Since shortly after he'd woken up in this new time, Steve had had a handle on his emotions. No highs of excitement, but no desperate lows, either. He'd moved through each day, finding things to keep him occupied, focused on learning the world again, and carving a niche for himself.

Everything had changed when he met Rogue. He couldn't remember ever being this happy - but life thrived on checks and balances, and now that he was really feeling again, he couldn't get away from the reality of what he was missing. Like a car, it looked fine on the outside, and it wasn't til you went to start it that you realized how out of whack it was. This, with her, was when he really started to wake up, as Steve Rogers, not just drifting through the world as the displaced and out-of-date Captain America.

Steve pulled Rogue around into another hug, being careful of his strength, because all he really wanted to do was squeeze her against him and never let go. It was a hug for comfort, and love, needing to be close to someone, not sexually, but still intimately. "Not too early, then," he murmured into her ear. "I love you, so much. It should be frightening, but I've stopped caring." He started to sway, rocking her back and forth, the way his mother had when she'd comforted him. He was still the one needing comfort, now, and he didn't want Rogue to feel it was her job to deal with his issues... She didn't have to do anything, except just be here, with him.

There was really nothing else she could do. Nothing anyone could do, and that was the hardest part for him to accept. But time continued to march on, and he was determined to gather every scrap of it and put it to use. He'd learned what happened when you grew complacent, and arrogant about how things would turn out. There was no room in his life any more for 'eventually' and 'someday.' Not the way he felt now, anyway.