✪ American Noise ✪ [Captain America]

Chapter 9: Liz VI

"We were watching movies!" Liz insisted with a shocked expression, "And that hasn't happened in a while..." Liz's phone started to ring and vibrate on the top of the dryer. She looked at the screen to see the caller ID read "Steve" over a picture that Liz had taken of him with one of the Schaeffer twins hanging on each arm as he lifted them into the air like dumbbells. They had all been laughing.

"Speak of the devil," Kate said smugly.

Liz answered the phone after a few rings, "Steve?" She asked timidly. Receiving a phone call at close to one o'clock in the morning from anyone was curious. But a phone call from Steve at this time of night could be cause for worry. He had never called her this late before.

"Thank God," Steve muttered under his breath. Liz guessed he had not meant for that to slip out. "Liz? I'm sorry about calling this late. I just got in— Your door was open and all the lights were on and you weren't here and... I got worried," Steve rushed through the explanation, "Are you okay?" He sounded genuinely concerned.

"Yeah, I'm in the basement with Kate finishing up some laundry," Liz tried to hold back a small smile that was fighting its way onto her lips, "What did you think? I got carried off by ninjas or something?" She could not pass up the opportunity to have a little fun at his expense.

"Well, excuse me for caring," Liz could hear the sarcastic smile in Steve's voice. There was a brief pause before he continued, "Who is Captain America?" He asked softly.

"Way to be random," Liz chided jokingly, "Are you— Are you drunk or something?" It would explain this conversation perfectly if that were the case.

"What? No! It says it on your computer..." Steve trailed off. Liz thought she detected more worry in his tone but was not sure, "Which is sitting in the middle of what I thought was the sign of a struggle at first..." Steve sounded like he was chastising himself for obviously overreacting to nothing.

"Oh, I went off on a tangent while looking for reference pictures. The title's just some clickbait to get more views on that video. It never shows his face," Liz rambled.

There was another pause before Steve spoke again, "Since you're awake," he began, "Do you— Would you like to finally get around to a movie night? I'm feeling restless from the night training, and it's altered my sleep schedule..."

Liz smiled, "Sure, I'm off tomorrow, so I have no problem with that."

"Alright," Steve replied, "Mind if I pick?"

"Go for it. I'll be up in a minute," Liz said and hung up the phone. Liz started hurriedly piling her laundry into her plastic basket without folding it.

"Sure," Kate said and started laughing, "He calls you in the middle of the night to see you, and you literally can't get back upstairs fast enough. Yeah, there's nothing going on," her voice was dripping with sarcasm.

Liz stood up from her laundry basket and sighed, "There really is nothing, Kate," she started, "But that— It doesn't mean that I don't—" Liz was fumbling for words as she looked down at the floor, unsure of why she was saying it. She had always been terrified of admitting that she had romantic feelings for someone, even to a person who was completely outside the situation. Perhaps the late hour was overriding her inhibition just a bit.

"That you like him," Kate finished for her, softly.

Liz nodded, still avoiding eye contact. She sighed one more time before admitting it out loud, "I like him a lot..."

Kate gently touched a hand to Liz's shoulder, prompting Liz to finally look at her, "Then sweetie, you need to stop torturing yourself and do something about it. Put your best self forward and let him know how you feel." Kate lifted her wicker laundry basket, which was now full to the brim with neatly folded clothing, before looking back at Liz and continuing, "You say he might be deployed soon. There's no knowing whether or not he'll come back from that."