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

Ground Rules (for Love and War) - Pt.1/2

No, Steve Rogers didn't treat you like his friend.

And god knew that the day you figured out if that was a good thing or a bad thing, would be the day of solving the biggest enigma of the new millennium.

Unknown to you, Steve melted into the counter, putting down his cup of coffee and groaned at his utter inability to flirt.

"I swear, man, before you manage to give her a normal compliment without putting your foot in your mouth, someone else will snatch her," Sam commented, having just sneaked into the kitchen to grab a three protein bars, cautiously scanning his surroundings.

Steve shot him a glare. "Thank you, Sam, you're being very helpful. Has Bucky found you yet?"

"Shh! Don't say his name! Do that two more times and he will app-"

"Wilson! You- ACHOO- fhakhin' bird- ACHOOO-brain!" Bucky's voice thundered through the whole floor and Steve smirked with satisfaction.

Sam's body turned to stone, his eyes horrified and yet endlessly amused.

"Sorry, Cap, gotta go! But for God's sake, just ask her out before we all go insane here..."

"Says the guy who cursed a supersoldier with sniffles!" Steve called after the disappearing figure exasperatedly, only to hear Sam's laughter in the distance.

-.-.-

"Silly circuit! What's wrong with you? Do you have no decency? Just work..." you mumbled under your breath, eyes glued to the interface from way too short distance, but you didn't care for your health at this point. You just wanted to fix this.

"Is it talking back?" hesitant and yet teasing voice asked, making you nearly jump out of your skin. Your head snap up in surprise.

"Steve. Hey," you welcomed him briefly, shocked at the vision of the supersoldier in the workshop. "What brings you to our dungeon?"

"Coffee break," he wiggled two coffee cups in his hands pointedly and beckoned towards the clock that... read ten in the evening. Oh. You didn't realize you had been down here for so long. "Something tells me you didn't have one in a while. Am I... overstepping?"

Your cheeks flushed similarly to his as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other, reluctant to cross the distance between you.

Coffee honestly sounded heavenly now. And with delivery and perhaps some company? Not bad, not bad at all...

"Oh. No! No, that's just... I'm surprised," you admitted. "I mean, you're always nice to me, of course, but... eh, sorry, my people skills are lacking at this time of day. Remind me how to tell- gosh, I can't even word, I mean speak-- you really do have a point about that coffee break."

You chuckled, palm over your forehead, fighting the urge to run it down your face in embarrassment at you babbling.

Steve, ever the gentleman, tried to hush his laughter at least partly, the sound coming out subtle and cute. He held out one of the cups for you and you instantly sipped at it reverently with your eyelids fluttering close, barely registering his soft: "Well, here you go."

"Thank you, Steve."

"You're welcome. What are you working on?"

Surprised once more by his query, you took another vehement sip of coffee before placing the cup in safe distance and answering.

"Eh, just some glitch in Natasha's Bites. I think she fried it, using the electromotive units on too many people during the last mission and now the interface is misbehaving and we would rather avoid her accidently electrocuting people, god forbid, herself."