a lifetime ago.
Her eyebrows lift a bit at the mention of therapy. ]
Hopefully whoever Bucky's working with is good. That he's seeing a benefit in it and it's helping. [ It could be damn near impossible to put the pieces of yourself back together alone, but anything could be done with the right help. Therapy and seeking help for mental health didn't have to be the same weapon that was used against herself and Q. Either way, there was a soft place for Bucky to land if needed. Something she'd be fully supportive of without needing to be asked. ] Good for Clint and Scott. I'm sure their families are thrilled with the retirement news. It's not like all of you haven't earned it and then some.
[ Disasters will always be on the horizon. Something or someone will always need saving or fixing, but it doesn't have to be them. Nothing wrong with ushering in the next generation of heroes to take up the mantle and responsibility. Somehow easier to praise and celebrate for him than visualize for herself. A concept that's going to take more time to wrap her head around, even if it feels easy to picture with him. ]
Would you stay here once officially retired or move somewhere far off the beaten path? I think, either way, I'd like to have a little garden. [ The idea slips out before she can stop it, those protective walls she wraps around herself having fallen with Steve a long time ago. Already picturing herself with him and thrusting the concept she can't quite vocalize in its entirety to the forefront. She picks up one of the blueberries that's still got a bit of stem attached, letting it twist and lift in her hands as it grows bit by bit -- additional blueberries slowly forming and shifting through the different stages of its life cycle until perfectly ripe. While she may have had to restart the path to goddesshood, a decision on direction not one she's made yet, her tie to nature isn't something that she imagines will ever go away. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
I love you.
[ He's not sure he's said that lately, so he thinks he really should. He wants her to know. ]
And how do you feel about pancakes for lunch?
no subject
I love you too.
[ She's also not the best at saying it, the weight and fear of loss sometimes standing in the way of vulnerability. Of acknowledging feelings and emotions. She's not sure when it got easier to lean in and share, but it just feels natural with him. ]
Pancakes sound perfect, but only if you let me help. [ Even if it's just holding the whisk or keeping him company. ]
no subject
Deal.
[ He pecks her cheek and then pulls away to go get things ready for that. ]
So, how is everyone else? Feel like I haven't talked to anyone in ages.
no subject
Julia offers a happy hummed response before he pulls away, casually following on his heels as he moves. ]
Well... Quentin is doing alright, laying low and taking care of himself. Spending some quality time with Eliot. [ He deserved it, they both did. Taking a step back from Fillory and letting the others really take over. ] Alice is Alice, Kady is... Kady. [ So complicated. Julia leans against a counter, somewhat out of the way as she talks. ]
Did I tell you Josh and now Margo are both Werewolves? [ She honestly can't remember what she's filled him in on and what's been missed because it's all equal levels of strange so nothing really stands out anymore. ]
no subject
--No?
They are? Werewolves exist?
[ Of course they exist. He shakes his head as if to say, don't answer that. ]
None of that sounds too bad. Maybe the werewolves thing, I'm not really sure what to make of that.
no subject
She also couldn't blame his surprise on that fact. It's hard to know what's still fiction and what actually exists. And then if it exists in this universe or timeline and what didn't. And if it previously existed and is now extinct or literally still a figment of someone's imagination. She pulls a few items out of the fridge as she talks, whatever catches her eye that might be good on pancakes. ]
On the upside for us and everyone else, it's not transferable through anything other than sex - so takes a bit of effort to become a werewolf. [ She'll let Steve guess who gave lycanthropy to who between Margo and Josh as she starts washing blueberries. ]
And we'll see if things stay this way or if someone comes along and tries to pop the bubble. [ Something she's grateful Steve understands. Even if she wished neither of them had to fully understand the unreasonably high stakes that often come with a large crisis. ]
no subject
Okay, well, it's a good thing I'm very satisfied in my monogamous relationship with not a werewolf.
[ Which, he's pretty confident is still true. ]
So. Is there a cure, or are they just stuck like that?
no subject
Oh, very satisfied?
[ Listen, she's happy to answer any questions he has before digging into how things have been going for him... She just needs to have a little moment of joy. It's not a surprise, the feeling more than mutual and something she tries to express as often as possible -- but it's still always fun to hear. And something fun to lean into for a minute. ]
no subject
[ If she wants a truthful answer. He loves her, and he loves the time they spend together. He's happy here and wants for nothing else.
For a long time, he thought it impossible. Especially after Peggy - he's one of those people who believes in soulmates. He still does. To find two, he thinks, that's incredible. ]
no subject
It was hard to trust, at least it was hard with everyone else. He made it so easy. He made everything feel a bit easier. There's true beauty in support and she's not quite sure she can ever fully express how much he means to her, not certain what her life would look like right now without him. ]
Well... That makes two of us. [ She returns to the blueberries, grabbing a few supplies to dry them off. ]
Also no cure for the lycanthropy. Just ways to manage it. How's everyone in your circle? [ Since it's also been a minute for her with his friends and team. ]
no subject
[ He figures he should elaborate, but there's nothing exactly like anyone turning into a werewolf. Or so he thinks. ]
Buck's getting therapy, Clint and Scott have mostly retired to be with their families.
[ And now Steve gets to retire too, though with Julia that's never really a guarantee, and it's more like a soft retirement. There's always something happening, but they don't always have to save the world. So that's nice. ]
no subject
Her eyebrows lift a bit at the mention of therapy. ]
Hopefully whoever Bucky's working with is good. That he's seeing a benefit in it and it's helping. [ It could be damn near impossible to put the pieces of yourself back together alone, but anything could be done with the right help. Therapy and seeking help for mental health didn't have to be the same weapon that was used against herself and Q. Either way, there was a soft place for Bucky to land if needed. Something she'd be fully supportive of without needing to be asked. ] Good for Clint and Scott. I'm sure their families are thrilled with the retirement news. It's not like all of you haven't earned it and then some.
[ Disasters will always be on the horizon. Something or someone will always need saving or fixing, but it doesn't have to be them. Nothing wrong with ushering in the next generation of heroes to take up the mantle and responsibility. Somehow easier to praise and celebrate for him than visualize for herself. A concept that's going to take more time to wrap her head around, even if it feels easy to picture with him. ]
Would you stay here once officially retired or move somewhere far off the beaten path? I think, either way, I'd like to have a little garden. [ The idea slips out before she can stop it, those protective walls she wraps around herself having fallen with Steve a long time ago. Already picturing herself with him and thrusting the concept she can't quite vocalize in its entirety to the forefront. She picks up one of the blueberries that's still got a bit of stem attached, letting it twist and lift in her hands as it grows bit by bit -- additional blueberries slowly forming and shifting through the different stages of its life cycle until perfectly ripe. While she may have had to restart the path to goddesshood, a decision on direction not one she's made yet, her tie to nature isn't something that she imagines will ever go away. ]