Carol is full of surprises.
Steve thinks he knows just how weird and wonderful the universe can be, and yet having a stranger come crashing to Earth, demanding to see Nick Fury still catches him off-guard.
He thought he knew all the bigger players in the galaxy. Turns out Carol Danvers was out there the entire time, waiting to be called back.
When they can get her to calm down, they tell her exactly what happened. They all witness Carol burst out into the field near the compound and she seems to burst into flames. She's so upset it looks like she's exploded. She comes back in, huffing and glowing and explains that she's from Earth and she's been traveling through the stars for decades.
It makes perfect sense that the Tesseract is what gave Carol her powers. It makes more sense to Steve that he's drawn to her, because he's always had ties to the same Cosmic Cube. When they manage to get through it all, the whole damn story of Carol and the Stones (and also how Steve is Captain America, the same Captain America from the 20th century who got lost in the ice), everyone seems exhausted. The talking and reliving the past puts the group over the edge, and Steve can see exhaustion is setting in.
"Let's get some rest," he murmurs. "Get back to it as soon as we can."
Rocket mutters some curses under his breath and stalks off, but Bruce, Natasha and Rhodey seem to agree. Thor remains in a corner, staring at the wall. He hasn't said anything for several hours since they all got back from Wakanda.
Steve knows he won't sleep. Probably not for hours and hours, but he thinks lying down might help his mind settle. He keeps glancing at Carol, who's lingering at the holofiles.
"I thought –" she begins, and then she sighs, glancing away.
She's staring at Nick Fury's image.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way," Steve says.
She glances at him, narrowing her eyes. "I'll kill Thanos."
He didn't doubt that, so he nods. "We like to work as a team. It's better that way."
"You just said you guys were broken up. The Avengers," Carol says.
"Yeah. It's… complicated."
"Doesn't seem that complicated," she murmurs.
She has a point. In the grand scheme of things the Accords seems like a lifetime ago, a whole world of other way smaller issues. That was a world Steve took for granted.
"You can sleep here," Steve says, and Carol's eyebrows hike.
"I wasn't leaving."
"I'm… trying to be a good host," he says, and she smiles.
She's very beautiful, and the grin catches him off-guard like he wasn't expecting it to matter so much. He wants to make her do it again. It's a nice distraction from the pain he's feeling.
He finds Natasha at the shooting range a few hours later. He only managed a little sleep. It would be safe to assume she never went to bed.
"Nat."
Three more shots before she puts down her arms, turning toward him.
"Any updates?" he asks.
She shakes her head. So Clint is going to be harder to find. They need him. Steve sighs, leaving her to it. He walks into the kitchen and sees Carol in her suit, trying to use the coffee machine.
He watches her staring at it, unsure. She narrows her eyes, pressing a couple buttons.
"You need help?"
"I can hack space stations in seconds but this hunk of junk is busted."
"Rocket might have tampered with it," Steve says.
Carol turns her head, confused.
"The… raccoon."
"Right," she says. "So no coffee?"
"I can go get coffee," Steve offers, and she smiles again like last night.
"So can I. Faster than you."
Steve feels himself smile, and it's kind of a relief that he's still able to do it. He glances away, turning to leave. He needs to get back to the communications hub to find if there's any sign of friendlies in space. Carol follows him wordlessly, and he glances at her boots.
"Do you have other clothes?" he asks, and she makes a face.
"What's wrong with my outfit?"
"Nothing," Steve says. He likes it. He likes the colours and how it fits her. She stands a little taller than Natasha but she's not as curvy as her. He looks away again, trying not to think about her body too much.
"What do people wear on Earth these days, anyway?" Carol asks.
Steve's wearing his sweatpants and Henley. He blinks a couple times.
"I mean women."
"Right," he says.
They arrive at the main living area again and Bruce is sitting at one of the desks, frowning. Natasha breezes in, her arms folded.
She's wearing another cat suit. Steve can't give Carol examples of civilian wear right now and their conversation falls away.
Steve asks Bruce to alert the others to come in to deliberate. There hasn't been any new information on Tony or Dr. Strange.
"So I go look. Or I find someone who can help me find your guy," Carol says, like it's easy.
Steve frowns. "Wait."
"For what? What are we waiting for?" Carol asks.
Steve doesn't like her defiance. She's only been there five minutes. The world is falling apart. They need to get into the city and help clean up. They need to do headcounts, make inventories.
"You said he's your best guy, so I'll go get him."
She walks off, and Steve feels his hackles rise. He wants to pull her back, make her useful here where the disaster still is. They have no idea if Tony died. She might go off and never come back.
Steve follows her out the room but she never slows, pressing some buttons on her arm, reading something Steve doesn't comprehend.
"Listen to me," he says, and she pauses, glaring up at him. "We need you here."
"Yeah, no shit. Except I don't wanna hesitate."
"You wanna go out there when it could be a dead end? The planet you left behind over twenty years ago needs you now, Carol. That's why Fury sent that message. Not for you to stay out there."
He seems to have hit a nerve. She invades his space, looking fierce.
"How do you know what Nick Fury wants?" she hisses.
Steve feels himself smile at her, and he's not trying to intimidate her, or best her. He can see she's deadly protective of the guy. In a way it's touching. She doesn't want to mindlessly hunt for revenge.
"He came to me a few years ago when HYDRA tried to assassinate him. He got into my tiny, shitty Brooklyn apartment and blasted my records. He said I was in charge."
Carol's face morphs into a knowing smile.
"He said the same to me once, too."
Steve feels something loosen in his chest. Carol tilts her head.
"Are you actually a captain?"
Steve grins. "Not really."
She chuckles. "Yeah, me neither."
They spend a few days as a group helping out with cleaning up, processing the tragedy and trying to keep some order to the panic. It's one of the hardest things Steve's ever had to do, to try and remain strong despite it all. He doesn't let himself rest for long. He's afraid of what he'll feel if he lets himself be still for too long.
He senses it in the others, especially Natasha. She's constantly checking if there's news from Wakanda, from other parts of the world and beyond their galaxy. There's no news from Tony. Carol sends out some messages of her own, asking for help.
She's restless but somehow still so confident. Steve doesn't dare challenge that. He catches her glancing at him every so often. Maybe he's concerning. He tries not to stare at her, but he can't help himself.
One afternoon when he takes a break he ends up doing his old method of self-care – beating the stuffing out of a punching bag. He thinks of Fury finding him there with that dossier years ago, before he ever fought with Tony, Nat, Clint, Thor and Bruce. Things were still so new then, still so raw. The thought of that time makes his throat close up and he punches his hardest, the bag hurtling across the floor. He pants, fists still clenched.
"Hey."
He turns, and it's Carol. She's not wearing her suit. She wears all black, a sleeveless shirt with form fitting pants. Steve's sure they're leggings. Most likely they're Natasha's, but they look good on her. The black makes her blonde hair stand out more. He swallows.
"Hey."
She walks over, picking up the bag with one hand and brings it back to him, turning it up the right way. She even hooks it up for him and he stares at her.
"You want a turn?" he asks.
She punches it and it hurtles across the room, sand going everywhere. Steve's eyes don't leave her face. She looks so calm, so strong. He wants to kiss her and the realization stuns him. He freezes in place as she goes to pick up the bag again, giving the mess a vague glance.
"I'll clean that up later."
"It's fine," he says, his voice small.
All she does is look up at him, dropping the bag on the floor. He wonders if he disappoints her, since all she ever knew of him was the legend. He couldn't stop Thanos, couldn't stop Nick Fury dying.
She steps closer to him, one of her hands going to press against his chest. She feels warm. He feels his heartbeat pick up and she moves toward him, their hips bumping.
Their noses brush. He can feel her breath on his lips.
"You sure?"
"Yeah," she breathes.
She closes the gap, lips brushing his. He kisses her back, wrapping one arm around her waist to pull her flush against him. He sighs, his mouth opening for her and her tongue sweeps in. It's needy enough that he groans, his fingers under her shirt, grazing her skin.
Her hand reaches his long hair and she tugs him down, putting more of herself into her kisses, the warm wet glide of their tongues making Steve hard as a rock in seconds.
She pulls back, and Steve realizes his other hand is grabbing her by the back of her head, holding her against his body. He drops his hand to her bare shoulder, blushing under her gaze.
"Your room, five minutes?" she whispers.
"Uh, yeah," he manages to reply. "Yeah."
He releases her and she walks off. His eyes dip to her ass and he rubs his neck, adjusting himself in his sweatpants.
He hasn't done that in so long. He thought he forgot what that felt like, getting caught up in a kiss. He's been ignoring his libido lately. He can't remember the last time he got himself off, even.
He sighs, gathering up the broken punching bag and carries it back to the storage room. By the time he sweeps up the sand Carol spilled he's thinking too much about the consequences. He can't sleep with her. It's a really bad idea. She's barely been back and tensions are high. It's understandable that he's attracted to her. Steve knows she's just his type – strong – but that doesn't mean he should take advantage of the situation. She doesn't deserve a guy using her.
He even thinks of what to tell her, to politely decline, but by the time he reaches his room he doesn't see any sign of her. He feels relief, and then distinct disappointment.
She's a great kisser.
He lets himself into his room, anticipating a cold shower, but he stops in his tracks once he shuts his front door behind him.
Carol's sitting on his bed, smiling up at him. Her shoes are off, her knees crossed. She leans on her elbows, eyebrows hiking.
"I can hack space stations, so I can unlock your door, too," she says, and he chuckles.
God, he's nervous. He's got butterflies fluttering in his stomach as he stares down at her. She's waiting for him on his bed and he's trying to outwit his dick.
"We shouldn't…"
"We shouldn't what?" she asks, and he bites his lip.
He doesn't know what to say. He wants her, badly. He wants to make her smile. He wants to make her come. God, he just wants to forget everything for a little while.
"Y'know, you're kinda hairier than I expected," she says, gesturing to his beard and long hair. "I mean, I used to read the Captain America comics."
Steve feels himself blush. "Oh. Yeah, it's… been a while. I was on the road."
"You were on the run," she corrects, but she's smiling.
She's infectious and he can't help smiling back at her. He's not going to make her leave. Before he changes his mind again, Steve walks over to her and leans down, kissing her on the mouth.
She smiles into the kiss, their tongues tangling once more. He groans, pushing her so she falls back onto the mattress beneath him. He knows she's letting him do it. She could literally boot him out the window faster than he could blink. The thought of it being reversed, that she's being gentle fills him with anticipation and he shudders once she cups him through his sweats.
"It's been a while since I slept with a man," Carol murmurs, as Steve kisses her neck. She shivers as he scratches her with his beard.
"Me, too," Steve murmurs, and Carol's eyes widen slightly. He realizes what he said, moving back up to look her in the eye. "I mean, I'm straight. I haven't… slept with a man. I don't know why I said that."
She giggles and he ducks his head, kissing back down her collar bone to hide his embarrassment. He moves back up, looking deep into her eyes.
"Are you sure?" he murmurs. He's lying between her legs, their crotches pretty close together. He's certain she can see his erection if she looked down between them.
"Are you sure?" she throws back.
Her hands never quite settle. She threads her fingers through his hair, which makes his eyes flutter closed.
"It's been a while, huh?" she murmurs, before he can even answer her first question. Her other hand is gliding down his arm, then back up again.
He nods, and for a second he just leans into her, resting against her on his bed. The solid shape of her beneath him is a comfort. She makes him feel safe, and warm.
Christ, she's really, really warm. He moves back, kissing her mouth. She feels soft, too. He's noticing more of her close-up. She has freckles on her nose. She smells sweet.
His hand skirts under her shirt, feeling the skin of her hard stomach. He finally makes her gasp when he brushes under the cup of her bra, her nipple between his two fingers. He gives a light squeeze and she smiles into another conquering kiss.
"You can go harder."
"Yeah?" he says, smiling down at her. He obliges, cupping both her tits, really squeezing them.
She keeps laughing, enjoying herself. It's exhilarating. It's like he can't stop smiling at her, too. He's rocking his hips into hers as they keep kissing, her legs wrapping around his waist.
"Let's take this off, okay?" she murmurs, trying to tug his shirt up by its sides.
"Yes, ma'am," he replies, and she blushes for the first time.
"I love that," she whispers, and Steve moves back to rest on his knees, peeling his shirt off in one swift movement, tossing it aside.
Carol's eyes widen, and she bites her lip. She pulls her shirt off as well, their eyes glued to each other. Steve joins her again, pressing their chests together.
He keeps his hips off of hers, one hand trailing down to reach her leggings and she giggles again.
"You know your way down there still, Captain?" she sasses.
He shoves his hand down the front of her pants, fingers trailing through her slick folds. He presses the heel of his palm against her as he pushes two fingers inside to the third knuckle. Carol gasps, her nails biting into his arms.
"I dunno, Captain, you tell me," he whispers.
"Fuck, Steve," she hisses, because he's rubbing her clit with his thumb in small circles, testing the waters.
She whimpers against his lips as he moves a little faster, fingers moving back and forth. Her hips begin to rock with him, and she clutches his face and arm, nails digging in again.
She's using his hand, and eventually she abandons his body to rub herself along with his thumb, placing him precisely where she needs him, on one side of her clit.
She's changes the further they go. Her limbs being to glow, and her eyes flash – literally flash. She squeezes him, tensing up. He waits for something to explode, something to break. He doesn't care. He could replace a window. She looks so beautiful, so lost in her pleasure.
She comes with her eyes squeezed shut, her hips rocking over and over, and Steve can feel her wetness down to his wrist. She shudders, her whole body alight. Steve squints his eyes, feeling her clench around his fingers again and again. She flops down to the mattress, the light disappearing as she pants.
"Good, or -?"
She cuts off his question, surging toward him for another kiss. He pulls away from her and she lands on top of him, straddling his hips. Steve groans against her, his fingers sticky against her leggings as he grabs her thighs. She bites him, actually bites his neck and he forces himself not to outright hump her because he knows it's dangerous. He's rock hard and it wouldn't take much to come.
She draws back, searching his face.
"Too much?"
He shakes his head. "Nah, just… what's the word for being afraid and turned on at the same time?"
"Scared and aroused. Scaroused," she replies, smiling. "Am I scary?"
He squeezes her thighs. "No, just… I'm about to explode."
She laughs, her hands going behind her back to undo her little black sports bra. She yanks it off so Steve goes to kiss her naked chest, sucking a nipple into his mouth.
"You're so beautiful," he murmurs into her skin and she moans.
He pulls back, her one nipple wet and hard. He does the same to the other, his hands going to pull down her leggings. She laughs, helping him with the task.
"Your beard tickles," she whispers. "So does your chest hair."
"Sorry –"
"No, I like it," she murmurs, fingers covering his mouth. "I didn't know I liked it, but… I do."
Carol steps off the bed to kick off her pants along with her underwear and Steve's cock twitches at the sight of her, naked and glistening between her legs. There's a thatch of blonde hair at the apex of her thighs and Steve runs his fingers through it when she joins him again.
He shucks down his sweatpants, their noses brushing. His cock springs free and she grasps it, settling in his lap once more.
Their kissing is clumsier, his cock between them. She rubs her cunt against him, making him moan. He wonders what she sees, but he's sure he's got a glazed look in his eye, drunk on the feel of her. She wraps her arms around his neck and finally sinks onto him.
"Holy shit," he gasps, and she chuckles softly, similarly overcome.
They begin to rock together, her eyes fluttering closed. Steve watches her for cues, thrusting into her harder.
"Steve –"
"What do you need?" he murmurs, her breath hot on his face. He can feel the sweat between them.
She's so wet and tight he has to slow down or he'll lose it. Her eyes snap open, brows furrowing when he doesn't relent.
He doesn't fuck anyone like this. But he's never met someone just like Carol before. He plants one foot on the mattress and rolls them so she's beneath him, her legs hooking over his hips.
He fucks her fast and hard. Nothing tender about it, just the primal urge inside him. He can feel his orgasm building, his balls tightening as their bodies smack together.
He trails his fingers down her front and rubs her clit, on the side like he saw her do before. She clenches around him, her eyes widening.
"I'm gonna–"
There's the burst of light and Steve freezes, barely hanging on. He aches to come but he waits, watching her come down, her skin returning to its normal hue. She laughs a little at the end, weaker than before. She pushes up against his chest and then rolls them with ease.
She rides him, and Steve moans beneath her, feeling his thighs start to shake. He trails his hands up to her chest and rubs her tits, teasing her nipples again. He closes his eyes, his chest heaving.
"I'm coming, I'm coming," he gasps, and at the last second he feels her wrap one hand around his throat. He gives a guttural groan when it becomes a vice against his neck and he comes.
He comes so hard he can't see for a couple seconds, blinking reality back while he crashes back down again, panting. Carol leans forward, grabbing his face with her other hand to bring him into another kiss.
She loosens her grip, pulling back to flop down beside him, their shoulders touching. She turns onto her side, hand gliding up his bare chest. He wraps one arm around her waist as they look into each other's eyes.
She smiles and he returns it easily.
"You know how I can fly?"
He nods, hand reaching down to pat her butt.
"You ever had sex in mid-air, Captain?"
