OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG THE CIVIL WAR TRAILER IT WAS NOT WHAT I WAS EXPECTING. BUCKY AND STEVE. THE FEELS. THEY FUCKING DOUBLE TEAMED TONY FUCKING STARK. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?!
MARVEL PROMISED IT WOULD BE RELEASED IN DECEMBER. WHY THE FUCK YOU LYYIIIINNNN?!- (Silverspacechameleon is having a mental breakdown and cannot form proper sentences, pardon the inconvenience)
supesfan18: hahaha welll they haven't said the L word yet, and engagement in December?! LOL that's santa's year, aint no one raining on his parade.
Amalieaunstrup: After all that smut, your favourite part is the blow job? WELL ME TOO. Aw thank you, virgin Steve was difficult to right like I had to put myself in his mind and I was so worried I would make him sound like a woman :/. Against a wall does sound good, you are giving me ideas. .
heroherondaletotherescue: Soooon honey, sooooooon. Aw thank you so much, they are adorable together ^^.
Jo: Yo you didn't make me uncomfortable, it was a interesting question is all, its all good ^^. Omg I can't wait to watch Starwars though omg, did you see the Civilwar trailer? Lol Bond themes, that is an idea, I shall pencil that in ;).
Dancindonna: I love Stiles and Ariel too ^^. Thanks for reading all of it :D.
debatable-cerealkiller: You will be happy to hear I finally figured out what to do with the hacker arc, I have soooo many questions but they will come around later so please bare with me. Thank you so much for your continued support, I can't wait to discuss the rest with you :D
Sorry about the breakdown earlier, but lets not discuss that .. Yes this chapter doesnt have much smut but I just wanted to focus on a Stark/Pepper and Steve/Olivia friendship. (since CIVIL War pretty much crushes on their Stark and Steve's friendship-but lets not get into that. I am going to start crying again) ill be releasing the next chapter soon. My plan is to be done with this story sometime next week or the week after *fingers crossed* THEN COMES THE BUCKY!
xx
SSC
"Tony and Pepper want us to double date with them?" Olivia asked her boyfriend and then took a sip of her tall glass of orange juice. She was currently sitting at Steve's work desk, which was technically a dining table that he had pilled books on to. He had cleared a neat space for her to set up her laptop.
Steve decided (while making breakfast) that it would be a pleasant change to eat at the table meant for that purpose. He brought over two white ceramic plates, filled with fried eggs, toast and chicken sausages. He set the dishes down the moment Olivia shut her laptop. She pushed the device aside and settled her attention on to her boyfriend.
"That's what he said."Steve responded while taking a seat on the free chair beside her. "Then said something about taking a picture of you while you were sleeping."
"Oh I got one of you." The casual tone of her announcement shocked Steve.
"What?" He demanded and stopped mid reaching for his cutlery.
"Yeah." She confirmed with a wide, proud grin. She picked up her cell phone and ran her thumb over the screen, searching for the image. Steve stared at his girlfriend in utter disbelief.
"I couldn't help it you are too gorgeous and I needed to change my background pic anyway." She explained in that same carefree tone as she swiped through her digital photo gallery.
"Let me see." Steve insisted just as she handed the phone to him. He accepted the device with one large hand and steadily lowered his attention to the screen of the phone.
It was him, lying on his back fast asleep. Judging from the violet colours of the sheets, Steve knew it was a picture she had taken on their first night together. Thankfully the lower half of his body was covered by the blanket and the image was a close up of his face. She had taken the picture from a low angle, opposing the window so the sunlight cascaded over his handsome face, outlining his sharp features rather evocatively.
Steve's face reddened in embarrassment and he directed his wide eyed gaze to Olivia.
"Delete this." He ordered.
"Why?" She pouted. "The lighting is great, admire my photography skills, man."
The sternness he expressed softened, his mouth twisted pensively.
"Still... it's weird."
"Aw babe, are you embarrassed?" Olivia cooed. She leaned adjacent to the table, draped one arm around his neck and pressed a doting kiss to his jaw line. Steve sighed, already feeling his defenses falling from just her affections alone.
"You can relax, no one goes near my phone, mainly because there is nothing interesting on it, except for you of course. But if you really want me to delete it I will." She avowed, smiling at him. Steve hesitantly looked to Olivia and saw no deceit in her eyes, plus he trusted her and knew that she wouldn't try to intentionally mortify him.
"When you put it like that..." His mumbling drifted off to a slow stop as he took in the sight of the picture again. He sighed once more and then handed the phone back to her.
"Fine keep it." He grumbled, he didn't want to admit it but he kinda liked that Olivia was wowed enough to take a picture of him. After all, she only kept pictures of her loved ones and Steve was glad to be one of them.
Even though, they haven't said the words yet.
Steve wistfully admired his girlfriend.
He was dying to tell her.
"Yay." Olivia cheered and then returned her phone back to the empty space beside her plate before focusing on her meal.
"So are we saying yes to their invite?" Steve asked while spreading butter over a slice of toast with the sharp end of his knife.
"Oh yeah totally, it sounds like fun." Olivia enthused while stabbing her fork through a stick of meat."I actually know just the place we could go. I was going to take you there but it's better with a group."
"You've been exploring DC without me?" Steve inquired curiously.
"Heck no, I would get lost." She countered with a dismissive flick of her wrist.
"Remember Jessica?" She asked, giving him a sideways glance.
"Aaron's girl?" Steve remembered the small woman, she had a lovely head of strawberry blonde hair, similar to Pepper's.
"Yeah she came over a few days ago as a client. She needed me to make her boss's website. We got to talking and I mentioned that I went to Washington while back and she recommended the place, it has something you are going to love."
"What is it?" Steve inquired eager to know.
"It's a surprise." Olivia grinned. "I did some research and the place is legit and cute too."
"Okay now I am curious, tell me."
"Nope." She objected, shaking her head adamantly."You are just going to have to find out."
"Fine, at least tell me the name so I can let Tony know." Steve suggested slyly while nibbling at the crust of his toast.
"And risk you Googling what it's specialty is? Hell to the no, Cap." Olivia exclaimed and then freed her hand from her fork and gestured her open palm to him, her fingers flexing insistently.
"I'll let Tony, know." She said, animatedly requesting his phone. Steve sighed, nodded submissively and handed her his cell phone. Olivia smirked victoriously and searched through Steve's contact list, located Tony's number and instantly pressed the call button.
She switched the call to loud speaker and held the device in her free hand while picking at the whites of her egg with the sharp end of the fork.
Steve was cleaning off the egg yolk off his plate with a piece of toast.
"Yo Iron Dude." Olivia abruptly announced, grabbing the captain's attention. He smiled faintly at the odd greeting.
"Iron Dude. Where on Earth did you pick that up, Stoners Inc?" The industrialist's voice resonated soundly from the cell phone.
"Actually it was for my friend Skeeter, so pretty much the same thing." Olivia murmured with a shrug, Tony snorted in hilarity. "The Cap here tells me you want our lovely company for dinner tonight, totally understandable we are awesome."
Her attention immediately darted to her eavesdropping boyfriend.
"Psst Steve, high five me!" She exclaimed freeing her hand from the fork and raising it up.
"What?" He groaned dubiously with a mouth full of toast.
She deadpanned and lowered her hand, disappointed by the lack of harmonization.
"We need to work on that." She muttered under her breath. Tony's taunting laughter grabbed her attention.
"So I take it that's a solid yes."
"Yes and I have a place in mind but I kinda want to keep it under wraps because there is something there I want to surprise Steve with." Olivia announced surreptitiously.
"Public restroom sex?"
Steve stilled, scandalized.
"No but that's a great idea." His astonishment grew at his girlfriend's cool and collected, dry response. But then she looked to him from the corner of her eyes and winked. Steve deadpanned, his face still a blaze as he rolled his eyes out of exasperation.
"I do not like that you two are taking kick out of me." He grumbled and resumed eating.
"But it is trés enjoyable." Tony chimed in with a chuckle."Fine I shall give you the reins on this shin dig, what time are we talking by the way?"
"I am only free after seven, so eight?" Olivia suggested merrily.
"Awesome, I shall see you two losers there."
"Adios, Iron Dude."
The conversation ended smoothly and she lowered her cell phone back onto the table. Steve smiled at her and turned in his chair to face her, he pushed his empty plate aside.
"I am surprised you guys haven't been friends sooner." He said while wiping his hands on his napkin."I mean you two clearly understand each other's vernacular and love of pop culture references."
"Whoa friends?" Olivia snorted, a reaction Steve was not expecting.
"Let's give it a few more outings."
He stared, confused. "You don't consider him a friend?"
Olivia's glanced at him a rakish smile playing at her lips, but Steve noticed that it was forced, instinctive, as if she was trying to hide her true feelings.
"Babe." She cooed, as if she was addressing a naive child. "You need to understand something about me, it takes me literally months before I acknowledge someone as my friend. It's not like I am trying to be mean or anything it's just, it's just how I function I guess."
"You considered me a friend pretty quickly." He remarked.
"Cause it was so damn easy with you." She said breezily."You are the most genuine, modest person I've ever met."
Steve smiled, appreciate of her honest comment but his eyes still shivered in worry. He couldn't shake away the concern he felt for her alarmingly smooth ability to dismiss her internal woes like it was second nature.
"But I can't help but think that this has more than just to do with Tony." He murmured, sliding his chair closer to her.
Olivia was munching on the last bit of her toast. She released her cutlery to pick up her glass of juice.
"What do you mean?" She inquired coolly, but there was a distant, steel look in her eyes, like she was no longer interested in his topic of debate. But Steve pressed on adamantly.
"This twenty ten incident you and Tony avoid like the big house. I started putting the facts all together and...well." Steve worried his lip when Olivia's body language slowly began to shift from open to mulish in a manner of seconds.
"Tony was drunk that night wasn't he?" He asked, cautiously.
Olivia lowered her glass back to the wooden table. Her free hand clenched into a fist. Steve frowned, the action was an answer on its own.
"He has been drunk a lot, Steve." She uttered her voice prim.
"Yeah but this is different cause he reminds you of your brother." He made known.
Olivia stilled and averted her attention, her fingers were clenched to a knuckle whitening intensity, but they weren't trembling. Steve's deduction had hit a nerve and as apologetic as he was, he didn't want her to repress her feelings, not with him anyway.
He could feel her trying to slip away, struggling to decide what to do, he needed to assure her.
"Olli it's okay." He whispered lovingly, gently enveloping his deft hand around her small fist. He knew she must have felt embarrassed about the discovery.
"It's kinda why I was not so keen on the guy before either. Plus all the facts pointed to how reckless he is."
His confession made her relax. Olivia moved her steady gaze to him, her amber orbs quivering searchingly.
"What changed?" She questioned.
Steve smiled and curved his fingers into her palm and pulled her hand onto is lap. She reluctantly turned in the direction of her arm, facing him.
"The man proved himself." He said the padded base of his thumb rubbing soothingly over the bumps of her knuckles. "Almost gave up everything to save the world. You can't ignore something like that."
Olivia stared, stunned by the revelation.
"I didn't know that." She admitted.
"You didn't see the news?" He questioned alarmed that she hadn't witnessed Tony Stark's bravery at the Battle of New York.
"Kinda hard to pay attention to anything other than making sure Norah made it through the night those days." Despite the leisurely tone, her words hit him deep. He lowered his gaze repentantly, Norah was battling cancer at the time.
Olivia's smile was cheerless, she nodded in agreement to his statement earlier.
"But you are right." She said, placing her right hand over his and squeezing tightly to gain his attention. His blue eyes shot to her and she stared into them.
"I shouldn't be so on guard around him." She acknowledged, her head lowered in penitence.
"I honestly didn't think you were, you are good at hiding it." Steve grinned toothily, coaxing a smile from his somber girlfriend.
"It's a personality trait unfortunately, it's hard for me to show people what I am really feeling."
"I've noticed." He murmured.
She raised her gaze to his, her honey brown eyes searched his calm expression.
"It doesn't bother you?" She wondered apprehensively.
"Nah, at least you fess up when I ask so I am alright with it, everyone has their defense mechanisms." Steve insisted kindly, the true, gentle tone of his words made her dread melt away.
She was relieved, Aaron always had trouble understanding her methods of internally dealing with her emotions. Then again, he never tried to understand her and only frequently showed his dislike for it. Steve didn't judge her and she felt blessed.
"Don't take my word for it, Olli." Steve added. "You can make a decision after getting to know him better."
Olivia admired her boyfriend's handsome face for the longest time, wondering how he continued to be so wonderfully diplomatic and understanding of such matters. Olivia knew herself to be someone who struggled to deal with emotional situations but Steve handled them diligently. She smiled in wane amusement, he wasn't Captain America for nothing.
"You have a lot of faith in people." She noted adoringly, gazing deep into his sea blue eyes.
"I wish I could be more like that." She murmured wistfully.
Steve laughed, amused and abashed by her high esteem of him.
"That's funny." He chuckled. "Most people think I am just wasting my time."
The captain had his gaze lowered and smiling faintly. He thought it was another moment of mirth for the two of them. Steve had been in so many with Olivia, every intense incident ended with laughter, which was why he was surprised when Olivia hadn't joined in.
Her grip on his hand was firm and demanding. He raised his chin to meet his stare only to be distracted when she tenderly cupped the side of his face. He was caught under her devoted, gleaming eyes, his own body was heating in a sudden anticipation.
The corners of her shapely lips were curled up in a smile but there was a deep seriousness in her gaze, it cut through him. She studied him for a moment, her wandering eyes skimmed over his mouth, up the bridge of his nose and then met his stare.
"Your faith makes them want to be better and that's a powerful thing. Don't lose it." She asserted. She fondly stroked the breadth of his cheek bone with the base of her thumb.
Steve stared at a loss for words. There was such surety in her beautiful eyes, he was a little overwhelmed. The conversation had started with him hoping to mend her muddled emotions yet he was the one left in a state of stun and robbed of his voice.
She wanted to tell him, the words were there, just at the tip of her tongue. They could have slipped through her lips so easily, but her own insecurities held her back.
What if it was too soon? Would he feel the same way? Rationally she knew if he didn't the rejection would floor her to the point where she wouldn't be able to deliver her speech, let alone find the courage to come back to his apartment.
So instead, she chose to kiss him and express all the love that burned through her in a trembling, heart clenching, kiss. The moment their lips met there was a great, surge of energy that shocked them both. Olivia's arms immediately wrapped around his broad shoulders, as if the sudden bolt of desire had made her faint. Steve returned the embrace, gathering her into his big, strong arms.
They fell back into that rare moment when time stood still.
Steve emerged from his bathroom with a white, fluffy towel wrapped around his trim hips. The shower took longer than most on account of the fact that Olivia decided to join him.
She claimed it was because she was in a rush to shower and change into new clothes and help conserve water. Steve had smiled and uttered no retort, quite content with a naked, drenched, Olivia Throne in his shower. Her hurry was forgotten when Steve initiated a kiss that dragged on for a delicious long time, that was when the Captain learned what a quickie was.
Olivia hopped out of the shower soon after that and hurried to dress into her conference wear. Steve had leisurely shampooed his hair in a sated bliss before deciding to exit the shower.
He lumbered towards his bedroom, but the faint sound of thumping music from behind his door made him hesitate. It was a very active, rhythmic beat, similar to a sounds he heard from a few night clubs he had passed.
The door was slightly a jar, he pushed at the wooden surface and the entrance slowly swung open.
"Black suit, the black shades, the black shoes, black tie with the black attitude." Steve heard Olivia muttering under her breath while admiring her reflection on his full length mirror.
Steve smiled and leaned into the frame of his door while observing her. Olivia was dressed in a long sleeved, beige, fleet blouse. The V neck of the top fell modestly between the her breasts, placing less emphasis on her athletic shoulders. She had tucked the ends of the chiffon blouse into slim fitting, black pants.
Steve had to admit, she looked nice, in a very classy business woman sort of way. But Olivia's quirky love for geek apparel still showed when she shrugged on her black boyfriend blazer and there were various , colorful, pin-on buttons, littered on the left side of her jacket.
"New style, black Raybans, I'm stunnin', man. New hotness, pitch black, six hundred, man."
The realization hit the Good Captain. The nonsense gibberish his girlfriend muttered under her breath wasn't nonsense at all, she was singing along to the man on her pink, portable speaker.
Olivia caught Steve's reflection on the mirror, she sluggishly turned to acknowledge him. Steve grinned in amusement and she grew sheepish.
"Rap empowers me." She explained a little shifty eyed.
Steve's mirthful expression softened in pity, seeing the uneasiness in her glittering amber eyes.
"I didn't think you were the nervous type." He mused, leaving the door to approach her.
"Pfft you are kidding right?" She scoffed turning to him with her hands firmly gripping her hands on her shapely hips.
Steve grinned and gathered her hands into his.
"I meant, about things that you are passionate about." He murmured, lacing his fingers through hers.
"I have to talk in front of a crowd, it's pretty nerve wracking." She confessed her attention focused on his chest, observing the many beads of water that littered his skin. A sudden spark of realization lit up her honey brown eyes and she immediately looked to him.
"Hey you were a performer, any advice?" She inquired hopefully.
"Which performance are you referring to?" He hummed, a sly smile curved at his lips, his eyebrows lifting.
Olivia stared surprised for a moment before a peal of laughter escaped her lips.
"Ooh look at you using sexual innuendo. Love it." She chimed earning a chuckle from him.
Steve grinned and released one of her hands to run his fingers through her hair. It was soft and neatly brushed down in spiraling tresses, he followed the direction of the waves, careful not to mess up her hair.
"I adapted into the whole Captain America alter ego, in my head to help me overcome the anxiety, before all the war hero stuff." He uttered pensively.
"You say it like it's not a big deal." She murmured, tracing a path down his chest and towards his taut belly. His body tensed a little from her touch, desire warmed his skin. He wondered, dazedly, if her touch would ever stop tempting him.
"But that is a good idea, Sasha Fierce it up, right?" She asked, raising her gaze to his. Despite the innocent tone of her voice, her eyes were a light with hunger, echoing his.
No He reminded himself firmly. Olli has to leave in thirty minutes and what he wanted to do would take much longer.
"If that is the same thing then yes." He smiled and gathered her small round face into his hands. Olivia's eyes closed for a moment, reveling in his gentle, warm touch. When they opened again her amber eyes were swirling in a deep longing.
"I believe in you, Olli." He vowed. She blinked, a taken back by his heartfelt declaration. She searched his yes as if trying to find some form of dishonesty, but it was impossible to discover something that wasn't there. Steve wanted to tell her more than just that he believed her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her and he has been in love with her for a while now.
But he didn't want to risk scaring her. Olivia was a lot more fragile beneath her external armor, she felt things deeper than she cared to show. Steve knew he had to be patient with her, she had taken a big leap with him, even with all her fears of losing people she cares for.
He knew in every touch and kiss that she did adore him, but he wanted to hear the words spoken through her enticing lips. It wasn't just for the sake of knowing but being given the acceptance so he could say it too.
He was dying to. The intense need threatened to burn a hole through him to get to her, make her understand, but he held back.
Olivia beamed up at him, her eyes held a shine to them. She lowered her gaze almost bashfully and Steve couldn't resist kissing her. She smiled against his lips and returned the affection ardently.
Steve eventually released her to go in search of his own clothes. It was a Friday after all and he had agents to train, thankfully the day didn't start with a mission which gave him time to spend with his girlfriend.
He strode over to his cupboard and pulled open the doors. Steve searched through the various t-shirts he had hung up on the hanger, trying to find out that suited his fancy. He was stopped mid search when he felt a pair of arms snake around his trim torso.
"Hey hey, Steve." Olivia cooed coyly hugging his side. He lowered his attention to her to find her staring grinning sheepishly up at him.
"Yeah?" He inquired, stifling a smile at her strange ways.
"Can I?" She asked timidly and squeezed him in her grip. Steve's brows furrowed in confusion, uncomprehending of her ambiguous request. She lowered her attention to the floor of his closet, he followed the direction of her ogling to discover what she was referring to. It was his shield.
He shook his head in amused disbelief, sometimes he felt like he was dating a twelve year old.
"Sure." He responded an gladly picked up the object before handing it to. She released him to accept the shield, her eyes lighting up like fireworks. Practically a giddy mess, Olivia slide her hand through leather straps and held the shield towards her body, at an angle.
"Now this is a real confidence booster." She breathed in wonder, posing with the shield in her business attire.
She paced the length of the room, taking long confident steps each time. Steve was chuckling while pulling up his jeans and buttoning them.
"I think I'll practice my speech in this." She announced and then proceeded to recite her speech.
The day progressed on rather quickly. In the morning Steve dropped Olivia off at the hall where the event was held. She kissed him for a good five minutes while he sat on his bike then hurried off because she was late. Steve had to witness her almost trip at the door, luckily the doorman helped her steady before Steve rushed over to help.
He shook his head at her adorably dorky antics and then sped off on his bike. He was eager to get to work and occupy his day, he wanted to mask the time apart from Olli until he had to go to see her speech.
"What are you doing here Rogers?" Steve was interrupted in the process of pouring his coffee by the appearance of a smirking Natasha Romanoff.
"I work here." He reminded frankly.
Natasha rolled her eyes and pulled open one of the cupboards about the kitchen counter.
"It's a Friday afternoon, shouldn't you be heading to NYC to get your freak on with your cutie-pie?" She inquired teasingly while searching through the contents of the storage space.
"Olli is here actually." Steve announced while lowering the coffee flask onto the counter.
"Really, in DC?" The red-head demanded, surprised.
"She is one of the key note speakers in the Future Web Designers-"
"and Developers Conference, yeah I heard about the place." She cut in swiftly, astonishing the Captain. "They have this exhibition and they give out free USBs and stress balls. Plus I like learning about code."
Steve smiled and nodded in understanding. He turned and leaned back into the edge of the surface with a mug of coffee nestled in his hands.
"She was pretty nervous about her speech, I hope I don't make it worse by standing out in the crowd." He said.
"That's a given but if you wear a ironic t-shirt and a cap you'll look like everyone else there." Natasha advised with a quirk of her lips. She finally found what she was looking for which was a box of cookies. She joined Steve at the edge of the counter and stuffed her hand deep into the box.
"Oh, thanks for the tip." Steve grinned and then glanced at his wrist watch. "I should actually be heading out soon. She said her part is at eleven."
"Great. I 'll get the car." She noted.
"What?" Steve stared.
"I am obviously coming." She muttered with a casual shrug.
He gazed down at her with furrowed brows, wondering if she was just taking the kick out of him. He gave up after a moment, it was impossible to tell with her.
"Okay but a warning to you, I accidentally spilled the beans on your ploy to get Intel on me and Olli was kinda upset about it."
"You unmade me?" She hissed.
Kevin suddenly appeared saving Steve from her irate diatribe.
"What's the hot goss'?" The agent inquired. He attempted to swipe the box out of her hand but Natasha was quick to avoid the robbery, without so much as a glance his way.
"Steve told Olli about Operation Cupid." She exclaimed.
"Dude, not cool." Kevin added sternly.
"What's not cool is betraying your superior officer for a stick of beef jerky." Steve retorted somberly.
"Sticks! Plural!" The agent objected. "And they were worth it."
"Let's see if they worth it on Monday." The captain beseeched.
Kevin gaped."You sick son of a bitch."
"I know you guys are kidding, but I think you are concerning Sitwell." Natasha notified the two, towering men. They were distracted out of their glaring when the acknowledgement of the bald, lanky male in a grey suit from the tech department. The man was eyeing them speculatively from his seat at the lunch table, paused in eating his meal.
"I guess it doesn't Sitwell with him." Kevin sniggered at his own joke. Natasha and Steve directed flat looks at the dork of a man.
"That's about as funny as the first dozen times Odell." Sitwell grumbled dryly while rising up from his chair, ready to leave.
"I'll catch up with you later bud." Odell said with a hearty clap on the man's back as he passed them to head out of the kitchen.
"Yeah he hates me." He sighed once Sitwell was out of hearing range. His forlorn disposition didn't last long when he looked to Natasha and Steve again.
"So what you two up to?" He asked smiling and eager to know.
"Steve and I are going to go see Olli deliver speech at the FWDDC." Natasha cut in before Steve could answer.
"No way, Olli is part of that?" Kevin blinked in wonder "I gotta see."
The two agents nodded to each other and headed out of the room, leaving the Captain behind. Steve sighed, staring after the two with a look of complete exasperation.
"Why don't I just take the entire floor while I am at it?"
Their orderly arrival had grabbed a few curious stares of passing designers. Steve wasn't too worried, his mind was more focused on getting the chance to see Olivia in her element, or at least speaking about her element.
Steve sat in the centre row, Natasha situated herself between him and Kevin. Kevin had run in to a few of his buddies from his days in New York. Steve did notice when one of the guys mentioned the name Valerie, Kevin got extremely tense.
The black widow was highly intrigued.
When Olivia finally stepped up to the podium, all outside obstacles seized to exist and all he saw was her. Steve felt nervous for her but Olivia was a lot more composed than he predicted, however her expression was unusually stoic. But when she began her speech which included a lot of puns and jokes. He didn't understand them but the crowd laughed heartily, even Natasha had cracked a grin.
Steve did wish he had a bigger idea about the modern world and its technological advances but he was still proud of his girlfriend. The poise she possessed, the adorably awkward way she would grin when being witty but when it came down to a serious point her expression would be stern and compelling.
Watching her present made him shift in his seat a little, mortified and confused to why he was so turned on by it. Maybe it was her confidence, it was quite the aphrodisiac.
After the presentation and audience applauded. The finishing announcements were given and the guests began to branch out, heading towards the stalls. Steve, Natasha and Kevin lingered behind for Olivia to reach them.
Steve waited in the middle of the room. Olivia was by the stage, chatting to a few fellow presenters. They were quite the animated bunch, using very wide movements of their arms to express a point. He wondered if she even noticed him, but then oh so subtly she glanced his way and smiled, he grinned in response.
When Olivia managed to finally escape from her lively associates, she practically skipped in his direction and dived into his broad body. Steve was a little abashed but the sudden affection but enthusiastically returned her embrace. He told her repeatedly how wonderful her speech was that left her grinning and pinching him in the side, embarrassed by his honeyed praise.
Olivia was surprised by Natasha and Kevin's appearance. She ecstatic and a little abashed that they had seen her present, but the moment Natasha complimented her ideas for the use of code, Olivia was eased.
The two women discussed energetically about a topic he did not comprehend. Words like firewall, python and coding was sent back and forth. Steve was confused, but he was glad they were having fun. Unfortunately he was stuck with Kevin who wouldn't stop giggling over a stress ball that squeaked when it was squeezed.
Steve sighed and wondered why was he always paired with five year olds masquerading as adults?
The sun disappeared behind the horizon and night was upon them again. Steve didn't want to admit it, but he was looking forward to the double date.
Steve wore a white and blue plaid top with a pair of black pants. He completed the outfit with his signature brown leather jacket. He was in the middle of flattening the upturn of his collar when Olivia emerged from his bedroom.
She was wearing a loose, plum camisole. The thin strong straps over her nimble shoulders, held the sheer fabric to her body . She had coupled the top blouse with a pair of tight, black leggings and a equally dark pair of ankle high boots.
Steve was a little distracted by the sight of her shapely legs, the tights spared no part of her skin and hugged each sinuous curve beautifully. The wine shade of her blouse really suited her slightly tan complexion and dark hair.
Olivia shrugged on a off-white sweater, covering up her bare arms. She adjusted the strap of her leather satchel over her shoulder, across her torso. She raised her gaze to his and their eyes met. She grinned radiantly and Steve felt his heart pick up in pace.
"Ready?" She asked, reaching him in four quick strides and lacing her fingers through his.
"Yeah." He murmured his eyes steady on her form. She admired him, the same smoldering intensity darkening in her honey brown orbs. Steve loved it when she observed him with that sinful promise in her gaze.
"You look good babe." She commented, huskily, smirking up at him.
"So do you. " Steve responded his voice equally raspy. He threw his arm over her shoulder and hugged her to his firm side.
"Why are we heading out again?" He inquired jokingly.
Olivia laughed.
Steve and Olivia arrived at the restaurant just shy of eight. He was impressed with the venue. It was a quaint Mexican themed restaurant. Despite the modest exterior it was quite large on the inside. Olivia dragged him hand in hand, between the open clear glass windows of the place and through their entrance. It was a short corridor that beckoned them in with their inviting spices and warm air completed with joyful chatter.
The first thing that greeted them was the cashier to their right. A dark haired waitress dressed in a polo red shirt and blue pants, welcomed them. Olivia jumped in and asked about the reservations while Steve admired the room. there was a bar to his left. It was fifteen feet long, made of gleaming steel and black marble counter. The stools were occupied by singles and couples waiting on a table to free or just enjoying a drink.
He noted that the main palette of colours used by the interior was sunset orange with little accents of blue in their lamp shades, coasters and picture frames.
The waitress escorted them further into the venue, past the bar and through open glass doors. The passage branched out into a larger room, it was the main dining hall with brown leather booths occupying the walls and four seater tables spaced out like in diamond formats in the center.
The bistro wasn't as packed as he was expecting, there were still few couples and families but it was just right, cozy amount. Steve spotted Tony and Pepper at one of the booths.
The industrialist seemed surprisingly low key in a white button down shirt. Pepper sat beside him in the corner, looking pretty with her strawberry blonde hair down in elegant waves. She was wearing square neck, white dress paired with a apple green sweater.
Stark waved them over with a large grin. Steve smiled and tugged Olivia gently in their direction. The web designer slide into the booth first before her boyfriend followed.
"So what is this big surprise?" Steve inquired from beside his girl friend, minutes after they all settled down with small talk. He leaned back into the comfortable back rest of the booth and lowered his attention to Olivia.
"Not yet Star-boy, we still have time." She insisted chidingly.
"This is a nice place Olli, you have good taste." Pepper complimented with a sweet smile.
"Don't I know it." Olivia scoffed in a smug, teasing manner earning a giggle from the CEO.
"So how have you guys been?" She asked in turn, smiling at Tony and Pepper.
"Pretty good actually, can't complain. Caffeine Junkie here has been working none stop on another project of his, figured the time away would do him good." Potts grumbled, nudging a thumb at her boyfriend. Tony was lazing back casually with one arm over his beloved's shoulders.
"Oh, Mark five thousand and fifty one I bet." Steve teased and Olivia laughed.
"Har Har." Tony responded dryly.
"Pep complaining is just a way she shows that she missed me." He cooed and placed a sloppy kiss on her cheek that Pepper tried hardest to avoid.
Steve and Olivia couldn't help but laugh at the way the CEO grimaced at Tony's over zealous affection. The inventor grinned and directed the mischievous sparkle in his eyes to Olivia.
"I heard you've been keeping the Captain up you naughty thing you." He whispered with a narrow smile.
Steve blushed red, Pepper wordlessly sipped at her glass of water and Olivia grinned.
"Up in which sense are you referring to?" The web designer murmured in bawdy jest. Tony laughed heartily and Pepper nearly choked on her water.
"I do not like that you two are taking the kick out of me, again." Steve retorted mortified.
"Alright alright I'll ease up." Iron-man acquiesced, picking up his tall menu and opening to the first page.
"So what are we having?" He questioned, the group began to skim through the meals.
The dinner continued on pleasantly with witty conversation and mirth. Olivia was her usual charming self and Tony matched it with his clever repartee. Pepper was more lively than Steve had seen her, usually she was more on the reserved side but Potts moved well with smaller crowds. Rogers on the other hand hadn't laughed so hard in a long time, his booming laughter had occasionally caught the eye of a few startled guests. When the night progressed on and more people filtered out of the venue, Steve was a little relieved.
The thing he was happiest about was Olivia. She didn't have her usual minuscule flickers of enmity in her eyes when it came to Tony. Even if she did, Steve no trace of it and he was glad. She was trying and he knew it was all for him.
It was near the end of the night, they had sluggishly moved through dinner. Steve leaned back into his seat while wiping any sauce stains on his face that was left behind by the beef tortillas he had eaten.
Th waitress came to collect their plates and handed them the desserts menu. Tony collected two and handed Steve and Olivia one before taking the other for Pepper and himself.
"What will you guys be having for dessert?" Pepper wondered, a little overwhelmed by the choices.
Rogers was sipping at his glass of water when Olivia slanted to his side, the menu open in her hands.
"Steve look." She whispered pointing to a description on the page. He narrowed his gaze, reading the small typography. His eyes widened in wonder.
"No." He breathed in pure astonishment, lowering his wide eyed gaze to his girlfriend.
"That's actually a thing?"
"Apparently." She grinned. "It's the best they have here, wanna give it a shot?"
"Hell yeah." He enthused, delighted at the prospect.
"What's all the hullabaloo?" Tony inquired keenly.
"They have this ice cream called the apple cinnamon." Olivia explained with a smile, glancing at Pepper who's eyebrows lifted in amazement. "It's supposed to be awesome according to an acquaintance."
"Apple cinnamon? " Tony grimaced. "Sounds delightful."
Steve did not appreciate the man's disgusted regard of the Captain's favorite type of fruit. Seeing the glint of opposition in the man's blue eyes, Tony grinned sheepishly.
"Oh right you have this weird thing for apple stuff."
"It's not a weird thing it's a preference." Rogers stated frankly.
"I am more of a chocolate enthusiast myself." Iron-man countered, Olivia nodded in agreement.
They decided on a few dishes. Pepper settled for a chocolate ice cream, Tony chose the lava cake with its side of vanilla cream and Olivia opted for the death by chocolate brownie.
The waitress collected their orders with a bright smile and headed off to the chef.
"What are the weirdest things you guys are in to, please refrain from sharing sexual preferences because the question is purely about desserts." Olivia decided to spring up an interesting topic.
"Aw damn, now I will actually have to contemplate this." Tony joked earning flat looks from Steve and Olivia.
"Pep?" Tony directing the question to his girlfriend, his chin tucked into his palm as he gazed at her.
"When I went to Japan to oversee some changes and I had this ice cream called the Taco Aisu." Pepper answered her face taking on an odd shade of pink.
"What's so special about it?" Olivia asked unsure of why the woman looked so embarrassed.
Pepper demurely averted her stare to her hands, they were nervously ripping into a sheet of tissue paper.
"Its Octopus flavoured." She confessed.
"What?" Steve grimaced.
"Oh my God." Olivia gaped.
"Nasty." Tony grumbled, his mouth curled up in disgust.
"I know, but I liked it." Pepper sighed.
"That must be what the darkest coldest part of the ocean must taste like." Olivia mused rubbing her chin in thoughtful fascination. Steve snorted and looked to her, his eyes shining in adoration.
"Or a dead, whipped, frozen, Octopus." Tony added frankly. The web designer shrugged in a vague agreement.
"Okay missy what about you?" Pepper countered, narrowing her green eyes playfully at the dark haired female. All eyes averted to the web designer, she grinned sheepishly.
"Well...it was in my last year of FSU and I was pulling a week of all nighters to get this coding done in time for a assignment. I was like starving out of my mind and there were only two things left in the fridge and neither of them were enough to fill me up alone so I combined them."
"What was it?" Steve asked softly.
Pepper and Tony regarded her expectantly.
"Mac and Cheese and ice cream." Olivia admitted, wincing in remorse.
"EW." Pepper shrieked and then clamped her manicured hands over her mouth.
"Olli that is just nuts." Steve stressed, staggered by his girlfriend's past choices.
"I was just glad I didn't project it all out during morning lectures. It was surprisingly delicious." Olivia muttered.
"I think it would have been better with bacon."Tony commented after a moment of heavy contemplation.
"Yes." Olivia's eyes sparkled.
"No." Steve disapproved bluntly directing a sharp critical stare on to the industrialist. Tony pouted.
The waitress arrived with a tray of desserts. She placed them accordingly onto each persons side of the table.
"Enjoy." She smiled.
"Thanks!" The group responded and the waitress headed off.
Steve stared down at his small crystal goblet of ice cream. It was a rich, beige shade with sinuous lines of tempting caramel, drizzled over two generous scoops. The dessert was accented with sprinkles of cinnamon powder. His mouth was salivating, unable to wait for the others to start, he picked up his silver spoon.
Ideally Olivia was the first to dig into any dessert rich in chocolate that was presented to her, but her interest was taken by Steve Rogers. She was waiting expectantly for him to try the new flavor of ice cream. She watched as he scooped up a dollop of the frozen treat in his spoon and then put it into his mouth. She was a little distracted by the shape of his full, pink lips.
"How is it?" She asked, her eyelids heavy in longing.
"This is amazing." Steve announced passionately, his blue eyes sparkling in wonder as he dove the spoon down for another mouthful. "I should slow down so I don't gobble it all down in one go."
"It looks normal, I was expecting chucks of apple to be sticking out." Pepper mused, leering over the table from the corner of the booth.
"Like Mac and Cheese?" Tony teased shooting Olivia a glance. The web designer giggled.
"Please do not ruin this for me." Steve pleaded he did not want the mental image again. He decided in that moment he will avoid pasta for a while.
He averted his attention to his girlfriend and grinned down at her.
"Wanna try some?" He offered, gesturing his utensil to the ice cream.
Olivia shrugged in modest acceptance to his request and leaned in with her own spoon at hand. Steve surprised her by presenting his spoonful of ice cream to her mouth. Stunned and a little abashed, she accepted the offering and enveloped the serving with her lips.
Steve was watching her very carefully, finding the whole act unexpectedly erotic. When Olivia moved back, he quickly lowered his gaze, his pulse had quickened.
"Hey it's pretty good." She exclaimed."Not as good as chocolate though."
"Amen." Tony enthused while watching the chocolate lava ooze out of his cake and mix with the melted cream.
"You know Cap, if you were just any other guy without a hyper active metabolism, you would gain so much weight dating her." Iron-man abruptly acknowledged while watching Steve make quick work of his dessert of choice.
Pepper stifled a laugh and Olivia grinned mirthfully.
The amusement caused the Captain to raise his attention to the industrialist, he wasn't offended by Tony's observation.
"I can see your logic there and yes I would." He expressed and then directed a fond glance down at Olivia.
"But I think it would be worth it though."
"Yeah." Olivia murmured meeting his stare for a moment before looking to Pepper and Tony. "I think apart from his body, Steve has a really pretty face so I'll be down with that."
"Ah yeah he does have a pretty face." Pepper enthused studying Steve's face. The captain blushed under the attention.
"Did you see his eyelashes?" Olivia pointed out, gesturing to the man's eyes.
"I know I am super jealous cause when I was a kid I had to apply Vaseline on to my eyes and walk around the house like I got a bad case of conjunctivitis for him it's all natural." Potts fumed.
"This guy too, look." She continued, gesturing wildly to Tony's sharp features using her lanky arms. The genius was casually eating from his plate of cake, as if thoroughly accustomed to such reactions from his girlfriend.
"I can see how that is annoying, my biggest problem was my uni-brow." Olivia remarked pointing the flat end of the spoon to her forehead.
"You don't have a uni-brow." Steve objected kindly, observing her face as if trying to find evidence for one.
"Monthly visits to the salon, babe." She cooed affectionately, patting him on the knee.
"Egyptian genes unfortunately, but the shape is nice and so I am not complaining too much now, but back in the day my mom didn't let me use any sort of product to get rid of it."
"Let me guess they wanted to keep you pure and that products just ruin the whole baby perfection." Pepper drawled with a wide roll of her eyes.
"YES." Olivia cried, amazed and relieved that someone deeply understood her childhood anecdotes. "It's hard to see the baby perfection when you are part ape through your high school years."
Tony and Pepper laughed at the witty repartee that inflicted their minds with a mental picture. Steve beamed in amusement but he didn't dare laugh. After all, the Captain found no fault in Olivia's appearance from her middle school years, if anything he felt like she was exaggerating the situation. He had seen the pictures and sure she was different but he was just glad she carried that bright, breath taking smile of hers from her childhood and to her adulthood.
Her smile was his favorite feature, other than her eyes of course.
"Well I had fun." Tony exclaimed, a puff of frosty white air left his lips. They had exited the restaurant with wide smiles and full bellies.
"Me too. We should do this again some time." Pepper added grinning at Steve and Olivia.
"Totally." Olivia smiled, her chin tucked under her woolly scarf and black coat. She looked to Tony and her grin widened.
"Thanks for dinner Stark." She commented.
Steve smiled at the thought, it had taken a great deal of diplomacy from their end. Tony was adamant about paying and didn't take no for an answer, not even as an option, he simply handed his credit card to the waitress before Steve and Olivia could intervene.
"My pleasure Thorne." Stark said with a chivalrous bow of his head.
"Best visit to Washington I've ever had." He added, throwing his arm over his girlfriend and hugging her to his side.
"Do you guys need a lift back by the way?"
"Nah we came in the bike so heading back that way too." Steve responded gesturing his thumb over his shoulder.
"Alright, I guess I'll be running into you at Sheild HQ on Monday." Tony said, releasing Pepper who hardly noticed, too busy in a chat with Olivia.
"Oh, you helping Nick with something?" Steve asked stepping closer to Tony.
"Yeah." Tony uttered under his breath. He cast a wary glance in Pepper and Olivia's direction before striding to the side. Steve followed his movements until they were a good two feet away.
"He wanted my mechanical advice on this project. " Tony continued to explain. "But it's under wraps right now so I am sworn to secrecy. I think he will bring you up to speed on it once it's in its finishing stages."
Steve's brows furrowed in concern. What had Fury sworn Tony into secrecy for? It was little odd. Steve's trust in Fury was shaken since the events of Avengers. Even though the man had warned them of the impending missile, Fury had still hidden the plans of making energized weapons. Tony had shared Steve's mistrust for Fury, or so he thought.
"And there is Happy with the car." Stark abruptly announced before the Captain could voice his concerns. Steve followed the direction of Tony's gaze, he was watching a black limousine pull up on to the drive way. Happy Hogan's round smiling face peeked out from the driver's window.
"Hey Captain!" He exclaimed waving at Steve. Rogers smiled politely and waved back
Pepper hugged Olivia and then returned to Tony's side. Stark considerately held the door open for his girlfriend.
"Well then you guys, thanks for being the Olive to our Pepperony pizza tonight." Stark excalimed.
"That is hilarious." Olivia gaped in delight and disbelief. "I am stealing that."
"Dibs."He cut in dryly.
"Damn it." She cursed.
They bid their pleasant goodbyes and Olivia and Steve watched as they drove off.
The rush of anxiety Steve felt had yet to settle, his gaze was narrowed at the license plate of the car, even after they left his line of sight. What was Fury and Tony up to? It can't be too bad if Tony thinks it's worth keeping secret.
Steve tried to assure himself but the gut tightening concern didn't ease.
"You alright Cap?"
Steve was pulled out of his thoughts by Olivia's soft smile and honey brown eyes, they were shining in worry.
"Yeah. It's not just I have a weird feeling." He confessed palming his neck nervously.
"In the gut?" She asked, he reluctantly nodded.
"About work?"
"Yeah." He admitted."But it's probably nothing."
The last thing he wanted to do was concern Olli over something that was just speculation.
"I hope so." She murmured, worrying her lower lip. She was staring up at him expectantly, ready to know whatever it was that Steve was holding back. He wanted to tell her, like he shared everything else there was, but this was government and work related. He didn't want to mix his job with his life and the last thing he wanted was Olivia getting hurt because of something he had knowingly done.
"I had fun tonight." He stated, changing the topic.
"Yeah it was great." She enthused, grinning up at him. "We should do it again. Stark isn't all that bad."
Steve was grateful for her noncommittal acceptance of Tony Stark. Olivia Thorne was stubborn, it was as clear as a summers day, but he was pleased that she was making the effort for him.
Steve knew he could never truly understand the masks people have to wear when in society, but he has seen plenty of it from Bucky. As charming and dashing as he was to the rest of the world, Bucky was different to Steve, genuine, even though he had hid his feelings from time to time, he made the effort to be true.
He saw a lot of that in Olivia, her witty banter was her disguise. It protected her from harm just as Steve's shield protected him.
He admired her pretty face nestled in the warmth of her wool, plaid scarf. Her cheeks were a bright pink in the street lights, battling to keep her complexion tepid. Her lips were a little dry and chapped. Steve was compelled to warm them.
Unable to resist the urge to be near her, he stepped forward and began to toy with the scarf.
"I guess that ice cream means we have a new favorite place to have dinner." He mused cheerfully, watching the movements of his hands for a moment before regarding her lovingly.
"I am happy you liked it." She murmured in a dreamy tone a little puff of white air escaping her lips.
At the sight of her sweet smile, Steve felt sudden wave of adoration for the woman. In that moment it didn't feel so sudden, he was suppressing his emotions since the time they left the apartment. All he wanted to do was gather her into his arms and kiss her till they were both breathless.
Of course he couldn't given into such desires during dinner, he never considered himself to be the public affection type, but Olivia tempted him.
The pent up feelings took control of his body, he cupped her face in his deft hands and leaned down closer to her, to the point where the tip of his nose pressed into her cheek.
"I am happy you are here Olli." He said a tad breathlessly."So happy."
He kissed her softly. She trembled at his gentleness and the supple feel of his mouth. They kissed for the longest time, beneath the white glow of the street lamp.
They eventually pulled away, breathless but still desperate for more. Steve held her yearning stare, his body hasty to give into the lust. Her gaze lowered to his plump lips, haunted by them.
"Apple taste good on you." She whispered. Steve blushed scarlet and laughed, abashed by her suggestive words. He thumbed the breath of her soft, velveteen cheek and then lowered his hand to hers. He laced their fingers together.
"You know what the best part about this is?" He murmured.
"What?" Her eyes were glittering.
His grip on her hand tightened, his blue eyes smoldering in heated want.
"I get to take you home with me."
To his surprise, Olivia had no witty retort. She simply stared, wide eyed, speechless and extremely taken by the sensual promise.
Steve grinned and tugged her in the direction of his bike.