Longing (Steve Rogers x reader)

Steve

Steve sat in the corner of the living room at the main compound studying you. You were seated in the opposite corner of the room on your laptop doing up your mission report. He watched jealously as Clint sat under your feet talking animatedly with you about the mission itself. He wished he could be him. For the last year, since you had joined the team you had bonded closely with Clint, Nat, and Bruce. Clint had you come to visit his farm and family several times, taking you away from Steve's watchful eye for a few days at a time. Steve wanted so badly to have the same relationship that they had with you. He hated always being in charge on missions, and having to be the Captain sometimes. He watched as you broke out into a giggle. God, he loved it when you giggled. Your entire face would light up the room. He couldn't stop watching you.
Bucky came into the room and plopped down on the couch beside him and looked over. Steve had barely touched his mission report. Bucky gave a knowing smirk, and gave a bit of a chuckle.
"Punk, make a move already" he whispered to him.
"Shut up, ya jerk" Steve shook his head and went back to trying to focus on his report. His eyes ticked up and saw Clint giving you a foot massage and you had let out a soft moan that his super soldier ears heard easily. He tried not to huff out loud, but Bucky could tell. He always could tell. Steve had taken to making a habit of being in the room when you were there, at least the public rooms. You always seemed to gravitate to the main living room in the compound, and would sit in the corner of the room. Sometimes you were working on your mission reports, sometimes you were reading, sometimes you were just watching documentaries on the big screen tv. You had habits that you tended not to break. He knew almost all of them from watching you over the last year. You could have gone to your own suite to watch tv, or to read, but you tended to come down to the main living room. He wasn't sure if it was too lonely in your room for you, or if you just liked the bigger space. He was dying to ask, but everytime he got close to you, words just failed him. He felt like the punk kid that could barely talk to a dame back in the day. He saw your gaze flick towards where he was sitting with Bucky and felt his ears go red while he went back to his computer, not wanting to get caught.
"Are you almost done with your mission report Y/N?" Bucky called over, maintaining your attention on their end of the room. He saw your eyes flick to Steve again momentarily before you nodded.
"Yeah, if Clint would stop distracting me" you giggled again while Clint took on an offended look on his face, and he started tickling your feet making you laugh out loud.
"Brat" Clint chuckled and stopped tickling you.
"If he distracts you with foot rubs, I'll take a distraction Clint" Bucky teased and Clint burst out laughing.
"No way man, I bet you would barely feel it with all that super soldier serum running through you" Clint shook his head good naturedly. "I reserve these for the ladies in my life"
"That makes you sound like a hound dog" you giggled and he started tickling your feet again making you buck a bit on the couch. Steve's gaze went back to you, and he could barely rip his eyes away from you. "I'm telling Laura you're picking on me" you giggled, taking out your cell phone.
"You wouldn't dare!" Clint chuckled.
"Watch me" you started typing into your phone. They all knew it was a game between you and Clint. You did the same thing with Nat and Bruce sometimes. Bruce didn't tease you like Clint did, but Nat sometimes did.
"Are you still coming this weekend?" Clint asked with a bit of a pout, leaning in and giving you the puppy eyes.
"You know I can't. I promised Nat and Bruce I'd go with them to the farmer's market this weekend" you gave him a soft smile, and Steve watched you, completely enraptured by you. He wasn't sure if it was your addictive personality, or the soft look on your face when you were talking to your friends, or if it was the color of your eyes. He was addicted, and watching you was the only fix he would ever seem to get. He was too nervous to make a move and ask you on a date. He didn't even know if you liked dating, he had never seen or heard of you going on a date. He reached up and ran his hands through his beard, that hid the pink that stained his cheeks every time you happened to look in his eyes. Your eyes met his, and you gave a gentle smile and he felt his pants tightening uncomfortably as he returned the smile.
"You're hopeless" Bucky whispered through the side of his mouth. Steve pulled his laptop down on his lap more in response as you looked away and started engaging more in conversation with Clint. Clint was pouting you wouldn't be going to his place this weekend, but that served Steve just fine. On weekends when you stayed at the compound you would spend most of your time in the living room, which meant he was going to be getting out his sketching supplies and joining you this weekend again. He was embarrassed to admit it, but a lot of the time you ended up being his subject for his sketches. Over the last year, he had filled three sketchbooks, mainly of you sitting on the couch, sometimes it was memories of you being on missions together. You always looked so focused when you were working. Like there was nothing else but the mission. And then there was the soft side of you. He was addicted to seeing both sides of you. He wanted more, and he wanted to be a part of your life. He was just too scared to take that step away from being your commanding officer to something a little bit more. But, oh, how he craved it too. He wanted you more than he ever wanted any other woman he had met. That included Peggy who seemed like a distant memory at this point. You had ruined him for anyone else. He had told Bucky and Sam as much, and they both wanted him to make a move, he just got so nervous around you. He didn't know how to approach you outside of work. He saw your eyes flick towards his direction again, and he looked back to his computer screen. He started typing to make it look good, but he was a ball of nerves. He didn't want you to catch him staring again.
"Clint, are you seriously trying to steal my girl again?" Nat came into the room with a smirk on her face. "We have dual custody" she reminded him, making you giggle again. They both acted like they were your parents sometimes, and other times like your best friends.
"You ratted me out!" Clint chuckled good naturedly.
"But not to Laura" you countered quickly with a wink.
"Cheeky little thing" he shook his head.
"It's my weekend, and we are taking her to the farmer's market" Nat announced, her voice taking on an authoritative tone.
"Or we could all go to the house and go horseback riding," Clint shrugged.
"Bruce is so excited for the farmer's market" Nat sat on the arm of the couch. "Are you almost done with your report?" she looked at you, and you flushed slightly.
"Clint can be very distracting," you finally defended yourself as she glared at you.
"I'm not distracting you, I was rubbing your feet because you were complaining they were hurting again" he raised an eyebrow at you.
"Okay, then, I was just distracted" you flushed, trying not to look in Steve's general direction. Bucky let out a soft chuckle and looked at Steve who was back to studying his computer. That punk missed all the signs, and was blind to what was in front of him. Everyone knew that. You both had been playing at this dance for the last year, watching each other from across the room, or across the jet. Hell, even across the table at supper time, you sat right across from each other on purpose. Bucky had enjoyed watching this play out, but he wanted Steve to make a move. He needed to prove he was over Peggy like he said he was. Bucky saw Steve focus on typing a few paragraphs before his eyes started drifting back to you, where you were focused on doing your report across the room with Nat now playing in your hair. Bucky had a feeling she was forcing you to look forward, otherwise your eyes, just like Steve's, would dance across the room. He felt like he could cut the tension with a knife.
"There, done" you finally announced with flourish and looked up with a large smile across your face. Bucky looked to Steve who smiled softly in response. Bucky knew if there was ever such a thing as love at first sight, Steve had found it. He just needed to man up and take it.
"Did the foot massage help?" Clint asked, teasingly.
"Of course it helped. I was sore after running off my feet all day. We did good though" you smiled, your eyes slowly making their way back to Steve who looked back down at his computer again. Bucky rolled his eyes at his best friend and patted him on the back before standing up and grabbing the converter.
"How about that documentary on wolves you've been watching then?" Bucky asked, turning on the TV.
"Yes please" you squealed, putting your computer to the side and flipping around on the couch so your head was in Clint's lap, giving you a better vantage point of the TV, and of course of Steve as long as he didn't catch you.
"I don't get why you won't get a dog like you've been wanting to" Nat sighed, slipping onto the couch and under your feet. Steve looked up sharply, taking in the look on your face that looked a little bit sad.
"I'm away from home too much, the dog would be lonely" you sighed softly.
"Alpine can keep your dog some company if we are on missions. The team would help take care of a puppy for you" Bucky said what Steve was only dreaming about saying to you.
"It just seems like the wrong life for a dog, no matter how cute they are" you pouted and Steve studied your face for a few moments longer. He wondered silently if he should get you a dog, maybe it would brighten up your day. Bucky turned on the documentary and got comfortable on one of the other couches where he would have a better vantage point of the screen.
"What kind of dog do you want?" Clint asked with a grin, his eyes flicking momentarily to Steve who still remained silent in his corner.
"A mutt from the shelter. I'd rather rescue a dog" you shrugged. "It takes longer to gain their trust, but they are worth it" you sighed whimsically.
"We could use a few dogs around the compound, you should get one" Steve finally got up the courage to speak. No one missed the flush that graced your cheeks as you smiled softly at him.
"I'll think about it" you whispered shyly, biting down on your bottom lip and Steve had to move his laptop again to hide himself. He cleared his throat and gave a smile before nodding and going back to trying to do his report.