It was love, Steve decided. Love more powerful than anything he'd ever felt. It hadn't started that way; at first he'd been too nervous to say anything to her. It wasn't her power that scared him, impressive as it was. She was so composed, kind, and truthfully he'd never seen anyone so beautiful.
They'd first met on one of his visits to the X mansion. He'd gone to visit Logan; the Wolverine had served with him during the war. While Logan had no memory of it, it comforted Steve to not get drunk with someone who understood.
She'd walked into the den where they were brooding and rolled her eyes. "I see you're abusing your ability again, Logan."
Steve had just jumped up; it was impolite to be sitting when a lady entered a room and Sarah Rogers had raised him right.
"Whatever Ro." Logan had grumbled, ignoring the vision in front of him. Steve had gaped at her, wondering if the serum had lost its effectiveness and he was drunk.
"Kitty wants to remind you that you promised her a round in the Danger Room." The apparition continued.
Logan growled, but got up and left grunting a farewell to Steve. The woman, who Steve was now convinced was an angel, smiled and held out her hand. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you Captain Rogers. I am Ororo Munroe."
"Call me Steve." He said, taking her hand, hoping his wasn't trembling.
She nodded. "Well, Steve. I hope to see you soon." She turned and left.
They ran into each other at various team functions and meetings after that. Sometimes it was on the battle field. This is where he learned what a shrewd tactician and compassionate warrior she was. There was a bond of family shared among the X men and she was its heart, offering counsel and support where needed. Protecting and shielding when necessary.
He and Ororo began to grow close. She didn't mock him for his lack of understanding of modern culture and was always present with a kind word whenever he needed one.
He admired her strength of character. She carried such a heavy and powerful ability which would have been enough to corrupt even the most moral individuals he knew, but she did it with grace and empathy.
Their relationship changed on a mission in the arctic. A Hydra base was attempting to create a clone of Red skull and the numbers were too much for the Avengers to handle on their own. Ororo had left the X jet and hovered above, keeping the blizzard at bay. They'd stormed the base and everything had been going fine until Shadowcat had been blasted backwards by one of the Hydra agents. She hit him and phased both of them into the ice. He'd been buried up to his shoulders and froze, both literally and figuratively. He'd never admitted it to anyone, but he did remember crashing into the ice. There had been a few moments, before he'd slipped into unconsciousness, where he'd felt the unyielding grip of what he was sure was death steal the breath from his lungs and enclosed his heart in its frozen grasp.
Then she was there. Landing in front of him, she melted the ice around him with a blast of hot air. Urging him to his feet, she'd led him away from the battle into the X jet. The team had taken down the base and the clone was destroyed, but Steve saw none of it. He sat with Ororo as she told him stories from her native Kenya, keeping the cold away with a warm African breeze.
3 days later he asked her out on a date. That night, as he accompanied her back to the mansion, he kissed her.
They kept their relationship a secret, not because they were ashamed, but because they'd wanted something private, something that was their own. Storm and Captain America were public figures, but Steve and Ororo were different. They both hated the notoriety that their line of work gave them, which is what inspired them keeping their connection a secret.
He loved her. He loved the way she could communicate with a look what took most a full worded explanation, loved that she was unapologetic of her pride in her heritage, loved that she trusted him enough to tell him about the dark parts of her past that she let no one else see. He loved her playful side and how she occasionally used her powers to play small practical jokes on those closest to her. He loved that he was now included in that list.
Their bubble burst one day when they were walking around the city. He'd shown her Brooklyn and explained how much the neighborhood had changed. She'd taken him to Harlem and done the same. They'd spent the day eating street car food and decrying gentrification.
They'd been walking through Central Park, holding hands when a bystander called out. "Is that Captain America?"
Steve stiffened.
"No, it can't be." Someone else said.
"Who's that with him? The black lady."
He felt his temper rising as the whispers and comments got louder. The speakers were at a distance and only he could hear them, but Ororo couldn't help but notice the way he'd tensed and his angry expression. She sighed. "Ignore them." Grabbing his arm, she tugged him in the opposite direction.
"Wait." He said, an idea coming to him. She turned, the sun catching her hair so that it looked like glowing silver. "What was the weather forecast supposed to be today?" he asked, innocently.
"Blue skies and sun." she replied.
He raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that, angel?"
Ororo's face broke into an impish grin. Overhead large black clouds began to form, blocking out the sun. "Well, look at that." She said, a fake look of shock on her face as heavy raindrops began to fall, causing the people to scatter. Steve didn't know what took him, but he pulled her close and kissed her, oblivious to the rain or the crowd or anything else except her.
She was smiling against his lips. "I'll race you back to the tower." She said, making the rain fall heavier to cover her escape as she flew away in the direction of Avengers Tower.
"That's cheating." He shouted, racing after her and it seemed he could hear her laughter on a passing gust of wind.