Disclaimer: I do not own any character (excluding my OC), setting or plot from Captain America or any other Marvel film/comic. All rights reserved to Marvel Comics, Marvel Studio, and any others whom it may concern. Any line/scene/character that you recognise from the films or comics do not belong to me in any way.

A huge thank you to my wonderful, amazing Beta—NeahZoldyck13—who has been an absolute blessing for the past few days!

Chapter One

June 14th, 1943

"Are you sure there's no way I can... persuade you to change your mind?"

Howard Stark's flirty voice and suggestive wink caused me to snort lightly and shake my head in a mixture of amused fondness and exasperation. The playboy genius was currently looking rather dashing in his tailored black suit and tie, causing the showgirls—who were on the other side of the back room from us—to frequently look over and not-so-quietly giggle amongst themselves, eyes roving over his lean frame.

"Not this time, Howie. Not this time."

My lips tugged up into a smirk at Stark's resulting pout as I declined his offer for what felt like the fiftieth time this evening, trying to resist the urge to roll my eyes at this grown man-child that had, somehow, become one of my closest friends. I reached forward, my hand instantly going to playfully ruffle his, unusually, neatly combed hair, as I always did whenever he pulled that face. I couldn't help but let out a low chuckle when he ducked out of my reach just in time to avoid my touch; the routine normal and familiar between us.

My smirk widened when Howard shot me a half-hearted glare and raised a brow, silently questioning whether I believed he'd ever actually let me do that. I nodded my head slightly, eyes glinting in challenge, as if to say one day. I ignored his answering snort of disbelief—effectively ending our silent conversation—and, instead, merely raised myself onto my toes to give him an affectionate peck on the cheek in encouragement.

"You'll do fine," I murmured reassuringly.

His carefree expression never changed, and, to anyone else, he either never heard the softly-spoken words or didn't care enough to react. But I knew him better: I caught the almost unnoticeable slump of his shoulders as his slightly tensed muscles relaxed and the minuscule flare of his nostrils as he let out the breath he had been holding.

"Of course I will. I'm Howard Stark. Genius, billionaire, playboy…" Howard winked as he trailed off, practically oozing cool arrogance. The small flash of gratitude in his dark brown eyes was the only outward sign of his appreciation for my quiet, albeit unnecessary, reassurance. He'd do brilliantly, he always did. A fact that, unfortunately, we both knew.

"I'll leave you to finish getting ready then. I'm sure you're just dying to get some alone time with your stage-girls to 'practice the routine' and all," I teased, sending a pointed look to the showgirls getting ready on the other side of the room.

Howard let out a low laugh, eyes sparkling as he also glanced in their direction, causing a few of them to quickly blush and look away, nervous giggles softly filling the air at being caught in their ogling. He soon returned his gaze to me, however, the flirty smile on his face giving away what he was about to ask. "Are you su—"

I cut him off before he could ask me that damned question one more time. "If I wasn't already sure, that would've just done it," I snarked. A chuckle escaped me at his feigned wounded expression. "I should probably go find Abe whilst you… prepare. He'll probably be wondering where I am by now. I can't wait to see the show though, Howie. Try not to tire the showgirls out too much beforehand, ey?"

With a wink and final encouraging smile thrown over my shoulder, I turned and walked towards the exit of the back room they were currently occupying, a distinct bounce to my step. I hadn't had the chance to explore earlier, so I was determined to look at a few 'future technologies' that the Expo showcased on my way to find Abe.

"Have I ever told you how much I love looking at you from behind?" Howard called after me, his usual flirty tone apparent.

I didn't even pause in my stride, too used to his harmless flirting by now, and instead casually flipped him off over my shoulder. He cackled gleefully and shouted out a snarky quip—that I dutifully ignored—about my 'unladylike behaviour'. I snorted as I stepped out into the main Expo and shut the door firmly after me, leaving Howard and his constant pestering for me to become one of his showgirls tonight behind.

XxXxXx

"Ladies and gentlemen! Mr Howard Stark!"

My head snapped up at the faint announcement and my eyes widened slightly as the words registered in my mind. What? Was it time for the show already? How…?

I swore quietly under my breath as I realised how distracted I had become looking at all of the different displays on my way to find Abe. I silently apologised to the doctor in my mind as I turned away from the Synthetic Man display I had just been curiously examining and weaved my way through the gathering crowd.

The music started and a spotlight beamed down onto a confident Howard as he ran onto the stage, bowing in an over-exaggerated fashion to the applauding crowd before him. I pulled to a stop when I was in the front row of the gathered audience, just in time to see Howard give his hat to one of the showgirls and pull her into a short kiss. I snorted and rolled my eyes at the rather typical display of Howard behaviour, raising an amused brow when he caught sight of me afterwards and shot me a wink.

"Ladies and gentlemen! What if I told you that, in just a few short years, your automobile won't even have to touch the ground at all? With Stark Gravitic Reversion technology, you'll be able to do just that."

Howard messed with the controls in front of him for a moment before he smiled and held his hand out in a sweeping motion, gesturing to the car that was beginning to hover behind him. I vaguely heard someone mutter "Holy cow" somewhere in the crowd and smiled, happy (and slightly proud, although I'd never admit it) for Howard.

But then, all of a sudden, the reversion technology that had replaced the wheels of the car suddenly sparked and blew out. I winced as the car crashed to the ground with a loud bang and the crowd flinched back around me, surprised mutters filling the air. I couldn't help but notice Howard's face fall slightly and gave a sad smile, knowing how disappointed he must be feeling that this didn't go as perfectly as he had hoped.

Howard straightened and fixed his charming smile back in place, turning to the crowd with a wink. "I did say a few years, didn't I?"

I smiled at his quick recovery, sending him an encouraging nod and a small wave of farewell when he looked my way again, knowing I had kept Abe waiting for long enough. At Howard's retuned nod of farewell, I turned and started to weave my way back through the heavy throng of people, heading for the enlistment area where I knew the doctor would be.

I mentally cursed when a solid body barged into me just as I managed to break free from the worst of the crowds, causing me to flail back from the force of the collision. "Hey! Watch where you're going, little lady!" the culprit of the shove, an arrogant businessman, snapped irritably as he took off without even a backwards glance over his shoulder, never mind an apology.

I tried uselessly to regain my balance for a moment before landing hard on the ground with a muffled groan. I let my head drop back to the floor with an irritated huff, eyes fluttering closed as I tried to find the will to get back up, not much caring that I was just led in the middle of the crowded Expo. Why did these things always happen to me?

"Are you okay, ma'am?"

I peeked an eye open at the low voice, feeling a slight twinge of embarrassment when I saw a blonde head worriedly peering down at me. "Would you believe me if I said I just wanted to look at the stars?"

"Not really," he admitted honestly, lips twitching into a small smile, "given we're under a gazebo right now."

I looked past his head and let out a quiet grunt when I realised we were, in fact, under a large canopy of fabric. "It was worth a try," I muttered with a shrug. The blonde let out a laugh and I smiled. "But in that case, I guess I don't have much of an excuse other than needing a moment."

He frowned slightly. "Bad day?"

"I've had better," I conceded with a soft laugh. Footsteps echoed past my head and I let out a low sigh. "I suppose I should probably get up."

The blonde smiled and offered a hand down to me. "Unless you want footprints on your forehead, that may be a good idea."

I chuckled and gratefully accepted his hand, quickly pulling myself upright with his help and regaining my footing. When I was fully standing once more, I finally had a chance to properly take in the kindhearted stranger before me. He was an inch or so shorter than my, admittedly not very tall, self, standing at what I guessed to be around 5'4". And, at first glance, his clothes appeared to be a few sizes too big for him. Upon closer inspection, however, I realised that it was just the way they hung off of his small frame. His jaw and cheekbones were almost too prominent in his face. That, coupled with the frail-looking stature of his body, told me that he most likely suffered from a potentially serious medical condition that caused him to be pretty severely underweight. I'd guess that he couldn't weigh more than around 90lbs.

And yet, despite all that, I couldn't help but notice that there was something about him, something different that I couldn't quite put my finger on, something that unexplainably drew me in. My eyes trailed over him again, taking note of the things that I'd missed at first glance: his shoes were freshly polished to the point where they were gleaming and looked brand new, his dark blonde hair was ever-so-neatly combed to rest perfectly on his head, and his jacket, even with it hanging off of his small frame, looked smart and reasonably expensive, as if he had tried his hardest to look good for tonight.

But it was his eyes that caught my attention the most: beautiful deep blue irises that held a gentleness, a kindness, in them that seemed to be becoming so increasingly rare in the world now. And, as his gaze briefly flickered to the glowing enlistment sign behind me, I noticed the way his jaw set in defiance and his eyes glinted with steely determination, showing a fight in him that completely defied his small stature and the ailments that clearly plagued him. It made me smile despite myself, finding myself inexplicably intrigued by the man standing before me.

I cleared my throat slightly when I realised, with a twinge of embarrassment, that I had been staring at him for a few moments too long to be considered appropriate. "I'm Anna," I introduced softly, offering my hand to him once more. "Anna Fahlett."

"Steve Rogers." The blonde nodded with a small smile, grasping my proffered hand in a surprisingly gentle hold before he lightly shook it in greeting. "It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

"And you, Mr Rogers," I returned sincerely. "Thank you for…" I waved a hand towards where I had just been led on the floor in explanation.

"There's no need to thank me," Steve murmured. "I just did what anyone else would."

"Well, 'anyone else' didn't stop," I retorted with a small smile, gesturing to the mass of bodies moving around us, "so thank you."

"No problem, ma'am."

I grimaced slightly. "Please, it's Anna. Being called ma'am makes me feel like I'm a lot damn older than I am."

He nodded. "Then please, call me Steve." The blonde sent me a small smile before his eyes flickered down between us and he cleared his throat, cheeks darkening. "I'm so sorry… I didn't realise…"

I didn't understand what Steve was stuttering about until he suddenly released his hold on my hand, unaware that they were still joined. I chuckled and sent him a reassuring smile. "It's fine, Steve."

The small blonde let out a relieved sigh and relaxed slightly, gaze briefly flickering to the enlistment building behind me once more.

I caught the direction of his gaze. "Were you going to enlist?"

Steve returned his attention to me at the question and nodded slightly, blue eyes bright with determination. "I thought I'd try."

I swore I heard him mutter something like "sixth time's the charm" under his breath, but brushed it off as nothing when he shot me a weak smile moments later.

"I'm sure you'll do fine. We all have our part to play in this war, unfortunately," I murmured with a small frown, hating the sad truth of my words. I shook my head and gestured in the direction of the building behind me. "I'm headed that way too. Mind if I walk with you?"

Steve immediately nodded and hesitantly offered his arm out with a small smile, causing me to grin brightly as I stepped forward and slipped my hand into the crook of his elbow. We turned and started to slowly walk towards the building together, taking our time as we carefully weaved through the steady mass of people milling around the fair.

"It's admirable, you know," I commented, "wanting to fight for your country."

Steve shrugged slightly and let out a quiet sigh. "I'm just trying to do what's right."

"By going to war?" I questioned, cocking a brow slightly.

He glanced at me for a moment and shook his head. "By trying to end it."

I couldn't help but smile at the answer, becoming more and more intrigued by him the longer we talked. "Not many men talk like that anymore. To most, enlisting is all about girls, glory and stroking their male egos."

"It isn't right," Steve frowned, sounding genuinely outraged about it as we continued to stroll through the thinning crowds.

"No, it isn't," I agreed. I eyed him for a moment, lips unconsciously tugging up at the corners. "Maybe things will change though."

Steve glanced at me in surprise and nodded. "I hope so."

"I think they already are," I murmured softly. Steve ducked his head in embarrassment at my pointed look, causing my smile to grow.

I sighed as we finally entered the main section of the enlistment building and regretfully glanced down the hallway to where the back rooms were located.

"I would love to stay and talk longer, but I'm afraid I'm meant to be meeting someone." I gently squeezed the arm that my hand was still looped through before letting my grip fall away, turning to face him fully. "It was nice to meet you though, Steve. And I promise that next time we meet, I won't be sprawled pitifully across the floor." I paused and smirked. "Well… hopefully, anyway."

"Next time?" Steve voiced, head cocked to the side in question.

"Call it a feeling." I winked, turning and starting to make my way down the hallway before he could respond. I paused a few steps away though, briefly turning to look back at him over my shoulder. "Oh, and Steve? Good luck."

Author's Note:

Hello, and welcome to Stand or Fall!

Okay, I'm just going to fess up and come out with it straight away: I'm extremely new to the Marvel fandom. In fact, I only saw my first Marvel film a couple of months ago (it was Thor, if anyone's interested) and have been strangely addicted ever since! The idea for this story has been nagging at me ever since I saw Captain America: The First Avenger a little while ago, so I decided to just write it out and see how it goes!

Sorry about the short chapter, by the way. This is more of an introduction to the story—so don't worry, I am planning for the other chapters to be longer than this one!

Random Trivia

Different sources say Steve was different heights. Originally, I was going to go off his army enlistment forms stating his height at 5'7", but then I decided to go with the poster on display at the Captain America exhibit Steve visits in CA:TWS that states he was 5'4" pre-serum. This could just be propaganda in which they over-exaggerate the difference between the before and after serum Steve, but for the purpose of this story it works so I'm rolling with that.

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Let me know how I'm doing! I'd love to hear your feedback, guys!