4. The right (dance) partner
Your dance technique was far from perfect; dancing with Steve was everything though. He held you securely, one of his arms around your waist, his other hand holding yours, his body not pressed against you completely, but close enough, his eyes attentively glued to you as if no one else existed.
You felt special. You felt beautiful. You felt adored. And all of that thanks to him.
You wouldn't have even noticed another song ended if it wasn't for the large figure tapping on Steve's shoulder. He turned his head, surprised. You, on the other hand, gulped in fright. The man was huge. You had a good guess who that was. Trouble?
"Captain. May I borrow your dance partner?"
Oh, definitely trouble.
Steve gaped a bit, exchanging a puzzled look with you. He was asking whether you would allow it, you realized.
You had no clue. Then again, what was the worst thing that could happen? It could be awkward, sure, but you would try your best not to make an ass of yourself. Unlike with Mr.Stark. Let's never talk about that again.
You nodded inconspicuously and Steve sighed.
"All yours," he whispered, sounding like he didn't want to give you up at all. It warmed you up, especially in your belly. He wanted you with him. He didn't want to give you away. God bless him.
He shuffled away, catching your gaze one more time to make you were okay without him. Well, you were okay, but would be better with him.
"My lady. I am Thor Odinson of Asgard. It would be my pleasure to have this dance. May I?"
His voice was thundering as if he was a God of Thunder himself indeed, but you could tell he was trying his best not to intimidate you. Well, you could appreciate the effort, no matter how vain.
You blinked in shock when he placed his palm on his chest and gave you a tiny bow. Holy shit, Asgard – a planet, as you had learned from Steve – grew their men with extraordinary manners. Huh.
You shyly revealed you name, earning a smile from the god and a light kiss on the back of your hand; it reminded you of the second (or was it first and halfth?) meeting with Steve. Your heart skipped a beat at the memory and you realized that no matter how charming this man seemed, your heart already belonged to someone else; not that you had ever gave consent, it just... happened.
Steve had broad shoulders of which you thought could carry the weight of the world (and you had a hunch that sometimes they did), but as Thor enveloped you for a dance, you had to admit that his shoulders were as if they belonged to Atlas himself. He was so freaking huge.
"Lady mine, tell me. Do you like the feast brother Anthony prepared?"
Who the heck talked like that? Steve sometimes slipped, sounding like from an old movie, sometimes revealing Brooklyn slang from his time, but man, this was something else.
"I... yes. He... certainly put a lot of care into it," you babbled , automatically adjusting to his speech.
"Lady Potts is a great help for him in feats like these. I must say our celebrations are rather different, but I am impressed nevertheless."
"Oh. How do your celebrations look like?" you heard yourself asking, actually intrigued.
A laugh bubbled in his throat as he spun you. "You would consider them too savage, I believe."
You had no idea how to react to that. So you just hummed indecisively.
"I am certain someone has told you tonight, but you look very beautiful."
You started at him, nearly faltering in your steps that weren't even proper steps. Did he just... did he compliment you? An Asgardian? A demigod? Holy shit. Ryan was going to freak out about as much as you were freaking out at the moment.
"T-thank you," you stuttered, too taken aback to sound like a normal person.
"You're very welcome, my lady."
The rest of the dance – rather short, thankfully – was more or less silent. You had to admit you enjoyed meeting Thor and dancing with him, but there was still the fact he was... a demigod apparently and that left you a bit uneasy. You mentally sighed in relief when the song ended.
Which was a mistake. Because Tony Stark took Thor's place.
Shit.
You genuinely considered saying no when he asked for a dance; except Thor basically shoved you into Stark's arms with a grin and a nod and you couldn't quite back away. Well. You had handled your latest dentist's appointment. Couldn't be worse than pulling your teeth of wisdom, right?
"So... you have eyes on Cap?" was his first attempt at conversation and you realized you counted your chicken before they hatched. You groaned internally.
And then, your sassy side came to life as if challenged. You didn't fight it and held your head high, swallowing your nervousness.
"No, Mr.Stark. I have my eyes focused on my dance partner, which happens to be you at the moment."
You would swear his eyebrows rose and you couldn't even see it over his mask.
"You're cheeky for a chick I could get kicked out for not being invited," he noted, tilting his head to side as he was probably trying to figure you out.
You felt naked and it was not a pleasant feeling like when Steve was looking at you. Nope, sir.
"I might not be on the list, but I was invited," you opposed, ignoring the knot twisting in your stomach slowly.
Get it together, woman! You deal with people coming to your office every day! You met worse.
"By Romanoff," he stated and you couldn't hide your smirk, finding you might actually indulge in the game of a mysterious woman.
"You could say that."
"She said you weren't a spy, but now I'm doubting it. You have a great ability not to spill beans. One might call you sneaky. Maybe you're a politician," he joked, eyes still calculating.
"Or a Stark from what I heard," you shot back, horror striking you right after. Shit. Too much. "Sorry, that was out of line."
But the billionaire only scoffed, spinning you. Was that an attempt on a smile on his face? "You're trouble, miss 'Romanoff Got Me In.'"
"So I've heard."
"What you do for living?" he continued his interrogation and an exclamation sign lighted up in your head in warning.
"I tell you and you'll know who I am immediately. I know how much tech and databases you have."
You had an idea at least. After all, if Natasha wasn't lying, she had found you and identified you as Steve's soulmate thanks to one of those.
"Huh. You're smart," he... complimented you, you guessed, and you mentally yayed. Better than nothing.
"Not smart enough, given the fact that I let S- someone to convince me to come here." And meet you.
He quirked up. "So there's someone else involved."
"Maybe."
"Can't be Rogers." You nearly broke your cover right then. He sounded so sure it made you want to laugh. "Too much of a boy scout. So who-"
"The boy scout would like his dance partner back," sounded behind you and your lips automatically curled up in a smile.
"Hush, I want one more. It's not like you marked her to show off she belongs to you or something," Stark challenged, his arm tightening his grip.
Oh-oh. You couldn't see Steve, but you had a hunch he was not going to share with Stark anymore, provoked by both his attitude and words. The question was, how would he convince him to let you go? You had an idea, but...
"Actually, I did."
You spun to stare at Steve, shocked that he actually said it so openly. That you didn't see coming.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stark demanded, his gaze flickering between the two of you.
Well. You might as well adjust to Steve's play. Hell, you had already been playing a bit. You pushed the wide strap of your dress aside to reveal Steve's neat handwriting, his first words to you on your skin.
Stark immediately went to examine it – you couldn't help but quickly cover it before he could actually read it. Steve's hand appeared on your lower back, slightly turning you over to him with the lightest of pressure. Stark seemed to shocked to fight him.
"Now if you excuse us. They're playing our song."
"Thank you for the dance, Mr.Stark," you smiled over your shoulder before fully facing Steve, delighted to see him.
"Sure, whatever..."
Another slow song started and you were pulled into the only arms you wanted to be in tonight.
"Thanks for the save," you said, honestly grateful.
"Didn't look like you needed one," he stated, sounding slightly astounded.
"...sorry. Did I... was I rude? I was rude, wasn't I? Oh god-"
He leaned in with a smile, his lips catching your hair. Well that was new. A very pleasant new. You closed your eyes at the tender sensation.
"Tony needs someone to play verbal ping-pong with him. You held your ground perfectly. I'm proud of you, to be honest."
You looked up, surprised. "...really?"
"Yes. Even Natasha seemed to be amused when I told her some of your comebacks."
Your cheeks burned with that announcement. He heard? All of it? And interpreted it to Romanoff? "I thought your hearing was just a little better than average."
"Just enough to hear you," he soothed you, his hand on your waist softly caressing. "You met the most handful ones. Bruce is going to be alright and Clint... well, Natasha will make him behave. You did it, you met my friends. And you handled it just fine. You're wonderful."
Steve seemed so genuinely amazed again, as if you were the most wondrous person he had ever met. You curled closer to him, testing the waters. "I admit I was a bit intimidated... okay, a lot."
"Really? Didn't look like it at all."
"Must have been the champagne I had," you admitted with a self-depreciating chuckle. "Liquid courage and all that.... What?"
"I think you have enough courage even without having a drink. The more I know about you... the more you amaze me."
"Steve..."
His thumb hesitantly stroked the exposed skin of your cheek, the touch turning firmer yet still soft when your lips parted and your breath hitched. He was so careful with physical affection, small steps like this always taking you by surprise. But a very pleasant surprise – with how gently he treated you, you felt... precious. It was an indescribable feeling, filling you with euphoria, your heart bursting with joy. You wished to let Steve know how much you appreciated him already, but any time you tried, he just took your breath away with something even... more, making any attempt of yours look pale in comparison.
His blue eyes bored into yours, holding your gaze as if the spacious room full of people didn't exist. His thumb moved painfully slowly to your lower lip, causing you to gasp.
"I'd really like to kiss you right now. You'd mind?"
You couldn't breathe. You died. You were sure of it. His fingertip was still on your lips, sending jolts of electricity down your spine and all you wanted was him to replace it with his mouth. You nearly screamed the obvious answer to his question.
"No," you whispered instead, unable to expand your chest with air, aching with anticipation. "Wouldn't mind at all, Steve."
He leaned in with one quick movement as if he was afraid you'd change your mind. Yeah, nope. Still, he hesitated an inch from your lips, giving you the last chance to retreat. Once again, nope.
You swallowed awkwardly loudly, licked your lips and met his before he could back out, which was a real concern, because so far you had barely made it to you kissing his cheek.
His hand was still on you, cradling your jaw tenderly, his warm lips once again reluctant on yours, the lightest of touches. You closed your eyes, indulging the feeling. You didn't see stars, but you could feel them in your veins when he added a little pressure, dancing with your lips in synch. You sneaked one of your hands to his chest, feeling his rapidly beating heart under your palm. Yours wasn't any slower, but had no care in the world. Only the fact that he was reacting to you this way mattered and that his lips were still on yours, his fingers curling around your nape. Your own clutched his suit jacket in response, returning you to reality at the same time.
Suit jacket. Party. People.
You parted from his mouth, fighting for some air, but didn't let more than few inches between you. You were glad you were in his arms, because your legs got a bit wobbly and how the hell was he affecting you this much?
"Sorry," Steve rasped, voice husky. "I got a bit... carried away."
You shook your head, still out of breath, hungrily drinking in his scent as your forehead rested against his chest carefully for a second to regain your composure. Only then you retreated and opened your eyes.
"You can get carried away more often."
When you looked up, you could see the corners of his mouth raised inconspicuously. His fingers trailed down, back to your waist.
"Deal. But not where all of my friends can see."
You belly caught fire at that premise and you quickly pecked his lips once more to seal the deal.
-.-.-
"Did Rogers just make out on the dance floor?" Clint blurred out, exasperated. "You owe me an explanation, Tasha!"
"They're soulmates," Tony hummed, appearing out of nowhere, sounding smug. Natasha raised a challenging eyebrow. "You knew that too?!"
"I found her. Cool software you developed, by the way."
"I'm sorry, did you use my software to find Spangles' soulmate? How?"
"Not my place to say," she shrugged casually, but gave everyone around her – Clint, Bruce and Tony – a pointed look hinting them to leave it alone.
"He looks happy," Bruce noted instead then, earning a smile from the redhead.
"He is. She's good for him."
"You know way too much, Romanoff. So, are we meeting her, the whole team together or what?" Tony whined, glancing the direction of the lovebirds as if he wanted to march to them and demand a proper introduction right now.
Natasha rolled her eyes. "The afterparty in our small circle. The sooner you end this monstrosity, the sooner you get to meet her officially."
"Let's end it right now then," Tony decided, already making his way to the podium and Clint snorted at his behaviour.
"He hates you knew this before him. I'm surprised you didn't tell me, though..."
"It's new, Clint. And they deserve a little privacy," she explained easily, which drew a resigned sigh from the archer – an involuntary agreement.
They were interrupted by Tony taking the microphone. "Alright, kids, time to wrap it up. Old man has other duties tonight too. Enjoy the fireworks, they start in a minute. Goodnight."
"He's such a man-child," Natasha commented, rolling her eyes good-naturedly.
"Ah, come on, Tasha. Didn't you hear all men are children? Let's see the fireworks..."
Clint was already gone when she turned to follow him.
-.-.-
If you were being honest, you did notice Steve watching you instead of the fireworks, just like you didn't miss the tension in his shoulders at the loud bangs of explosions; he looked as if he was expecting an attack.
You, on the other hand, didn't expect one and it came.
One moment you felt his eyes on you and the next, Steve was kissing the living daylights of you, stealing your breath. You had no idea how long it took for the two of you to part. You spent the rest of the 'surprise' dizzy, in a strange and very pleasant haze, leaning onto his side. Maybe you were getting too cuddly, the alcohol you had playing a role, but he didn't seem to mind, his arm wrapped around your waist to keep you just where you had nestled. And to be fair, he had started it, alright.
You were beaming and had no care in the world if you looked like an idiot.
The guests left the party rather quickly after the fireworks, Stark's earlier words effective. You stood with Steve on the balcony until the room cleared, moving inside when it was only the Avengers remaining. They took off their masks (as if those had been ever working and actually disguised their identity), settling on couches standing in circle in the upper part of the room.
Steve took your hand then, smiling encouragingly, and led you to the lion's den. You weren't that afraid, to be honest. You had met most of the team anyway.
"Thanks for the party, Tony. And the fireworks," Steve nodded to his friend and the billionaire just waved it off.
"We all know it's mostly Pepper who always executes my brilliant ideas," he stated, oh so humble.
"I'm sure you can take a lot of credit, Mr.Stark. It was stunning, especially the end," you added, hoping you didn't sound as shaky as you got all of sudden.
Mr.Stark squinted, watching Steve half-amused, half-exasperated. "Well, I'd say the birthday boy seemed to find other things quite stunning during the fireworks, don't you think?"
You felt the heat colour your skin at the idea of him watching you two kissing. You didn't mind a little public displays of affection, but it was still new territory for you and Steve. He seemed embarrassed too.
"Ignore him, he's being a dick. Let's introduce officially so he can stop pretending to be offended," Natasha hummed and you smiled at her gratefully.
"Good plan. Now mask off, Sassy Queen."
"Watch it, Stark," Steve hissed at your side, stripping his mask. It calmed you, seeing his protective side. You instantly knew that he hadn't been lying when saying that it wouldn't truly matter if the Avengers didn't warm up to you immediately – he would stay with you either way.
"Fair warning, I had this on my face the whole evening and I might look like a cartoon monster..."
Doctor Banner snorted at that, causing Mr.Barton to chuckle and you realized your mistake, quickly putting the mask away.
"You look just fine," Steve assured you, smiling at you radiantly.
You took a deep breath, scanning the company. These were Steve's friends. And the Earth's mightiest heroes. No pressure. You cleared your throat, revealing your name and then took time to shake hands with each of the member of the team.
"Mr. Barton-"
"Clint. Nice to meet you," he said evenly, his grip firm but kind. He seemed genuinely pleased to meet you.
"Doctor Banner. Uhm, sorry about the inappropriate remark earlier-"
"It's Bruce. Don't worry about it."
You gave him a tight smile. "Thank you. Uhm, Mr. Stark..."
"Oh no. I'm not gonna tell you to call me Tony. You were pushing it. And you stole Capsicle's virtue-"
"Oh please, Tony. You loved her sassy mouth. Now tune it down, we don't want to scare Cap's girl away," Clint scolded him, winking at you right after. You grinned at him.
"Ouch. Betrayal. Fine, I'm Tony. Not too bad to meet you. Also, looks like someone else likes your sassy mouth."
"Tony..." Steve sighed, giving him a disappointed look and you rather moved on, nodding at Natasha.
"Natasha."
"Glad you got it right," she smirked, leaving you to the last team member. The alien one.
Suddenly, you didn't know what to do with your hands. A handshake seemed a bit inappropriate. So, intelligently, you did something that resembled an awkward curtsey. "Thor."
The king of Asgard looked impressed and you could feel Steve's eyes on you, shining; they narrowed when Thor took your hand and kissed your knuckles for the second time that evening.
"Watch it, Thor, you might get punched if you're not careful," Tony snarked, but the god just laughed.
"Oh no. I have no intention to come between brother Steven and his lady, no matter how enchanting she is. It was not visible in the crowd, but I can see the brightness of their soul bond now."
Your hand fell slackly to your side when he said the words it, your whole body frozen with shock.
"Soul bond?" Steve questioned softly, moving closer to your side, arm sneaking around your waist possessively.
"I can see with more than my eyes," he informed you. "And yours and Steven's souls are truly gravitating when near each other. Do not be alarmed at such occurrence. It is a good sign, mark of a strong and healthy binding."
"No pressure," Clint uttered, while Tony murmured "Kinky," making you blush furiously and Natasha roll her eyes.
"Alright, stop torturing the poor lovebirds," she came to your rescue then. "Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself?"
"I'm game," Clint exclaimed, falling onto a couch. "Please, tell us. Don't make us aim a bed lamp to your face..."
You giggled at his easy tone, obediently taking a seat, nestling next to Steve.
Soon, the talk moved onto different topics as well, the others actually joining the conversation, putting you at ease. Too much of an ease; after such a long evening, your eyelids started to close on their own and every time you blinked them open, it was harder to keep them that way.
"Hey, Cap, I think you're gonna have a girl in for a sleepover," someone pointed out with hushed voice, which caused you to jolt awake.
Mild laugh erupted around the room.
"Sorry," you mumbled, tongue heavy, and you climbed to your feet. You could feel Steve's hands hovering over you as you swayed. Damn your sleepy balance. "I'll go."
"Don't be ridiculous. You can have my bed. And if you don't want to, there is a spare room somewhere, right, Tony?" Steve more stated than asked, sending your heart racing. His bed?
"Well, I'm kinda tempted to say no and see where it goes if she sleeps in yours..."
Your head snapped to him in perfect sync with Steve's.
"Tony!"
You bit your cheek, unsure what to think of the horror in Steve's voice. "'s fine. I'll call a cab."
"No, you won't," Steve protested softly. "You okay with my bed?"
"Haven't seen your bed..." you pointed out, words slurring a bit. " 'Zit comfy?"
"Aww..."
"Alright, let's go," Steve swept you off your feet right into his arms, a startled yelp erupting from your chest, your hands immediately clutching his shoulders. Where had he lost the jacket? The shirt was freaking hot and the seams on it seemed to cry around his arms. It was nice. Really, really nice.
"Thanks, doll, but let's agree you tell me later," he pleaded lowly and given the fact everyone laughed, you were sure you said at least some of the praises out loud. Oh.
" 'kay. Night, guys..."
"Goodnight. Hey, I hope you're staying for tomorrow's game afternoon and movie night!" Clint cried after you, making you squint as your mind tried to remember. Had they talked about that earlier? You couldn't recall.
"Uh-huh..." you hummed indecisively, burying your head in the crook of Steve's neck as he carried you away. Jeez, he didn't look bothered by your weight at all. What a neat trick. However, you could feel his muscles shifting with each step, clenching deliciously. "You're strong."
"Yeah, that was the point of the serum," he whispered to you hair and as you giggled at his joke, your sense of balance was messed up when the both of you suddenly went down. Where did you get into an elevator?
"Good job then..."
The rest of the journey was silent and before you knew it, you were being gently lowered to soft cushions. They felt like heaven, fluffy foam of clouds, but you liked Steve's warm embrace better. You liked Steve better, period.
A kiss landed on your forehead with a silent chuckle. "I like you too."
You were suddenly warm all over. Steve liked you too. Yay! He was the sweetest and the best and he liked you! You were suddenly so sure he would like the humble gift you had got him and was still sitting in your nightstand. You should have brought it with you, but you were such a chicken about his reaction in front of everyone... now it seemed silly. Steve wouldn't be anything but thankful for you thinking about him...
"That I would, even when I told you not to buy me anything. Get some sleep, doll. I'll be right here on the couch if you need me, okay?" he coaxed, brushing your hair from your face.
Did you... say that out loud? And did he mention staying right here? Until morning?
Yeah, dummy, that's the purpose of a sleepover. You know that.
You groaned as you sobered up a bit. "I should change and remove my make-up. Promise not to scream when you see me. You have a spare toothbrush?"
"I do."
Steve lent you a pair of shorts and a t-shirt instead of a pyjama too and soon you were tucked in the covers, facing the bathroom door, waiting for him to emerge. You were painfully sleepy, but you had to resist for a while longer.
Surprise was written all over his face when he found you still awake. Also, he had no shirt. Your first thought when seeing his ridiculously perfect abs and bare arms in their whole glory was 'god bless America'. The second was never mind, even the better.
"Hey, is something wrong?" he worried and you nodded solemnly. "What is it?"
"The bed's too big," you whispered, making him frown in confusion.
"Don't know what to do about that..."
You rolled your eyes, moving to make space for him on the side closer to his perfectly baffled form. "Use your imagination, Rogers."
His mouth formed a small 'o', no sound coming out.
"Please? You're warm. And I want to cuddle. Pleeease?" you whined, not caring you probably sounded like a needy bitch.
You weren't lying. Sure, Steve wore a pair of pyjama pants and nothing to cover his torso, which, yummy, but you honesty meant no funny business. You just wanted to sleep with your sweet soulmate in reach. That was all. For now.
"You sure?"
"Very. Come here, Steve. I'll be a gentleman, promise," you swore with a tired smile, breaking into a content grin when he slipped into the covers with hushed laughter. "Thank you. And thanks for tonight. Was nice."
"Yeah," he breathed weakly, his hand finding yours.
You melted at the gesture, but you needed more. Eyes on his face to observe his reaction, you scooted closer, carefully laying your head on his chest.
God, you could die a happy woman when his arm wrapped around you. When he kissed your hair and whispered a goodnight, you contentedly closed your eyes and drifted to sleep in no time.
-----Notes:
If I ever feel like it, I might add one more chapter. (I do have a scene of Tony asking reader about Fuck-Marry-Kill with the Avengers sans Steve and her starting with "Fuck you, Tony, for such a stupid question" in my head, but other than that it would need a lot more work.)
Anyway, thank you very much for reading ♥