Somebody to you (Steve x Reader) One shot

2016, New York – Some time after the events of Civil War (SPOILERS)

Eleven hours, twenty-three minutes and forty seconds. That was how long you had been on your feet, waiting tables in the little café just a block from your apartment. You had worked since seven in the morning and were supposed to be finished more than three hours ago. If you didn’t need the money you would have left already, but the bills didn’t pay themselves and now that you were almost done with your neurology studies, you took on all the extra weekend hours you could get to safe up some money.

    You were ready to go home though, when your boss called you back in, asking you to make one final round because your colleague hadn’t come in yet. You agreed reluctantly, telling him you expected a fat Christmas bonus this year. You stumbled towards the new customer that had walked in, dragging your feet forwards, feeling the nagging pain as you walked through the café.

    “Can I get you anything?” you asked the stranger, who was hiding his face behind dark sunglasses and a baseball cap. You got your note book and pen from your pocket and looked at him in anticipation, letting a smile curl your lips.

    “If you need to go home I’d happily wait for the other waitress,” the man said kindly, obviously having heard the conversation with your boss.

    “Oh, don’t be silly,” you shook your head, “but if you haven’t decided yet I can come back in a few minutes?”

    “In that case I’d like to have a double coffee with a glass of water and a bagel.”

    “Anything with the bagel?” you asked, writing down his order and putting your note book back into your pocket.

    “No, not at the moment.”

    “Alright, your order will come right up,” you smiled to the stranger, before walking back towards the kitchen and giving your boss the paper with the order.

    You made your way towards the bar and waited until the chef had made the order before you poured in the double coffee and water the stranger had also asked for. You placed everything on a tray carefully and balanced it on one hand as you went back to the booth on the other side of the café, where the customer was patiently waiting for you to return.

    “There you go,” you said, placing everything before him and telling him he should give you a call if he needed anything else. He thanked you for the quick service and you were ready to walk away, when you tripped over your own tired feet and felt yourself heading for the ground.

    With insane reflexes the stranger caught you just before you fell on the floor. “Careful,” he said, closing his strong arms around you and pulling you up with him. “We don’t want you to hurt yourself, now do we?”

    “Thanks,” you sighed tiredly. You rubbed your eyes and let him seat you opposite of him. He handed you his glass of water and you gratefully took a sip with trembling hands. “I’ve worked all day, my feet are killing me and I–” you paused, shaking your head. “I’m so sorry. I don’t want to trouble you with my problems.”

    “Don’t be,” he smiled kindly. “We all have our off days. Are you alright?”

    You nodded. “I’m just tired, but don’t worry, nothing a night of rest can’t fix.” You took in a deep breath, knowing you still had a whole evening of studying to look forward to.

    “Make sure you do. I might not be there to catch you next time.”

    “I’d be embarrassed if you were…” you laughed softly, trying to see the stranger’s face, hoping to match it with his kind voice. “You know, you seem familiar. Have you been here before?” you asked him, curious to see how he would react and thinking you had seen him somewhere before. You didn’t recognize him, but with the sunglasses and baseball cap shadowing most of his face it was almost impossible.

    “I have, actually,” he nodded, stirring in his coffee, being surprisingly open, even though you knew he was hiding something from you – and everyone else. “I used to live a few blocks away, but I haven’t been here in quite a while.”

    “Well I wouldn’t recommend eating those bagels every day,” you smiled, nodding at the gentleman at the bar, who had come to the café day in and day out for the past twenty years. He was the sweetest guy, but had gained a few pounds over the years, “Or you’ll end up like Bobby.”

    “Stay away from the bagels,” the man laughed. “Got it.”

    “[Name]!” it suddenly sounded behind you, your boss’ voice echoing through the café. “Orders are up!”

    “That’s my cue,” you sighed, looking over your shoulder, seeing your boss waving at you frantically. “Thanks for catching me.”

    “Thank you for the talk,” the man said as you pushed yourself out of the booth. “It’s been a while since anyone has sat down to talk to me… Are you sure you’re going to be okay?”

    “I’m fine,” you nodded. “I only have… 15 minutes left,” you said, looking on your watch. “Then I think I’ve worked quite enough for one day.”

    “You think you could get me some milk and sugar in those 15 minutes?”

    “Oh, I’m sorry,” you sighed, rubbing your eyes. “Of course. And I’ll get you a new glass of water. I’ll be right back.”

    “That would be nice,” the stranger smiled, watching you as you walked away from him and towards the counter, where several orders were still waiting for you.

    “Table six and ten,” your boss said, pointing at the two hamburgers and sodas on the tray he handed you. “Are you okay?” he asked worriedly, seeing the tired expression on your face.

    “Always,” you nodded shortly, pushing yourself from the counter and letting a smile curl your lips as you walked towards the customers at the front of the café. “There you go,” you said, placing everything on the table before asking if they wanted a refill for their drinks.

    You were balancing the two left over sodas on the tray and walked towards another table, when two men in black suits entered the café. Watching them from the corner of your eyes you placed the glasses on the table beside you, smiling at the customers as they thanked you for their drinks. You put the serving tray underneath your arm and walked back towards the bar, trying to hide your confusion as the men showed the bartender their papers.

    “Excuse me,” you started, nodding at your colleague that you’d handle it. “Can I help you gentlemen?”

    “Yes,” the one on the right started. “This is agent Davis and I’m agent Miller, we’re with the CIA. Can we ask you a few questions?”

    “What’s this about?” you frowned, for a moment looking at the stranger with the sunglasses, for some reason knowing – feeling – this had something to do with him.

    “We’re looking for a fugitive. Have you seen this man?” The agent got a picture from his jacket and held it before you, looking at you in anticipation, trying to read your response.

    “You’re looking for Captain America?” you said loudly, alerting practically the whole café to whom these men were looking for. You let your eyes shift over the picture, seeing clear blue orbs stare back at you. The same that had looked back at you a few minutes before.

    “Former Captain America,” the agent corrected you, tucking the picture back into his suit. “Steve Rogers is a dangerous criminal, miss. Have you seen him?”

    “No,” you answered, putting some of the dirty glasses in the sink. “Captain Rogers hasn’t been here for a while.”

    “Are you sure?” the other agent asked, keeping his eyes on you as started cleaning the counter, not paying any attention to their impatience.

    “Yes, now if you would excuse me, I’ve got customers to attend to.”

    “Here is our card,” the agent said, his jaw tensing as he spoke the words. He handed you a business card from the CIA and motioned his colleague to leave. “Call us if you see him.”

    “Sure,” you nodded, taking the card from his hands and walking with them as they made their way outside again. You watched them cross the street and went back towards the bar when they had disappeared from view. You wanted to ask the stranger what was going on, but as you turned around towards the booth in the back of the café, you realized the man had disappeared, leaving his coffee and bagel untouched.

    “What was that about?” your boss asked, frowning at you as he placed more orders on the counter for you to bring out. “What did they want?”

    “Nothing,” you lied, wondering if the stranger with the baseball cap and sunglasses could have been the Captain himself. You walked up to your boss and got the plates with food from the counter, balancing them on your hands. “They were looking for someone. Don’t worry. I handled it.”

    “Good. Joanne said she’d be here in five so after you finish table four and eleven, you can go home. You’ve already done enough today.”

    “Thanks, Frank,” you smiled, taking the plates towards the right tables and handing everyone their food. You cleaned some of the others and collected all the dirty dishes, walking past the booths, realizing the stranger had left you a big tip, even though he hadn’t touched any of the things he had ordered. You quickly tucked it into your pocket and made your way towards the back, putting the dirty plates into the dishwasher, just when your colleague entered the café.

    She apologized to you at least ten times, saying the baby wouldn’t stop crying and that she had to wait for her mother to come over because the babysitter had cancelled. You only listened to half of what she was said, telling her it was all good, but that you really wanted to go home.

    After handing your work over to her, you could finally go home, though your mind was still with the stranger and the CIA agents who had come looking for the Captain. You were lost in thought, dragging yourself home, when you noticed someone following you from the shadows.

    “Thanks for the tip,” you said, knowing it was probably the mysterious man. “You didn’t have to do that.”

    “Maybe, but I wanted to thank you for warning me about the CIA,” it sounded beside you and the man – Steve Rogers – appeared from the shadows, his hands tucked in his pockets. “How did you know it was me?”

    “I didn’t… Not for sure anyway, but you said you’d been to the café before and I never forget an order. Double coffee with a glass of water and a bagel. That and the disguise. Who wears sunglasses indoors?”

    The super soldier snorted, shaking his head. “And I thought it might have been something I said.”

    You smiled. “Don’t blame yourself. I’m quite observant. I don’t think anyone else suspected a thing… What are you even doing here?” you frowned. “Half the country is looking for you.”

    “Brooklyn is my home,” he sighed, “and I needed to make sure my friends are okay. A lot has happened these past few months. I just wanted to see how everyone was doing.”

    You nodded, understanding why he would want to check up on his friends. “What happened?” you decided to ask him, being more than a little curious to what had happened to the once great Avengers. “I mean, I’ve heard some things on the news, but I doubt any of the channels knows the truth.”

    “It’s difficult to explain. I don’t expect you to understand.”

    “Try me.”

    The super soldier sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I guess we trusted each other less than we thought… Less than we should have. We all made mistakes… Big mistakes. I can’t take back what happened, but we’ll be fine. It might take some time, but we’ll be alright.”

    “Are you?”

    “What do you mean?”

    “Alright?” you asked seriously, letting your eyes shift over his face. “I can’t be easy being seen as a criminal all of a sudden, with the CIA looking for you.”

    “I’m fine,” he smiled shortly. “It’s an adjustment, but just being Steve Rogers isn’t that bad. It’s been a while.”

    “Well, it’s nice to meet you, Steve,” you smiled back. “After all those years I think you owed me a proper introduction, but I guess this will do.”

    Steve laughed softly and shook his head. “[Name], right?” he asked and you nodded. “It’s nice to meet you too.”

    You shortly shook hands and stopped before a large apartment building on the end of the street. “This is me,” you said, pointing up. “It isn’t much, but home is home, right?”

    ‘Right…” the super soldier said distantly, looking up at the building, seeming somewhat disappointed you’d be leaving him already.

    “Where are you staying tonight?” you asked, knowing he probably had nowhere to go and wanted to spend as much time with you as possible before he would have to find a bed for the night somewhere on the street.

    “With a friend,” he answered quickly, swallowing hard.

    You looked at him suspiciously and smiled. “You might be a lot of things, Steve, but you’re not a very good liar.”

    He sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “I used to think that was a good quality.”

    “It is. You’re a good guy. What happened in Sokovia and Lagos didn’t change that… Now I’ll ask again: where are you staying tonight?”

    “Thank you,” Steve nodded, “but you’ve already done enough, I can’t ask you to–”

    “It’s not asking if I insist,” you interrupted him, gesturing him to enter your apartment complex and stay with you, at least for tonight. “My apartment isn’t big, but I have a pretty soft sofa you can sleep on.”

    “I don’t want to be a burden…”

    “You’re not. Come on,” you motioned him, a smile curling your lips. “I have meatloaf…”

    He took in a deep breath, nodding slowly. “Okay, but only for tonight. I don’t want you to get caught up in all of this.”

    “Don’t worry, I won’t and otherwise… I’m quite resourceful.”

    Steve snorted and shook his head. “Somehow I don’t doubt that.”

    He followed you as you made your way up the stairs and towards the third floor. It was an old apartment complex, mostly occupied by older people. You were certain it hadn’t been redecorated in at least fifty years, but as you had said before: home was home. You were glad though that in just a few months you’d be done with your studies and could start looking for a real job at a university somewhere as a behavioural neurologist and get a real house.

    “Welcome to my humble home,” you said, opening the door to your apartment and letting Steve in, hoping you had cleaned the mess you had made of the kitchen while making meatloaf the other day.

    “It’s nice,” he said, though you didn’t know if he was being honest or just being kind.

    “Thanks,” you replied anyway, pointing into your apartment. “Living room, kitchen, bathroom and bedroom,” you said, showing him where everything was. “My grandmother used to live here until she died, so sorry for the old people smell.”

    “That’s okay. I’m used to it. I’m old myself.”

    You laughed softly. “Well, you know what they say?”

    “What?”

    “I don’t know… I thought you might. Can I get you anything to drink?”

    “I’m afraid I don’t,” the super soldier snorted. “Anything you have open is fine.”

    You nodded, walking into the kitchen and pouring yourself and Steve something to drink. You already placed the meatloaf in the oven and brought the super soldier his drink, telling him you’d take a quick shower before dinner. He in turn told you he’d be fine on his own and would watch some TV and make sure the meatloaf didn’t burn.

    Even though you were sure he would be fine on his own you still made sure you were done within ten minutes. When you walked back into the living room, you could see him roaming through your apartment, picking up picture frames and other trumpery scattered across your home that told him a bit more about you.

    “I didn’t know anyone still listened to those,” he said, holding up your collection of old records with jazz music.

    “They belonged to my grandmother,” you smiled. “I couldn’t throw them away. They’re actually quite nice.”

    He nodded, carefully placing them back in the cabinet and turning to you. “I noticed there aren’t any pictures of you and your family. Only of your grandmother.”

    “She was my family.”

    “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to–”

    “It’s okay,” you shrugged it off, walking into the kitchen and getting the meatloaf out of the oven. “I never knew my parents. They died in a car crash when I was three. My grandmother raised me.”

     “That must have been hard.”

    “Not any harder than it was for you.”

    A small smile curled the super soldiers lips and he nodded shortly. “I suppose.”

    “Let’s talk about that another time. Hungry?”

    The rest of the night you spend enjoying the meatloaf, drinking wine and talking with Steve about some more light-hearted things. You told him about your studies and your dreams and he told you about his time within S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers. He even told you about Peggy and how much being Captain America had changed his life. It wasn’t until your alarm to go to sleep went off that you realized how late it had already become.

    “I have an early day tomorrow,” you started, stretching your arms and supressing a yawn. “I’d love to stay up and talk to you, but I really need to get some sleep. I don’t think I can handle another day of work otherwise.”

    “Of course,” Steve nodded, pushing himself from the sofa as you did. “I don’t want you to fall again.”

    You smiled. “I’ll try not to… Goodnight, Steve,” you whispered, walking towards your bedroom. You watched the super soldier fall back on the couch and snuggle up underneath the blanket you had given him before clicking off the light in the living room.

    “Goodnight, [Name],” it sounded in the distance as you made your way into your bed. “Thank you for everything.”

    A warm feeling nested in your stomach and you couldn’t help but feel happy, knowing Captain America was peacefully sleeping on your sofa. He was safe here and you couldn’t wait to tell him in the morning that you wouldn’t mind having him stay with you longer. Things would surely blow over and if they did he could return to a normal life. He might never be Captain America again, but he was still Steve Rogers and you thought that Steve was pretty great just being himself.

    When you awoke the next morning though, he was gone. He had left you a small note, thanking you for helping him out and talking with him. He realized not many people would have taken him in like you had and he was grateful for your kindness. He even hoped you’d see each other again and as you put away the piece of paper, feeling a sadness spread through your body, you could only hope the same.

Several days later

 “Go home, [Name],” your boss told you.

    You had already worked for longer than you were supposed to and were exhausted, dragging your feet forward as you made your way towards the back and pulled off your apron, nodding at his words.

    “See you next week, Frank,” you said tiredly, clocking out and getting your bag, before pushing open the door towards the alley. You waved your goodbye and tucked your hands into your pockets, making your way towards the street and following your usual route home.

    It had been several days since you had met Steve and he hadn’t been off your mind. And not only because you had fallen for his gentleman like charms. You were worried the CIA agents had found him and had put him in jail for the crimes they thought he had committed. He had said he hoped to see you again, but right now you didn’t know any more if he really did or had just been kind.

    Searching for your keys you walked into your apartment complex and climbed the stairs slowly, feeling the fatigue in your muscles each time you took a step. You were looking forward to a quiet night on the couch with some wine and a good book, when you realized you still hadn’t started studying for the tests that were coming up soon. You sighed, pushing yourself over the last step and making your way towards your door.

    "Excuse me, miss [Last Name]? Might we have a word?" it suddenly sounded behind you.

    As you turned around, your keys already in your hands you saw the two CIA agents you had met earlier this week coming up the stairs. You weren’t really surprised to see them, but you hadn’t expected them to be so bolt and follow you to your apartment.

    “How do you know my name?” you asked, confusion frowning your brow, not recalling giving them your name.

    “We’re with the CIA, miss [Last Name]. We know everything.”

    “What are you doing here? I already told you. I haven't seen Steve Rogers in a long time.”

    “We're just checking up on some leads. Mind if we come in?”

    “I do actually,” you said, letting your gaze pass between the two agents, realizing they looked awfully sketchy for agents of the government. “What division were you with again?” you asked, slowly making your way towards your apartment. “Can I see your papers?”

    “We don't have time for this,” one told the other. “We know you helped him, miss [Last Name]. Where is he?”

    “I don’t know what you’re talking about…” you swallowed hard, seeing the glimmer of a gun as one of them moved his jacket back. You took in a deep breath and started running towards your apartment, having your keys ready, knowing they wouldn’t ask you nicely again.

    Before you could even reach the door, however, you were slammed to the ground. You felt your feet disappear from underneath you and your head was slammed against the ground hard. You were still dazed, tasting the lingering blood in your mouth, when one of the agents turned you on your back and pulled you towards him. You tried to hold on to the floor, your nails scraping the wood as you were dragged back, but within seconds you were pinned to the floor. You struggled to keep your hands free, panting heavily and groaning as one of the them seated himself on your legs. He slammed your hands against the floor, preventing you from moving.

    “Who are you?” you cried out, still trying to break free from the man’s iron grasp. “What do you want?”

    “That's nothing you need to concern yourself with, sweetheart. Now tell us: where's the Captain?”

    “You're not really CIA, are you?” you panted, feeling your muscles ache from your continuing efforts to push the man off you. “I don't know where he is, and even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn't tell you.”

    Suddenly a burning pain nested in your cheek and it took you a few moments to realize one of the agents had hit you.

    “We’ve got a feisty one on our hands, Rob,” the agent on top of you laughed. “This might become an interesting job after all.”

    “Help!” you yelled, before they turned their attention to you again. “He–” A hand was pushed over your mouth preventing any words from coming out.

    “Play nice,” the agent said, “or this will end badly for you… Now, I’ll ask again: where’s the Captain?” He slowly removed his hand from your face and furrowed his brow, waiting for you to tell him where to find Steve.

    “Behind you,” you panted, looking at the man angrily.

    “What?”

    Before he could say anything else a large thud echoed through your head and you felt the weight of the man shifting off you.

    “[Name], run!” you heard Steve yell as he threw the fire extinguisher away, engaging in hand to hand combat with the agent named Rob, while the other groaned loudly, holding his hand against the back of his head.

    You quickly pushed yourself backwards and picked yourself from the ground, looking for the keys you had dropped just a few minutes before. Your heart beat violently in your chest as you tried to get the door to open, your hands trembling, watching Steve take a swing at the agent still left standing. The agent quickly moved out of the way and you realized these weren’t normal agents. They were highly trained and were going to make the super soldier work for it.

    “Take the girl,” Rob told his colleague, as the other agent pushed himself from the floor once he had regained his composure after Steve had hit him across the head with a fire extinguisher.

    “Oh no you don’t,” Steve said, catching Rob’s fist in the palm of his hand and turning the man’s arm around, making him cry out in pain, before slamming his elbow in his stomach and throwing him over his shoulder. Steve took in a deep breath and quickly ducked when the other agent came for him instead of you.

    “Look out!” you yelled, when Rob had pushed himself from the floor and locked his arm around Steve’s throat.

    The super soldier was too late to respond and was pulled back, the agent trying to choke him while his colleague slammed his fist into Steve’s stomach repeatedly. You took in a shaky breath, watching him get beaten up for you, his groans filling your ears as he tried to get the agents away from him.

    “Let him go,” you heard yourself say once you had finally managed to open your apartment, but instead found yourself running Steve’s way and jumping onto the back of the man that was beating him roughly.

    “What the–” the agent started as you slammed your elbow into his head, making him turn away from Steve, trying to get you off his back.

    From the corner of your eyes you could see Steve breaking free from Rob’s grasp. A small smile curled your lips while the man you were fighting – or at least trying to – walked backwards, getting your arms from his face and slamming you against the wall hard. You groaned, sliding down to the ground and hearing Steve call out your name as the agent got your hair in his hands and swung his fist your way, hitting you against the jaw, nearly knocking you unconscious.

    As you tried to push yourself from the ground again, you could see Steve bud his head against the nose of the other agent, sending them both staggering backwards towards the staircase. You watched them as they fell, rolling down stairs together; cries of pain echoing through the building.

    “Rob, are you okay?” the other agent yelled down, rushing towards the balustrade and leaning over.

    You swallowed hard, letting your gaze pass through the hallway, seeing the fire extinguisher just several feet away from you. You silently pushed yourself up and reached for the extinguisher, lifting it up and bringing it towards the agent. You slammed the heavy object against the back of his head, making him lose his balance and fall over the balustrade. He fell down several sets of stairs, until he reached the main floor and remained motionless, a loud groan escaping his throat. It was silent for quite a while, until someone dragged away his body and Steve came running up the steps, looking at you seriously.

    “Did you just–” he started, a surprise frowning his brow, seeing you standing near the balustrade, the fire extinguisher still in your hands.

    “You’re bleeding,” you said, ignoring his question and dropping the extinguisher, before walking his way, caressing his forehead, seeing the blood drip down his temple. “Are you okay?”

    “I’m fine,” he said, resting his hands on your arms, letting his eyes shift over your face. “Are you?”

    You nodded. “Yes… I think so. Who were those men? What did they want?”

    “If I had to guess… Hydra. They’ve been looking for the Winter Soldier ever since he disappeared. They’re trying to get to him through me.”

    “And they’re using me to get to you,” you swallowed hard, realizing your kind act of a few days ago would change the rest of your life. You sighed. “I’m not safe here anymore, am I?”

    Steve took in a deep breath and shook his head. “I’m sorry. I doubt they will leave it at this. They’ll be back... This is exactly what I didn’t want to happen,” he rubbed his eyes, a thoughtful frown covering his face as he thought how he could fix this and get you to safety. “I should have known better.”

    “What do we do now?”

    Steve looked up at the word ‘we’ and a sad smile curled his lips. “I have to get you out of this mess. Get you somewhere safe,” he said, seemingly lost in thought and walking into your apartment, looking for something he had seen earlier when he had stayed the night. He pulled some of your study books from your cabinets and placed them side by side on your coffee table. He pointed at them and looked back at you. “This is what you’re studying?”

    “Yes,” you frowned, wondering where he was going with this. If you couldn’t stay in New York there was no way you could finish getting your degree. “Specializing in behavioural neurobiology.”

    The super soldier nodded, rubbing his chin. “Are you any good?”

    You snorted. “What? I–I mean, yes, top of my class.”

    “I have an idea. Wait here.”

    You watched Steve as he walked away from you and got a phone from his pocket, dialling a number. You had no idea what this was all about, but you silently collected your books and placed them back into the cabinets, letting your fingers caress all the bindings. For as long as you could remember this house had been your home. You had loved and lost here and now that it was finally time to leave, you didn’t know if you could.

    “T’Challa,” it sounded from the kitchen. “I need another favour…”

Several hours later

“We have the best research facility in the world,” the king of Wakanda told you, leading you through the large lab in the middle of the jungle.

    You nodded, seeing the high-tech equipment that was literally everywhere. You had never seen such a well-designed and equipped lab and you couldn’t help but feel excited to even be there.

    “We will make all the arrangements for your transfer to the University of Wakanda and I will see to it myself that you get everything you need to do your research. We have a few neurologists ourselves, but none are quite as specialized in behavioural neurobiology as you are. I am sure you will make great progress with the Winter Soldier.”

    “Thank you so much, your majesty,” you said, bowing to him slightly. “I really don’t know what to say.”

    “Then say nothing. A friend of the Captain is a friend of Wakanda. Enkosi,” he said, smiling at you. “Thank you. But please, call me T’Challa.”

    “Of course. Thank you again. I will start my work right away.”

    “Research can wait. You need to rest. W’Kabi will be here shortly and shall see you to your room. Uhambe,” he nodded at you, leaving you alone to explore the lab further until you would be led to your room. “Goodbye.”

    “Uhambe,” you repeated, waiting until he had left the lab, before you started to look around and nose into some of the research papers that were scattered across the empty lab. Most of the researchers had already gone home or retreated to their room, giving you free access to everything.

    You were still reading some of the work, when a large, broad-shouldered man stepped silently beside you, starling you with his sudden presence.

    “Molo Kunjani,” the man said, laying his hand on his chest and nodding at you shortly. “Good evening, miss [Last Name]. Siya namkela nonke. My name is W’Kabi. If you will follow me, I shall show you your room.”

    “Nice to meet you W’Kabi,” you smiled, following him out of the lab as he gestured you should follow his lead. “It’s beautiful here,” you continued, looking outside the large windows and seeing the foggy jungle way below you and the large black panther statue in the distance.

    “Ewe,” the tall Wakandan nodded. “We hope you will feel as at home in Wakanda as we do and will learn to love it.”

    “Enkosi,” you replied hesitanltly, thinking you were thanking him in his native language.

    “You learn fast, miss [Last Name]. You will do good here.”

    You nodded, feeling good about yourself, letting your gaze pass through the hallway, seeing Steve standing at the end, talking to someone on the phone. “Can you give me a moment?” you asked W’Kabi, already walking up to Steve, without waiting for him to agree.

    Steve quickly hung up the phone when you neared him and let a smile curl his lips. “Seems like you’re blending in well,” he said, tucking his phone back into his pocket.

    You smiled. “I try… You’re leaving, aren’t you?”

    “Not right away, but.. Yes. There are some things I need to take care of that I can’t do from here. I don’t want to leave you here alone, but I think you’ll be fine.”

    “Of course I will. I’ll try to make you proud.”

    Steve smiled, evading his eyes from you, looking down at his hands. “You already have… I’m sorry you got caught up in my problems.”

    “Don’t be,” you said seriously, laying your hand against his arm. “This is all I ever wanted. I can do good here. Thank you.”

    “For what?”

    “Trusting me. I know you care a lot about Bucky. I might just be a simple waitress – a nobody – but I’ll do everything I can to get him back to you.”

    “I know,” Steve nodded, slowly looking back at you, letting his eyes shift over your face, “and you’re not a nobody, [Name],” he continued, letting his hand rest on your cheek and slowly taking you into his arms.

    Soon a soft kiss found your lips and you let out a shaky breath, feeling his lips press against your own. His hand moved through your hair to the back of your head and pulled you further into the kiss, your own hands resting on his chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat.

    You smiled, brushing your lips against his. “And here I was thinking you’d never kiss me, Captain.”

    “I’m not a Captain anymore.”

    “Neither am I a waitress…”

    Steve laughed softly, pulling you into his embrace. He took in your scent and buried his face in your hair. “Thank you.”

    “For what?” you whispered, repeating his own words and feeling his hot breath in your hair, warming up your whole body and making you feel like you had finally found your forever home. With Steve.

    “For being somebody… to me.”


THE END!