[ 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. ]
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[ 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. ]