"Do you think it'll be awkward to just leave our families partying together?" Alba peered out of the truck's window as they drove away from the bar. The worn brick facade glowed in the yellow light from the streetlights. According to Steve, they had to leave now if they wanted to get to his house at a reasonable time.
"I saw your mom taking a selfie with Thor." Steve chuckled. "They'll get along just fine." The detour party had been the perfect way to kill time from New York's rush hour. Now, instead of taking them three hours to their destination, it would only take…two. Alba pursed her lips and settled herself into the supple material of the leather seat beneath her. She was going to be napping on it soon.
Alba didn't know what it was about this city that she loved so much. She rolled down the passenger side window and made herself comfortable staring out at the passing city lights. They were hypnotizing, the lull of walking pedestrians adding to the magic that was New York City. Horns honking, bars bursting…this was home.
"What was New York like, in the forties?" The question came out of her mouth before she could stop it. Steve leaned forward and turned down the volume on the radio, a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth and turning it into a tiny smirk.
"Well, there weren't very many skyscrapers, that's for sure. During the war, every surface you could imagine was plastered with enlistment or war bond ads. For years, it was all anyone could talk about. People lived with a giant cloud over their heads. After Pearl Harbor, no one felt safe. The energy has always been the same, though. I think that's why I have such a hard time staying away. Even though it looks so different, the heart of this place has never changed. It still feels like home, in a way." Alba nodded understandingly. It was strange to have access to someone who recounted the past so clearly, so openly.
"Favorite place to be stationed during the war?"
Steve didn't hesitate before answering. "Paris. The girls were…nice." Alba choked on a giggle and turned to look at him. There was a hint of pink in his face, and suddenly, she understood exactly what kind of 'nice' he was referring to.
"Steve, you little rogue." The way he averted his gaze only made the situation funnier.
"Oh shut it, they were just being friendly."
Alba snorted. "Uh huh. Friendly. You're lucky they're all in nursing homes now." They shared a quiet chuckle in the cabin of the car. Alba was having so much fun she didn't pick up on the fact that they were heading in the wrong direction.
The car pulled up to a mechanic set of metal gates. Steve put a code into a metal box on the driver's side before the fence started opening with a loud, grating sound.
"This isn't upstate New York."
He looked over his shoulder at her with a grin. "We're taking a little shortcut. Ever been on a quinjet before?" Alba shook her head, jaw dropping when she noticed the large aircraft unfolding its wings on the tarmac.
"Are those things safe?" She pointed at the unfolding wings and ignored the nervous fluttering in her stomach.
"Of course. You think the worlds mightiest heroes would travel in it if they weren't?" Alba dropped down from the truck and gave the metal beast an unconvinced look.
"I mean, you guys are the Avengers. If anyone could take a beating from faulty aircraft and walk away without a scratch, it would be you lot." Steve chuckled, reaching into the bed of the truck and taking out their luggage. He came to stand in front of Alba and dropped a kiss on her forehead, running his hands down her arms for good measure.
"Tony designed them. They don't mess up. Besides, they're a lot more comfortable than your regular airplane." Alba followed him into the quinjet, jaw dropping as she took in the interior before her. Instead of regular airplane seats, the cabin was outfitted with six large leather seats. Alba dropped down into the one closest to her, closing her eyes as the cool, buttery leather made contact with her aching back.
Steve alighted the quinjet stairs a moment later, having taken care of loading their luggage. He looked at Alba and chuckled to himself before standing before her seat and planting a hand on the side of her thigh.
"You're doing this all wrong." He mused, hand still searching along the fleshy part of her upper thigh.
Alba tensed, relishing the feeling of his roughened, hot hand as he caressed her leg. "Are we trying to go for the mile-high club thing right now or...?"
Steve's face scrunched up as he found what he was looking for. A button release on the inside of her seat made the leather stretch and creak and her airplane seat started reclining. Oh. So that's what he was doing.
Alba's face flushed as she realized Steve wasn't trying to hook up, he was trying to get her comfortable for the flight. She thanked her lucky stars he was a man out of time, and from his expressionless face, the quip had flown right over his head.
A blanket materialized in his hands, seemingly out of nowhere. He unrolled the fleecy fabric in his hands before draping it over her body, tucking the corners before leaning in close and dropping a small kiss on her temple.
The clean scent of his cologne teased her senses as he lingered next to her, mouth dropping to her ear, speaking just above a whisper.
"By the way, that mile-high attempt is gonna have to wait for the trip back." When he pulled away, the hint of a smirk was just visible on his face as he walked into the cockpit to discuss the flight with the pilot.
"Get some rest, you're dead on your feet. I'll wake you up when we get there."
A stray ray of sunshine poked at Alba's eyes. She shifted in her seat, turning over in order to get away from the errant sunbeam.
Wait, sun?
Her eyes cracked open instantly. She wasn't supposed to sleep through the night. Why the hell was she still on a plane?
Her bleary eyes belatedly registered the fact that they had landed. The cabin door was open, a strip of brightly lit tarmac visible through the gap in the door. Two quiet footsteps later, Steve poked his head before freezing and giving her a grin.
"Hey, sleepyhead."
Alba pushed the blanket aside, sitting up in her seat and clumsily arranging her hair. How he could smile at her like that when she just rolled out of bed, she had no idea.
"Morning," she said. Then, "Where the hell are we?" She tried to peek out of the open quinjet doors, frowning playfully when Steve stepped into her path, blocking her view.
"I have a confession to make," he admitted. "We're not upstate."
Alba snorted, slowly coming to her feet and stretching out her sleep riddled limbs. "Yeah, I kinda put that together already. Question is, where exactly did you whisk me off to, Steve Rogers?" He finally stepped out of her way, letting out a deep belly laugh at the way Alba's jaw dropped in shock.
She walked past him and floated down the stairs, sure that she was stuck in some wonderful dream. She paced down the short tarmac, jaw dropping at the expanse of sea in front of her. This wasn't navy blue murky East Coast sea. No, it was the cerulean clear kind that stretched out for miles, that only existed in movies, and that was clear enough to see your toes straight to the bottom. In the distance, a neighboring island shone under the sun, lush rolling emerald green hills bathed in sunlight.
Alba was still speechless when Steve saddled up next to her a moment later.
"Tony was babbling about babymoons, and how I should take a vacation with you before we end up having Peanut, and I remembered that I'd bid on the island for the fundraiser." The words were flying out of his mouth. Alba could barely keep up.
"I just wanted something nice to make up for all the things that have happened in the last month. And...well, for acting like an idiot. I don't know what I was thinking-" Alba cut his babbling short, pressing her lips to his and kissing him ardently, morning breath be damned. Steve returned the kiss, deepening before leaning back with a bright, face-splitting grin.
"Does this mean you liked the surprise."
Alba let out a watery laugh. "It means I loved the surprise."
A/N: Okay, okay, I know it's a little shorter than usual, but the next one is honestly full of ooey-gooey fluff and i didn't want to split it down the middle cause it would be kind of weird. So be ready for next chapter cause it will probably be a lot longer than this one, and cavity inducing sweet. I can't wait for ya'll to read it!
BTW, I think their relationship is coming to the point where they have sex again, and I wanted to get some opinions from you guys. This is a T rated fic, are you guys interested in a sweet, cut the morning type of scene, or something more...explicit? heheheheh. This is your guys' ride, i'm just the driver, LOL
anyway im more partial to something more explicit butttttttt that's just me so it's up to you guys. If I do go the more explicit route, I'll probably upload it as a one-shot separate from this fic for all those that aren't interested in anything dirty. Let me know what you guys want in the reviews.
Talk soon guys!