heroherondaletotheresuce: Haha, well thank you ^^. Well they wont be getting together till another three chapters I think? I hope I didnt spoil too much but I am just saying that's how long it might take, in case I tend to extend it a little :/ Sorry.
Jo: Aw thank you and yesh he is :3, but the last batman movie was a disappointment but his face did make up for it ^^. I know right, I'm exciited to see how you guys react to them getting together...eventually.
texasreader: Aw thank you so much. Eight chapters in one go, lol I did that once for a Sherlolly story, although that was 21 chapters I think? Um the M chapters are not for a while you cheeky thing. Hopefully you can wait till we get there ^^.
kaayaraoki: Wow thank you sooo much you are too kind. Hahha writing Steve and Thor's interactions was super fun. There will be more Avengers involvement in the upcoming chapters. In fact the whole Avengers team will unite for a... "intervention". ;). Thanks again and please review this chapter :).
Uchiha-Arandel: Your comments were a fun read xD thank you so much. I'm strangely happy that Norah's dead made you cry ^^.
Kristybauer: you are a angel as always ^^ thank you so much!
I'm so happy you guys are enjoying this story, cause it would be reaaal awkward otherwise. You will be happy to hear that I am meticulously working on the Bucky story. The plot still has a few holes to fill but I'll get to writing it for all the reviews you guys, keep them coming :D.
xx
SSC
Steve woke up to the appetizing smell of butter sizzling on a frying pan. But what really opened his eyes was the rays of sunlight that blinded him for a moment. He allowed his eyes to adjust to his surroundings, it took him a moment to realize he wasn't in his home.
He rose up from the mysterious surface he slumbered upon, only to discover it was Olivia's couch. He had fallen asleep sometime during the movie last night and from the plaid red and blue blanket that was wrapped around his waist, he guessed Olivia had covered him up.
As he sat up Steve struggled to remember when he fell asleep. It was a blur after Olivia had played the third movie. He felt guilty for being unconscious for the last part of the trilogy and hoped that Olivia didn't hold it against him.
Speaking of, he looked to the direction of the kitchen. Surely enough there she was. Olivia had her back turned to him as she handled the pan on the stove with one hand, while the other held a flat, black spatula.
Steve sat on the edge of the couch, watching her for a moment and smiling at the sight. She was dressed in her clothes from the night before. Her hair was a tousled, adorable mess and he could hear her humming to a distant tune on the radio. It was a song he did not recognize and it was playing very softly, he knew it was so she didn't disturb his slumber.
He was distracted by a strange, warm friction against his foot. He looked to find Anakit, purring and rubbing up his left leg. His long, black tail wrapping around the Captain's limb like a vine. He smiled down at the animal and reached down to scratch at the top of its head.
Anakit eagerly accepted his affectionate petting, his small round face curving up into his touch. Steve stroked the cat one last time before rising up to his feet.
Olivia was yet to notice him and was still busy at the stove. He quickly folded the blanket neatly and placed it over his pillow before making his way to her.
Olivia turned to face him just as he arrived at the breakfast counter.
"Good morning El Capitaaan."She greeted, beaming at him.
"Morning." He murmured back, indolently. He watched as she quickly snatched two slices of bread from the loaf wrapped in plastic before scurrying back to the stove.
He pulled up the stool closest to him and sat down heavily and leaned over the counter and continued to observe her.
"Are you always this chipper in the morning?" He wondered openly with his arms folding over the marble surface.
"He says despite waking up religiously at four in the morning to..." She narrated with a teasing, deep voice and then paused to dramatically shudder and then turned to him and said.
"Exercise." in the gravest, most repulsed tone she could muster. Steve grinned, his shoulders shaking with laughter at her repartee.
Her mock forlorn expression softened at the sight of his merriment and she chuckled, a little abashed by her own silly actions.
"I know, most people are pretty surprised that I am so upbeat at this time. I mean don't get me wrong I love the nights and stuff and I love sleeping in but I don't really grumble about the day either. Besides, sunlight is always nice when it isn't directly on you, threatening to burn you to a crisp." She expressed with a humble lift of her shoulders.
"Good point." He mused while leaning over the dining bar. She turned away again to turn off the stove and then remove the contents of the pan onto a ceramic dish beside the heater.
He tried to see what she had been cooking so diligently, but her frame denied visual access. She spun back around to face him and flashed him a smile.
"So Cap, are you a coffee or tea person?" She asked.
"Coffee please. I can make it myself." He offered, bracing his hands on the counter and ready to get up. But Olivia quickly waved her hand dismissively.
"Nonsense, you are my guest so naturally you must act as such." She insisted and wandered off to her the coffee maker. Steve was reluctant to sit back down. Only when he saw that the coffee was already brewed and it was just a matter of pouring it into mugs, Steve returned to his seat.
"Yeah but I feel like I impose on you too much." He mentioned with a guilt look askance. Olivia returned to the space opposite him with two mugs in either hand. One was a sky blue mug with a cute drawing of a cat on it, the other was a plain white mug. She placed the simple mug in front of him, and the fresh scent of steaming hot coffee brushed under his nose, filling him a fleeting sense of vigor.
"There can never be too much of you Steve." She said confidently with a warm glow directed at him with those honey brown eyes of hers. Steve was caught under their enchantment until she lowered her gaze, slyly.
"Besides I might impose on you one day." She murmured surreptitiously.
"Please do." He stated. She stilled and looked to him.
"Really?" She asked, her face alive with anticipation. He grinned and nodded eagerly.
"Yeah, come over anytime I will be more than happy to show you around Washington. Granted I don't know much yet, I'm still learning about the place. But we can always find places together it could be like an adventure." Steve had excited himself at the idea of Olivia visiting him, he hoped that she would take him up on his offer. She smiled and lowered her gaze to the mug in her hand.
"I'll remember that." She said and slanted him a smile before bringing the brim of her cup to her lips. Steve mimicked her movements and took a gulp of his own beverage. He was glad that the dry taste in the morning was willed away from his mouth.
"You like French toast yes?" Olivia asked after a moment. Steve's eyes glittered eagerly, his stomach making its hungry presence evident.
"Yes." He stated. She grinned, abandoned her mug on the counter, retreated to the stove and returned with two plates. Two slices of freshly, toasted bread lay upon it's round surfaces. Steve's mouth was practically watering as she placed his plate in front of him and then handed him a fork.
"Thank you." He breathed, his voice full of gratitude.
"You really spoil your guests."
"Treasure it while you can, I am very lazy when it comes to cooking." She stated "Breakfast is the only manageable thing for me."
"I doubt that." He responded kindly, directing a loving stare in her direction. She smiled wordlessly. Steve turned his attention to his plate and tentatively cut a piece with the sharp edge of his fork then stabbed it before bringing the bread to his lips. He chewed on the portion of bread, marveling at the sweet bursts of flavor on his tongue.
"This is delicious." He said, ready to devour the entire plate only to pause when he noticed Olivia hadn't even touched her food yet.
"Aren't you going to join me?" He asked.
"Of course, give me a second." She said and looked to the living room.
"Anakit!- oh there you are." The holler she had prepared at the base of her throat, died at the sight of her cat, sitting by her feet.
Steve observed her as she opened a can of cat food and then poured it into Anakit's feeding bowl under the kitchen counter.
"Here you go sweet heart." She cooed lovingly. Anakit mewled in thanks and fell silent, Steve guessed the cat was too busy eating to wail. Olivia then made her way around the bend of the counter and approached him from the side. She took a seat on the bench beside him.
"I don't even have to call him to tell him that his food is ready." She said while shifting on her seat. Steve abandoned his fork for a moment to retrieve Olivia's plate and coffee and placed it on the counter in front of her, listening to her all the while.
" Norah was the one I had trouble with, I had to constantly remind her to eat."
"Why?" He asked while handing her fork to her. She accepted it and began to cut into her toast.
"What did she do instead of eating?" Steve added in question.
"Reading, studying." She responded while mid chew "She was such a cute little nerd."
Steve was not ignorant to the despair that clouded her beautiful eyes. Steve knew there wasn't much about her that would go unnoticed by him. The radiance in the smile that curved at her lips, dimmed a little. But she did it again, she pushed back her emotions behind a steel facade and then looked to him.
"So the kids are going to be dropped off at the arcade at around twelve so we have to get there before they do." She stated in a businesslike manner while stabbing her cutlery through her toast.
"Right." He acknowledge with a firm nod of his head. "I am looking forward to it."
"Me too." She enthused grinning wide. But then her smile fell as she eyed him anxiously "You sure you are okay with this? I mean you don't have to do it just for me I understand if you don't want to."
"I want to really." He insisted earnestly "I like kids."
She smiled wordlessly and observed him for a moment.
Olivia resisted the urge to sigh internally. It seemed unfair how ridiculously handsome he was, even after just waking up. Sure his hair was a little on the shaggier, messier side compared how neatly combed back it usual is. But she didn't mind it, it made him seem more at ease, dashing even.
She turned a little in her seat so she was facing him, instead of straining the range of motion of her neck to stare at him.
It amused her how he much space he took up in her tiny kitchen by just sitting beside her. It was as if he was accustomed to being small, like a bear that was raised by mice. Then again it made sense. Steve's body was after all genetically enhanced.
But that didn't excuse his large blue eyes or his full pink lips. Olivia eyed his high cheeks bones and straight pristine nose longingly. She was suddenly thinking about his body from the night before, how shamelessly she had stared. The embarrassment of being caught echoed through her like aftershocks from an earthquake. She decided to file the incident behind a mental flood gate that would eventually open at a future random time.
Steve tried to pay attention to his meal, he really did, but the dazed look in her eyes was distracting him. She abruptly shook her head and smiled at him.
"But I should warn you, I get very competitive so if I end up saying a few nasty things I only mean them during the games." She warned playfully while finishing up the last crust of her French toast.
"A fire ball in a competitive sport huh?" He pondered out loud grinning down at her "This I gotta see."
"I don't know Cap." She murmured sliding him a sly look from behind her glasses "I hate to lose."
The raw magnetism in her gleaming eyes made him still for a moment. It was a silent challenge and Steve was eager to accept.
"You are awfully fidgety." Steve noted, observing the way Olivia sat beside him, knocking her knees together and tapping her hands over the blue jeans over her thighs.
They were seated at the red, four-seater, lobby couch beside the entrance to the laser tag arena. The place was located within a arcade, the arena was the last hall down the corridor, adjacent to the entry doors.
The place wasn't hard to find. It was prominent with its arch entry way with its large KEEP OUT signs. The laser tag arena was called AREA 51, titled in huge block letters with neon yellow borders against a black background.
A young man with bleach blonde hair and multiple piercings on his face, immediately recognized Olivia. Steve had to stand awkwardly in the background as she chatted with the male. After Olivia made the necessary payments they had sat down, that's when Steve had seen her uneasiness.
She looked to him with her large honey eyes behind her thick frames. A nervous smile graced her lips.
"Yeah, I am kinda excited to see them, I bet they've grown over the past year." She mused haplessly.
"It's been that long since you've seen them?" He asked tenderly.
"Yeah I did the math yesterday and my guilt-o-meter freaking sky rocketed. Kids don't hold grudges right?"
Steve smiled to reassure her anxious state and gently placed his palm over hers and steadied her restless hand with a tender grip.
"Not in your case I don't think so." He insisted kindly. She relaxed, either under his touch or his words, it didn't matter. Steve felt happy knowing that he had managed to calm her.
"But I totally understand if they do." She confessed in that same pitiful state. Steve's lips parted to utter a few more soothing words when her phone abruptly rang, forcing him to swallow his words.
Steve reluctantly released his grasp on her dominant hand, but she used her left to answer the call.
"Hey Em." She reacted, a grin taking over her face. Steve's sensitive ears caught the sound of a muffled masculine voice from the other end of the line
"Hey Hun I just dropped off the kids at the gate, they are all rushing in now so expect the stampede."
"Thanks for the warning I'll see you and Will later then?"
"Yup. Have fun!"
She ended the call and then let out a another heavy breath. Steve decided to take the first step and got to his feet before stretching out a hand to her. She gratefully accepted his offer and he pulled her to her feet. Not a moment passed when a sudden excited patter of shoes on tiles grabbed their attention.
Steve was surprised by the amount of children he witnessed rushing through the open glass entrance. They were all shapes and sizes, he quickly counted a total of twelve. They spotted Olivia with eager eyes and hurried in her direction.
"Olli!" They all simultaneously exclaimed and one young girl wearing a pirates hat abruptly hurled her body at the web designer. The pirate girl with the eye patch hugged Olivia tightly around her waist. Olivia laughed and lovingly returned the affection.
"Hey brats." She greeted mid happy laughter as the children gathered around her, yet to notice Steve, until one of them did.
"Oh my gosh. It's the Captain." A young boy pointed out, gaping at the sight of Steve.
"Oats?" Another inquired dubiously while looking about.
"No stupid, America!" The accuser deadpanned, whacking his friend in the arm. The simultaneously turned their heads in his direction and Steve tensed under their wide, startled gaze.
Someone shrieked and suddenly they were hoarding in his direction determined to jump on him. They would have succeeded if Olivia hadn't slide in between him and the children, forming a human barrier.
"Hey hey. Is that anyway to greet an adult?" She exclaimed in his defense, silencing their cries and making them halt abruptly.
"Steve isn't an adult, he is a hero." One of them argued.
Olivia deadpanned and shot him flat look, Steve grinned abashed by the praise. Olivia locked her hands on her hips and stared down at them sternly.
"That's an even better point, he needs respect so no jumping on him. Deal?"
They all nodded hastily.
"Yes Olli." They chimed in a contrite manner.
"Aye aye." The youngest pirate girl cried.
Steve's heart warmed at the sight, these children were truly adorable. He couldn't help but notice how much taller twelve year old's were compared to his day. But they all carried that same youthful, eager energy in their large smiles and glittering eyes. There were five girls and seven boys.
They were all dressed in similar apparel, t-shirts and jeans in all different colours. The boys were mainly wearing Avenger's t-shirts, Steve felt the unwavering stare of one with a picture of Hulk on his green shirt.
His attention was taken away by Olivia when she turned to him and smiled apologetically.
"Sorry, they are real superhero fans." She muttered under her breath. He smiled fondly and shook his head politely.
"Yeah I can tell. Thanks for having my back." He murmured back gratefully. She beamed up at him and elbowed him in the side.
"Sure thing." She responded with a wink that sent his heart racing.
"Excuse me mister Rogers?"
Steve looked down to find a young boy who seemed much too cherubic to be a twelve year old. He had round chubby cheeks and shaggy blonde hair, that fell over big hazel eyes. He was wearing a simple red and white, vertically stripped t-shirt, paired with brown cargo pants. He was shorter than the rest of his friends and Steve felt like he was staring at a version of his adolescent self.
But with longer hair and different sense of style.
"Yeah?" He asked softly.
"Why are you here?" He inquired confidently.
"Olli invited me." He answered glancing at her.
"That's right brats. Captain Rogers here is my gift to you." Olivia added much like a general, stern and demanding "and no Mikey that does not mean you get to take him home with you to show your dads. He is just here to have fun like the rest of you."
The kid named Mikey, who was the tallest among his friends, with short crop of brown hair on his head and green eyes. He was also the one with the Hulk T-shirt that had been staring at Steve. Mikey groaned in despair at Olivia's chiding tone.
"This is so cool." One of the girls exclaimed.
"Is Iron Man coming?" Another asked.
"Are you guys going to be team Captains?"
The last question presented by one of the girls interested Steve. He looked to Olivia questioningly.
"Are we?"
"Well yeah we are the only two adults here. Or adult and hero but whatever." She grumbled the last part under her breath, he smiled devotedly at her.
"I wanna be on Captain America's team!" Mikey cried igniting a battle for placement among the kids.
"Me too!"
"I wanna join."
The children began to hustle closer to the Captain and he was surrounded by them once more. But their attention was more on each other, arguing and shoving while he stood towering above them
"Hey what about me? Who is going to be on my team?" Olivia exclaimed over the chatter. The babbling immediately stopped and turned their heads in her direction. Then children glanced among themselves, hoping one would volunteer, but none did. This didn't sit well with the web designer.
"For real?" She cried in disbelief, the confidence in her shoulders dropping.
"I am fun. I am reigning champion." Olivia whined glaring at the kids. Steve stood silently observing them.
"Yeah but he is an Avenger." A ginger haired girl in a green shirt pointed out, gesturing to the captain. Olivia pouted and narrowed her eyes on him, Steve smiled innocently.
"I am feeling pretty vengeful right now, Julie." She grumbled under her breath and then huffed.
"Sorry to burst our bubble kids but I have to split everyone up equally so there is a fair amount on each team." She said "One's with me, two's with Steve."
A chorus of groans and moans of disapproval escaped from the children. Olivia rolled her eyes and Steve bit his lip to suppress his merriment at how comical the whole situation was.
They made their way into the entrance of the laser tag hall. It opened up into a room with black walls and two doors on either wall, left and right. One door said RED TEAM and the other was titled BLUE TEAM, in the same neon lights above the frame of the door.
The bleach blonde haired worker at the arena was arranging the vests accordingly and Olivia took that chance to begin organizing the kids into teams.
Olivia began to count as Steve stood mutely beside her.
"1...2...1...2"
Despite expressing their displeasure (earlier) for Olivia's selected method of dispersal, the children were commendably obedient and arranged themselves according to their numbers. They split between Olivia's side and Steve. The ones who got to be on the Captain's team didn't hide their enthusiasm and practically glued themselves to his side.
Steve didn't mind, their eagerness was endearing. Especially the girl dressed as a pirate, she stood in front of him almost protectively and Steve didn't not miss the side of the silver plastic sword that hung between her belt.
"And one." Olivia concluded pointing at the remaining boy who was Mikey.
"Aw man." He groaned loudly making a few of the others giggled. Steve watched as the kid trudged to Olivia's side begrudgingly. Seeing this, Olivia dead-panned.
"Wow Mikey thanks for the enthusiasm." She muttered dryly, feigning annoyance. Then she looked at her row of children, then Steve's, nodded in approval and then looked to him.
The laser tag employee began to hand the kids on Steve's team their sleeveless vests with blue lines across it. The children began to wear them in a familiar practice. Steve had to watch them and wear his own, finding it a little tight but he didn't complain and chose to not buckle the last strap.
He helped the children where it was needed. He did notice how they demanded his help subtly in order to get his attention, he didn't mind, it was sweet. He felt inadequate because he too had no idea what he was doing.
Seeing this Olivia rushed to his aid and explained the workings of the game when the worker handed him the gun. Steve paid attention and the directions were simple enough. All he had to do was remember to enter the area through the blue door.
"Alright, you are going down Rogers." Olivia abruptly exclaimed harshly, startling him.
"Down where?" He questioned, confused by her words. The fierceness in her expression immediately softened and she stepped to him with her gun balanced in her hands.
"No, we do this witty banter to get the kids all ready for the battle." She whispered so only he heard her.
"Oh right." Steve stuttered, grinning shyly, apologetic of not realizing her intentions earlier.
"Now you yell something and don't hold back." She said while retreating back to her group, but then she quickly scurried over to him again.
"But censor yeah?" She added.
He nodded in all seriousness.
For encouragement purposes he puffed his chest a little, clenched his jaw muscles and raised his chin majestically before glancing at his team. Then he looked to Olivia and snagged her gaze under a very stern look.
She blinked, surprised by his sudden strict demeanor. He didn't dare break character.
"The only way we are going down, is down in history as the best paintball team there ever is!"He roared gallantly before looking to his marveled team.
" Isn't that right soldiers?" He demanded, thrusting his gun into air as far as the attached wire would let it.
"Yes Captain!" They cried simultaneously mimicking his movements to express their heroism.
"Aye Captain!" the pirate girl cried after a delayed pause. Immediately disrupting the air of fighting spirit the Captain had caused.
"Judy, that's for pirates." one of the boys scolded, startling the girl.
"Oh." She murmured embarrassed by the situation and looked up at the Captain with one, wide vulnerable blue eye.
"Sorry mister Rogers." She pouted apologetically. Steve was floored by the child's cute, heartwarming stare and leaned over to gently pet the child on the head.
"Its fine Judy, pirates are neat." He insisted tenderly, coaxing a toothy grin from the kid. He returned her smile and reached out for her and she wrapped her small palm around his left pinky. He held his toy gun in his free hand and kept it by his side.
Steve straightened out into his full, soldier pose and then looked back at his team.
"Move out!" He ordered. He glanced at Olivia on the way out to find her biting her lip, trying desperately not to laugh. Despite the mockery in her smile, her eyes were a light with a doting warmth that made his ears redden.
It was quiet, too quiet.
Steve's eyes narrowed into the darkened hallways of the arena. The air was cold and added further tension to the already apprehensive situation. He pressed his back into the closest pillar behind him.
The neon lights illuminated the paths around him, along the various bends and turns. His targets were nowhere in sight and time was ticking by.
Young Judy the pirate was huddle beside him ,barely holding her gun and ready to fight. He turned his head forward. He could see the vague silhouette of his team members, hidden away behind another pillar. He hissed to grab their attention.
"David, what's the status on Jess?" He demanded softly. The kid ducked down and moved towards the edge of the wall and gazed out. He nodded and then averted his attention to the captain.
"She is ready and in position." He mouthed. Steve's head bobbed in acknowledgement. Jess had found the targets, now it was just a matter of executing the plan.
He glanced at Judy. She nodded determinedly and held her weapon a little tighter. Steve looked back to his crew and signaled them.
"Alright, move in."
Their target was the pillar at the center of the space. Like lions preying through a straw meadow, they began to circle in on that particular area. Steve had heard the unmistakable sounds of nervous inhales and exhales. They were there, ready to be taken down.
"Let's surround and conquer." Steve stated.
"Aye aye." Judy muttered under her breath, crouching up from behind the captain.
They moved in slowly. Steve could see his teams silhouettes approaching from the sides. They were almost there. With a measured balance of stealth and caution he jumped forward and the kids simultaneously followed his suit.
It was just two boys and one girl standing there, backed up against the wall and clutching the gun to their chest. They weren't even startled by the sight of Steve and his troop.
Where was the rest of them?
"You didn't think I'd make it so easy did you?" He heard a dark, sinister whisper from above. Their necks craned back to find the dark silhouettes of Olivia and a few others standing on the pillar above them. She grinned, her white teeth were slightly blue and luminescent against the UV lights.
His team gasped and Steve's eyes widened when they aimed their guns at them.
"You will rue the day you didn't join my team." She vowed. "Eat beams suckers!"
Olivia began to shoot and the arena erupted in screams paired with loud beeping noises.
"Retreat!" Steve hollered while shooting and covering the backs of his retreating comrades. The moment he knew his troops were out of the line of fire, he hide behind the closest pillar, disappearing out of sight.
"How many down?" Olivia demanded from the closest person after she lowered her weapon.
"Five, no three, no wait five." One of the girl's answered nervously.
"It's actually two." Mikey added all knowingly.
"Damn they are fast." Olivia grumbled begrudgingly under her breath. She quickly jumped down from the pillar and helped the kids down.
"We are running out of time Olli." Julie warned.
"How much time?"
"Three minutes." Mikey stated after glancing at his watch.
"What's the plan?" Another kid inquired.
Olivia smiled into the darkness, she brought her gun up and her eyes narrowed with wicked intent.
"No ship should go down without her Captain."
"You know we would have a bigger chance of winning if you weren't so busy quoting Star Trek."
"Who asked for your opinion Mikey?"
Steve was crouched down and hidden behind another barricade. The wall was relatively shorter and allowed him to peek over it.
His heart was racing a little, the thrill was getting to him. Despite being in a similar position in the wars, it wasn't the same. The children's laughter eased him. The air of fun within the space was contagious. He was excited by the chase Olivia had brought out within them, the girl wasn't kidding about being a little crazy during competitive sports.
He was having a blast.
Steeeeve where are you?
Olivia resisted the urge to giggle as she searched about the place. Well she had to admit for a large man, he sure knew how to be stealth.
"Shit!" She heard someone curse a few feet away. She recognized the voice to be Mikey and guessed he was shot. She began to head in that direction, ready to help her team mate.
"Language!" She heard a deeper more mature voice scold from within that same area.
"Sorry Cap." Mikey muttered guiltily. Olivia bit her lip suppressing her urge to cackle sinisterly when she had spotted the Captain, hiding behind a barricade.
Oh boy scout, you will never learn.
Steve cursed himself for having given away his position on a simple thing as a twelve year old swearing. But his instincts kicked in and he couldn't help himself. Maybe his position hadn't been compromised yet? No one seemed to have noticed that-
"Gotcha!"
Steve was abruptly tackled down by an unidentified force. A gasp left his lips from the impact as he fell back first onto the padded floor, his gun clattered by his side.
The Captain blinked rapidly, dazed by what had happened. He looked to find the figure moving above him, the weight on his body shifting till it was localized to his waist.
He allowed his eyes to focus to find Olivia's face hovering above him. She had him pinned to the floor, one arm by his head while the other kept the barrel of the gun to his chest.
"Any last words Cap?" She demanded threateningly.
"Don't shoot?" He asked innocently with his palms flattened in surrender. She beamed down at him, her eyes twinkling mischievously.
A sudden loud alarm emitted from his vest before it died and then the vest on her screen blared red.
"Too late." She chimed cynically. Steve gaped scandalized that she had shot him after he had surrendered. Olivia cackled manically making his eyebrows rise in utter amusement.
She leaned back off him, still straddling his strong, long legs. Steve rose up into his elbows and pushed up to a seated position.
"Oh would you look at that." She noted pointing to his chest at his blank screen "I defeated you, you can't beat me at laser tag, Cap."
"Why did I bother trying right?" He wondered out loud, deciding to take the high road and feed her ego, just because her cocky little smile was highly adorable.
"Even after I warned you, tsk tsk." She tutted wagging her index finger at him. Steve rolled his eyes trying to seem annoyed but he knew it was a foolish attempt because he just couldn't stop smiling.
Olivia chuckled equally amused by the entire ordeal.
The lights began to softly, glow back on, brightening the once pitch black room. Steve was hardly paying attention, his focus was on her. The Captain felt that same warmth flow through him each time he saw her pretty face and shining honey brown eyes.
He observed the sight of her, hair tousled, cheeks flushed and glasses at a slight angle. He guessed it must have happened when she barreled at him. He reached out and gently adjusted it for her. He had the intention of averting his attention, really he did, but then that soulful gaze of hers reeled him in and he couldn't look away.
"Protect the Captain!" A child cried snapping them out of their reverie.
Then suddenly there was a blur of movement and the Olivia was pushed off of Steve's lap and buried under a mass of vengeful children.
Steve stared shocked and unsure of what to do.
"Ow!" She cried from somewhere underneath the pile of twelve year olds. Having heard her cry, Steve was immediately on his feet ready to help her.
"Are you alright Cap?" Julie asked, distracting him for a moment.
"I'm fine." He insisted flashing her a smile that made her blush madly. Steve looked to Olivia to see that she had Mikey's head locked between her elbow and her chest and she was delivering a very painful Noogie to his skull. The kid was struggling to get free and his friends were laughing at him.
"The game is over fellas." Steve announced with his hands on his hips while towering over everyone.
"Aw." They uttered despairingly, pouting over the end of their fun.
"Well there is still the points to tally." Kristy announced merrily.
"Oh yeah. Let's go ask that dude." David exclaimed and simultaneously the kids rushed off, leaving the adults behind. Steve smiled a little at their enthusiasm, even Judy who was eagerly chasing her elders and disappeared into the exit.
Steve averted his attention back to Olivia who sat on the floor, her legs sprawled on to the sides and leaning back on to her arms, seemingly comfortable.
"You alright?" He asked concernedly, squatting down in front of her and observing her carefully.
"Yeah." She responded and then sighed in disbelief and fatigue "Man those kids can really tackle."
He laughed and stretched a arm out to her. Olivia grinned and accepted his hand and Steve pulled her up to her feet with ease. They made their way to the exit and left the arena.
"That was fun, I really liked that." Steve stated as he unclasped the buckles of his vest. Olivia had already taken hers off and set it on a table they stood beside. The children were huddled around the blonde worker's computer, waiting for him to print the results.
"Yeah it was, especially whooping your ass." Olivia teased her eyes a gleam.
"Now now let's not get callous." Steve insisted playfully while placing his vest and gun on the surface beside Olivia's.
"You are right I am sorry." She said remorsefully with a palm to her chest "I shouldn't have tackled a senior citizen like that, it was very insensitive of me."
Steve gave her a flat look that Olivia couldn't help but laugh at.
"That's hilarious."
"Guess what Olli." David called, approaching them with his friends trailing behind.
"What?" She questioned turning her attention to him. Steve couldn't help but noticed the child's barely suppressed glee as he stood with his hands hidden behind his back.
He abruptly thrust a sheet of paper at them. It was a tally of some sort that Steve didn't comprehend, but the shaggy haired blonde was thoroughly ecstatic by it.
"We won HAHA." He exclaimed tauntingly.
"Yeah according to the charts, but I brought down Captain America beat that suckas." Olivia argued pompously, nodding to one of her team members.
"That's gotta be worth like a thousand points." She stated factually. Steve rolled his eyes.
"It doesn't work like that." Mikey bit back flatly, Olivia turned to him.
"Does too." She sneered.
"Does not."
"Does too"
"Does not."
"How about we agree to disagree?" Steve stepped in diplomatically as Olivia and Mikey stared each other down.
"They are disagreeing." David stated bluntly in his friend's defense.
"Never mind." Steve sighed.
"So what now?" Judy demanded from beside the captain. The pirate's question grabbed Olivia's attention and she immediately stopped making faces at Mikey and looked to the rest of the kids.
"You guys up for pizza?" She asked.
"Yah!" They cheered enthusiastically. Steve grinned, he was starving.
There was a park next to the arcade. Steve didn't realize how early it still was, the dark arena had given him a false sense of time. It was around four in the afternoon and the sun was beaming brightly in the sky. The found a nice spot in the park, a round table perfect for all fourteen of them.
The pizza guy eventually arrived with four boxes of large pizza, despite the quantity Steve wondered if it was enough.
The boys fought over who got to sit next to him on the wooden bench. Eventually Mikey won and took a seat on Steve's right. Tiny Judy the pirate sat between Steve and Olivia, swinging her legs back and forth. The rest of the children arranged themselves around the table and didn't wait for cue and began to dig into the slices of pizza.
Steve liked watching the way Olivia handled the children. Kind but firm when necessary, like when it came to Mikey. But they had strange kinship repartee between them that Steve was amused by. She had the tenderness of a true mother, like she was herself around the children. He was reminded of the cruel circumstances that had taken the duty from her.
Olivia handed Steve his own slice of cheese pizza and he gratefully accepted it.
"Hey Olli do you want the pineapples?" Judy asked from in between them. Steve found that she had neatly picked off the cubes of fruit off her pizza and arranged the along the edge of the plate.
"Sure thing sweet heart." Olivia responded dotingly and began to eat them one by one. Judy waited patiently for her to finish. Steve was intrigued by this.
"Hey Judy if you don't like pineapples why did you order the Hawaiian pizza?" He asked curiously.
"Oh it's a weird thing with me." She said with a cute heave of her shoulders "I like the sweet taste but I don't like pineapples, Olli loves pineapples."
"I didn't know that about you." Steve stated glancing up at the web designer.
"Yah man, I love em. Great for digestion and other bodily functions if you know what I mean."
"What do you mean?" He asked confused by her words. Olivia's coy expression softened to one of vague amusement.
"Uh, never mind."
"Is it a..." Steve paused to look cautiously at Judy. The child was munching happily on her slice of pizza, oblivious to the captain's reserved methods.
"Euphemism... thing?" He asked, his voice barely above a whisper. Olivia laughed and nodded.
"Gotcha." Steve he stated with a firm bob of his head and turned his attention back to his food. He began to contemplate Olivia's words. How did pineapples effect those parts of the body? Was it an aphrodisiac of some sort? He thought about Google-ing it when he returned home but the last time he did that things didn't go so well.
Things that will never be able to be unseen, thanks to Barton.
"Hey Captain Rogers." Mikey called, snapping him out of his thoughts. He smiled down at the kid at the title he had used to address him.
"Just Steve is fine Mikey." He insisted kindly.
"Steve, what is your favourite pizza?" The kid asked.
"Oh I like cheese pizza." Steve said after musing on the subject for a moment. Mikey gaped, his green eyes widening in pure wonder.
"I like cheese pizza too." He responded his voice soft with amazement, like he had discovered a life altering fact too his life.
Steve smiled pleasantly.
The day ended when Mikey's parents came to pick up the kids in their minivan. Steve was surprised to see that Mikey's parents were two men. Emmett and William, but they preferred to be addressed as Em and Will. Em was whom Mikey got his chocolate brown hair and boyish features but William had the deep green eyes. They were a very handsome couple and extremely friendly.
They were a little star struck at the sight of Steve at first but soon recovered and treated him just like anyone else. They were very affectionate to Olivia, hugging her tightly and teasing her about whatever they found amusing.
They drove away once all the kids were safely in the van. Which took longer than normal since none of them wanted to leave Steve behind. Especially Mikey, the kid was trying to drag him into the van with Judy who was clinging to the Captain's long leg. Judy the pirate turned out to be Mikey's little sister, a twist the captain had not been expecting.
After they left Steve and Olivia began to make their way back to his bike which he had parked a few meters away.
"They had fun right?" She asked her voice trembling with uncertainty.
"They weren't the only ones. Thanks for inviting me." Steve responded smiling down at her.
"Of course!" She exclaimed grinning up at him "They wouldn't have showed that much enthusiasm if it wasn't for you."
"I am sure that's not all true. They really like you." He insisted. Olivia smiled but then it wavered for a moment as she looked away to a distance.
"They were all Norah's friends." She began to say, her voice soft as she reminisced "I used to have them over for pizza nights once a month. But uh after Norah died it was a little hard to see them without thinking about her."
She raised her gaze to his and slanted him a smile.
"I kind of used you for strength, I hope you don't mind."
His chiseled was soft as he directed a loving gaze down at her.
"I'll never mind that." He murmured. The truth was Steve was utterly flattered by her trust in him. After all it was what he wanted, any way to help her overcome her troubles.
"She died this time last year." She noted surprising him. He observed wordlessly as she nervously tucked back a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"I didn't want to dwell on that so I thought if I did this, that she would really like it. In her memory sort of thing."
Steve felt his heart warm from the sweetness in her actions. He wanted to embrace her, the feeling was threatening to tear him a part but he couldn't. Olivia was lost in her thoughts again as they walked side by side. He knew she was thinking about Norah because that same sadness was brimming her honey eyes.
Then like clockwork, she willed it away again and smiled up at him.
"Man I am exhausted, ever feel drained because of people?"
"What do you mean?" He asked not understanding her meaning.
"As in yeah being around friends is fun but in the end you can't wait to get home and just be by yourself. Like you need to recharge."
"I can understand that." He nodded approvingly "Felt plenty of it back in the USO tours."
Despite the fame he never truly belonged in the fictitious begins of Captain America. Even with the threat of war he had felt more at home where ever the Howling Commandos followed him. Then he had come to the future and it was the beginning of the cycle all over again.
Then he met the Avengers. After the battle was over it was back to the same melancholic ways, until he met Olivia.
He hasn't felt alone since.
"I never felt that way with you though. You never exhausted me."
Steve was taken back when Olivia had voiced his thoughts with that endearing smile and kind eyes. But then she shook her head and grimaced.
"Wow that was a weird thing to say." She mused finding her words to be awkward and clumsy.
"How is it weird?" Steve demanded, his reactions to her statement were far from humorous. Olivia had a sly little grin curved at her lips, as if finding amusement where Steve saw none.
"Because the context suggests-" She stopped when she was caught under his innocent, ocean blue gaze. She chose to smile instead.
"Never mind, it's probably just me." She insisted and quickly added "So do you want to go home and be exhausted together? I have left over cheese cake."
Steve questions were pushed aside when a merry rush of emotion flooded his body. The happiness he had when he knew he didn't have to leave her just yet.
"Sounds great." He enthused.
"Awesome, Anakit would be happy to see you again. God knows he is sick of my face."
When they arrived back at her apartment, Steve noticed something odd about Olivia. Her posture was off and she was tilting to her left, more than usual.
"Are you alright?" He asked. He entered last and had just closed the door when Olivia acknowledge his words.
"Yeah I'm fine." She winced, he saw the lie in her tense face.
"What's wrong?" He demanded, immediately concerned.
"Nothing, just my side hurts a little." She murmured gripping the right side of her rib cage, just below her waist.
"Your side?" He asked, approaching he, his gaze focused on the area she was referring to.
"Yeah. I think one of them accidentally dug his knee into my ribs when they were trying to rescue you so sweetly." She explained with a fond little laugh. Steve found no humor in this.
"Are you serious?" He claimed in alarm.
"Rate the pain for me." He insisted sternly.
"It's just aching, I don't think anything is broken but I'm pretty sure it is bruised." She argued defensively. Steve knew enough about broken bones to see that Olivia was telling the truth. Still, her body language suggested she was in more pain than she cared to show. He had to see the wound to access the necessary actions needed to treat it.
"Do you mind?" He asked carefully, gesturing to the hem of her t-shirt. She blinked a little surprised by his request. After a moment of considering she complied and gently rolled up the material from the side.
Steve's attention immediately fixated on the obvious, bruise on her right plank area. Steve also took note of the smooth, voluptuous, curve of her hip against her belted jeans. He forced himself to focus on her abrasion.
The wound was wide and round, the sign of a knee having impacted her. She was lucky it wasn't worse and considering she was still standing, he knew she hadn't broken anything.
"Well it's turning blue, and it looks painful." He observed folding his body closer to analyze it better. His expression was grave, he did not like that she had been hiding it from him and he hated the fact that she got hurt.
"It's not so bad. I'm sure something in the kit should clear that up." She insisted lowering her shirt once more, blocking his view of the wound. Steve was not eased by her words and straightened to his full form once more.
Olivia saw the deep, pensive frown on his face and smiled sweetly.
"Ease up Cap, I used to get bruises like this all the time. Before I became a lazy slob." She stated nudging his side to gain his attention.
"I'll get the ice." Steve announced abruptly, startling her. Before she could argue he had turned and walked off in the direction of the kitchen.
"I can manage." She hollered from behind him, following him into the pantry.
"It's the least I could do, you helped me with mine." Steve responded while raiding her freezer, searching for the coldest object he could find.
"Oh yeah." Olivia droned, his words caused her to stop at the breakfast bar. She dazedly took a seat on the stool.
"I totally forgot about that, shouldn't we change the plaster?" She asked.
She didn't have ice but Steve found the next best thing, cold peas. He grabbed the packet and turned to her.
"It's healed." He stated after replaying her question in his head.
"What?" She responded, not sure if she had heard him correctly.
"It's healed." He repeated, rounding the bend of the counter to get to her. When he was close enough, Steve tugged down on the collar of his t-shirt, exposing the skin of his chest.
"See."
Olivia kept a hand to her side and raised up a little to see down his top. She was shocked to find no trace of the bullet wound, not even a scar.
"Oh wow." She took a double take just to make sure and then turned her gaze to his face.
"That's amazing." She breathed in pure astonishment. Steve smiled and released his grip on his top and averted his attention to her side.
"It the effects of the serum." He said.
"Were you really weak before the procedure?" Olivia asked, while lifting up her t-shirt again, just below the wire of her bra. Steve took a seat on the seat facing her and gently pressed the frozen peas to her side.
She flinched immediately at the spine tingling sensation. Steve muttered an apology under his breath which she wave away with smile. After a moment of waiting for her to settle into the feeling, he decided to answer her question.
"The worst." He said "I think I had every problem in the book. Including sinusitis."
"Oh my gosh, isn't it just the worst?" She exclaimed excited to complain about their shared issue with him. Steve laughed, amused by her enthusiasm.
"Yes." He agreed while nodded "It took me a while to get used to the fact that not every little thing will make me sick."
He glanced up at her to see her reaction only to find that same despair had clouded her eyes. She was no longer looking at him but at his chest, where his wound once was. Her eyes were misted with forlorn thoughts, her expression was tense and brooding.
He immediately knew what thoughts ran through her stormy mind. He didn't want to bring it up, but he decided to chance it.
"You are thinking about how it would have helped Norah, aren't you?" He tried not to let his voice tremble with the uncertainty that made his heart race.
Olivia was snapped back to reality but his shockingly insightful question. She smiled on reflex to hide how naked, vulnerable and embarrassed his observation made her feel. She lowered her woeful eyes to the floor, unable to look at him.
"I couldn't help myself." She mumbled softly "I'm sorry."
Steve's heart clenched, remorseful of the insecurities he had brought out in her. It was never his intention, he just didn't want her to feel alone in her thoughts.
"Hey." He called affectionately, she nervously glanced up at him. He leaned in towards her. His blue eyes shining tenderly.
"Never apologize for that, I would have thought the same." He whispered with finality as he held her in a even stare. The corners of her lips curved up in a tentative smile from the comfort his nearness brought her.
"Yeah..." She vaguely admitted, while picking at the skin of her thumb.
"But I'm glad you are the one who has this amazing ability." She continued after a moment "Like they didn't take the first random dude that showed promise, they picked you. Boy scout extraordinaire and the sweetest person in all of existence."
Steve was abashed by her high praise and averted his gaze.
"I don't know about that." He mumbled.
"Add humble to that list." She added frankly with a little laugh "Seriously though, I have never met anyone like you."
Steve held her stare, robbed of words, but his mind had plenty to say yet his tongue lacked the courage.
He wanted to tell her that even though her similarities to Bucky was what drew him in at first, that he loved all her individuality too. He wanted to tell her that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about her and that leaving and returning to her was a agonizing, emotionally taxing, rollercoaster that he continued to ride again and again because he just couldn't get enough.
He wanted to tell her that he didn't want to leave knowing he would be returning to a city that didn't house her. A city where he couldn't walk for fifteen minutes to a apartment building, climb up three flights of stairs, knock on a door and be greeted by her beautiful smile.
Everything sounded so clumsy and overly ardent that he didn't know where to begin. Instead his body decided to silently stare at her that made her awkward enough to change the topic.
"So I promised cheese cake." She announced snapping him out of his thoughts.
"I think I better do that."He insisted quickly, slowly releasing his hold on the pea packaging so Olivia had time to grab it. The bag crunched under the hold.
"Try not to move too much." He ordered gently while rising up from his seat.
"Affirmative Captain." She declared with a dramatic salute. Steve rolled his eyes fondly at her antics and went in search of the infamous baked good.