((Contains material of an adult nature.))
The visit had, indeed, gone well. In the hallway, Liv paused momentarily, feeling just a little guilty for leaving Peggy alone once again, before her aunt's words welled up again. She smiled a little self-consciously, looking up at Johnny. "How did she know I'm a worrier?"
Johnny stepped out after Liv, feeling about the same, a little guilty for leaving Peggy alone, but they couldn't exactly live there. It was something they'd no doubt discuss, however. He smiled and slipped his arms around her waist, if only for a moment. "Because she's smart and observant and you're a little like Steve."
"Only a little?" His wife teased him, leaning into his embrace with a tender smile that was for his eyes only. "You mean you can't see me in red, white, and blue, hurling a shield all over the scenery?" She giggled at the thought, tucking herself easily under his arm as she began to walk along the hallway, toward the front of the house and freedom, hoping the taxi they'd booked hours before would be there. "Thank you for making me do this," she added in a quieter tone. "I ....I learned a lot."
He laughed at the thought of her as a female Captain America. "Not unless your name is Wonder Woman," he replied with a grin. Yes, he knew his comics and had had a huge crush on Wonder Woman as a boy. What red-blooded American comic book geek boy hadn't' He slipped an arm around her waist as they strolled their way down the hall toward their exit. He wasn't sure what she'd learned exactly, but he was happy things had gone well. He shrugged at her thanks. "I thought you'd regret it someday if you didn't come here."
"She's moving herself to America," Liv told him thoughtfully. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that development, though she understood the reasons behind it. She just hoped the move wouldn't shorten Peggy's already limited time. "She says she wants to be close to all of us, but I think she might feel a little out of the way here in England. Even knowing about portals and Rhy'Din, it still feels a long way away from Lucy and Steve."
He frowned thoughtfully a moment. He'd been thinking about this, too, but they'd already decided to try and make a life for themselves in Rhy'Din, at least for now - away from the overprotective eyes and ears of Lucy and Sue. "Do you want to move to New York?" he asked, wondering what she was thinking. They'd made connections on Rhy'Din, had jobs, friends. Picking up and moving back to New York wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.
"Someday, yes." It was something they'd never really discussed, this nebulous someday when they'd leave Rhy'Din behind. It wouldn't be for some time to come, but knowing it was there was a comfort in ways. "Not right now, of course." She glanced up at him with a fond smile. "With Peggy in New York as well, we'll be able to visit everyone at once. They're only twenty minutes away from us in Rhy'Din."
"Yeah," he replied, somewhat distractedly. He was still having a little trouble wrapping his head around the idea that they were who knew how many light years away in distance but only a short hop through the portal. It was faster than traveling by car through New York. There was something else on his mind, but he didn't want to remark on it while they were still in earshot of the nursing home. "I'm glad you two hit it off," he said instead, pulling the door open and waiting for her to step outside.
"So am I. It could have gone so badly wrong." She shook her head, laughing a little at the fears she'd given such free rein to as they'd approached the home a few hours before. Stepping out into the stiff breeze, she paused again, turning back to look at her husband with a curious cast to her gaze. She had a feeling there was something he wasn't saying, wondering what she'd missed that he had picked up on.
He wasn't saying anything just yet, not wanting to burst her bubble. His worries were mostly just that of Peggy not living long enough to see them have children and such. He wondered if there was any way of lengthening her life span, and yet, she had lived a full life and he guessed she might not even want that. Between Humphrey and Peggy, he worried they'd lose them both before they were ready. He led her silently to the waiting taxi and opened the door for her to get inside.
A little nonplussed by his silence, Liv frowned faintly, slipping past him to climb into the taxi. It wasn't like Johnny to fall completely silent - even when he was avoiding a subject, he tended to forcibly change it rather than appear to brood over something in mind. And despite Peggy's parting words to her, Liv couldn't help worrying a little as she waited for him to join her in the car, her good mood turning subdued as she struggled for words to try and draw whatever it was out of him.
He climbed in beside her and pulled the door closed. "Where to?" he asked, not sure if she wanted to go back to their hotel or wander the city a while longer. He'd brooch the subject of his own worries at some point, more than likely, but not yet.
"Somewhere we can talk," was his wife's quiet response to that, able to tell when Johnny had something on his mind and not liking to leave it brewing there alone for much longer. If she could help, she would, and he knew it. "So ....the hotel, I think. We can make a decision about dinner later."
"You really think any talking is going to go on there?" he asked, with the hint of a smirk on his face, the same old Johnny underneath there somewhere. He just couldn't stay moody for too long. He slid his fingers through hers again, as if needing to feel the reassurance of her presence.
Relieved to find that whatever it was on his mind wasn't weighing him too far down, Liv laughed softly, offering up the name of their hotel to the taxi driver as she slid over the seat to settle snug against Johnny's side. Her cheek found purchase on his shoulder, lips turning fondly against his jaw for a moment. "Eventually. Maybe."
He slid an arm around her shoulders to ease her lean against him, tilting his head to lean against hers, a smile on his face. "It's too bad she couldn't have come to the wedding." Theirs or Lucy and Steve's. She didn't really seem that much of an invalid to him, and he wondered if there was something they didn't know, or if she was simply too old to live alone anymore. He didn't know many old people, just Peggy and Humphrey really. He wondered what they'd be like when they got to be that age, if they got to be that age. "It has to be a little weird for her to see me." Though she seemed to have gotten used to the strange resemblance he had to Steve Rogers soon enough.
Liv nodded gently, appreciating that strangeness and how quickly it must have seemed that Peggy had grown accustomed to Johnny's odd similarities to Steve. "I think she sees a lot more than she lets on," she offered thoughtfully. "She obviously sees the differences more than the similarities, and ....well, I don't know. I don't have anything to base this off but a feeling." Which was, apparently, something she should keep doing, if she listened to her aunt. "I wish we'd known her before now," she admitted softly. "But I'm glad Steve didn't wait too long."
"It has to be hard for her, seeing Steve with Lucy....and you with me." Thought admittedly, it was most likely harder for her to see Steve with Lucy, since she'd once been in love with him, or so Johnny assumed. "It's kind of sad." He sighed, a small frown on his face. Liv was one of the few people who Johnny let see past the jester's mask he wore for most everyone else.
"It is sad," his quiet wife agreed with him, lifting her head to meet his gaze with an equally thoughtful frown. "She's so lonely, Johnny. It's almost as though she expected Steve to come and find her as soon as he came 'round, and when he didn't, it broke her heart all over again. She's trying to pretend it doesn't hurt so much, but ....she did admit to feeling angry. I suppose it's a good thing that she felt as though she could talk to me. I just ....I don't want her taking against Lucy just for being Steve's wife, and I don't know how to make it so that doesn't happen."
The visit had, indeed, gone well. In the hallway, Liv paused momentarily, feeling just a little guilty for leaving Peggy alone once again, before her aunt's words welled up again. She smiled a little self-consciously, looking up at Johnny. "How did she know I'm a worrier?"
Johnny stepped out after Liv, feeling about the same, a little guilty for leaving Peggy alone, but they couldn't exactly live there. It was something they'd no doubt discuss, however. He smiled and slipped his arms around her waist, if only for a moment. "Because she's smart and observant and you're a little like Steve."
"Only a little?" His wife teased him, leaning into his embrace with a tender smile that was for his eyes only. "You mean you can't see me in red, white, and blue, hurling a shield all over the scenery?" She giggled at the thought, tucking herself easily under his arm as she began to walk along the hallway, toward the front of the house and freedom, hoping the taxi they'd booked hours before would be there. "Thank you for making me do this," she added in a quieter tone. "I ....I learned a lot."
He laughed at the thought of her as a female Captain America. "Not unless your name is Wonder Woman," he replied with a grin. Yes, he knew his comics and had had a huge crush on Wonder Woman as a boy. What red-blooded American comic book geek boy hadn't' He slipped an arm around her waist as they strolled their way down the hall toward their exit. He wasn't sure what she'd learned exactly, but he was happy things had gone well. He shrugged at her thanks. "I thought you'd regret it someday if you didn't come here."
"She's moving herself to America," Liv told him thoughtfully. She wasn't entirely sure how she felt about that development, though she understood the reasons behind it. She just hoped the move wouldn't shorten Peggy's already limited time. "She says she wants to be close to all of us, but I think she might feel a little out of the way here in England. Even knowing about portals and Rhy'Din, it still feels a long way away from Lucy and Steve."
He frowned thoughtfully a moment. He'd been thinking about this, too, but they'd already decided to try and make a life for themselves in Rhy'Din, at least for now - away from the overprotective eyes and ears of Lucy and Sue. "Do you want to move to New York?" he asked, wondering what she was thinking. They'd made connections on Rhy'Din, had jobs, friends. Picking up and moving back to New York wouldn't be as easy as it seemed.
"Someday, yes." It was something they'd never really discussed, this nebulous someday when they'd leave Rhy'Din behind. It wouldn't be for some time to come, but knowing it was there was a comfort in ways. "Not right now, of course." She glanced up at him with a fond smile. "With Peggy in New York as well, we'll be able to visit everyone at once. They're only twenty minutes away from us in Rhy'Din."
"Yeah," he replied, somewhat distractedly. He was still having a little trouble wrapping his head around the idea that they were who knew how many light years away in distance but only a short hop through the portal. It was faster than traveling by car through New York. There was something else on his mind, but he didn't want to remark on it while they were still in earshot of the nursing home. "I'm glad you two hit it off," he said instead, pulling the door open and waiting for her to step outside.
"So am I. It could have gone so badly wrong." She shook her head, laughing a little at the fears she'd given such free rein to as they'd approached the home a few hours before. Stepping out into the stiff breeze, she paused again, turning back to look at her husband with a curious cast to her gaze. She had a feeling there was something he wasn't saying, wondering what she'd missed that he had picked up on.
He wasn't saying anything just yet, not wanting to burst her bubble. His worries were mostly just that of Peggy not living long enough to see them have children and such. He wondered if there was any way of lengthening her life span, and yet, she had lived a full life and he guessed she might not even want that. Between Humphrey and Peggy, he worried they'd lose them both before they were ready. He led her silently to the waiting taxi and opened the door for her to get inside.
A little nonplussed by his silence, Liv frowned faintly, slipping past him to climb into the taxi. It wasn't like Johnny to fall completely silent - even when he was avoiding a subject, he tended to forcibly change it rather than appear to brood over something in mind. And despite Peggy's parting words to her, Liv couldn't help worrying a little as she waited for him to join her in the car, her good mood turning subdued as she struggled for words to try and draw whatever it was out of him.
He climbed in beside her and pulled the door closed. "Where to?" he asked, not sure if she wanted to go back to their hotel or wander the city a while longer. He'd brooch the subject of his own worries at some point, more than likely, but not yet.
"Somewhere we can talk," was his wife's quiet response to that, able to tell when Johnny had something on his mind and not liking to leave it brewing there alone for much longer. If she could help, she would, and he knew it. "So ....the hotel, I think. We can make a decision about dinner later."
"You really think any talking is going to go on there?" he asked, with the hint of a smirk on his face, the same old Johnny underneath there somewhere. He just couldn't stay moody for too long. He slid his fingers through hers again, as if needing to feel the reassurance of her presence.
Relieved to find that whatever it was on his mind wasn't weighing him too far down, Liv laughed softly, offering up the name of their hotel to the taxi driver as she slid over the seat to settle snug against Johnny's side. Her cheek found purchase on his shoulder, lips turning fondly against his jaw for a moment. "Eventually. Maybe."
He slid an arm around her shoulders to ease her lean against him, tilting his head to lean against hers, a smile on his face. "It's too bad she couldn't have come to the wedding." Theirs or Lucy and Steve's. She didn't really seem that much of an invalid to him, and he wondered if there was something they didn't know, or if she was simply too old to live alone anymore. He didn't know many old people, just Peggy and Humphrey really. He wondered what they'd be like when they got to be that age, if they got to be that age. "It has to be a little weird for her to see me." Though she seemed to have gotten used to the strange resemblance he had to Steve Rogers soon enough.
Liv nodded gently, appreciating that strangeness and how quickly it must have seemed that Peggy had grown accustomed to Johnny's odd similarities to Steve. "I think she sees a lot more than she lets on," she offered thoughtfully. "She obviously sees the differences more than the similarities, and ....well, I don't know. I don't have anything to base this off but a feeling." Which was, apparently, something she should keep doing, if she listened to her aunt. "I wish we'd known her before now," she admitted softly. "But I'm glad Steve didn't wait too long."
"It has to be hard for her, seeing Steve with Lucy....and you with me." Thought admittedly, it was most likely harder for her to see Steve with Lucy, since she'd once been in love with him, or so Johnny assumed. "It's kind of sad." He sighed, a small frown on his face. Liv was one of the few people who Johnny let see past the jester's mask he wore for most everyone else.
"It is sad," his quiet wife agreed with him, lifting her head to meet his gaze with an equally thoughtful frown. "She's so lonely, Johnny. It's almost as though she expected Steve to come and find her as soon as he came 'round, and when he didn't, it broke her heart all over again. She's trying to pretend it doesn't hurt so much, but ....she did admit to feeling angry. I suppose it's a good thing that she felt as though she could talk to me. I just ....I don't want her taking against Lucy just for being Steve's wife, and I don't know how to make it so that doesn't happen."