Chapter 2
When Steve wakes up, he wants to turn on another side and continue sleeping. It's only when he does and doesn't fall off the bed, that he remembers what happened the day before.
He sits up, can't get up very fast, no matter how he tries. His body feels heavy but well rested, though his mind is running fast and clear.
Steve looks around the room, at the light walls and blue hyacints. His eyes fall on the folded suit on a bench and his shield leaned against the wall next to it. Steve is fairly certain he did not have his shield with him at any point from the plane to here. Diana must've gone back for it.
Steve feels warm.
He shoots up and changes into his suit, tripping over himself in his haste to get to Diana and for her to fulfill her promise of taking him home. The weight of his shield is familiar, both comforting and something he dreads every time he has to dress himself, but now Steve has no time for such thoughts. He races out of the room and takes the seven steps required to reach the large and light room he thinks is a living space (? Maybe? He does not know) and stops dead in his tracks and thus stumbles.
Diana swirls around at the sound of his footsteps, black cloak billowing with the movement. Steve catches a glimpse of red, blue and gold, before the cape settles again, hiding her from neck down. She has two bags at her feet, the other more full, and her smile is far brighter and eyes clearer than yesterday.
"Steve!" she beams, then her eyes and voice dulls a fraction, "You are awake. Good. We're leaving as soon as you're ready."
Steve wants to say he's ready immediately, but is seems he doesn't need to voice it. Diana hauls the emptier bag up and tosses it to him. It's heavier than Steve expected, but nothing he can't handle, so he slings it over his shoulder and stands at attention.
He can see now, as she leads him steadily down the streets of the awakening city, what she had meant when she said it had been easy to go. Diana is thrumming with energy, her steps quicker and greetings tighter. She doesn't smile anymore, now that they've exited the house, and Steve can see seriousness settling onto her face. He wonders what happened to her in the war, if she had to leave when she is so eager to return.
"What will we be traveling with?" Steve asks once Diana has walked him into a bay between two rocky cliffs.
"A plane," she answers, turning on her heel to regard him but not slowing in her stride. "It won't be anything like your plane, if you're worried, but I'm afraid a boat would be too slow for us."
"It's okay." Even though his insides twist up at the very idea of being up in the air. Diana was right, though. Her plane is nothing like Valkyrie. It looks like those from the first World War, fits two people and their belongings.
"It's..." he can't bring himself to offend her, but it's old.
"You'll see," Diana smirks, softer than when Howards smirks when he's about to show Steve something amazing, but similar nevertheless. She loads their bags and climbs on easily, gracefully and with far more dignity than Steve stumbles on.
The engine hums on, practically purrs under Steve, silent yet powerful. Steve feels a little foolish, doubting Diana.
(he wonders why he trusts her so easily, why he thinks of her as a part of him already, like he's known her longer than he has. It might be the way she looks at him, like she's known him for years.)
"We'll be going through the barrier in a bit," Diana informs him and Steve doesn't have the thought to wonder, what barrier, "You might feel queasy."
He does feel queasy, when the skies turn dark and the clouds appear out of nowhere. Steve turns his head in time to see the last sunlight of Themyscira before it disappears as if it never were there. That explains very much.
"That's neat." Steve says stupidly. He can almost see Diana's indulgent smile.
"The gods gifted us protection from the man's world." She explains, as if that answers all Steve's questions. In her mind, it probably does.
He finds, it's not the flying he's afraid of, it's the sea that glitters below them. Diana advises him to keep his eyes on the clouds.
"How long do you reckon the flight is?" He asks and swats Diana's hair out of his face. It hadn't been a problem at the beginning, but now it's starting to be one.
"We should be there by sundown. I am taking you to Germany, correct?"
She is. Steve isn't quite certain Germany will have camp anymore, but then again he's only been gone a few days. Dead, but still.
"So, what made you leave for the war?" He asks before he can shut his stupid mouth. "You don't have to answer that."
Diana shrugs one shoulder and looks down on the water. "The war came to us and I left with it. I couldn't stand aside when I saw an opportunity to help."
"But you came back home." Steve keeps repeating the short exchange of words after the blue flowers, and for some reason he can't keep his mouth shut.
"I had the opportunity," she says, "I couldn't stay."
And Steve understands.
---
He gets hungry after a while, and places a hand to his stomach in vain attempt of silencing it. He hopes the howl of the wind does a better job at that.
Diana tells him there's fruit if he wishes to eat.
Steve denies everything.
---
They land in Germany when the sun is already setting, the sky an orange inferno, and Diana's smile is golden when she climbs off the plane. The wind takes a hold of her hair, whips it around while Diana waits for him, and for a while Steve can't move.
"Where to?"
---
"Steve?!"
Diana stands rigid beside him as Peggy rushes forward, cautious and prepared. He knows she has nothing to worry about, but he appreciates her readiness to defend him nevertheless.
"Peggy," he opens his arms, hopeful that Peggy accepts the invitation. Instead, she stops two steps away, and Steve has to drop his arms.
"You died," she says, hisses, hands in fists, "your plane went down and you died."
"Surprise?"
Peggy does not look amused, so Steve sighs and drops his head. Diana stands still at his side, but a small smile has broken over her lips. "She saved me," he motions for Diana, "pulled me out of the water and gave a lift back."
"Oh," Peggy says as she straightens her skirt. She looks Diana up and down, clearly unimpressed by the black cloak, but also visibly thankful. "The US owes you a great deal, in that case."
Diana looks like the US should be owing her for a lot more than for saving Steve, but she is smiling. Her smile is still that dim little thing, but Steve likes to think it genuine anyway. "I am glad I could help him."
Peggy smiles tightly, her eyes flitting to Steve. "I'm Agent Peggy Carter."
"I am Diana, Princess of Themyscira." Diana answers without missing a beat, offering her hand to Peggy graciously. Steve chokes on his saliva a little bit.
Peggy blinks, but she recovers far easier than Steve.
"Princess?" she says, an intrigued laugh in her voice, "I must admit I haven't heard of Themyscira."
Diana smiles. "I would be more surprised if you had."
Peggy brushes her skirt, rolls her shoulders and turns to Steve. "We need to report this to Colonel Phillips, you know."
Diana's mood sours. Peggy leads them in and around, and when they reach a door that looks vaguely important, she asks Diana to stand outside. Diana frowns, but obeys. Peggy seems crossed between pleased and annoyed.
"Colonel Phillips," Peggy says as she enters, "I'm sorry for being this sudden, but there has been... An unecpected occurence."
"Is that what we're calling me now?" Steve smiles as he is shepherded into the room by Peggy, who is a tumble of trembling energy.
He faces Colonel Phillips, whose hand is frozen in the air, other resting on his chin. He regains his composure as flawlessly as Peggy, and continues his movement, crossing his hands on top of the desk.
"Captain Rogers." he says flatly. "How unexpected."
Steve wants to laugh, just a little bit, at Colonel Phillips' tone. He doesn't, but he smiles a little, which is appropriate either way.
Peggy clears her throat.
----
Diana is not found when Colonel Phillips finally lets Steve go, but laughter he knows well catches his attention. Peggy isn't there to stop him, like he probably ought to do, so Steve heads straight towards the laughter.
He is thrumming with energy at the prospect of meeting his friends, who have become exceedingly dear to him in the war years. His gut churns, when he remembers they think he's dead.
When Steve turns the corner, he sees his Howlies gathered around Diana, faces red with alcohol and laughter, and Dum Dum snorting into his drink every few seconds.
Diana is glowing in the orange glow of the lights, and her eyes sparkle in reminiscense.
"So you're like our Pegs? Fierce woman in the field with men?" Monty asks and Diana breaks off from her conversation with Jaques, which she was having in perfectfrench.
"I suppose," Diana smiles, "I could see from Agent Carter that she is a fighter."
"Princess," Peggy's voice comes from behind Steve, and every single head snaps towards them. Steve tries to hide behind Peggy, but she's halfhis size. Diana's eyes are laughing as she looks at him.
"Agent Carter," she says pleasantly, "there is no need to adress me by title."
The men are clambering up and around, looking at Steve, at Diana and each other, startled and jumpy. Dum Dum drops his bottle.
"Hey," Steve says. He feels awkward, more nervous than in front of an audience. It could be because these are his friends who thought he was dead. "I'm back. Miss me?"
Diana looks vaguely happy as his men come to him, teary eyed. Peggy steps aside with a soft smile, retreats near Diana. Steve would keep looking at them, two very impressive women side to side, but Jim wraps him in a hug and he's concentrating on them for now.
---
They settle after a while, around the fire and Diana acts as Steve's supporter as he retells the story, but she does it better than he does.
"And you're really a princess?" Gabe asks.
Steve sees Peggy does a little bit of a scoff, as if she doesn't quite believe what Steve and Diana are saying. It's strange it's just the Princess part she seems to be stuck on.
"Yes," Diana says and Steve knows she's being honest because she almost murdered him for lying and she has no reason to lie about being royalty of a land no one has ever heard of. And Steve has seen her mother, the tiara on her forehead. "But my people are very casual about it. I would be happy if you called me Diana."
"A warrior princess?" the new one, someone Steve doesn't know but he's young, and they call him Junior, asks with a hopeful tone to his voice.
Diana smiles but otherwise doesn't acknowledge the inquiry. Steve stealthily nods and winks to Junior, and he smiles.
Steve knows nothing about Diana, whether she actually is a warrior or not, but she carries herself with the pride of one, and is as tall and unyelding as her mother, who most definitely is a warrior. Diana had not been wearing an armor (he supposes they are armors, leather and metal and freeing the movement) when they met, but it's not the clothes that make a soldier. But Diana is not a soldier. She doesn't look like she would take orders, doesn't have the purpose with no thrive.
Diana stands. "Forgive me," she says. "I have to... I have someone I wish to see."
Steve shouldn't question, shouldn't feel the disappointment he does. He and Diana made no agreement past this point, no commitment to stay with each other. Diana promised to take him back, and she has delivered.
"Who?" he still asks. Peggy narrows her eyes and glances at him. Don't be rude, her eyes read.
"An old friend," Diana says, and Steve is quite familiar with what people usually mean by that, what Bucky always meant by that, and he almost asks. "I fought the war with him."
And then he doesn't.
'You've lost someone.'
'Haven't we all?'
Steve settles. "Will you be back?"
Diana smiles, soft and gentle, but Steve sees her hands curl into fists. "I do have to get my plane."
---
Diana dislikes making promises she does not know how to keep. Steve is pure, shining in this world just as her Steve, and she aches having to lie to him.
Of course she has to get the plane back, that is what she's using as her base to the lie, that she did get the plane back. She just wishes Steve isn't waiting for her to come back.
Sameer, Etta and Chief are waiting for her when she arrives. Diana smiles, happy to see them again, guilty for leaving them.
"Diana!" Sameer laughs when he hugs her, and she kisses his cheeks like they're used to. "Finally. Thought you wouldn't show."
"Of course I would," Diana reprimands him, "I'd never miss on seeing you."
Etta tackles her into a hug next, arms powerful and smile large. "We've missed you," she tells Diana when they break apart, brushing off the grey dress they'd bought Diana years ago. "Charlie's been asking."
Diana's eyes sting with tears. "I'll come with you, after."
Etta nods and Diana turns to Chief. They've never hugged, Chief's not the type, but he gives a smile and a nod which mean equally much. Diana watches her friends. Etta and Sameer have aged, as thirty years tends to morph the human body. Etta has put on muscle, from hoisting around Sameer and Charlie like misbehaving children, and she looks radiant when she smiles. Sameer has deep set wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, on his forehead. Both worry and laughter etched onto his face.
Chief is as usual, the same face, same winking twist to his lips. Diana wishes to know how he manages the ageless look, how he has convinced people of his humanity when he is anything but.
She takes the hand Etta is offering, and together they set off to the gravestone dedicated to soldiers fallen in the first war.
----
Charlie can't quite sing anymore. It doesn't stop him, and they all pretend not to hear when he wavers, but it's not the same.
For Diana, who remembers his songs like yesterday, the change is heartbreaking. Chief holds her hand when he notices, but neither adress it.
Past might be closer to Diana and him than their human friends, but it doesn't mean they have to bring it up.