Lessons in Rule Breaking and Other Reader-Inserts*Steve Rogers*Reader*

No Apologies Needed - Pt.3/4

It was really the supersoldier. And he was moving again.

You couldn't fucking believe your eyes. Maybe you were already dead and this was what afterlife looked like? Just... completely insane?

Or this was very real and Captain America came to your rescue. To be fair, you were pretty confident that a woman you just saw taking a man down mercilessly – choking him between her thighs – was Black Widow. Black freaking Widow. Not that there was enough light or that she stopped moving for long enough for you to actually get a proper look on her.

Your ears were assaulted by silence all of sudden. All you could hear was your heartbeat pounding in your temples and your own laboured breathing. The dust started settling down, allowing you to see the scene in front of you.

All men were down. All the bad guys, to be precise. A woman stood in the corner of the room, her fists raised to her chin, ready to strike another opponent, who was not about to come. A broad-shouldered figure made its way to you; its dark blue suit only added to the impressive size, making him look freaking righteous.

You started at him shamelessly with your eyes wide as he knelt in front of your chair with his head down, giving you a perfect view on the 'A' on his helmet.

You gasped as Captain America almost blindly caught a knife his co-worker (fellow superhero?) tossed him.

His head immediately snapped up at the sound you let out, startled. Worried blue eyes met yours, his gaze intense-- intense just like you remembered.

The suit, the helmet, the shield, the incredible movements he had pulled just moments ago – it all faded away into nothingness. It was only his honest eyes remaining. Familiar eyes of the stranger who had pulled you into the unexpected kiss at the bar.

The rotation of the gears in your brain and the final click felt way too loud. All puzzle pieces fell into place – well, most of them anyway.

"I'm not gonna hurt- " his voice started and that was the last straw. After everything that had happened, there was only one proper reaction – at least according to your brain-to-mouth.

"Holy shit! I kissed Captain America."

The said soldier stared at you, speechless. That was... probably the only reaction he hadn't expected. Looking back at the surreal moment of realization, you couldn't quite blame him.

Black Widow burst out laughing. "Yeah. Yeah, you did."

Steve. Steve Rogers. Captain freaking America. Kissing you. Now kneeling in front of you. Holy fucking shit. The revelation was way too huge to handle.

The supersoldier seemed too busy with untying you to meet your eyes now. On contrary, the woman approached you confidently, the corners of her lips twitching.

"I have a question though. Were you uncomfortable? Because of that kiss, I mean."

"Natasha-" the soldier groaned, sounding annoyed and miserable.

Your mind was very slow to process. To say you were baffled at the question would be some serious understatement. Yet, you thought of an honest answer.

"Uhm... no? I... I don't think that's the— the word I would use...?" you stuttered nervously, not sure what the expected reply was and should be.

How had you felt when he kissed you? Uhm... well... maybe the words that just left your lips were the best of all you could have said; kinda vague, which could be a good thing, yet not insulting.

"Interesting..." the redhead hummed, earning a rather sharp order from Steve.

"Natasha, don't you want to make yourself useful?"

"Buzzkiller. As if you didn't know that the rest of the team would be here in four, three-"

"Romanov!"

Indeed, the 'rest of the team', which was six more men in bulletproof vests and helmets, armed to their teeth, arrived through a hole in the ceiling (now that made sense). And they arrived together with a man who flew in thanks to a pair of mechanical wings that folded themselves the moment his feet touched the ground.

He moved up his goggles, looking around animatedly. "What did I miss?"

You stared at the newcomers as they immediately went to cuff the thugs and as you were watching them, you didn't even notice your limbs were free until Captain America addressed you softly.

You blinked as you heard your name on his lips, meeting the blue of his eyes, full of compassion and unspoken regret.

"I'm sorry I dragged you into this. I should have found a way to go unnoticed without involving you like that. If I didn't kiss you at the bar, I would never draw attention to you. I am so sorry-"

With a sudden rush of bravery, you interrupted his self-torment.

"You... you didn't tell them to kidnap me, right?"

He blinked in surprise, his eyes widening, a hint of offense and hurt at such accusation. "I would never-"

"And you did just come to my rescue, right?"

His lips parted when he realized where this conversation was heading. "I-"

He shut up when your aching hand heavily landed on his shoulder, just an inch from the collar of his uniform. Just like in the bar, his expression and mostly his eyes softened with emotion that you couldn't quite describe, but you suddenly understood was undeniably Steve.

And just like in the bar, you said words that could not be truer. Only this time, you added an exhausted and barely noticeable smile.

"I hate to break it to you, but you did literally nothing that you require an apology."

Natasha, who heard your silent exchange as she was cuffing one of the guys nearby, smiled for herself and made a mental note to definitely save your number just in case Steve wouldn't grow a pair and ask you out soon enough. There was no way she was letting him off the hook this time. This time, she would make him to go on the date.

It was the newest mission she was assigned to right now and she was both, the boss and just the woman for the job. She knew there was no one who could complete the task better.

----Notes:
How to avoid writing action like a champ: make the visibility significantly low and the character scared to death :D

Also, I was thinking about how exactly this idea popped out in my head.... Yeah, I think the origin goes years back to a scene from The Flash 2x06. Link is in the comments, if you're interested ;)