Written for the 2018 Marvelously Magical Fanfiction Bingo challenge
Square: I3 - Pairing Prompt: Steve Rogers/Hermione Granger

A Vintage Christmas

Steve's Problem - Chapter 1 of 4

After the Loki fiasco, the higher-ups realized that the Avengers needed someone who could both understand magic and use it well. Senior Auror Hermione Granger was a powerful witch, a war veteran with the scars to prove it, and a leader in Magical Law Enforcement. She was exactly what the team needed. Therefore, at the request of both Kingsley and his American counterpart, she moved to New York. Despite Bruce's dire prediction that the team was a "ticking time bomb," they all worked well together and she fit into the existing lineup seamlessly. In fact, she soon counted each member of the team among her closest friends – outstripped only by Harry and Ron, of course.

Out of everyone, however, she became especially close to Steve. In fact, she was often paired up together with the super soldier on missions so that he could watch her back in a fight while giving her the time and space she needed to perform her magic. While it was true that he was extremely easy on the eyes, it was really his courteous and old-fashioned manners that drew her in at first. Plus, they shared similar backgrounds with his origins from seventy plus years in the past and her experience with the hopelessly out-of-date wizarding world. Consequently, they were both considered "old school" and got along very well because of it, both on the job and off-duty. Tony called them old fogeys and claimed that they ruined all of his fun. However, in reality he was actually quite fond of them both and knew that they brought much of the grounding that the team sorely needed.

Even though Steve was very friendly, he was also the quiet type. He didn't feel the need to chatter away about any subject just because he seemed to like the sound of his own voice the way that Tony did. When he spoke, it was purposeful and to the point. Therefore, the others did not find his prolonged silence in the days leading up to Hermione's first Christmas with the team strange at all. However, she did. She could tell that something was bothering her dear friend. It wasn't until Tony's swanky holiday party, though, a couple of weeks before Christmas day, that she realized exactly what the problem was. Steve was homesick.

Out of concern, Hermione watched him closely during the party and could tell he felt out of place. Even though he smiled and was friendly to everyone, he really only talked to the other members of the team and a few of the guests – particularly the other specials; the supers, mutants, or Inhumans who were there in their everyday anonymous identities. He also winced at the loud modern music that blared through Tony's beyond-state-of-the-art audio system and politely refused the several women who asked him to dance. However, she observed that he did finally relax during some of the more traditional big band type holiday songs, during which he would lean against the wall, lost in his memories, with a small smile on his face.

The only time that he really seemed to enjoy himself, though, was in the wee early hours of the morning after most of the guests had left. By that time, he had consumed a few cups of Tony's potent homemade eggnog and had quickly pulled Hermione underneath the mistletoe before his super soldier engineering had a chance to metabolize the alcohol. He kissed her sweetly...before the embarrassment kicked in and he hurriedly excused himself for the night. He then headed back to his apartment in the Tower - leaving Hermione alone, confused, and disappointed.

Hermione's musings on the following day, especially about the one simply lovely kiss that she had shared with Steve, left her with a sudden desire for some more of Tony's eggnog. However, she knew that Tony and Pepper had left for Paris that morning on Stark Industries business with the intent on staying for a few days - and she didn't know where the others had gone. None of them had been in their Tower apartments when she went in search of a companion for a late breakfast. Therefore, her mind continued to wander until she finally remembered Tony had said that he had put the rest of the eggnog batch in the fridge of his well-stocked bar in the lounge. The more she thought about it, the more her irrational craving increased. Eventually, Hermione decided that she would just pop over there and see if there was any left. Once she did so, however, it became clear that she was not the only one who had eggnog on the mind. Steve was standing there, as well, in front of the open fridge with a disappointed look on his face.

"Oh no! Don't tell me that it's all gone!" she exclaimed, in what she hoped was her normal calm voice, as she slid onto one of the bar stools. In reality, she was busy trying to calm the fluttering butterflies that had suddenly and unexpectedly taken up residence in her stomach when she saw him standing there looking oh-so-sexy in his leather jacket. He was always incredibly good looking, but that particular jacket just did something special for her. She also realized that the jacket meant that he must have taken his motorcycle out for a ride that morning.

He probably went to visit Peggy, she thought with an internalized sigh, afraid that she would always be relegated to the shadow memory of the other British brunette in his life. Even though seventy years had passed for the rest of the world since Steve had been frozen in the ice, not even a year had passed in his mind. Consequently, Hermione certainly didn't blame him for still loving the woman whom he had no choice but to leave behind...but she did regret it. She would not ruin what they had by telling him, but Hermione had known for quite some time that Steve held her heart…and she wished that he would hold her body, as well. However, she also knew that he didn't suspect any of those buried feelings and that part of his embarrassment the night before had stemmed from the fact that he thought he had taken drunken advantage of their friendship. He simply could not have been further from the truth.

"I'm afraid so," he said, referring to the lack of eggnog with a frown as he shut the refrigerator door. "I could have used some, too. Very few types of alcohol affect me anymore, but that did the job for a little while. I certainly could use the respite again after this morning."

"Rough time already?" she asked sympathetically. "I went around to see if you wanted to go out for breakfast, but you must have already left. Nat and Bruce have disappeared, too, by the way…probably with the rest of that eggnog. Clint is gone, as well, but I know where he is. After the party last night, he asked me to give him a quick pop back to the farm for a few days while all of the bad guys seem to be taking a break here."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you alone," Steve answered and then he looked as if he wanted to say something else, but he just shook his head instead before continuing. Hermione wondered if he was thinking about last night's kiss, as well, but then he just awkwardly cleared his throat and confirmed her earlier suspicion with his explanation. "I decided to visit Peggy early this morning since I didn't make it yesterday, but it wasn't one of her good days. She didn't even know who I was."

Hermione saw the pain in his eyes and closed the space between them to give the man a hug. She knew that he might not ever be available for more than friendship with her. However, his friendship was more than worth it and it was clear that he needed her. She realized that despite all of his strength and super soldier engineering, his lack of connections in the present time – beyond SHIELD and the Avengers - made him emotionally vulnerable. He had lost everything that he had ever known and loved, with no way to get any of it back. Hence the homesickness. Suddenly she had a thought. She pulled back slightly and looked at him carefully despite the confused look that he started to give her when she began to grin madly. She had finally decided on the perfect Christmas present to give him! She would need some assistance, though, if she was going to be able to pull it all together in time.

"Well, since I missed breakfast, and we seem to be the only ones here, can I take you to lunch?" Steve then asked, surprising her out of her reverie.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "That sounds lovely. It really does...but I have a…project…that I need to work on. Raincheck, though?" she asked sincerely.

"Oh, yeah, raincheck," Steve mumbled as Hermione smiled gently at him again, gave him a quick friendly peck on the cheek, and then apparated straight back to her rooms…excited to get to work on arranging his present. Little did she know that Steve stood there staring at the spot where she had disappeared as he absentmindedly rubbed the cheek she had kissed.

"Well, that could have gone better," he muttered. He had been fighting his feelings for the witch for months now. Nevertheless, he remembered all too well how it had turned out the last time that he had fallen for a colleague - and he didn't want that to happen with her. Despite his concerns, though, sometimes she was the only thing that seemed to make sense in this crazy future world. She was his harbor in the storm and he knew that he really wanted more than just friendship from her. He had been thrilled when he finally found enough liquid courage to kiss her last night – only to be disappointed in himself when he had run away afterwards when he realized that he just did not have enough experience with these modern women to know what to do next.

He had tried to take comfort in an old friendship when he had visited Peggy earlier that morning, but the fact that she was just another part of his irretrievable past was made undeniably clear to him once again. Consequently, he knew it was time to look towards the future…and he hoped fervently that his future would be one that Hermione was in! Ironically, the fearless Captain America, a super soldier who had taken on everything from Nazis to aliens, then went in search of a little more liquid courage to help him take the first step to ask the amazing woman out for a date…and well…this was how it had turned out.

…

Meanwhile, Hermione had been on the phone with Pepper and Tony and had secured both their enthusiastic approval for her mission...and the funding. By late evening, she had also reserved the locale, thanks to a last-minute cancellation. When Nat and Bruce returned from their day out, she immediately drafted them into her plan, as well. After some good-natured teasing about her motives, they agreed to help. After all, Steve was their friend, too, and they felt a bit guilty for not noticing that he was unhappy - even though, in retrospect, it should have been obvious. Plus, everyone at the Tower already suspected that Steve and Hermione might have feelings for each other...and they all knew that the two of them would be perfect together. Therefore, if it made their friends happy...and could possibly be the situation that finally brought the two of them together...then they had no problems with helping the witch in her quest for the perfect Christmas present for the time-displaced super soldier.