heroherondaletotheresuce: haha, thank you so much. It was really fun to write about Thor, Darcy and Jane. ^^
Amalieaunstrup: Once again, you are the best :D ;) sexy thang.
Jo: Thanks :)
Guys thank you so much for all the praise, please keep it coming ^^
xx
SSC
Steve ran one hand down his face while his other hand held his black mug full of coffee.
Strong, black coffee.
Steve Roger's was sleep deprived and not for his usual PTSD reasons. The nightmares were still there, they just weren't there last night...
Last night he had a dream about Olivia Thorne and it made him feel... very guilty.
The dream began ordinarily enough and then somehow there was a bed and she was on it and neither of them had any clothes-
Steve willed himself not to think about it again and took a nervous gulp of his hot coffee. He stood next to the kitchen sink in the break room. The room was fairly empty except for the occasional agent that rushed into pour themselves a cup of coffee before scurrying out.
He has had dreams like this before. Once about his school teacher that was a real sweet heart to him. Then a ex girlfriend of Bucky's, but that had no real emotional attachment. Then of course, Peggy Carter, which was awkward enough during war time.
And now, Olivia Thorne. The fact that he was aware of his obvious feelings made the situation more...real.
On top of that, he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her. It would start as a simple remembrance, like something funny she had uttered. That little reminiscence would lead to him thinking about her smile, the way her honey brown eyes light up when she laughs. Her dark hair that only curled at the ends, her effortless enthusiasm about anything and the-
He was doing it again.
Steve sighed for the second time that hour. He wondered how he was going to get through the day without internally musing about Olivia Thorne.
Does she have a middle name? It seems pretty incomplete to not have a middle name, not that she isn't a complete person which she is. A completely wonderful person, with a great sense of humor, beautiful eyes and such-
"Why are you sighing?" Natasha's abrupt question ( and appearance) startled the Captain.
"I wasn't." He denied a little too obviously.
"Yeah you were." She countered invading his space."Why are you denying it?"
Her iridescent gaze narrowed suspiciously on him.
"What is up with you today Steve?" She demanded, Steve tried not to sweat nervously.
"I didn't get much sleep, I was watching a movie." He answered trying his best to seem nonchalant.
"Adjusting to the media obsessed ways of the twenty thirteen eh?" Kevin appeared with a manila folder at hand. He was grinning handsomely, standing between them in his business suit.
"What movie did you watch?" He asked looking to the Captain.
"Howls Moving Castle." Steve answered reluctantly.
"Isn't that a cartoon?" Natasha questioned with a arch of her left brow while smiling in amusement. Steve nodded.
"Did Olivia recommended it?" Kevin inquired slyly.
"Yeah." Steve grinned "It was good."
"I love that scene were Howl is like this giant human crow and-"
"Whoa hey, I haven't watched it yet so no spoilers." Natasha cut in to Kevin's enthusiastic babbling by lightly slapping him on the arm.
" Oh right." Kevin muttered apologetically. Natasha smirked at him and he blushed.
"Hey Cap is the God father on that list of yours? You should seriously watch that." Kevin quickly added to disperse his bashfulness.
"I'll schedule that in." Steve replied amiably.
"If you two are done, we have a mission briefing to get to. " Natasha announced, taking a glance at her wrist watch. Steve was alerted into action and quickly down his cup of coffee, washed it in the sink and turned to Kevin and Natasha who waited for him.
Steve was sitting on the foot of his bed and had been staring down at his cell phone for a good ten minutes. It was nine in the night and he wasn't sure if he should call Olivia or not. What if she is busy? what if she is sleeping? It was a week day after all so maybe she went to bed early?
Steve didn't know why he was so nervous to call her when all he did was think about her the entire day. He pressed on the call button, the phone instantly opened a window of all his recent contacts, he selected her name and brought the cell phone to his ear.
It was ringing.
He knew he couldn't chicken out now, he also knew if he didn't hear her voice soon he was going to go crazy.
The ringing stopped and there was a moment of intense silence
"Sup Steve." Olivia greeted in her usual cheery tone. Steve grinned, a sudden playfulness rising.
"Sup?" He echoed impishly. A peal of laughter resonated from the phone.
"You are so cute." She noted fondly. Steve felt his heart flip from the compliment. He tried not to think of it as anything other than as a basic compliment. Even though he secretly hoped for a lot more.
"What you up to?" She asked curiously, snapping him out of his thoughts.
"I just decided to check up. I was thinking about coming over this weekend." He mused contemplatively. It wasn't just a thought. It had been too long since he saw her and he wanted to see her again, just to spend even a few minutes with her. Steve hated how desperate and lonesome he sounded, suddenly he was glad his internal thoughts wasn't on display to the world.
"Don't think it, just do it." She enthused comically "I haven't seen you since Thor crashed Claire's birthday, that was like-"
"Two weeks ago." Steve added factually, already knowing the answer .
"Yeah I know, I've been a bit busy." He stated remorsefully.
"Understandable, but we've been talking often so it doesn't feel like you've been gone for a long. Yay for friendship."
Steve's enthusiasm instantly simmered down from the impact of her words. Olivia had meant them positively enough but it was that word again. 'friends.' or 'friendship 'it bothered him. Now that he knew that he had feelings for her, it made the dejection of the implication more justified. He wondered if she would always see them as just friends and could he ever change that?
"Are you okay?" Olivia called out softly.
"Yeah why?" Steve quickly questioned wondering if he had been silent for far too long.
"Oh must be me, I got this weird vibe." She answered her trembling voice echoed her uncertainty.
"Sorry, I get them sometimes." She added diffidently.
However Steve was alarmed by this. Was he giving off vibes through the phone that she had managed to receive them miles away? Or was she just a perspective human being? If that were true Steve worried if he would be able to hide his feelings for her.
"is it like a super power?" He questioned both fascinated and a little anxious.
"Ha, yeah right." She scoffed "Nah it was a weird chill, I think my window is open or Anakit is probably staring at me. Yup he is staring at me, I think he knows you are on the phone."
"So he has the super power." Steve mused, laughing a little.
"Cats are mystical Steve." She stated confidently he couldn't help but nod in mute agreement.
"Speaking of mystical, ever played laser tag?"
"Laser tag?" He parroted musing on the name before shaking his head in reprieve.
"Can't say I have." He replied earnestly.
"Well it's this game, super fun." She began to explain "Basically you are given these plastic guns that have infrared emitting devices and everyone wears infrared sensitive vests and we split into team. "
"Oh like paint ball?"
"Yas." She enthused in that weird way he always found amusing "I was going to pick paint ball but getting shot by those things is not fun plus um, I didn't want it to be too extreme in case you get uncomfortable."
"I work around guns Olli." He reminded gently.
"Yeah well I work with design software, doesn't mean I want to spend my free time looking at them. I didn't want you to feel like you have to bring your work home, so to speak."
Steve felt his body flood with a strange warm light. Her consideration for him in everything she did made him feel so cherished. Everyone had been sympathetic of his situation but not Olivia Thorne, she acted on it. Now that he thought about it, everything she had done when they were around, whether it involved him or another had always been so everyone was comfortable. Steve wondered if it was her kindness that drew him to her or was it her overall personality.
"Besides, you are a senior citizen, bright lights might be a bit too much for you to handle and what if you like trip and fall and break a hip?"
He bit his lower lip to prevent laughing at the teasing jab. He had to conclude, it was her personality.
"Thanks Olli." He murmured fondly with a roll of his large blue eyes.
"Yup." She added cheekily.
Steve fell back on to the bed like he had done many times before when he talked to her. He shimmied his shoulders a little to get comfortable and asked the question that popped into his mind.
"So who are we splitting up into teams?"
"That's the awkward bit." She uttered guiltily "Basically this is my way of treating all of Norah's friends and they are a bunch of twelve year olds, literally."
"I figured." He chuckled, his eyes glittering lovingly.
"And, they are huge fans of yours."
"It will be fine Olli, I've dealt with mobs of children before." He insisted in order to calm her anxiety.
"You have?"
"Yeah, my USO shows mainly contained an audience of five and above."
"Oh, so no worries then. Man they are going to go Gaga over you."
"Gaga?" He asked unfamiliar with the term.
"Cray zay."
"Oh, okay." He still wondered where the saying originated from, he made a mental note to Google it later.
"So, anything exciting happen?" Olivia wondered conversationally.
"I think your phone call was the most exciting thing that happened this week." He stated sincerely while stretching out his legs to relax his tense calves.
"I don't know if that's a good thing or bad thing."
"It's a good thing Olli." He insisted kindly. Then a sudden realization dawned on to him, his eye widened in surprise.
"I realized I just called you Olli... twice." He acknowledged marveled for not noticing it before. He had uttered it with such a carefree ease.
"That's the fourth time actually." She recalled with a pleasant laugh.
"Oh, you didn't think that was weird?" He asked cautiously.
"No I liked it, you say it in the most adorable way, like how you say Bucky. It's so cute."
Steve's face reddened again melting internally at her compliments. He shook his head, he hated that he was acting like such a choir boy.
"Did you do anything interesting?" It was his turn to ask and simultaneously ignore his rapidly beating heart.
Olivia sighed and then hummed for a moment, contemplating his question. He waited patiently for her answer.
"Well Darcy stopped by this morning."
"Really?" He was not expecting that.
"Yah, we went out for lunch, she is super fun. She was bored because Jane was in lectures all day and Thor had plans with Stark."
"Oh, so what else did you girls do?"
"Did a bit of shopping. I bought this really pretty mosaic vase and when I got home I realized I don't have a plant for it so I was like what's the point. But then I saw the way the light hits it and its just beautiful." Steve knew in that moment, he could listen to her ramble forever "But now I have to go buy some flowers or something for it because it just seems to empty otherwise. Oh em gee, the empty vase, Friend's reference."
"I started watching that actually." He noted warmly.
" I tried to put it in the book but there are like ten seasons, sorry about that Steve."
"It's fine Kevin gave me his collection." Steve insisted kindly.
"Do you like it?" She asked practically giddy with anticipation.
"Yeah, it's funny. I was worried I wouldn't understand but it did help me learn about the nineties."
"Speaking of binge watching, wanna do that this Friday?" She suggested.
"Friday?" Steve echoed confusedly "I thought you save it for the weekend."
"Well yeah I do, but the laser tag thing is on Saturday we can do it on Sunday but you might be crabby when heading back to DC."
Steve mulled on the timing for a bit. He had been looking for an excuse to leave DC as soon as possible. But there was a mission on Friday, then again he figured it wouldn't be too much trouble to be dropped off right afterwards.
"Friday is good actually, I'll have to leave Sunday evening though."
"Well that sucks." She grumbled making him nod in agreement.
"But Steve if it's too much trouble for you we can always do that another time."
"No its fine I am looking forward to it." He said confidently "I'll be there."
"Great." Olivia exclaimed making his smile widen "I invited Claire and Charlie too. Aaron said he would drop by but Jessica might not be able to make it."
"Oh." Aaron, the ex boyfriend also the sister of her best friend, Claire. Steve didn't like the idea of Aaron being around, but then again Olivia didn't show much interest in that man. Steve had the feeling that he shouldn't worry too much but still, it was unsettling. It was awfully convenient that Jessica might not be able to make it.
"Should I bring anything?" He asked chivalrously, he pushed back his doubt for the moment.
"Just yourself Cap." She insisted in that usual warm loving tone that just made him melt.
He wondered how he was going to get through the rest of the week without constantly being distracted by the thought of her.
Wow Steve. He could practically hear Bucky's humored, taunting voice.
You got it baaaad.
Captain Rogers nervously glanced down at his wrist watch as he raced through the streets.
Crap, I'm so late.
His boots stomped down on obstructing puddles as the rain continued to barrel on and around him.
He was supposed to arrive in New York before sunset but the mission took a unexpected detour. His departure from the location got delayed and by the time he landed in New York it was already seven.
He finally reached her apartment building, luckily one of the tenants (Mrs Goldman) recognized him at the entrance and allowed him in. He yelled out a quick thanks and jogged up the stairs.
Steve's ran up the steps to the third floor, the soles of his shoes made heavy thumps against the wooden steps. He carried his back full of his weekend gear in one arm. Even with the weight in one arm and the long flight of stairs, the cardio was a breeze for the Captain.
He reached her door and stopped to tidy up his appearance a little. The torrent of rain had matted his hair to his forehead. He combed back the wet strands with his fingers and adjusted his navy blue coat a little with his free arm. He felt a sudden sting on the surface of his chest, but the sensation quickly passed.
He ignored the odd feeling and brought the strap of his gym bag over his shoulder. Then he reached out and rapped his large knuckles against the wooden door.
Several moments of silence passed and he began to wonder if she heard him. Maybe they had already started the movie without him?
He wiggled the doorknob t find it was unlocked. He was both relieved and alarmed by this and made a mental note to remind Olivia of the dangers of unlocked front doors.
He pushed open the door and stepped and gazed into the short hallway.
"Olivia?" He called, his voice echoed within the space. The living room was well lit and the curtains were swept open. He could see the occasional flash of lightning as the rain continued to pellet onto the glass.
Olivia was nowhere in sight.
"Steve?" He heard her respond from somewhere deep within the living room, he reckoned she was near her work station. He couldn't ignore the way his heart raced a little at the sound of her voice, even more so when she appeared at the bend of the wall.
She was wearing loose-fitting baby blue shorts that cut off just above her knee. The bottoms were paired with plain black t-shirt. Her hair was down in her usual cropped, messy waves and she had her cell phone in her hand.
He immediately grinned at the sight of her and swept back a few loose strands of his hair out of habit.
"Hey, sorry I'm late-"
"Oh thank God." She sighed in relief, cutting into his prepared apology. Steve was stunned when she rushed towards him and shut the door and locked it.
"What's wrong?" He questioned alarmed by her hurried movements and forehead wrinkled in concern.
"I was seriously worried. This storm came out of nowhere, is Thor responsible?" She demanded with her hands posed on her hips.
"I doubt it." He uttered, grinning.
"Well anyway I was trying to reach you but the lightning struck a few times so I didn't want to risk that with a cell phone." She said gesturing to the phone in her hand "When the lightning stopped I tried again but then you didn't pick up, I was worried that I couldn't reach you in time to tell you."
"Tell me what?" He asked his eyes wide in anticipation. Her raised her honey gaze to him and smiled.
"That you didn't have to come if it was too difficult with the rain."
Steve didn't know why he was disappointed to hear that, what else was he expecting?
"Claire and Charlie got stuck half way too so they couldn't make it, the traffic is terrible." She explained.
"No it's fine I was on my way actually." Steve busied his hands by searching through his bag for what he had brought for her. He found the object and grabbed it tightly by its flimsy plastic cover and pulled it out.
"Here."
Olivia was startled when he presented her a tall bouquet of flowers. They were red daisies paired with bunches of white wild flowers. Steve watched with a youthful vulnerability in his eyes as she gently accepted the flowers.
She gathered the bouquet into her hands delicately, the shock was yet to leave her.
"You got me flowers?" She worded in disbelief her gaze rose to him, full of question.
"Yeah you said the vase was empty and I passed by this nice flower stand in Guanajuato." He answered while nervously palming the back of his neck.
"What?" She exclaimed bouquet still had hand "You just came from Mexico?"
"I was on a mission, just got dropped off actually." He said, Olivia sighed.
"Steve, I told you, you didn't have to trouble yourself." She chided, remorseful of the assumed pains she had caused.
"The real trouble would be going back to DC and then coming here, Jim the pilot is a cool guy so no worries." He insisted kindly. Olivia did not seem convinced but she didn't voice her concerns. No point arguing considering he had already arrived.
"Well anyway, thank you. These are freaking gorgeous." She cried in awe. Steve laughed and she gently pulled him into a one arm hug of thanks. Steve was a little caught off guard but returned the embrace shyly with pounding heart. She pulled away while admiring the flowers in her grip.
"I am going to put these in some water right away." She announced gleefully and practically skipped towards the kitchen. Steve grinned fondly and watched her hurry into her kitchen. Sure enough he saw the vase she spoke of, posed on her kitchen counter.
It had a very Grecian shape to it, wide at the bottom and middle, narrow at the neck and then branching out to wide, circular top. The real beauty (as Olivia had described) was the body of the container.
It had a combination of mosaic tiles, mainly gold and a few glass ones. The warm lights of her apartment bounced off the shiny jagged surfaces. Olivia swiped the vase out of his sight and took it towards the sink to fill it up.
While waiting for her to finish, Steve decided to shed off his water proof coat. He made his way to the coat hanger, dropped his duffle bag beside the shoe rack and then began to take off his coat. He held the material up by its collar and hung it carefully on a empty wooden peg.
He turned to face the kitchen to see her arranging the flowers. He didn't know why the sight amused him so. Maybe it was the care she took to adjust the stem of the flowers to her liking, maybe it was a delicate movements of her slender hands as the grazed the crimson petals.
In a sudden magnetic attraction, he began to approach her till he stood behind one of the wooden stools.
"So what was it like in Guanajuato I've never-." She raised her gaze and fell into an abrupt silence.
"Steve." She gasped, her startled stare focused on his chest, all merriment had left her expression.
"Yeah?" He asked, confused by her shock. Her hounding stare moved to his face.
"You are bleeding." She exclaimed abandoning the vase and pointing to his chest. Startled by this Steve's attention immediately moved to his body. Against his white shirt was the unmistakable splotch of blood.
"Oh." He shrugged his shoulder to gain a better look only to wince from the pain.
"Damn." He cursed under his breath. He knew he shouldn't have wore a white shirt just after a mission.
"Oh damn? That's all you can say." She demanded rounding the counter to get to him.
"It's doesn't hurt." Steve insisted.
"That's even worse." She scolded.
"Let me see." She demanded sternly, approaching him.
"Honest Olli it's just a flesh wound." He tried to argue. She peered up at his chest, her face tense with concern and her eyes shivering, searching for the wound.
"Didn't you get checked by medical I mean they have routine checks right?" She asked looking to him.
"Yeah they do, but I was in a hurry to get here and I didn't think I got hurt."
"Are you kidding me?" She hissed. Steve was taken aback by her fiery tone. He fell silent as she continued to eye the wound, internally debating on what to do. Finally coming to a conclusion, Olivia took a step back and made a sharp turn, heading for her bedroom.
"Well flesh wound or not I need to see if it's as bad as it looks. Take off your shirt." She ordered while marching towards her room.
"What?" He exclaimed from behind her. She stopped just as the bend into her room, craned her neck and focused her strict gaze on him.
"I am not kidding around, Steve." She bit back. Steve tensed and immediately swallowed his retort.
"Yes ma'am." He announced. She nodded, pleased by this and disappeared into her room.
Steve hesitated in the task of removing his t-shirt. IT would be the first time he'd be topless since the procedure that altered his fate.
Sure he had a vest on but he would have to take that off too considering the wound is on his chest.
How did I even it get that there? Thinking about it he did remember a gun firing when he tried to disarm his opponent, the bullet must have grazed his skin when he side stepped out of the way.
He remembered a slight burning sensation in that moment but the feeling had faded away. It was just the pull of his deltoid that caused the wound to stir.
"Really I only have myself to blame." Olivia had appeared again, carrying a small red and rectangular first aid kit in her hands. She hadn't looked up to acknowledge him and walked past him to the kitchen counter.
"I knew I should have said Saturday or next week even. I mean what's another week right?" She was ranting to herself, he did not missed the edge in her tone. Steve smiled fondly, warmed by her concern.
"It's not your fault." He insisted. She shot him a look of reproach.
"You are right, it's your fault." She snapped clicking open the box and dwelling into its contents. Steve's fair brows raised in surprise as she continued to mutter crossly under her breath while pulling out the necessary apparatus.
Steve decided to start removing his top so not to irritate her further. He slowly stretched his arm back and brought shirt along with the vest over his head.
"Who the hell gets off a mission without being checked out by the medics?" She stipulated after arranging the scissors, cotton balls and bottle of spirit on the counter. She turned to him.
"How did ...you...even..." The concerned passion in her question had died to a stop.
Steve was audibly paying attention, even as he neatly folded his clothes and wondered where he should keep the bloodied material. It was then that he realized that Olivia had gotten oddly quiet. He held the clothes in his hand and looked to her.
She was staring at him, technically, she was staring at his chest. At first he thought the sight of blood had shocked her but her expression was more dazed than alarmed.
"Olivia?" He called softly, concerned by her wordless staring.
"Hm?"
She reluctantly raised her heavy gaze to his face. Then the sight of his blue eyes seemed to snap her out of whatever dream she was in, because in the next moment her face turned scarlet.
"Right, um." She uttered tongue tied and completely avoided all eye contact with him.
"We better clean that up first I have some spirits, I hope it's not too deep." She stuttered and turned away sharply. Steve was shaken by her hasty actions.
"Have you used a needle and thread before?" He asked, his eyebrows furrowed in worry. Her hands were shaking, was she cold?
"No." She announced a little too loudly, her voice still lacked that usual confidence and she still refused to make eye contact "But I am hoping it won't have to come to that."
Stumped Steve continued to stare at her, wondering what he had done wrong to bring out such a mousy reaction from her. Olivia rose up to sit on the stool so she was a little more elevated and closer to his wound. Steve moved a little nearer till he stood beside the edge of the counter. Olivia pressed a ball of cotton to the top of the open bottle of spirit and turned over the container, soaking the fiber.
Steve propped himself against the seat behind him and waited her treatment. She turned to him, cotton swab at hand. She raised her gaze to the wound and then hesitated for a moment before gently pressing the soft material to his injury.
She was still refusing eye contact. Steve noticed how her face was still a bright shade of pink. He was perplexed by this.
For a few seconds...
Then his face relaxed when it finally dawned on to him. Olivia was shy? Why? Because he had caught her staring at him and she wasn't subtle in the slightest. Steve cursed himself. Why did it take him so long to figure that out?
He recalled her dazed expression again. She had found him attractive. What was she thinking of behind those misty eyes? Had she had her own inappropriate thoughts? The idea made him blush, yet he clenched his jaw muscles to suppress his need to smile.
Olivia glanced up at him and their eyes met. He must have seemed amused or taunting because she scowled up at him before rolling her eyes.
"You staring at me and that doesn't help elevate my embarrassment." She muttered under her breath and turned away to dispose of the dirtied ball of cotton.
"If it helps, I kinda liked it." He murmured, contrite and mischievous at the same time. Olivia gaped, scandalized by his words but at the same time she had trouble not showing how truly charmed she was.
Steve laughed tauntingly and she lightly smacked him on his bicep.
"Of course you would you dirty old man." She chided playfully.
"Dirty?" He echoed while chuckling "That's hitting a little below the belt."
"No I mean you are literally dirty, did you even take a shower?" She observed. She reached out and gently swiped the base of his thumb against his left cheek, brushing away a smudge of dirt. Steve froze, feeling that strange spark again. He had trouble looking at her for a moment from the sudden rush through his veins. He blamed the dirt on the wall he bumped into when he clumsily avoided a large puddle of water.
"Like I said, I was in a hurry." He said, his laughter dying down a little, his blue eyes glittering.
"Steve really wanted to spend time with me." Olivia cooed lowering her arm and nudging him in the side with her elbow.
"Can't get enough of the Olive Oil eh?" She wondered with a cheeky, suggestive wink. Steve blinked, his mouth open in a flirtatious retort but he had to force it down.
"Wow that sounded inappropriate." She mused to herself almost embarrassed by her own actions. Steve beamed at her, his fond look echoing the adoration he held for her.
"You brought a change of clothes right?" She asked.
"Yes." He nodded.
"Well you are more than welcome to use my shower, I have lavender shampoo in there, great stuff. Real soothing. Afterwards I can put a plaster on that." She eyed his chest for a moment before quickly looking away, abashed once again. Steve watched her curious little reaction and was determined not to comment.
"I'll get the popcorn and stuff ready." She announced.
"We are still having the movie night?" He asked. Olivia's head bobbed eagerly and she parted her lips to answer when a sudden mewl caught their attention.
It was Anakit. He had grown bigger in the last few months. His black and white coat was shiner, he was longer and more confident as he glided about. He approached Steve's feet and began to press up against his leg, purring all the while.
"Yeah, I mean might as well right?" She said, turning her gaze away from her cat and to Steve "I cleaned the damn apartment and bought like a ton of food. We are going to gain some serious weight tonight."
He grinned, he was looking forward to it.
He left her side for a moment ( and carefully maneuvered his way around the affectionate cat) to retrieve his duffle bag from beside the shoe rack, then he spun around to face her.
"Well then I'll be right back." He pronounced with the bundle of his clothes still in his other grip.
"Yup yup." Olivia enthused slanting him a smile. Steve turned to walk away only to hesitate at the sound of her voice.
"Hey sugarplum, my little ball of fur." The soft, doting tone that escaped her lips was what made him linger at the frame of her door. Steve disguised himself behind the frame and continue to observe.
"Meow." The cat responded. Olivia squatted down to gather the feline into her arms.
"Yes you are, yes you are." She continued to fuss lovingly hugging the animal to her chest.
"Meow." Anakit purred and curled up further into her embrace. Steve couldn't help but crack a grin at the sight. Olivia was oblivious to his affectionate gaze and stroked her pet.
"Are you gonna help mama in the kitchen?" She asked in that same honey sweet tone. In answer, Anakit nuzzled his furry face just under the crook of her neck.
"Yay." Olivia uttered cheerily and turned away to approach the kitchen. Steve snorted under his breath and resumed his walk into her bedroom.
Steve found the light switch on the wall beside him. He flipped on the switch and the room was illuminated instantly. It was a ordinary room. Wooden floor boards and while walls. Steve was expecting flashes of pink considering he had never stepped into a girl's room before, but then again, Olivia was a woman.
It was simple. A queen sized bed took up most of the room in the middle of the room, against the right wall. A mahogany wardrobe with an attached, rectangular mirror that was vertically placed against the left side of the storage space. The wardrobe was on the left corner of the room. Beside the cupboard was a desk, with books and other objects neatly arranged on its surface. Above the desk was a square window with a view of New York City and its endless skyscrapers.
His attention moved over the bed. She had used different shades of purple, a dark silk colour for the coverlet and a lighter shade for the pillows. But what really grabbed his attention was the wall behind the head board. It was a sky blue with repetitive pattern of the same, white cloud.
The design looked familiar, like he had seen it somewhere before in a book or movie. Considering it was Olivia's room he didn't find it surprising if it was a reference to a film.
He searched for the bathroom door and found it on the left wall, a few inches away from the wardrobe. It was the same chocolate brown colour as all the other doors in the apartment.
Gripping his bag a little tighter he decided to hurry and change into a more presentable form. He wanted to get to watching the movie with her as soon as possible.
Steve emerged from the shower, a cloud of steam followed. He was shuffling a navy blue towel through his hair, drying the wet strands. He felt more comfortable dressed in his grey t-shirt and blue jeans. He brushed the towel through his locks once more before turning to fold the damp towel over the nearest hanger in the bathroom.
Steve shut the door and clicked off the bathroom light before making his way back out of her room. He paused at the book shelf behind her door. There were several picture frames posed on top of the highest shelf, one in particular caught his eye.
It was of Olivia and Norah. Steve guessed this from their similar features and the adolescence predictable young age. They were inside a car. Olivia was driving, her arms were gripping the steering wheel and her hair was much longer, past her shoulders and thick with wavy curls, like how they were when they first met.
Norah was the one taking the picture, her face took up most of the left corner of the frame. She was a pretty child, with blue eyes and dark hair similar to Olivia's. Her skin tone was a little more pale but she was a happy child with a grin that made Steve smile just by gazing upon it.
Olivia seemed happier too, she had trouble looking at the camera and laughing at the same time so her eyes were shut. Her nose was wrinkled in that way that Steve found adorable.
He felt a sudden wave of sadness as his eyes glanced over the many photos. They were all of Norah and her, every background was different. Memories that would be forever in the past. Steve's heartfelt heavy at the thought of how hard it must have been for her to lose someone who had taken up such a big part in her life.
He shook his head, dismissing his grave thoughts. No point thinking about it when all she was trying to do was move on. Steve wanted to help her, as best as he could.
Steve shut off the light and stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him. He looked ahead and hi attention fell on the door opposite hers.
NORAH it stated, written childish using a black crayon on a baby blue board. He tensed at the sight of it.
"I get anxiety attacks just passing her room. I still can't bring myself to go inside, it's on my list."
Her words echoed in his mind. He understood her pain, he felt something similar when he first looked at Peggy's file. He still grew anxious at the thought of visiting her at the retirement home. He kept delaying it.
He looked away from the door and began to make his way back into the living room.
Olivia was behind the breakfast bar. She was pouring nachos from a bag into a wide, plastic bowl. He strolled over and took a seat on the stool facing her. He peered down at all the food she had arranged. A large bowl of salsa dip that smelt as spicy as he knew it was going to taste. Beside it was a smaller dish of guacamole and two tall empty glasses. She had brought out a bottle of Cola, Sprite and orange juice for drinks.
She had prepared greatly, shame the others couldn't make it.
Despite the thought, Steve liked that he had her company all for himself.
"I didn't think you would actually use the shampoo." Olivia randomly commented after setting aside the empty bag of chips. Steve was startled by her coy tone and looked to her.
"You said I could right?" He wondered uncertainly, she smiled.
"Yeah but I thought would find it too girly or something." She assumed with a shrug.
"I don't think it would make me any less of a man if I used lavender shampoo. It is soothing." He answered earnestly, looking away to pick up a nacho. He looked to her again to find her staring at him.
"What?" He wondered confused by her ogling. She grinned fondly and shook her head.
"You are one in a million Steve." She commented with a twinkle in her eye. Steve didn't really know what he had said to make her say that, but he was glad he did.
"Thanks." He responded smiling shyly, taking in her pretty features with a rapt attention.
She slanted him one more smile before gathering the bowl into her arms and exiting from the bend of the counter. Steve reacted, picking up the rest of the dishes and tucking the bottle of coke under his arm.
"So you have a choice of three trilogies. Batman, Back to the future or Lord of The Rings." She announced as they walked into the living room.
"What do you suggest?" Steve asked, mimicking her movements as she placed the dishes onto the coffee table.
"Whatever appeals to you really, I'm cool with all of them, especially the hotness that is Christian Bale." She expressed, grinning at the thought of this Christian character. She fell back on to the couch, beside the remotes. Steve joined her and sat on her left side.
"Which one is that?" He wondered.
"Batman." She stated nonchalantly, her attention on the remote as she aimed it at the TV. The blank screen blared to life turning into a sky blue color with icons that Steve did not recognize.
"Ah." He mused at the thought of Batman. It was he famous Dark Knight that Charlie had explained so animatedly. As fascinated as he was, he didn't want to spend the night watching Olivia pine over a guy. It would create a conflict of interest and make it extremely difficult for him to like the protagonist of the story.
"Lord of the Rings sounds good, something I can cross off the list." He stated after a moment.
"Great choice." She enthused with a thumbs up. Steve pulled the coffee table a little closer so they can reach the food. As Olivia busied herself with selecting the movie on the screen, Steve asked her what drink she preferred. She said Cola and he poured them both a glass before placing them neatly on coasters, she muttered a quick 'thank you'.
"Alright." She announced when the movie began to play. She placed the remote on the seat beside her, Steve turned off the table lamp and it was just the screen as illumination.
Olivia brought the bowl of nachos on to her lap and held the salsa dip in her hand.
"Steve would you mind grabbing the cat?" She asked when Anakit appeared and began to cry for attention.
"Sure." He bent over and picked up the feline from between his feet.
"Here you go pal." He said to the cat and gently settled the creature on his lap. Anakit stopped his complaints and curled up on the Captain's lap. In a manner of seconds the creature began to tremble and purr.
Olivia was shaking just as excitedly from beside the Captain.
"This is going to be so great!" She cried in a hushed excitement. Steve smiled at her enthusiasm.
"Is it weird that I get excited every time this movie starts?" She pointed to her arms "Look, Goosebumps!"
Steve smiled and reached out for the nachos. He picked one triangular shaped edible and swiped it into the dip before plopping it into his mouth.
"This is hot!" He gasped out, swallowing hard.
"I know right isn't it the best?" She encouraged taking another nacho. Steve gaped in shock and watched her take a huge wad of the dip before eating it.
"How are you taking so much?" He demanded in wonder.
"Honestly Steve." She began to say mid chew "I am pretty sure I was one of those fire swallowing dudes in a past life."
Steve couldn't disagree.
"Here this should help."She insisted, bringing the Guacamole to him. Sure enough it worked, his tongue didn't feel as scorched anymore.
"Look ,Hobbitses!" She exclaimed, grabbing his bicep again and simultaneously pointing at the screen. Steve's blue gaze fixated on the TV. It was just two boys running across a grass field, but then the closer he looked he realized they weren't children at all. Just adults the size of children, his interest had peaked.
"This is like the boring bits, wait till the fun starts." Olivia stated while picking up their glasses of coke and handing him his.
"So this is like a fantasy world?" He asked curiously, accepting the glass with one hand.
"Yeah with all sorts of creatures." She paused to take a sip of her drink before looking to him "I am guessing you never read the book?"
"No." He confessed fretfully "Should I have?"
"Nah." She murmured lightly bumping into him "People enjoy it either way."
Steve was glad to hear that, either way he knew, whatever they did he would enjoy it as long as she was there.