Now that the war's over

[msrogers]

Steph had taken to hanging out at Howard's workshop these days. Usually with her sketchbook or with whatever assignments her class had saddled her with that week. Really, she just liked idly sketching him in graphite, almost feeling like a schoolgirl with a crush again. But no. Howard was the brilliant mechanical engineer she knew during those days

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[au_avenger]

Sleep, what is sleep?

Inventions, gizmos, dreams... he talked to her more than anyone else about his dream of a better future, one with war or need for it. He could tell Stephanie his secrets. His problem was he couldn't only show the good side of himself; she saw clearly the toll being alive and alone all this time had cost him. She saw how Maria and Tony's deaths were still open wounds to this day.

"...alright," he said with only minor hesitation, although he's tired and would rather sleep, but he could never turn down Stephanie all the opportunities she'd missed while she was under. "One wash up, coming right up."

[msrogers]

She tucked away the oils she had been using that day. At first, she wasn't sure if he minded but she set up a little almost studio in a corner of his workshop, always with non-flammable materials such as her charcoals, her oils and pastels, graphites, but never her paints. She saved painting for her own apartment.

Steph went to the sink and washed her hands, thinking that this would be a wonderful break for Howard. Listening to story after story about his time over the years made this new present day more sensical. But the ghosts that haunt Howard's eyes...the weariness...the weight he carried...she could only hope she could figure out how to undo all that.

[au_avenger]

He wasn't used to sharing his workshop, by nature of it being his workshop, but he couldn't bring himself to say a thing against it. Something about her presence both comforted him and drove home his loneliness at the same time, usually in the same moments.

He immediately began scrubbing at his hands with Germ-X, hand sanitizers being something of an obsession for him. He disliked water on a number of levels after Afghanistan, the one thing he avoided talking about even when directly asked. Those were days better left behind him.

[msrogers]

Fury had approached her that day. Steph had decided to put in a little gym time just to stay loose when the one eyed man approached her. The cube that had been HYDRA's secret weapon, that made them practically indestructible. Someone found it, someone stole it. Fury wanted her help to find it. She had suggested Howard since he worked more with the cube than she did. The man shook his head and insisted that it wasn't a solo project. She had pressed her mouth in a thin line and picked up a weightbag as easily as picking up a plate and walked off, telling him she'd think about it.

But now, though. She shook her head and rolled down her sleeves, making her way up to where the kitchen was to pop some popcorn. For now, she'll watch movies with Howard. When the sun really set over the horizon, she'll bring it up with him.