in the shadows ? steve rogers

067 ? the first three months

Steve slid off the bed and walked towards his coat, digging in the pocket to pull out the ring she had given to him before he went on the run. "I know you said that you needed time, but if all of this has proven anything, it's that time is short. Life is short. And we've been through so much that we deserve this. You deserve this, Gracie."

"Steve—"

"Marry me," he said again, holding the ring out in front of her and she looked down at it, noticing how it was sparkling in the early morning moonlight. "Marry me, Gracie."

She met his gaze, tears filling her eyes. She nodded. "Yes." She cupped his cheek, kissing him with more emotion than it felt like ever before. "Yes, I will marry you."

⸻ ~~~ ⸻

𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐄 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐑 door, looking up at the house that was currently under construction. She turned her head when she heard a door opening to find Tony walking onto the porch. He paused when he locked eyes with her. He had escaped the city as soon as Bruce had given him the all-clear to travel and had cut off contact with everybody.

She figured he was still processing everything that had happened in the fight against Thanos in space, as well as trying to accept that Peter Parker was among the people who had been dusted. She gave him the space he wanted, but Pepper knew that he needed to socialize again.

And to start with Grace.

"It looks good," she said, walking towards the front porch and Tony glanced up at the house that had scaffolding on it. "Gonna be high-tech like Stark Tower was?"

He shrugged. "I haven't decided."

She nodded, biting the inside of her cheek. She played with the sleeves of her jacket, pulling it closer around her thin frame and feeling the soft spring breeze blow through her dark, loose locks. Tony watched his aunt examine the property, pausing to peer inside the shed curiously. Pepper was watching him from the kitchen window, a frown tugging at her features. For as long as she had known Tony, she had known Grace. And she knew how much he loved his aunt.

"Talk to her," she mouthed to him through the window and he shook his head making her roll her eyes. She walked out the front door. "She's your only family, you need to talk to her at some point."

"Why?" he asked and she sighed.

"Because she spent the entire twenty-two days that you were in space pacing and figuring out ways to get you back," she replied, crossing her arms and looking at him like a mother would reprimand her child. "She barely slept, she locked herself in her office. She was desperate, Tony. You were the only person she cared about." He scoffed. "What is wrong with you? You always told me how much you idolized your aunt."

"Because I was in space for twenty-two days and she was in Wakanda!" he exclaimed, silencing Pepper who raised her eyebrows. "She promised to always protect me, but—but she was nowhere to be seen. She was somewhere else!"

She sucked in a breath. "And you're angry," she pieced together. Grace walked up the steps, her stride slowing as she reached the top. "Tony, you need to tell her that. It's cruel to both of you if you keep this to yourself."

"I don't want to talk to her," he said, shaking his head. "I'll—"

"You know, I think I'll just go." Tony and Pepper looked over at Grace who cleared her throat. "I—I can tell that you're still working through everything from space and the snap, and I don't want to be in the way. So... I'll—I'll just stop by later."

Pepper started towards her. "Grace—"

"It's fine, Pepper," she replied, pausing beside her parked car and looking up at the strawberry blonde. "Just—um... Be there for him, okay? And—And I'll try again sometime." She looked past Pepper towards Tony who remained on the porch. "I know you're angry. And you have the right to be. Just know that I wanted to find you more than anything. But I was outvoted. And I will always love you, little penguin."