What Am I Doing?

by enchantment1972

Steve Rogers has always been a man of words and action. Unfortunately, when he meets the woman of his dreams, both seem to fail him over and over and over again.

"So that's your girl, Punk? She's pretty and a nurse? Bucky pats Steve's shoulder approvingly. "Nice."

"Yeah, she's the best and I am one hundred percent in love with her." His tone becomes dismal. "Not that I have a chance with her."

The hand on Steve's shoulder tightens in concern. "Why not?"

His face scrunches up in frustration as he watches her put away supplies. "She hates me."

"Why's that?" Steve and Bucky both twist around from their crouched positions and stare up at Sam. "And why are you two skulking around like a couple of peeping Toms? You know that's creepy, right?"

Steve sighs in remorse before standing up along with Bucky. "Believe me, I know. That's why she hates me."

"Who hates you?" questions Sam as he cranes his neck trying to see past them.

Bucky jerks his thumb towards the room and declares, "Steve's girl, the one that he's been obsessing over."

"I wouldn't call it an obsession, Buck," grumbles Steve.

"Not one that the cops could prove in a court of law," he chuckles softly as he sidesteps Steve swiping at him.

"I can't wait to hear about this." He hands a bag to Bucky. "Here's the items that you asked me to pick up for you."

Steve looks incredulous at the two men. "Since when do you go shopping for him?"

Bucky eyes the inside of the bag with a satisfied smile. "Ever since you encouraged us to work on improving our friendship!" he replies indignantly before waving his hand dismissively. "And he was going out anyway."

"You also offered me twenty dollars," he reminds Bucky as he holds out his hand. "Now pay up."

"Don't worry, Wilson, you know Steve's good for it." Steve gives him a dry look. "Hey, you owe me for taking a dive in the gym and making you look good in front of your girl."

"Yeah, thanks for that, Jerk. It was a real treat to watch her fuss over you while I stood on the sidelines."

"What can I say, Buddy? The women can't keep their hands off me." He then gives Steve a shove hard enough to send him stumbling through the doorway and into the room while whispering, "Now go talk to your girl!"

Rapidly straightening himself, he brings himself to a halt in the middle of the room and practically stands at attention. "Oh, hello, Captain Rogers," welcomes the nurse with an overly sweet tone. "I wasn't expecting to see you today, I still have my clothes on." Steve flushes bright red down to his socks and glances over his shoulder hoping Bucky and Sam didn't catch that. The phone rings, and she says, "Excuse me, please." She taps her pencil as she listens to the caller. "Yes, we're ready for him. How far out are you? Okay, can you give me his most recent vitals?"

Not wanting to disturb her, Steve roams around the room before deciding to strike a casual pose against the wall. Unfortunately, only having eyes for her causes him to lean against a surgical tray stand instead and send all the instruments scattering across the floor.

"Oh, no!" she wails as she quickly ends the call and runs over to the mess. "I just set that tray up for an agent and he'll be here in the next twenty minutes! I'm sorry, Captain Rogers, but if you don't need medical attention then you'll have to leave. I need to sort out a new tray before the helicopter lands."

She hurriedly shoos him away and he heads out the door with a frown that's reflected on his friends' faces. Embarrassed, he clears his throat and begins, "That was - "

Sam offers, "Lame?"

"Pathetic?" poses Bucky.

Steve steely glare falls over both men. "I was going to say unfortunate."

Bucky shrugs and tucks his hands in his pockets. "Ours was more accurate."

Steve takes one last glance into the room before turning back around to unexpectedly face a smiling Darcy Lewis. "Hey, Cap, what's up? Rescue any damsels in distress from the locker room lately?"

Steve blushes red as a beet. "You heard about that?"

"Who hasn't? It's all over the place! I mean when Captain America breaks into the ladies' showers to help a girl out, even if it's not exactly the way that we're all dreaming of," she teases with a wiggle of her eyebrows, "it makes the rounds at the office water cooler. Nobody could believe it! I'd expect something like this from Bucky, not from you!"

"Wait a minute! Why would you expect it from me?" demands Bucky.

"Well, maybe not expect as much as hope for in the future." She suddenly turns side to side. "That's why I've been working out, just in case. Do you notice a difference?"

Bucky's gaze is stern as he growls at her, "Yes, I noticed that you changed the username that you assigned me for Stark's new system and it's totally inappropriate."

"What? You don't like BuckNaked?" she huffs and steps back in affront. "Fine, how about BuckAssNude or TheBuckStopsWayDownHere?"

"You know," he warns her, "in my day you could put a girl over your knee and spank her for talking like that."

Darcy pouts and accuses, "Okay, now you're teasing me." She sashays past him and remarks, "Feel free to keep it up," and then adds with a saucy grin, "and I sincerely mean that."

After Darcy turns the corner, the trio silently make their own way down the opposite end of the hallway to Steve and Bucky's room while Sam and Bucky share concerned looks behind a dejected Steve.

Once they're in their living room and the door shuts, Steve drops down into his favorite chair in a slump. "She obviously hasn't forgiven me for the incident."

Bucky flops down on the couch and Sam sits down beside him. "Okay, spill it. What's her problem with giving her an assist? You were only trying to be a gentleman."

He rubs the back of his neck and averts his eyes. "Yeah, but I don't think that she saw it that way."

Bucky crosses his arms over his chest and leans back against the couch. "I recognize that look well. What did you do?"

"I was passing by the locker rooms when I heard her scream, so I ran in and found her clutching her arm because the water had been scalding." They remain silent when he pauses and patiently wait for him to continue. "But she had just jumped out of the shower so she was still," he leans forward despite their being alone and practically whispers, "naked."

Bucky's head rears back in shock. "She wasn't wearing any clothes?"

"They have another type of naked back in your day?" inquires Sam. He turns back to Steve. "Okay, that was embarrassing but like Bucky said, you're a gentleman. You offered her something to cover herself up, right?"

Steve continues to avoid their gazes as he gives an uncomfortable shrug. "She was already using her hands."

Sam gapes at him. "Seriously?" Bucky just guffaws. "But you at least turned away, right?" interrogates Sam. "You left, gave her some privacy?"

"I wanted to and that was definitely my intention…," his mouth tightens before he releases a puff of air, "but I just kept staring at her."

"For how long, Punk?" His metal hand tries to rub away his pending headache. "Ten, fifteen seconds?" Steve keeps a steady gaze on Bucky as he slowly shakes his head. Bucky's eyes narrow. "Thirty seconds?"

Sam's eyes widen as he leans forward. "More than that?"

"I don't know! I didn't exactly set a timer!" He weakly defends, "And I did ask about her arm and followed her back out to the dressing area to make sure she was okay."

Sam nods at his consideration. "And then you stopped following her?"

"I sort of had to," he lifts his gaze from his clasped hands, "she slammed the door in my face."

Bucky shakes his head sadly. "Steve, that's hysterical." He reaches over and gives his pal a comforting squeeze on his shoulder. "You need help."

Steve drops his head into his hands with a groan. "I need a miracle."

"And here we are!" exclaims Sam. "Ready, willing," he darts a sidelong glance at Bucky, "and well, at least I'm able."

Ignoring Sam, Bucky focuses on Steve. "My best suggestion is to buy her some flowers; you can't go wrong with flowers! The dames in our day? They couldn't get enough of them; they practically threw themselves at me in gratitude whenever I brought some over." He leans forward and taps Steve's knee. "Remember Ida Cooper?" He tilts his head towards Sam and winks. "The chubby ones are so grateful."

Sam merely stares back at Bucky in a daze before he returns his attention to Steve. "That was a little too much information and totally inappropriate but he's right! Women love flowers!"

Steve's tone is skeptic when he asks, "Why should I trust the two of you? You don't have a girl," he points at Sam and then at Bucky, "and your last attempt at romance resembled a Marx Brothers movie!"

"My girl loves the Marx Brothers," grumbles Bucky under his breath.

"Lucky for you," notes Steve with a grin. "However, my point stands, what do either of you know about women?"

Neither man's gaze wavers from their friend as they simultaneously reply, "I have a sister."

Steve's head bobs as he considers this and his features slowly reflect his growing excitement. "Okay, sounds good, flowers it is, we have the start of a plan! I'm going to win her heart and it starts right now!"

Bucky shouts in delight. "Alright, like your song says, you're the Star Spangled Man with the Plan!"

"You got this, Buddy!" enthuses Sam as he reaches for Bucky's bag. "We'll discuss a game plan while we help this one learn how to play his lady's favorite game, Dungeons and Dragons."

"Yeah, thanks guys, I really appreciate this," says Bucky with a sincere smile. He reaches for the Idiot's Guide to D & D and starts flipping through the book while Steve and Sam open the game box. "My girl tried explaining this to me while I was writing up ideas for our adventure. She was very impressed when I created characters for all of us."

"All of us, huh?" queries Sam. "You better have made my character worthy of me like a knight or a wizard or something like that."

"Hey, don't sweat it, I got you covered," he assures him as he pulls a piece of paper from his pocket. "It's all right here!" Bucky reads, "The noble Samuel Wilson roams the countryside keeping intruders at bay as he protects the innocent. In addition to his virtue, his manly attributes hold all the women in awe, especially the huge appendage that swings between his legs." Sam's cocky smirk speedily falls away as Bucky adds, "His tail."

Steve and Bucky's laughter rumbles throughout the room while Sam swipes the paper out of Bucky's hand. "Let's see how hard you laugh, Rogers, when you hear your description." He reads, "A warrior who was flaccid with every movement."

Steve's aims an accusing glare at Bucky. "What? It says fluid, not flaccid. I can't help my penmanship. Now will you two forget about those for now and help me figure out these crazy dice?"

The next day, Steve raps on the open door as he steps into the Medical Bay. Tap, tap, tap. When the nurse looks up to see him, her wary expression is enough to send Steve backing up and out of the room. Out of the corner of his eye, he catches Bucky and Sam in the hallway shaking their heads and motioning him back inside, urging him to try again. Straightening his spine, he stands tall and strides over to her desk with a confidence that he definitely isn't feeling. "Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you but I'd like to apologize to you. I know that we've had a few misunderstandings but I'd really like it if we could start over. Please?" He reaches out to offer a handshake and accidentally knocks her drink all over her desk.

She immediately jumps up from her desk and grabs some towels from the linen closet to mop up her desk. This isn't some ongoing joke that you're playing on me, is it? Like those sexy nurse comments that some of the other employees make?"

"No, not at all," Steve vows as he takes one of the towels and help her clean. "Honestly, I'm being completely sincere, I just want to have a fresh start with you. And just so you know, when I see you in your uniform, I don't see a sexy nurse." His features soften and he wears the shyest smile. "I think of my mom."

Bucky groans from the hallway. "Oh man, that was harsh."

Sam's watches the scene before him with despair. "Please tell me that I'm remembering this right. Steve's mom was a nurse, wasn't she?"

"Yeah, but I'm thinking that his girl doesn't know that by the way that she's cringing."

"Poor Steve," his gaze sympathetic as he peeks around the door. "All that Marvin Gaye that I downloaded for him is just going to go to waste. Just listen to him."

Steve's confidence grows by leaps and bounds as he muses on her attributes. "You can tell that you have the same level of professionalism regarding appearance. No wrinkles, the nurse's cap, and no runs in your stockings."

She stares at him in utter bewilderment. "Are we back to the sexy nurse thing again? Or your mom?"

"Both," he proudly affirms. Her countenance reflects her horror. "What's wrong? I'm just telling you how you remind me of my mother."

Sam and Bucky both wear matching grimaces. Sam notes, "He has a better chance of coming back from the ice a second time than coming back from that. Doesn't your girl have any friends that we can set him up with?"

"She is one of her friends." He glances at the couple and frowns when he sees her subtly stepping away from Steve as she tries to put some distance between them. "Although maybe not after this."

Steve abruptly looks back over his shoulder and shoots them both an angry glare.

Sam reminds him, "You know he can hear you?"

"Of course, I do. It's no fun being on the receiving end is it, Steve?"

Steve continues to converse as he makes a hand gesture behind his back.

"Ah, ah, ah," tuts Bucky in disapproval, "language!"

When he makes the gesture again, even more fervently, Sam chuckles. "Or in this case, sign language."

Their teasing makes them miss out on Steve's last words to the nurse but his confusion and the way her expression is becoming more disturbed by the second tells them both that this isn't going well at all.

Sensing that everything's not going quite to plan, Steve offers timidly, "Look, I'm sorry if I've said something to offend you in some way but…"

"It's fine, Captain Rogers," not hearing his plea to call him Steve. "It's just that I have a lot of work to do so I need to be going now. Please excuse me," she begs off and then makes a rapid exit.

Bucky clears his throat to announce their entrance once Steve's left standing all alone. You okay, Punk?"

"Could somebody please tell me what went wrong? All I was trying to do was make a connection with her!" Exasperated, he throws his arms up in the air. "I'm just trying to find a common interest, for crying out loud!"

Sam's heart fills with sympathy for the man. "Yeah, I don't think that she was very interested in that."

"No, I just think that she's not interested in me." He looks back at them with defeat in his eyes. "Just like every woman before her." He walks off without another word.

Bucky calls out, "Hey, Steve! Come on, Pal, come back and we can work this out!" His worried gaze slides over to Sam. "This isn't funny anymore."

"No," agrees Sam wholeheartedly as he stares down the empty hallway. "It's not."

A week passes and with his friends' encouragement, Steve finds himself standing quietly near the doorway to her workstation while he rearranges the bouquet of gladiolus one last time. He hopes she likes them. He had wanted red, white and blue ones but the closest that they had to blue was a dark-blue purple color. He wants this to be just right so that every time that she looked at the arrangement, she would think of him fondly. Although going off of his track record so far, she might just want to forget about him all together. The florist said gladiolus represented hope and with the way things have been going, that's about all I have to cling to right now.

As he enters the room, he clears his throat and simply holds out the flowers to her. She's surprised to see him but for once her smile is warm and accepting as she reaches for the bouquet. Sadly, it's when she peels back the plastic encasing the flowers and sees them that her face becomes filled with panic. Then the sneezing starts and her skin instantly becomes blotchy right before the hives start breaking out.

"I'm allergic to gladiolus," she gasps out as she tries to catch her breath.

Of course she is, he silently bemoans before he snatches the flowers back off her and throws them in the nearest trash bin. He hears the click of a camera just as she darts down the hall calling her co-workers for assistance as she scratches and sneezes along the way. When he turns to leave, he finds Darcy standing behind him holding up her phone.

"Tony put me in charge of the Avengers Facebook page," she explains as she holds her phone out to him and shows him a snapshot of him yanking the flowers out of the nurse's hands. "I was going to post your latest interaction with the flowers and caption it, 'Captain America Deflowers Our Favorite Nurse!'. Steve's crestfallen expression breaks Darcy's heart, "But now it seems like it would be incredibly mean and really sad." The hand clutching her phone crosses her heart as she swears, "Don't worry, Cap, I'll delete it. Your secret will be safe with me." Her eyes are full of compassion as she observes his relief. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go check on your girl."

He watches miserably as she jogs down the hall. My girl. Yeah, right. I'm the man with a plan alright, a plan of attack. His hearing picks up a distant sneeze with soothing murmurs from Darcy to calm her down. God, I hope she's okay.

Steve trudges past Bucky and Sam at the end of the hall as Sam asks, "Hey, man, so how did it go?" Steve silently steps into the elevator and crashes his fist against the buttons to force the doors to slide shut. Sam's eyebrows rise as he takes a step back. "That bad?"

Bucky's phone rings and a text message pops up with a photo and video attachment. Hey, Winter Smolder, Steve not only bombed out again with the nurse but he aimed it right at her. Don't worry, I'm not going to post them but I think you should see what he's up against. Catch you later my I'dLoveMeABiggerBangWithMyBuck! Yours when you come to your senses, Darcy.

"That girl," mutters Bucky as Sam just laughs out loud, at least until he sees the video. "Well, there's nothing for it," determines Bucky. "It's time to call out the big guns."

Sam's curious gaze swings over to Bucky. "What are you thinking?"

He offers Sam a wry grin. "What did we do whenever our little sisters didn't feel good?

Sam's eyes widen in understanding to be immediately followed by his grin. "Okay, I got you, let's go shopping!"

Bucky's excitement quickly levels off. "I don't like all the stares when I go out in public. How about you go for me? I'll give you twenty bucks."

"You still owe me twenty bucks from last time not to mention for the book and the game!"

"Relax, Wilson, I told you that Steve's good for it! And he'll be even better once we win over his girl for him." He eyes Sam hopefully. "You still got money on you to pay for this? I'm a little short right now."

"Cheap is what you are! A grown man over a hundred should have something tucked away for a rainy day!"

"I'm working on it, alright?" he protests grumpily. "The United States government hasn't exactly been eager to work out a pension plan when I've been working for the other side!"

"Oh, yeah," realizes Sam with a trace of shame. "Sorry."

"That's okay," he mock sniffs, "I know you didn't mean it. You can make it up to me though when we pay for our purchases."

"You know, the first moment that I met and helped you, I knew that I'd be paying for it. Steve's right, you are a jerk. Let's go to the Dollar Tree around the corner."

Bucky follows Sam down the hall. "Now who's cheap?"

A few hours later, the nurse is jolted from filling out her daily reports by another unforeseen delivery. "Here you go, Doll!" announces Bucky as he drops a giant Cap Bear whose arms are holding a basket full of allergy medications and lotions, puzzles and magazines with a half dozen balloons tied to its handle. She bears a huge grin as he reaches for the unexpected gift. "It's from Steve." Her hands instantly pull back. "Hey, don't be like that! He only wants the best for you!"

"Is that why he didn't come himself?" she inquires bluntly.

"Ouch!" proclaims Sam. "Do you have a band-aid to go with that jab?"

"I'm sorry," she apologizes as she pulls out a numbing spray and applies it to her arms. "It's been a rough morning."

"We heard." Bucky wiggles one of Cap Bear's hands as if to say hello. "That's why we came by. We need to talk to you about Steve."

Her eyes narrow suspiciously. "What about him?"

"He's going crazy right now," replies Bucky. She arches an eyebrow at him. "I mean he's going crazy over you, not just in general."

"It's true, he really likes you," attests Sam. "You should give him a chance. He's not just a good guy, he's the best kind of guy."

"Wow, you two seem to think a lot of him. I'm sure you'll all be very happy together."

Bucky scowls at her. "Look, I know there's been a few…let's say mishaps, but he's just been trying to impress you."

"Oh, he's definitely made an impression," she assures him.

"And it was the wrong one, we get that," confirms Sam, "but there's so much more to him than what you've seen."

Her gaze ping pongs despairingly back and forth between the two men. "Oh, my God! There's more?"

Bucky smiles softly but warmly. "There's so much more, Doll. When I first met Steve, he had the smallest body but the biggest heart. He's got the fastest mind but he's so slow to realize how special he really is and most importantly, he's my best pal. He's been there for me every step of the way, to the end of the line and beyond. I only want the best for him, Doll, and in Steve's eyes, that's you."

"He sounds wonderful." She pins them down with her gaze. "Which makes me wonder why he isn't here telling me this himself."

"Because as big as he is, he still feels small inside," explains Sam. "I'm sure you've heard the stories, maybe even some footage of Steve, how he looked before the serum. It'd break your heart to know how many women passed him by or just flat out looked through him because they didn't realize what was right in front of them."

Bucky watches her in earnest, hoping for the barest hint that she'll see what no other woman ever has whenever they've looked at Steve. "He's had to work through a lot of stuff since he was pulled from the ice. The loss of the time that we lived in, the loss of his friends and family but the one thing that he can't get over is the loss of his pride. Steve will fight as hard as he can for anybody but his lack of confidence defeats him every time." He flicks his gaze over her in assessment and the various doodles that decorate her desk. Not bad. "You must be pretty special to encourage him to even try and reach out to you. I haven't seen him trip up this badly over a woman since his first Betty Grable movie."

"That poor man," she murmurs as the barest whisper, "I can't even begin to imagine what he's been going through." Then she shakes her head as if to wake herself up. "Look, I do feel bad for him but his nurse fixation gives me the willies!"

"Steve's mom was a nurse," enlightens Sam, "and you reminding him of her? That only shows that he holds you in the highest regard." He watches as she connects the dots from their previous conversation and doesn't quite manage to hold in his laugh at her muttered, 'Thank God'. "We're honestly not trying to push you into anything, but we just want you to understand where he's coming from."

"It looks like he's coming from the docking bay," she notes when she points behind them. The men turn around to see Steve carrying a large crate marked Medical Supplies and aiming a suspicious gaze their way. He always seems so nervous and he's coming from a world of hurt. Hmmm. Well, I am a nurse, after all. Her lips twitch into a smile. Might as well start tending to my patient.

"What are you two doing here?" he demands while setting the crate down in the corner.

"Don't sweat it, Punk. We were just leaving." On their way out, Bucky passes Steve and whispers, "She likes to draw. There's your connection."

Steve glances back at her over his shoulder and a huge grin spreads across his face when he sees her smiling back at him. I don't know what you two said, but thanks guys. Afraid he'll do the wrong thing again, Steve remains rooted to the spot while she approaches him. "I know you're busy, I hope they weren't bothering you."

"No, they were fine. They actually brought me some much-needed information." Never having been very good at having to make small talk, she shifts around uncomfortably and inquires, "How have you been since I last saw you?"

Steve lets out a mirthless chuckle. "I'm fine, I'm more concerned about you. Are you okay?"

"I'm much better, thank you." She smiles brightly. "The swelling's almost gone."

Steve groans and covers his eyes with his hand. "I am so sorry." He looks back over at the doorway when he hears a slight shuffling. "What did those two want with you anyway?" She stares uneasily at the ground, only confirming his suspicions. "What was the important information?"

Her tone softens to one full of compassion as she gazes at him in sympathy. "Something about how the women of your time weren't smart enough to appreciate what was right in front of them." Her eyes fix on him as she suggests, "Maybe they needed a vision test?"

Steve grimaces and flushes with shame. "No, they saw me plain enough, alright. They just wanted to change what they saw."

"I can blame them for that, but I must admit, I would want to change you too."

Steve's eyes dull with hurt that he's never been able to fully banish. He had been so sure that she was different. "Yeah, and what would you change?"

She takes his hand and squeezes it tightly. "Oh, lots of things. I'd change your having to feel the weight of the world on your shoulders, I'd change your taking care of everybody else to the extent where you never make time for yourself, and I would definitely change the way that you see yourself to the way that I see you."

This feels like a battle, one that's never felt more perilous or daunting, but he gathers his courage and takes a deep breath before taking the plunge. "And how do you see me?"

"I see a man, just a man. Not a hero, but a man who is kind, compassionate, thoughtful, more than a little flustered around me and bleeding a bit," she points to a cut on his forehead, "right there."

It takes a few moments to shake himself free of the spell that she's weaving over him. "I am?" He touches his forehead and sees the blood streaking his finger. "Yeah, I guess I am, I must've done that when I picked up the crate."

"I can take care of you if you like."

For the rest of my life, Sweetheart.

"Captain Rogers," she waves her hand in front of his face, "I asked if you'd like me to patch it up for you?"

His face reddens again as he snaps his attention back to her. "You don't have to do that. Super serum soldier, remember?"

"I do, but I don't mind." She grabs a bottle of rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab and begins dabbing it on his forehead. "It's my job." She winks at him. "Remember?"

He laughs at her sassiness. "Not much that I'd forget about you," he confesses shyly.

"I just learned that your mom is a nurse." She pulls out a band-aid to cover his wound. "I hope I measure up to her standards."

"She would've loved you, trust me." His eyes widen at the sudden realization as he remembers their previous conversation. "You didn't know that my mom was a nurse until today." He closes his eyes tightly and groans as he relives the conversation in his head verbatim. He forces his eyes to reopen to see her laughing at him. "Sorry about that."

"That's okay." She finishes smoothing the band-aid against his skin. "She sounds really nice. Maybe you could tell me about her sometime."

"Yeah, sure, okay," he looks around helplessly, "how about now, is now good? No, you're still working, how about right after lunch? I mean during lunch, is lunch good? Do you eat lunch? Of course, you eat lunch, but do you like to eat lunch? Maybe you're more of a dinner person. Would you prefer dinner instead?"

She simply stares at him at fist until she breaks out into laughter. "Wow, I don't think that I've ever heard you talk that much in the whole time that I've known you!" She sidles up alongside him with mischief in her eyes. "Do I do all that to you?"

"You're the only one who could, Sweetheart." He blushes and audibly gulps when he realizes his slip. "See what I mean? I can barely collect my thoughts around you much less collect myself." He gives her an envious onceover. "I would give anything for your composure."

She balks at his statement. "You think that I'm composed? Me, seriously? Do you know that when I met King T'Challa and his family that I actually asked the Queen Mother if she was more offended or amused when she heard the phrase, 'Queen Mother of all dirty words?' She'd never even heard of that phrase! Thank God, she was so gracious and has an amazing sense of humor! Afterwards, I kept kicking myself for being such a dork asking her that. I have no filter, Steve! You're the one with the composure! Have you ever heard yourself speak in public? I mean, at least not to me, but otherwise you're so self-assured and diplomatic, so eloquent and I'm a such a spaz! Honestly, I'm lucky if I can manage to compose an email," she finishes with an outright laugh.

Her laugh was so infectious, and he couldn't help but join in, he hadn't laughed so hard in years. And her smile, he couldn't help but return it whenever she aimed it his way. Seeing her always made him feel so happy, carefree, at peace and…like he was home. Huh. He couldn't remember the last time that he had felt like that.

When the laughter settles down, he notes, "Wow, speaking of the most words being spoken since we met, that was quite a lot." Her entire face flushes to the roots of her hair. "I loved hearing them though, I waited long enough to hear them directed at me. You see, I've never had the opportunity to capture a beautiful woman's attention." He aims his brightest smile at her. "It looks like I can finally let go of that regret."

"When did you become such a smoothie? What happened to the shy man of yesteryear?" she teases.

"What can I say? You inspire me."

"That seems fair," she acknowledges with a smile. "You inspire people all the time."

"Yeah," his smile falters a bit, "people really seem to take to Captain America, huh?"

She places her hands on both of his shoulders before moving them up to cup his face and ensure that she has his complete attention. "Steve, people take to you. I'm taken with you. Captain America is a mask and a shield but the man who wears them and defends this world and the people on it, that man is Steve Rogers. The world may see you as one and the same, but I know the difference."

Hiding in the shadows in the hallway, Bucky continues to report on their progress to Sam. Bucky whispers, "I see it now, she is special."

"It's about time," declares Sam. "He deserves somebody as special as him." He smirks. "You know, besides me."

Bucky scoffs, "Shut up, Wilson, so I can listen."

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"That's it! You can lip read the rest of their conversation!"

"Will you two shut up?" yells Steve from inside room. "We're trying to make a connection here!"

Both men instantly fall silent before Sam grouses, "Well, that was rude." Bucky gives a firm nod in agreement. "Right? I have half a mind to stop listening." They both stand there and glare in the direction of Steve and his girl. Sam's the first to break the silence as he asks, "So what are they saying now?"

Steve rolls his eyes with a groan before glancing sheepishly at her. She eyes the empty doorway and quizzes, "So I'm guessing that you have super hearing?" He nods in reply. "I had a Bionic Woman doll named Jaime that had that. She also used to break through twigs and toothpicks with her bionic arm."

"Ha! She sounds like Bucky." He leans forward and lowers his voice to an almost inaudible pitch. "I'll give you twenty bucks if you tell him that she was modelled and named after a female version of him."

"That's not funny, Punk!"

"And that's my money!"

Steve and the nurse share a laugh. "Are they coming with us to lunch?" she asks curiously. He shakes his head in the negative. "Or is it dinner?" she queries as his eyes light up in expectation. "Which could turn into breakfast," she poses with a sly grin.

Steve flushes all over before stammering, "I…I…I have no response for that."

She barks out a laugh. "I'm only teasing you and I see that I'm going to have so much fun with that."

Steve sighs softly but with a warm smile. "You have no idea."

The lunch alarm on her phone goes off. "Time to go lunch, Steve." She becomes slightly hesitant, worried she pushed him too far. "That is if you still want company."

"There's no one else that I'd rather have by my side." He holds his arm out to her. "Shall we?"

She takes his arm and leans against him while they head out into the corridor. "We shall, good sir. How about the cafeteria? That way we can avoid all the Captain America groupies at the restaurants so we won't be interrupted." She smiles up at him. "I was thinking that after we talk about your mom, you could tell me about her son."

"Only if you tell me all about you in return. I hear that you like to draw." She lights up as she nods enthusiastically. "Before the war, I used to be a comic book artist. I still pull out a sketchbook from time to time."

"I would love to see your artwork if you're willing to share it! I can't draw out of my head but I can look at something that's already been drawn, like comic books," she shares excitedly, "and then I can make an almost exact reproduction. I'm sure my skill is nowhere near your league, but I enjoy being able to take a bit of beauty away with me whenever something takes my fancy."

Steve musters his courage and offers, "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

"It's a deal, on one condition." He eyes her inquiringly. "Can you draw me as a mermaid? I love mermaids and I've always wanted to be one!" She stretches up on her tip toes to reach his ear and whisper, "I'm even willing to pose topless if it'll help you get in the mood."

Steve's face instantly reddens and his eyes are as round as saucers. "And hear I thought I was one-upping you with my you show me yours, I'll show you mine comment." He sighs in defeat as they near the elevator. "I obviously have a lot to learn."

She readily assures him, "Don't worry about it, Steve. You're going to love with what I have to teach you."

He knew that he was grinning like a fool but he didn't care. The whole time he thought that he needed a plan to win her. He never needed a plan, he just needed to be himself. He finally found a woman who could see him and not just Captain America, she accepted all of him. She was a once in a lifetime find and like hell was he ever going to let her go.

Bucky and Sam watch Steve sporting a huge grin as he walks off with his girl. As the couple approaches the elevator, the men notice that Steve's walk is a little cockier than normal as they imagine he envisions a future free of embarrassing incidents. They give an encouraging wave to him that he manages to catch just before the elevator doors slide closed.

Sam sighs softly and his gentle smile becomes devious as he questions, "Should we tell him that he has a giant 'I LOVE IRON MAN' band-aid on his forehead?

"Nah," he says with an equally evil grin as he pictures the stares that Steve will receive in the cafeteria that have nothing to do with being Captain America. "He'll figure it out. Now let's head out to the cafeteria, I'm starving." He throws his arm around Sam's shoulders and tugs him down the hall. "And you're buying."

The End