[closed]

[cookshisgoose]

Who: Peggy (cookshisgoose) & Steve (abide)
When: 5/31
Where: the Medbay
What: it's Peggy's turn to defrost
Warnings: n/a



[There was no way to really describe the jolting experience of being thrown into consciousness. It felt like lightning coursing through her body, every part of her suddenly waking up to pins and needles, warmth flooding her and yet still freezing.

She tried to open her eyes, to understand what was happening, but everything was blurred. All she knew was she stumbled forward, but she was too dizzy to maintain any sort of balance. Her hands grasped for anything she could find to hold on to, but there was nothing, and she ended up in the floor. Her arms shook as she used them to support her weight, the numbness starting to recede, the chill of the floor sending a shiver down her spine.

As her mind started to clear, the sudden realization that she was without any clothing hit her. Using her good hand to move into a sitting position, she covered herself with her other, blinking hard in an effort to get her vision clear. Memories were coming back to her, of the Moira, of Steve, but she had no idea where she was or what was going on.

It took a few moments, but she soon realized she was by the cryo units in the Medbay. Even with her mind still fuzzy, it didn't take much to put two and two together. Neither did she hesitate to scan every inch, looking for that familiar face that should be there. But Steve was not in any of them, and a sense of dread filled her. How long had seen been in cryo? And if Steve wasn't-- where was he?]

Comments

[abide]

[ Ever since his own pull from cryo, he's returned periodically to check on her. The visits had gotten more frequent given the current state of affairs on the ship and with the crew, and the most recent time leaves him staying there longer than any before. Steve's actually halfway across the medbay when her tube opens, looking at some of the older network feeds he'd missed while being under, but that immediately becomes second priority with the commotion coming from that particularly area of medical. He's gotten so familiar with the area that it only takes him a few seconds to get to the tubes, and when his eyes meet hers, he's not looking at the fact she's completely naked. She's still here, but...

Does she remember? Does she know everything he's told her about what had happened and what year he's actually living in now? Steve reaches for one of the blankets and opens to pull it around her as he kneels down to be with her. He'd pull her close if he wasn't so unsure about what was actually happening inside her head. He remembers being out of it for a remarkably long period of time after climbing out of the tube. ]

Hey. [ His voice is low, the back of his hand touching her cheek. ] It's okay. You're safe.

[cookshisgoose]

[When she feels the blanket draped over her, Peggy's attention turned to the figure kneeling beside her. She blinks, making her eyes focus, but the face before her is not what she expected.]

Steve, you're-- [Alive. You're okay, you're here. All things at the tip of her tongue, but her mind is still frazzled from the jarring experience of waking.

She blinked again, this time to force away the tears that were daring to appear. She hated being emotional, even on a bad day, but she was so shook up that she could barely contain herself.]

I was so worried. [She remembered everything, the Moira, having each other again, all the future things and his adventures. It's a daze, a bit of a blur at the moment, but the memories were there. Any concern she expressed now was from her fretting when he went into cryo himself -- the fear of losing him all over again. It was at the top of her mind when she went to asleep, of course it was the first thing on her mind now.]

[abide]

[ He braces himself for it, for the moment when she doesn't remember and the surge of emotion that's inevitably going to come from it. It's so difficult for him to hide how hard it is to swallow the pain he feels every time he looks at her, the memories that are still so fresh despite having lived nearly four years without her. (In reality, it's so much more than that, but he'd gone to sleep with the sound of her voice echoing in his head.) Steve shifts so that he's closer, dropping down to sit beside her and finally pull her into his arms. Considering he generally runs warmer than most, the contact should help. That, and it's just an excuse to embrace her without asking. ]

I'm here. [ And he isn't going anywhere until he's sure everything is fine. Steve draws the blanket around her a little tighter. ] I've been out for about a week. [ Close to it, at least. Maybe a little longer, but the important thing is that he'd come to see her in every spare moment he'd had.

His forehead rests against the damp chill of her hair. ] I'm sorry.

[cookshisgoose]

[She doesn't object to his touch, as if she ever would. She accepts his embrace, quietly nestling into his side. His warmth is most welcome, even if it sends a shiver down her spine.]

How long was I in there? [She isn't even sure if he'd know exactly, given he was asleep at the time. But maybe Bucky would. He had been in the Medbay too, waiting for Steve to wake up, so she doubted he had missed than she went under as well.]

Sorry? [Her light laugh is tired, but genuine. It's just like Steve, to apologize for something completely out of his control. But she can't help but smile, closing her eyes and resting her head on his shoulder. It's comforting, this. Possibly more than he realizes.] Steve, you have nothing to apologize for.