Disclaimer: I don't own anything from Marvel or any quotes you might recognise.

NYCTOPHILIA

Chapter 6

"Supreme excellence consists of breaking the enemy's resistance

without fighting."

-Sun Tzu, The Art of War-

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Approximately One Month Earlier…

Steve Rogers pushed his fingers through his short dark blond hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He was on his way to Director Fury's office in SHIELD headquarters for a debriefing on his last mission. He was in truth a very patient man, but when the cellphone that Tony Stark practically forced him to accept as a gift and means for them to stay in regular contact vibrated in his pocket for what felt like the millionth time that day, he wanted to throw it against the wall and watch with satisfaction as it exploded into a million pieces.

Technology was not his best forte and although everyone insisted that it will only make his life easier, he still begged to differ. He reached into his pocket and with another long sigh he removed the vibrating pain in his neck. The smug face of Stark was flashing on the screen and Steve felt as if he could scream. Stark probably wanted to set him up on another blind date from hell. He shook his head and swiped the screen to answer the call and wished he was still frozen leagues under the sea.

"Stark. "

"Hey, Capsicle! Hope I'm not interrupting…"

"Stark, what do you want? I'm on my way to Fury, so please make this quick." Steve interrupted the energized Tony Stark, while pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Wow! Guess the date with what's her name didn't go so well. But don't worry. I know this really hot Russian model… Do you speak Russian?... Never mind, because the things she can do with her mouth you…"

"Stark! How many times do I have to tell you I'M NOT INTERESTED IN DATING!" Steve hissed into the phone. He sucked in a deep calming breath before he continued. "I know you mean well, but please let me find someone on my own time."

There was a long silence on the other end of the line and after a few more seconds ticked by he heard Stark sigh, hopefully in defeat.

"Okay, tell you what, if you bring a date for this Friday's Party at my place, I'll consider it to back off. And she better be hot, because I have high standards to maintain. And…"

"It's a deal! So, if that was all, I really need to go. I'm already five minutes late for my meeting with Fury." Steve said as he neared the last corner of the hallway to Fury's office.

"That's all. Say hi to Captain Eyepatch for me and remember the party starts at 20h00. I might be fashionably late, but Pepper will be there to welcome the guests. See you then and don't hesitate to call if you still want me to set you up with …"

"Got it." Steve said and quickly ended the call before Stark could say anything else, stuffing the phone back in his pocket.

He hastened his steps and rounded the corner slamming straight into a small figure. Thanks to his fast reflexes he managed to grab a hold of her arm and pulled her to his chest to prevent her from landing hard on her back side. A soft squeal filled the air as he snaked his other arm around her waist to steady her.

Steve lowered his eyes and for a moment it felt as if time had slowed. The files and papers she was carrying were drifting in slow motion to the floor around them. His heart skipped a beat and his stomach flipped as he stared back into two light green eyes. Her breath fell from her full red lips in small gasps and he could feel the warmth of it on his own slightly parted lips. Their faces were mere inches apart and he swallowed hard in an attempt to bring his own racing heart under control. She lowered her gaze to his chest where she was gripping his leather jacket tightly in her hands, a light blush colouring her cheeks. He couldn't take his eyes of her and it felt as if his mind had gone blank. Her warm body against his felt as if it belonged there and he frowned as the strange thought that he never wanted to let her go rushed through his befuddled mind.

"Agent Wilson! What the hell is going on here?!" The familiar voice of Director Fury boomed through the hallway and shocked Steve back to reality.

They jumped apart and she hastily turned around to face Fury.

"Sir, I… I…" She stuttered as she nervously placed her shaking hands by her side.

"Clean up this mess and report to Agent Hill immediately." Fury ordered as he glared down at her with his one eye.

"Yes, yes sir!" She breathed out and knelt down to pick up the papers that was littering the floor in front of them.

Steve knelt down and started to help her gather the papers, but Fury's commanding voice interrupted him as he handed a stack over to her.

"Captain, could we please start with the debriefing. I'm sure Agent Wilson is more than capable of picking up papers herself. I don't have all day." And with that Fury turned around and disappeared into his office.

She hastily took the papers he was holding out to her and when their fingers gently brushed against each other, he couldn't help but look up and stare into her mesmerizing green eyes again. They were like two magnets pulling him ever closer and he was unable to stop it. No, he didn't want to stop it. He wanted to get lost in them; he wanted to get lost in her.

She pulled the papers from his hand and when she broke eye contact the intense connection between them was broken and he let out a shuddering breath at the loss of it. He was definitely losing his mind, maybe Stark was right, he needed something else beside his punching bags to relief his bottled up stress.

She rose and with a quick glance over her shoulder to Fury's office she nervously stared back at him.

"I apologise for running into you like that, Captain. I promise I will be more careful next time." She whispered and clutched the papers more tightly against her chest.

"Ma'am, it's I who need to apologise. I was distracted and didn't watch where I was going." He replied as he slowly rose to tower over her slightly.

A small smile of relief formed on her lips and she nodded to him. He wanted to say something more, but Fury's irritated voice calling from his office interrupted his train of thought and he smiled back at her before he hurriedly made his way to Fury's office.

Steve didn't run into her again that day, but time and again her green eyes drifted into his train of thought and that night his usual nightmares of the war was replaced with images of Agent Wilson in his arms and her soft red lips pressed against his.

The next day he stumbled into her again as he entered the elevator on his way up to Fury's office. Luckily she was not carrying any files filled with papers and they both let out a nervous laugh as their eyes met.

"Captain."

"Agent Wilson." He replied as he removed his hands from her small waist. His heart was racing against his chest and he was glad when she removed her hand, afraid that she might feel it through his jacket.

She side stepped and was almost out of the elevator when he spun around and called out to her.

"Agent Wilson!"

"Yes, Captain?" She asked as she turned around to face him again.

He stared back into her green eyes and couldn't help his gaze from drifting down to her slightly parted lips. He suddenly felt as if he couldn't breathe and the question he wanted to ask her stuck on his tongue. He looked away nervously as he felt the warmth of a blush creeping up on his face. Damn, what was wrong with him? He was acting like a hormonal teenager unable to formulate a coherent thought in his mind.

"Have a nice day." He managed to breathe out after a short silence.

She smiled back at him and nodded before she disappeared amongst the other agents in the lobby. He shook his head in frustration as he stepped back into the elevator, scorning himself for being such a coward for not asking her out for a coffee like he planned.

After a long day of feeling frustrated and disappointed in himself, he pushed the doors to the gym open, slight relief washing over him with the thought of finally being able to punch all his cropped up emotions out into a punching bag.

He was just about to drop his gym bag on the floor when he heard a thumping sound coming from his left.

His mouth fell open and he stared back in utter awe as his eyes slowly drifted over the figure of Agent Wilson where she was punching and kicking a punching bag. She was wearing tight fitting black yoga pants and a black sport bra. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her perfectly toned body and bare stomach. He took in a deep breath as heat started to coil low in his abdomen. Her short gasps of breath filled the air around him and the thought of her making that same sound, but under totally different circumstances flashed through his mind. He shut his eyes and clenched his fists tightly as he forced the shocking thought out of his mind. He breathed in and out slowly to calm his raging emotions and was about to just turn around and leave before he made a fool out of himself, when her soft voice drifted to him.

"Captain Rogers?"

Steve looked up and just watched in silence as she slowly walked up to him. She stopped a few feet from him and a frown formed between her delicate brows.

"Captain, are you alright?" She asked as concern filled her beautiful eyes.

"Sorry! Yes, I'm fine, Agent Wilson." He breathed out and couldn't stop his eyes from drifting down to her full lips.

She took another step closer to him and when her tongue slowly darted out to wet her lips, he thought he was going to lose it right there and then. Was this sexual frustration driving him to act and feel this way or was there something more wrong with him?

"Amelia. Please call me, Amelia." She said and he stared down at her outstretched hand, afraid that if he touched her he might end up doing something really stupid, but after a few seconds and another deep breath he took her small hand in his.

"Steve. But you probably know that already." He said with a shy smile as she nodded in confirmation.

"I'm done here so I'll leave you in peace to work out. It was really nice seeing you again." She said as she let go of his hand and reached for her gym bag hidden under a bench.

She was half way to the door when he spun around and stopped her.

"Agent Wils… I mean Amelia! What are you doing this Friday night?" He asked as she turned to face him again. A smile formed on her lips before she answered him.

"Nothing, why?"

He lifted his right hand and nervously scratched the back of his head looking everywhere in the room accept directly at her.

"Stark is throwing a party this Friday and I was wondering if you would like to escort me. I know this is out of the blue and we don't really know each other that well, but…"

"It will be my pleasure. I'll forward my address to you and you can pick me up at say, 19h00?" She interrupted him as her hand reached for the doors handle.

"What?... I mean, yes. Yes, that will be fine." He stammered out in disbelief that she agreed so quickly.

"See you around, Steve." She said and with one last look she pulled the door open and disappeared down the hall.

He just stood there frozen in the same spot for a long time, the way she said his name still sending shivers down his spine as he finally turned around and made his way to the punching bag. That night he couldn't fall asleep as images of her perfect body and green eyes kept him awake. For the first time in a long time he felt excited and couldn't wait to see her again.

The rest of the week flew by and on numerous occasions he ran into her again. They exchanged light conversation over coffee and he slowly started to relax and feel comfortable in her presence. They swopped stories of their various missions and he learned that she was only recently transferred to headquarters on direct orders from the council and missed the whole alien attack on New York nine months ago, which he was strangely relieved for.

The voice of Stark's AI announcing their arrival at the top floor where the party was being held brought him out of his deep thoughts and he stared down at the stunning woman on his arm. She was wearing a tight fitting black silk dress that emphasized her beautiful curves, her long dark brown hair tumbled down to her waist in soft curls and the scent of apples lingered in the air around them.

"Steve! I'm so glad you made it. And who is this stunning lady by your side?" Pepper Pots voice drifted to him as he tore his eyes away from Amelia.

"Miss Pots, it's always a pleasure to see you. This is Amelia Wilson. Amelia, Miss Virginia Potts." He said as he introduced to the two women to each other.

Pepper gently took Amelia's hand in hers and smiled brightly back at him.

"Please just call me Pepper. It's really nice to meet you and I can't wait to hear how you and Steve met." Pepper said as she released Amelia's hand and focused on him before she continued. "Tony's at the bar and I will entertain Amelia while you get her something to drink."

Steve nodded and reluctantly left them and made his way to the bar. Before he had a chance to greet Stark he was roughly pulled to the side by the man in question.

"Okay, spill, now! Where in the world did you find that hot sexy little thing? And I want full details. Shit, I want one!... No wait, Pepper will kill me. Not a word to Pepper, understand. Holy fuck! She's gorgeous! The things I could do to her…" Stark rambled out, his eyes not leaving Amelia for one second where she stood beside Pepper.

"For god's sake Stark, watch you language! Amelia is not that kind of woman!" Steve hissed as he pulled his arm from Stark's tight grip.

"What? So you two haven't… you know… ripped each other's clothes off and got lost in wild predatory passion? Boy, if I met her a year ago I would lock her in my room, tie her to my bed and fu…"

"Stark!" Steve almost screamed as he punched Stark hard on the shoulder as he glared back at him.

"Ow! What was that for?" Stark said as he rubbed his shoulder, a look of utter surprise and innocence washing over his face.

"Just stop talking about all the despicable things you want to do to my date! I really don't want to hear it!" Steve pleaded and the thought that this was going to be a long and tedious night left him feeling slightly annoyed.

"I promise to be the perfect gentleman if you introduce me to her. But really, you haven't, you know?" Tony asked again and when he noticed Steve's eyes darken he lifted his hands in surrender. "Okay, I got it. I'm not in the mood to crash my own party so stop looking at me like I need to put on the suit. Do I need to put on the suit?"

Steve shook his head and let out a long sigh. Stark was going to drive him crazy. He took the drink Stark was pouring for himself from the counter and downed it in on gulp, wishing for once that alcohol had an effect on him, for he surely was going to need it to survive this night.

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A/N: Special thanks to Pietoraven36 for all your wonderful reviews. It makes me jump for joy when I know someone is enjoying this. Also thank you to everyone that followed and favourite! You all rock my world!

Take care!

R