Characters: reader, Steve, mentions of others.
Summary: A sleepless night caused by loud neighbors has you at the end of your rope when you have an unexpected encounter on your balcony. (Steve AU)
Warnings: mild language maybe?
Word Count: 2.1k
A/N: Happy 100th Birthday, Steve Rogers!! I had a lot of fun writing this so I hope you enjoy it! Any and all feedback is appreciated! I adore you guys!! :)
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It was official. You were going to commit murder tonight. In your eyes, it was completely justified, but perhaps no one else would see that way. Lying perfectly still with a pillow over your head, you hoped and prayed that the noise would stop on its own, but finally you shot up in bed and tossed off the covers. The alarm clock on the nightstand now read 12:14am. Those bastards.
For nearly 4 hours, music thumped through the floor below you until sleep was utterly impossible. You tried earplugs, headphones, multiple pillows, but to no avail. At this point, the bass was thumping throughout your entire apartment and rattling in your ribcage. This was ridiculous. How had no one else called the cops with a noise complaint yet? Perhaps they didn't want to be the whistleblower. Or maybe you were the only one in the entire building who was actually trying to sleep.
Okay, fine, it was a holiday. The large fireworks displays had ended around 10:30pm and you even survived the neighborhood kids setting off their own small demonstrations in the form of colored sparklers shooting 5 feet in the air while making a whistling noise. Fine. It's to be expected. But this? This was beyond absurd.
In the past few hours you had emotionally moved through annoyance, then agitation, and now you had settled on murderous rage. Your downstairs neighbors had moved in about 6 months ago and it was a group of three guys, from what you had heard. Granted, you weren't the most social when it came to your neighbors and kept to yourself so you didn't know them well. And sadly, now they had to die. Climbing off the bed, you headed straight for your balcony and threw the door open roughly. It hit the perpendicular wall and bounced back, closing behind you.
Hands clutched tightly around the railing, you leaned down and screamed over the noise. "IF YOU DON'T TURN DOWN THAT MUSIC I'M GONNA SHOVE A BOTTLE ROCKET UP YOUR ASS!!"
A bark of laughter was heard from directly below you, a male voice then answering loudly, but calmly. "Alright, alright. Your point was made. I'll tell them to turn it down. Hang on."
You heard a door open and the music amplified even further.
"BUCKY. HEY, BUCK. TURN THE MUSIC DOWN."
"PARTY POOPER," you heard the yelling response from inside.
"COME ON, MAN, WE HAVE NEIGHBORS," the man on the balcony bargained.
"FINE, FINE," the other male voice replied and within a few seconds, the booming bass had lessened.
"Better?" the man asked from close by. Looking down, you could barely see a large, backlit shape below you. He was leaning on his own railing just as you were.
"A little. Thanks," you spoke, grateful that you didn't have to yell anymore. Or commit murder. "You know...I'm as patriotic as the next person, but this seems a little overkill. I know it's the 4th, but...." you trailed off.
A short chuckle reached you in the dark. "Yeah, well, uh...it's, um...it's actually my birthday, too. Or it was, until...20 minutes ago," he replied, sounding a little embarrassed to share.
"Really?" you asked in surprise. "Wow. Born on the 4th of July. I bet you're an All-American Golden Boy, huh?"
Another burst of laughter. "I don't know about that...I'm sorry we kept you awake. I'm not even much of a party animal, but my roommates decided to surprise me. It's more for them than for me," he said with a sigh.
"Is that why you're hiding on the balcony at your own birthday party?" you teased lightly.
"Might be a contributing factor," he replied bashfully.
You let out a laugh and then stood in silence a moment. "Okay. Well, thanks again. Good night," you said, then sharing a last thought. "Hey, what's your name?"
"Steve. And you?"
"Y/N."
"Nice to meet you, Y/N. Good night. Again, sorry."
You smiled and took the few steps to the door. Grasping the knob, you noticed it wouldn't turn. Shaking it more forcefully with the door refusing to open, it finally dawned on you. The door was locked from the inside.
"Dammit," you groaned out loud, leaning your forehead against the door.
"Something wrong?" you heard from Steve below you.
"I think I'm locked out," you said dejectedly.
"Seriously?" he asked with what sounded like genuine concern. You'd expect laughter at your expense from most people.
"Unfortunately," you sighed.
"Huh. Okay, um...I can call the landlord, he might be..."
You scoffed at that. "If he wouldn't show up in the middle of the afternoon because of a clogged sink, what makes you think he'd even respond after midnight?"
"Fair point..." Steve muttered, then letting out a sigh. "Well, I have a friend who has a particular talent for breaking in to places..."
"What? You're friends with a burglar?" you exclaimed, walking over to lean against the railing.
"No! I mean, she...no, Nat is...well, let's just say it's a hobby. No stealing. At least from what I know..." he trailed off, sounding uncertain. "Anyway, she left the party about an hour ago but I can get her to come help. Might be a little while, though."
You groaned again, resting on your arms against the railing. "I'm gonna freeze out here," you muttered against the skin of your arm. It might be July, but the air was still cooler at night and you were not exactly dressed for the outdoors.
There was a short silence. "Why don't....why don't you climb down here? There's a fire escape right there, I..."
"Are you nuts?" you cried out.
"It'll be fine! I promise. I can steady you, here..." You heard some quiet movement before you suddenly spotted a handsome face next to your feet, causing you to yelp loudly.
"What are you doing?!?"
You backed away a step but could tell that Steve was standing on the top of his own railing and now had his hands around the steel rods of your own. He looked completely steady and not the least bit concerned about his own safety. There was a wide, bright smile on his lips and with that chiseled jaw and dirty blond hair parted to the side, he really did look like a Golden Boy. God Bless America. His wide, muscular shoulders were barely visible but if they fit the rest of him, he probably could keep you safe. That is IF you went through with this crazy idea.
"Y/N...I promise, you'll be perfectly safe. Come over to this side. Please." He gestured to you with one hand casually, as if he weren't balancing on two inches of steel four stories above the concrete sidewalk.
Inching forward, you braced one hand on the wall and the other against the railing, then looking down. That was a very stupid thing to do, as it made your vision swim. You did catch sight of the fire escape against the building about a foot away from your balcony.
"Oh my god, I'm going to die in my pajamas," you muttered to yourself. "You're sure about this?" you asked louder with a quake in your voice.
"Absolutely," he assured you with a smile. "Swing one leg over the railing...that's it," Steve directed you and you followed. "I'm going to touch your leg, is that okay?" he asked respectfully.
"Y-yes," you stammered, then feeling a large, warm hand against the back of your leg just above the knee. You shivered, either from fear, the cold, or merely from his touch, you weren't sure.
"Okay, you're doing great. Other leg now..."
Focusing on Steve's calm voice and his steady touch, you found yourself standing on the opposite side of the railing, facing the door of your apartment.
"Perfect, now reach over to your right for the fire escape. I've got you," he urged gently and you grasped the closest rung of the metal ladder. "Excellent, you're doing so well, Y/N."
Coming from anyone else, his words might sound pandering or condescending but Steve kept an even tone and his steady hand calmed you. "Okay?"
"Alright. One leg on the fire escape, then the other. I'm right here, I promise." You now noticed that he had inched over to your side and would still be close by as you climbed down the fire escape.
Both feet on the ladder, you carefully began to lower yourself and only for the briefest second did Steve's hand leave you, going from your leg to the small of your back. His touch was light but firm.
"Almost there, you're doing awesome," he narrated, and as your foot reached the rung level even with where he was standing, Steve wrapped his arm around your waist. "One more step over to the railing, you got it."
Stepping to your left and touching the railing with your barefoot, Steve helped you balance as you transferred your weight. Letting go of the ladder entirely, you wrapped your arms around his waist and clung to him. Steve ducked his head into his own balcony and then jumped, bringing you down with him. You let out a quick scream as his feet hit the floor hard, but he lowered you slowly until your bare toes touched the ground.
Steve was beaming down at you, his gorgeous face now illuminated by the party's lights through the window. "See? That wasn't so bad."
Catching your breath you finally realized you were still clutching Steve tightly and his arms had remained around you, your faces only inches apart.
"Um...thank you. You're a great balcony climbing coach. Do you do that often?" you joked, reluctantly releasing your arms.
Steve laughed loudly this time and it was the most magical sound you had ever heard. "You'd be surprised, actually," he said with a grin, then explaining upon your confusion. "I'm a firefighter."
Your eyes flew wide. "Shut up. Really?"
"Yup, really," he nodded with a smile. Well, that explained the coaching, muscles, and nonexistent fear of heights.
"Wow. Well, thank you for rescuing me," you replied with a grin. "Oh, and...Happy Birthday, Steve." Tilting your head up, you pressed your lips against his cheek and lingered just a short moment before pulling back.
Steve seemed surprised by the kiss, but pleased. Maybe a little bashful. "Thank you, Y/N. Do you...want to stay? Might actually give me a good reason to attend my own birthday party," he bargained with a shrug.
Hesitating, you looked down at the pajama shorts and tank top you had chosen to wear to bed. Steve, on the other hand, was smartly dressed in a pair of jeans and a well-fitting dark blue button-up that seemed to barely contain his muscular chest and biceps. He seemed to read your mind.
"Trust me, there's no dress code. I think you look amazing," he assured you with a dusting of pink on his cheeks.
You responded with heat in your own face and a bite of your lip. "Okay, birthday boy," you agreed and took a step toward the door, but Steve held your hand in his, stopping you.
"Wait," he paused. "Could we...maybe try that kiss again?"
With an eager nod, you turned to face him. Steve placed a hand to the side of your neck with a thumb grazing the edge of your jaw. He leaned in first, but let you close the distance as your lips touched his. His mouth caressed yours gently for a moment before you were both consumed in passion, his arms pulling you close. Your hands explored his short blond strands, nails lightly scratching at his scalp producing a groan in the back of this throat. Two pairs of hands explored as the kiss deepened for several minutes. Finally gasping for air you reluctantly broke apart, reading the lust in his eyes that was most likely reflected in your own.
Any other time, there might have been the possibility of progression within that moment, but you both regretfully glanced at the apartment full of people through the window. There would be time for that, though. Perhaps when you were no longer locked out of your own apartment? For now, Steve just threaded your fingers with his and opened the door as the sound level exploded again.
The party raged on as 1am approached. Sleep? Who needs sleep? Leaning into Steve's side, you decided that this had quite possibly become the best night of your life. What a surprising turn of events, all thanks to a locked door and the timely birth of Steve Rogers.
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Ahh!! I hope that was kinda cute! Firefighter Steve is soooo swoon-worthy, right? Just a snippet of a mention, but it gives some good visuals. *heart eyes* I'd love to hear what you think, any thoughts or comments would be absolutely amazing. I adore you guys. Thank you. <3