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[willing_sheath]

It wasn't the first time, nor the last time that Tomoe was going to be furious with Tony Stark. It wasn't the first time that she was going to be aware of just how pointless said fury was going to be. But god help her, she was furious anyway.

She was a prideful thing and she knew it. And there was no faster way to set her into a rage than to step on it in some way, shape or form. And here and now? Insinuating that she was stupid was one sure-fire way to do it. Just because she was from a time in which the vast majority of the technology of this world hadn't even been dreamed of did not make her stupid. It absolutely did not--and it infuriated her that she could not grasp things quickly enough to function on a more regular basis. And now, of course, she had picked up English well enough to know exactly whens he was being spoken about. And exactly when she was being insulted.

And perhaps if she was less prideful she would have let such comments slide--especially coming from men like Tony Stark--but she wasn't.

And was currently in the kitchen taking her frustrations out on the meal she was preparing, chopping her ingredients in such a way that she was running the risk of adding her fingertips to the main course.

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[displaced_soldier]

Inwardly Steve sighed, partly relieved she slowed down on the chopping but he knew her well enough to know something was still bothering her. There was still tension in shoulders and stance, slowly he closed the short distance between them.

"Tomoe," he said gently, placing his hands on her shoulders. "If something else is bothering you, you can tell me." He added, moving his hand down the length of arm to her hand in an effort to stop her from cutting vegetables altogether.

Dinner could wait, he was far more concerned with getting her to talk. They both had their tendencies to brood silently over things, but this was one occasion, he really didn't want to leave her to brood. Especially for something that was out of her control. Time differences aside they were both fish out of water, if she couldn't confide in him than who?

[willing_sheath]

The tension could be felt even more than seen--but that was nothing new. Tomoe was almost always rigid, the control she had instilled in herself since she was a young girl going straight to the bone. She seemed to prickle further for the briefest moment when his hands found her shoulders before she relaxed against the touch, very much like a cat being calmed by being petted. Touch could be so taboo in her culture--it simultaneously could set her on edge, or in this case calm her faster than anything else.

She let out a slow breath, bowing her head a bit again while she turned to look at his hand over hers. She slowly lowered the knife to the counter and flattened her hand out, momentarily pausing at how tiny her hand was in comparison to his. It was odd how often she forgot just how small she was in comparison to others sometimes...

"Sometimes... I feel as though it is never going to change... No matter how far I come here, I still feel like I'm drowning..." she answered quietly in Japanese. "I'm not stupid, but I may as well be...."

[displaced_soldier]

He understood what she meant and instinctively bowed his head, placing a soft kiss to her temple in the process. It was extremely frustrating to be constantly reminded that no matter what, this wasn't your time and that it never really would be. There was no going back to the past, all either of them could do was try to move forward.

However he still had being 'Captain America' as something to fall back on. Well at least until he finally connected with someone dealing with a similar situation. Tomoe didn't really have anything that tethered her to her old life; which was one of the reasons he took the initiative to learn her language.

Slowly he wrapped his arms her, lightly resting his chin on her shoulder. "I know it's been really overwhelming, especially as of late. But I'll do anything to help you get through it." He replied, his sincerity shining through despite his shaky accent.

"I won't let you drown." He added, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek.

[willing_sheath]

Tomoe had never had anyone to rely on other than herself. When her mother died she had been left trying to hold her home together and raise her newborn brother while her father fell apart. As time passed they had both leaned on her but offered little to no reliable support in return. That was how it had always been.

Until she had been pulled here.

She still wasn't used to the idea of someone standing with her and offering support back. But god was she grateful for it. The tenseness in her back and shoulders was beginning to leak away and she leaned back against him as his arms came around her, her hands lifting to hold to his arms. Tomoe turned to look at him, her brows drawing and emotion shining in her eyes. Further words caught in her throat, she was never any good with words when her emotions got the better of her--but she hoped... she hoped he knew. He had managed to communicate with her even through their language barrier at first... he had a way of understanding. A mere 'thank you' seemed so inferior to her meaning. She was sure there was nothing she could say... and so she held his eyes for a long moment, and then simply leaned enough to lightly press her lips to his.

[displaced_soldier]

He couldn't help but feel a wave of relief as he noted the tension in her posture begin to melt away. Instinctively he held her closer, she honestly didn't have to say a word for him to understand the meaning in her eyes. She was worth the effort it had taken to learn her native tongue. He always wanted her to know the value of her worth, she was the woman he had chosen to spend the rest of his life in the future with after all.

He returned her light kiss with a soft kiss of his own. Slowly he brought a hand up to rest on her cheek, letting his thumb gently trace over her cheekbone. "I love you, very much." He told her, as he had no trouble expressing his love and affection to her.

Urging her to turn around to fully face him, he slipped his hand behind her neck to tilt her head upward for another kiss, though a more firm and passionate one.

[willing_sheath]

His words brought the smallest smile to her lips and she turned easily to face him, sighing softly in response to his hand moving to the back of her neck. She leaned solidly against him while lifting her hands to rest against his chest, reveling at how safe she felt with him, even when the world periodically seemed to be spinning out of control. She met his kiss evenly, savoring the intimacy and subtly inviting more.