A/N: More tooth-rotting fluff :)

Friday night rolled around and Amanda arrived promptly at five. Steve met her in the lobby and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "You look nice," he said.

"Good enough for superheroes?" she asked nervously.

"Good enough for friends," he assured her, taking her hand.

She smiled. "Right. Okay." She squeezed his hand. "Lead the way, soldier."

He brought her up to the common rooms and as they got out he squeezed her hand in reassurance. "Guys," he said, as everyone turned to look at the couple, "this is Amanda. Amanda, this is Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Clint, and Natasha. Thor isn't here right now."

"Hi," Amanda said, giving them a small smile.

"It's nice to meet you," Pepper said, stepping forward to give her a hug. "I hope you like pizza."

"Do you want a beer?" Tony added, handing her one.

"Oh. Thanks."

There was a bit of an awkward silence as they settled onto the couch, and finally Bruce said, "So, what do you do?"

"I'm a sculptor."

"And what do you do for money?" Tony asked.

Steve bristled at the question but Amanda patted his knee lightly and he calmed down, scooting closer to her on the couch. "I'm actually independently wealthy," she said. "Hence the downtown Manhattan apartment. I do get income from my art though, and I work on commission."

"Nice." Tony raised his beer bottle. "Here's to inheritance."

She grinned. "Hear, hear."

The pizza arrived and they moved to the dining room. They ate, chatted, and Amanda was right at home with their crazy banter, and didn't seem star struck at all. It was 9 when she decided to go home. "I've got a gallery showing tomorrow," she said. "Gotta get up bright and early to set up."

"I'll walk you home," Steve offered.

She smiled. "I'd like that."

They all said goodbye, the girls made plans to go on a shopping trip, and as soon as the couple was in the elevator Tony said, "I like her. She's perfect for ole Capsicle."

As Steve and Amanda were walking home he asked, "So, what do you think of my friends?" He looked anxious.

She laughed. "I love them. A bit nosy, but they really care for you. The question is, do they approve of me?"

"If they hadn't, you would've known," Steve said wryly. "Subtlety is not the Avengers' strong suit."

"I noticed that," she said, as they reached her apartment. She paused on the threshold of the door. "Steve?"

"Yes?"

"Would you, would you come see my gallery showing tomorrow?" she asked, suddenly shy. "I know its short notice, but I really want you to be there."

He smiled. "I'd love to."

"Great." She smiled, and then frowned. "Um, there might be journalists there."

"Probably."

"Are you, I mean, is that okay?" she asked.

He smiled at her reassuringly. "I'm not ashamed of you, if that's what you're asking. I don't care if the whole world knows we're going steady." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

She giggled at the old-fashioned phrase and stood on her tiptoes to kiss him lightly. "Thank you," she said.

"Do you want me to come early to help you get set up?" he asked.

"You don't have to."

"I want to, though." He smiled. "I've never seen how a gallery gets set up." He gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

She melted under his sincere gaze. "Fine." She gave him another peck on the lips. "Be here at 7, tomorrow. Jeans and a T-shirt is fine; we don't have to be dressed up till later."

He nodded. "Until tomorrow then. Good night."

"Good night."

He walked back to the Tower, smiling, and went up to the living room to find the Avengers waiting for him in conference. "So?" he asked nervously. "What do you think?"

"She's cute," Clint said.

"And we approve," Tony finished.

Steve raised an eyebrow. "You rehearsed that didn't you?"

"Maybe..."

He grinned.

-A-a-A-

Steve was actually extremely helpful - with his super strength he was able to move sculptures and bases quite easily.

"You are a lifesaver," Amanda said gratefully. She glanced around the small gallery. "It looks good. Just in time too. Time to get dressed."

He drove her back to her apartment and went back to the tower to change. He was going to pick her up, so he had to be quick. He also knew that there was a distinct possibility of their relationship ending up in the news, and he didn't want to put her in a bad light.

"What are you guys doing?" Steve asked, when he saw the others in various states of nice dress.

"Duh, we're going to the public opening of a new gallery exhibit," Tony said.

"What?"

"One for all and all for one," Tony said, slapping him on the back. "If your ship status goes viral, at least they'll know we heartily approve."

"Plus we're bored," Clint added.

"Whatever. Just, don't make this about you. This is Amanda's success."

"We won't," Natasha said. "We know how important it is for you."

"Thank you," Steve said gratefully.

-A-a-A-

When he picked her up his jaw dropped. "You're beautiful," he said.

She blushed. She was wearing a knee length black dress with silver beading at the waist and before he'd said anything she wasn't feeling very pretty. "You don't look too bad yourself."

He offered her his arm and they headed towards the gallery. "By the way, there might be a small problem," he said nervously.

Her eyes widened. "What kind of problem?"

"Well, nothing too bad. What I mean to say is that my friends might be coming." He rubbed the back of his neck ruefully. "Sorry."

"Oh," she said, after a startled moment.

"Yeah. There's not much you can do if they decide they like a person."

It's fine," Amanda said, smiling. "At least people will be interested." She smirked. "Who knows? I might become a fad."

He smiled. She was always finding the silver lining of everything.

The gallery showing was perfect. The Avengers came and stood there subtly, and completely deflected all questions to Amanda. Steve was the perfect boyfriend and stood with Amanda and put a gentle hand on her back while they sipped their champagne.

The gallery showing finished at around 11 o'clock, and then they went out for drinks afterwards.

"I can definitely say this is a high point in my life," Amanda said, taking a sip of her drink.

"Surrounded by superheroes and holding hands with your handsome boyfriend?" Tony asked. "Yep, I can say that this is definitely a high point in your life."

Amanda smirked and leaned further into Steve's arms. "Wouldn't be complete without you, Tony," she sassed.

"She's a definite keeper," Tony said to Steve. "She appreciates me."

They all rolled their eyes.

-A-a-A-

The next day the media was awash with rumors and speculations. Steve waved the newspaper in Tony's face. "Look," he said.

"Captain America's Secret Marriage," Tony read. He raised an eyebrow. "You have something you wanna tell us, Steve?"

"This was a bad idea," Steve said, taking the paper away from him and pacing back and forth. "We shouldn't have gone. She's going to be swamped by the press, we're going to be swamped by the press, everything we do is going to be in the papers..." He slumped into a chair and put his head on the table. "She's going to hate me."

His phone rang. He looked at the caller ID.

Tony grinned. "It's Amanda isn't it?"

"Yeah." He answered, trying to ignore the shaking in his hands. "Hello?"

"Steve? Have you seen the papers?"

"Yeah..."

She laughed heartily. "Isn't it great? I mean, we didn't even kiss in public and they're saying that we're married and everything. People are so dumb."

He sighed in relief and managed a laugh. "Yes they are," he said. Then more hesitantly, "You're not bothered by it? They'll be swarming all around us."

"I'm not happy about it, but I don't really mind it." She smiled. "I resigned myself to that when we started 'going steady.'"

He smirked. "Are you making fun of me?" he asked.

She laughed. "Make fun of Captain America? Never."

"Uh-huh." He grinned. "Dinner tomorrow? We're going to have to face them at one point."

"Together?" Amanda asked.

"Always."

"Sounds good. Love you." She froze.

Steve was similarly frozen on the other end of the line. Had he just heard what he thought he heard? He cleared his throat and attempted a nonchalant tone. "Love you too."

She sighed in relief and nearly split her cheeks from smiling so hard. "See you tomorrow."

"How about we make it tonight?" Steve asked, suddenly unable to fathom going more than one day without seeing her.

"Sure."

Steve hung up and turned around to see Tony grinning his face off. "What?" Steve asked defensively.

"You said the L-word," Tony said in a sing-song tone. "You're in love. And even better, she said it first!" He held up his coffee. "To undying love, may it never freeze."

Steve frowned at him but realized he wasn't kidding. "Thank you," he said, raising his own coffee cup.

That evening couldn't come fast enough. He ended up at her house at four o'clock, and stared at her door for a good ten minutes.

"Steve?" The door opened and she smiled at him questioningly. "What are you doing?"

"I was going to knock," he said, turning red.

She waved him inside. "Have a seat. I've barely started getting ready."

He sat on the couch and watched as she wandered back and forth, picking things up. She went into the bedroom and came out dressed in a nice blue skirt and a black sweater. "Have you seen, oh never mind." She picked up the earrings on the table and went into the bathroom. "You wanna watch a movie or something?" she asked, trying to look at him in the mirror while she brushed her hair in front of the sink.

He smiled, suddenly overwhelmed with her perfection. "No," he said, wrapping his arms around her in a huge hug and lifting her off her feet as he buried his face in her hair. "No, I think I'm good."

She laughed and twisted around in his arms to face him. "Hi."

"Hi," he breathed, kissing her. "I love you," he said, when he finally drew back.

"I love you," she replied, burying her face in his chest.

He finally let her go to finish getting ready and when they walked outside, there was a flash mob of press waiting for them, reporters yelling questions at them and people snapping pictures. Amanda squeezed Steve's hand tightly and he squeezed back gently to reassure her. "I can confirm that Miss Hale and I are in a committed relationship," he said to the reporters in his 'I'm Captain America so what I say goes' tone, and in that brief second of startled 'aww', he whisked her away on his motorcycle.

"That wasn't so bad," Amanda said, resting her chin on his shoulder to talk right into his ear. "Was that your official Captain America voice?"

"Maybe?" he said, turning red.

"I like it," she whispered, making him turn the color of a fire truck.

They got to the restaurant, and the management welcomed them with open arms and a secluded corner table.

"This is nice," Amanda said, looking out on the waterfront.

Steve smiled and pushed her chair in for her. "Perks of being a," his voice lowered dramatically, "superhero."

She laughed at his theatrics and they held hands across the table.

Their dinner was beautiful and lovely, and when they walked home no one bothered them.

Steve dropped Amanda at her door after a long goodnight kiss, and she walked in - to find Natasha standing in her living room, looking relaxed and dangerous, like a panther.

"Uh... hi?" she asked cautiously. "Am I going to die now?"

"Steve really loves you," the super spy said frankly, making the artist relax. "I've never seen anyone that he's ever connected to besides us. And I can tell you love him too."

"Okay?" Amanda said hesitantly.

"But you're a civilian," Natasha continued, "and that automatically makes you a liability, because you don't know how to defend yourself, and our enemies will come after you."

"So what are you saying?" Amanda asked, eyes widening.

"I'm saying, that if you are not prepared to accept him with all the secret missions and the dangers and the baggage he carries from the forties, you need to break it off now before he's even more involved with you."

Amanda stared at her. "I don't know if Steve's told you, but my father was in the Special Forces. I know what it is not to ask questions, to wait for him to come back, to see the bruises and the broken legs and the weariness in his soul and not be able to do anything except hold him. I want to be there for him. I don't care if that puts a target on my back or cameras follow me down the street, because I love him and I know that he won't ever let me down. I want to make this work."

Natasha relaxed marginally and smiled at her. "Good. Starting tomorrow I'll teach you self-defense and how to shoot. After you talk to Steve about it." She put a light hand on the other woman's shoulder. "See you tomorrow."

"Okay." Amanda smiled briefly. "Thank you."

The spy nodded, and slipped out silently.

-A-a-A-

The next morning, she called Steve and said, "Hey, uh, can I come over?"

"Yeah of course," he replied. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. I just, have to talk to you about something that happened."

"Sure." He met her in the lobby, nervous. When people said, 'We need to talk,' it was usually something bad. He led her up to his apartment and they sat down. "Soo..."

"Natasha came to see me last night," Amanda blurted. "Scared the pants off me waiting in the dark like that."

Steve's eyes narrowed. "I'll talk to her later."

"No," Amanda assured him, "it's fine. She just wanted to make sure I knew what I was getting into, with you."

"Do you?" he asked.

"I think so."

"And you're okay with it?" he asked. "I won't lie to you, I promise, but there are some things I just can't tell you."

"I know." She linked her arms around his waist and leaned forward onto his chest. "I trust you."

He wrapped his arms around her, pressing her tiny frame closer. "Thank you."

"Also, she offered to teach me self-defense."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's, actually a good idea. Do you think you can handle it?"

"I don't know. But I need to do it."

"I wish you didn't have to," he said sorrowfully. He tucked her under his chin. "I wish I could keep you safe from the whole world."

"You can't keep me in a box, Steve," she sighed.

"I know. I wouldn't do that to you." He smiled slightly. "You need your artist space."

"Yes I do."

-A-a-A-

The training started that same day. Natasha went easy on her at first, but she was strict. "Every day we'll practice unless I'm on a mission," the spy told her.

The trained in the afternoons and afterwards Amanda showered and changed, and hung out with the Avengers.

One day after a particularly hard day, Amanda could barely move, she was so sore. Steve found her in the gym, sitting on the ground, staring pitifully at her shoes as her freshly-washed hair dripped onto her shirt.

"What's the matter?" he asked.

"Everything hurts," she said. "And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna bruise." She winced. "And I can't put my shoes on."

He knelt down and put her shoes on for her. "I'll tell Nat to ease up," he promised.

"No, it's fine," she said. She tried to get up and groaned. "Maybe I'll just stay here."

He smirked. "Don't worry ma'am. I'll save you." He picked her up bridal-style and carried her into the elevator.

"Steve!" she squeaked, alarmed but giggling. She put her arms around his neck and after she was assured he wouldn't drop her she snuggled into his chest.

He felt something warm blossom in his chest as he held her. He didn't ever want to let go of her. But he set her down in the living room and got her two Advil and a Gatorade, and without being asked, pulled her legs into his lap and started massaging her sore muscles.

She melted back into the cushions. "Oh, you are the best," she said happily. "Simply the best."

He smiled at her. "Wanna watch a movie?"

"Sure."

"JARVIS, can you put something on from the list?" he asked. Soon after he'd told her he was Captain America, the two of them had compiled a list of movies to watch together, and they were slowly making their way through them.

"Of course sir," JARVIS said. "The Hunt for Red October is the next one."

"Sure."

The movie came on and they settled in to watch it, Steve continuing the massage on her arms and shoulders.

"Well you two seem cozy," Bruce said, coming in for a snack. He grinned at their twin blushes and asked, "Is this a date or can I join the movie?"

"The more the merrier," Amanda said, after sharing a glance with Steve. "Bad day at work?" she asked, seeing the tenseness in the doctor's shoulders.

"Yeah. Tony's being especially irritating today."

"I totally understand," Steve said.

"Hey, your slang's getting better," Amanda said, reaching up to peck him on the cheek. "Those books paid off, huh?"

"Yeah, they did," he said, pressing a kiss to her hair. "You're a genius."

Bruce smiled at the cuteness.

"Aw, it's the diabetic coma inducing couple," Tony gushed sarcastically, coming into the kitchen to refill his coffee mug. He sprawled dramatically on the counter. "Bruce, catch me, I'm going into a coma."

Bruce let out a long-suffering sigh. "He's been doing that all day," he confided in a stage whisper.

"Well they're just so cute," Tony said, dropping onto the other couch. "Look at them, all cuddly and tender."

Amanda kissed Steve lovingly. "Aw, he thinks we're so sweet." She turned to look at Tony who was fake-gagging at the sweetness. "See? Why would we want to ruin any of this?"

"I swear you two are going to give me cavities," Tony muttered, making a face.