in the shadows ? steve rogers

chapter sixty-eight
second cousins-to-be

𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐕𝐄 𝐓𝐔𝐑𝐍𝐄𝐃 𝐈𝐍 𝐇𝐈𝐒 sleep, lifting his head when his arm fell over the side of the bed. Where Grace normally was was an empty spot. Looking around their partially unpacked bedroom, he only saw shadows from the street lamps outside the house. He turned his head abruptly when he heard a sound in the living room.

Carefully, he crept out of the room only to find Grace sitting on the floor on the carpet sorting through a box that needed to be unpacked. Her legs were crossed, and she was wearing one of his large sweatshirts that covered her small baby bump. She lifted a lamp from the box, tilting her head at it while adjusting her grip on it.

Steve leaned in the doorway, silently watching her.

Her chocolate brown locks were pulled into a claw clip, a few strands falling onto her face that she blew away. Her face was illuminated by the soft light of the lamp in the living room. She looked up when he shifted his weight.

"You weren't in bed," he said, walking towards her.

She shrugged, continuing to dig through the box. "Well, I got hungry and while I was eating my snack, I felt an urge to unpack some of the boxes," she replied, craning her neck to turn to him as he sat down on the couch behind her. "It's nesting according to the baby books you bought."

"I thought you didn't want to read those," he teased, resting his hands on her shoulders.

"I needed something to read while I was eating my goldfish," she defended with a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "What are you doing up?"

"Well, my wife wasn't next to me, so I got curious," he said, making her press her lips together. "You haven't been sleeping well lately." She sighed. "Something on your mind?" She shrugged wordlessly. "Are you nervous about telling Tony about the baby?"

"I'm not nervous," she contradicted with a shake of her head. "Just... I never imagined telling him that his cousin is going to be almost fifty years younger than him. And he tends to freak out whenever I tell him anything related to us."

Steve chuckled quietly as she leaned into his touch, resting her head on his hands. "Well, if it's any consolation, Addy sent another box of stuff for the baby."

"I saw," she replied in amusement, tiredness tugging at her. "We won't need to buy anything. Addy..." She fought back a yawn. "Addy's got it all covered for us."

"I think that's a sign we should go back to bed," Steve said, looking down when he heard no response from the brunette. "Gracie?" She had fallen asleep against his legs, making him let out a small breath. "Alright, you." He carefully picked her up off the floor, carrying her into the bedroom. He lowered her onto the mattress, adjusting the covers over her shoulders. He lay down beside her, his arm draped over her. "Sleep well, sweetheart. And you, too, little baby."