"Stay down, I said!" The man struggled beneath you, the hold you had on him slipping just a bit as he thrashed his arms and legs. You held your knee firmly on his back, putting pressure on his upper spine, hoping to at least weaken his arms a bit. "Trying to escape is pretty pointless now, don't ya think?

"Screw you, lady!"

You laughed at him, pouring salt into the wound to his ego. "Don't be bitter just because a girl kicked your ass. No worries, I won't be here when the police show up." You pulled the final zip tie tight around his ankles and ran into the darkness as the sounds of sirens grew nearer.

When you reached your apartment and quietly slipped in through your bedroom window so your neighbors wouldn't see, you felt your phone vibrate from inside your suit. With a quick glance at the clock, you winced and squeezed your eyes shut as you remembered you were supposed to meet your boyfriend 30 minutes ago.

Hey, where are you?

Sorry, babe. Just getting out of karate class. Running late.

K. How long?

I'll be there in 15.

Pulling your suit off as quickly as you could, you threw it haphazardly across your bed, your weapons falling out of it and across the floor. There was no time to worry about that right now; Foggy was waiting and you had no intention of making him wait any longer. With a fast check in the mirror for any scrapes or bruises, you grabbed your keys and ran out the door and slammed it behind you.

"(Y/N). What do you think you're doing?"

The man's appearance in front of you startled you so much that your instincts took over. Your purse flung around his neck, and as you grabbed the other side you pulled him to the ground and dug the heel of your shoe into his back.

"That wasn't quite the answer I was looking for." He grabbed your leg and flipped you backwards, but rather than landing on the dirty and broken wooden floor, you compensated and landed square on your feet. The same heel that was just pressing against his spine moments ago raised to land a kick to the center of his chest. It flung him down the stairs, with his landing sending a resounding thud through the lobby.

As you walked down the stairs towards him, you felt something familiar. He looked liked he was knocked out, but you couldn't be too careful. When you reached him you gave him a swift kick to his side, but there was no movement in reply. Looking around the lobby to be sure you were alone, you reached for his mask to get a glimpse of who this guy might be.

His hand shot up suddenly, grabbing your wrist solidly enough to flip you onto your back. Your legs pushed up against his chest when he stood above you, thrusting him back against the stairs. "Who the hell are you?" you panted, "what do you want?"

The man paused, slowly raising his hands to his face. You anxiously awaited his reveal, poised to resume the fight at any moment. When he pulled it away you gasped, covering your mouth and stumbling back against the wall.

"Matt?"

"(Y/N), I need you to stop."

He knew. But you didn't know how much he knew. You tried to sway the conversation towards him. "You're Daredevil? You, Matt? Blind Matt?"

"Well," he scoffed, "I prefer just to be called 'Matt', but if we need to label it..."

"You know what I mean." You glanced down at your watch, now having only six minutes to reach your date. "Matt, I have to meet Foggy. Can we discuss this later?" You began to back away and towards the front door, but he grabbed your arm. "You need to stop. You're going to get yourself killed, and what do you think that will do to him? Have you thought of that?"

To hell with the time; if we wanted this conversation, then he's got it. "Sounds a little self-righteous for a man standing here in a superhero costume, don't you think? I don't think you're qualified to give me your opinion here."

"He already knows about me."

Well that just shot your argument right out of the water. You shook it off, trying to not seem as shocked as you were feeling. "Then I'll tell him...eventually."

Matt pulled his mask back over his face, moving towards the door but stopping next to you to deliver a warning. "You tell him tonight, or I will."

~~~

Dinner was completely awkward after having fought with Matt as violently as you just did. Your focus was so divided that you had completely missed everything that Foggy had said over the past ten minutes.

"Are you even listening to me? I mean, I know you aren't with me for my witty repartee, but you can have the body soon enough, trust me." He winked and smirked, hoping the humor would pull you back from wherever your mind had gone to.

"I'm sorry, what?" your head snapped up from staring at your plate. You had pushed all of your food around so many times that it was just a piled up mess now. When you made eye contact, the guilt overwhelmed you. "I'm sorry, honey. I've just had a really long day."

"You okay?"

"Yeah," you sighed, "I just...I think there's something we need to talk about." If he was going to find out, it had to be from you if there would be any chance to salvage this relationship. If Matt told him, it would be over for sure. You took a long drink of wine, setting your glass down with a shaky hand.

"I'm not in karate class."

He laughed a bit, his face showed his relief. "Oh, okay. Well...um...good? Not for you after all?"

"I don't need karate class, Fog."

"Sure?" He looked around the room a bit, clearly waiting for the punch line to drop. "Is that what was so important to tell me?"

You took a final drink of the rest of your wine, setting the glass so firmly on the table that the stem broke in half. Before he could jump up to respond to the shock of what happened, you blurted it out.

"Foggy, I spend most of my nights as a vigilante, protecting China Town and Little Italy. I have an 8th degree black belt and am trained to kill in more ways than I care to share with you right now. The people who live there call me the Shadow because no one has ever seen me, and they never will." You paused to take a breath and look at him. His face was as pale as you had ever seen. "And...Matt knows."

"Are you fucking kidding me right now?!" He slammed his fists against the table, shaking it violently until several plates hit the floor. He stood up with a stance over you that made you consider all of the ways you could incapacitate him without hurting him in the event that he made a move.

"Please, calm down." You were in a public place and worried that he would out you, or at the very least get removed from the restaurant. "Foggy, please sit down."

He looked around the room and saw everyone staring in your direction. He relaxed his shoulders a bit and straightened his shirt before he quietly sat down. It was an eternity before he spoke again; he just sat there, staring at his plate without any motion towards you.

"You know, it took a long time for me to come to terms with Matt being out there." He spoke in a low and hushed tone, his voice shaking just a bit. "I worried that he was going to get himself killed, get arrested, whatever. You know what the worst part of it was though?"

"What?" you whispered.

He finally looked up at you, tears in his eyes now. "It was that he hid it from me for so long. He didn't trust me with it. I've been best friends with Matt since college, (Y/N), and you know what? When I found out about him, that didn't even hurt as bad as this."

He stood again, ignoring your pleas to stay and talk about it. He never once looked back at you before he threw the doors open and disappeared. You were as sad and angry as you had ever been; you pulled your phone out to confront Matt about what he had just caused.

"I hope you're happy. He left."

"He'll come back. Give him time."

"Right." You pulled cash from your purse and threw it on the table, frustrated at the outcome of the ruined evening. "Tell you what, Murdock. Meet me on the roof of your building in 20 minutes. Let's talk this over."

Part 2

After stopping at your apartment to change into something more comfortable and more appropriate to kick your friend's ass, you hurried to meet Matt. Climbing up to the roof of his building, you surveyed the layout in case you needed to make a fast escape. Not that you would need to escape Matt; you knew you could hold your own, but more so if anyone heard or spotted you.

"Is this an attempt to change my mind, (Y/N)?"

Matt was immediately standing behind you, and his words were the first thing to alert you. "You're good, Matt. I didn't hear a thing." You didn't turn to face him, but rather stood still in place until he decided to make a move. The tone of the meeting hadn't been set yet, but you were ready for any option that he might choose.

"Foggy called me. He sounded really mad, but he'll come around. As long as you stop what you're doing."

"This is the last time that I'm going to say this Matt," you looked down at your hands, pulling your gloves a bit tighter, "you will stay out of it. This is for Foggy and I to work out, not you. You need to stand down."

He was just dumb enough to take a step towards you, thinking that with your back turned to him it meant that you wouldn't suddenly spin around and thrust your hand to his throat, then swing your legs to knock him off his footing. He also didn't expect you to grab his feet and flip him onto his stomach so that you could sit on his back and pull his arms behind him until he was unable to move.

"I didn't come up here to fight you, (Y/N)."

"Well that plan backfired, didn't it?" You reluctantly released his arms and stood next to him. He was slow and deliberate when he finally lifted himself from the surface of the roof. "So, if I refuse to stop, what are you gonna do? You can't threaten me with telling Foggy anymore, and I know you won't go to the police because I could easily turn those tables on you."

"Both true," he nodded, "so that leaves only one choice. I'll move into your territory and make you quickly forgotten. No one will need you, no one will remember you, and no one will ask any questions."

"You wouldn't dare." Matt slowly moved towards you and stood close enough for you to feel his breath on you. You held your ground firmly despite the contact.

"Do you really want to find out, (Y/N)?"

~~~

It was midnight before you made it back to your apartment and found the shine of a light coming from beneath your door. You were certain that you hadn't left any lights on, and you saw Matt retreat back into his own place when you left him a few minutes ago. You approached the door quietly and pressed your ear against it to listen for any signs that someone was in there. When you heard your refrigerator door slam shut followed by a low curse aimed at no one, you knew exactly who it was.

Opening the door quietly, you cringed when you couldn't be completely silent as the door hinges creaked with the motion. "Fog, you here?"

"Were you expecting someone else?" You stepped into the living room to see empty beer bottles strewn across the room, and turned to see more in the kitchen as he stood with a new bottle ready to open. "Where did you go, (Y/N)? Off fighting crime again? Do you need to kick someone's ass to stay happy, since I'm obviously not enough to do that on my own?" He slammed the top of the bottle on the edge of the countertop, flipping the lid off to spin across and into the garbage below.

"Yeah, I went to kick Matt's ass."

Foggy pulled the bottle from his lips, nearly choking on the liquid as he jolted at your statement. "You didn't! Is he okay? Are you okay?"

"We're both fine, okay?" You threw your keys weakly on the table next to the door, kicking off your shoes and moving to throw yourself onto the couch. "He wouldn't fight."

"Good."

"But he threatened me, trying to make me stop."

"Good."

"Excuse me?" You turned to look at him, but he was making his way to the door to leave. "Wait, you're leaving already? Why did you come over if you're gonna leave as soon as I show up?"

He stopped at the door and put his hand up on the wall to support himself as he found his words in his alcohol-hazy brain. "(Y/N), I don't know what to say to you. I thought I did. I had this whole speech prepared about how I should be okay with this; how everyone I know is turning out to be a vigilante and it should be really freaking cool, right? But it's not."

"Okay..." you stood to walk over to him, but as you came closer he glanced at you and swung the door open. "Foggy, please, talk to me."

"I can't be here to watch you get hurt. Or worse." He finally turned around fully to face you, but the look on his face completely crushed you. "I saw Matt get hurt, and it was terrible. If I saw it happen to you...I just...I can't watch someone that I love put themselves in that situation."

He had never said that before. He had never said he loved you until this moment; this moment when he was telling you that he couldn't be a part of this life you were leading. Was it his way of giving you an ultimatum, like Matt had? Had they talked and joined their efforts? No, Foggy wouldn't use that against you. Would he?

"You love me, Foggy?"

He sighed loudly and threw his hands up in the air, "I thought that was pretty damn obvious, (Y/N)! God, I'm a shitty boyfriend if you didn't know that!" He laughed a bit at the revelation, but it was an empty sound. "I love you enough to tell you that I want you to stop, but also enough to say that if you don't, I will let you go. I won't force you to do something you don't want to do." He reached for the door and took a step out, but stopped to look back at you.

"I just want you to live the life you want, (Y/N). So I need you to decide what that is."

~~~

After Foggy left you couldn't sleep, so you climbed up onto your roof to listen to the city around you. Sometimes the noises and lights of the night sky had a calming effect, and you had spend many nights allowing them to lull you to sleep. Leaning back onto one of your couch cushions, you curled yourself into your blanket and looked out across the skyline.

Your eyes were finally growing heavy and your body became more and more relaxed. It wasn't until right before sleep took hold that you were startled awake by a commotion on the street below. You jumped out of your warm cocoon and looked over the ledge to see a man assaulting a woman only one block away. You didn't have any of your gear and no way to cover your face, but it didn't matter.

You jumped to the fire escape and ran down as quickly as you could. You sat just above him for a few seconds to study his movements and to learn how he would react when confronted. When you were confident that you could win, you leapt down onto this back and knocked him to the ground. "Tell me, asshole, are you ready to get taken down by a girl?" You nodded at the woman to run, and she readily complied.

He didn't speak, he only jumped up and lunged forward at you, grabbing your throat and pulling your hair with his other hand. You easily broke his grip on your neck, the shock and pain of your strike surprising him enough to loosen his hold on your hair. Your hand struck out and up into his nose, quickly breaking it, with blood freely flowing down his face now.

"You bitch, you broke my nose!" He pulled out a knife from his boot and began to swing it wildly at you, making it hard for you to anticipate and get it away from him. You reached forward when you thought you saw an opportunity, but miscalculated and pulled back with a severe gash cut across the palm of your hand.

You recoiled and pulled your hand away. He lunged forward at you again as you backed away, already growing a bit lightheaded from the amount of blood running from your injury. He lunged again when he saw you struggle and sliced another large gash across your chest, ripping a large hole in your shirt. You stumbled back until you were pushed against a brick wall with no escape.

"Well, sweetheart, I'm still waiting for that ass-kicking," he growled.

"I have it right here."

A man's voice came from behind the assailant, but you didn't recognize it. When the attacker turned to see who it was, he was picked up by his throat and thrown down the alleyway, hitting a back wall and sliding to the ground. The new man kept after him, straddling the attacker and punching him soundly until he was clearly unconscious.

Your head was feeling heavy and spots began to cloud your vision. You quickly sat down to gather your equilibrium but it didn't help. Looking down you could see your shirt and pants covered in your own blood from the two large wounds you had sustained.

The new man moved to you and knelt down at your side, "Hey, lay down. You've lost a lot of blood. I'm gonna get you help. What's your name?"

"(Y/N)," you said weakly.

"Hello, (Y/N). I'm Steve. Steve Rogers."

Part 3

Steve was wrapping a bandage around your hand after the doctor completed his stitches in your hand, now moving on to the gash across your chest. "So tell me, what were you doing alone in an alleyway so late at night? It's not safe for a lady to be alone in the city like that."

You grimaced at the pain of the numbing injection, jumping only slightly at the stick of the needle over and over in each area. "Damn, doc. That hurts more than if you just stitched it straight away."

"Sorry," the doctor named Bruce Banner said, and you felt that he was really feeling apologetic rather than just trying to placate you. "I can if you prefer, but this will take a while and might hurt more than you think."

"Just do what he says, (Y/N). The sooner he's done, the sooner we can get you home. I'll walk you back."

"Thanks, Steve. But really, you've done enough for me. I can get there just fine," you smiled up at him, taking a moment to realize that you hadn't even fully looked at him yet. You knew about him, after all, he was Captain America, but you never realized how attractive he was until you were face to face. "um...I'm...stronger than you might think. I was just off my game tonight."

Shit.

"Tonight?" His eyes widened, "do you do this often?"

"No, of course not! I just meant tonight, generally speaking." You looked down at the work Bruce was doing, hoping that Steve would drop it. It was hard enough to stay undercover, and if the Avengers were on your back you would be caught for sure.

The doctor finished his work and Steve moved in with more bandages. "So, Cap by day, nurse by night?"

"Ha! Yeah, the war teaches you a lot about taking care of battle wounds. I guess it just stuck with me." With a quick rip of tape he was done, helping you to sit up. He draped a shirt over your shoulders and helped you to put it on fully so you wouldn't pull at the dressing he had just set. You looked at it quizzically, not recognizing it and marveling at how big it was on you. "It's mine. Yours was pretty well shredded."

"Thanks." It smelled like him. It smelled wonderful. "Well, Steve, I guess I'll be on my way then. I really appreciate all you've done. You too, Dr. Banner. I'll get your shirt back to you as soon as I can."

"Keep it. I have plenty." He looked down at you with eyes that actually sparkled. "But it would be nice to see you again."

"I'm sorry, I can't. My boyfriend probably would take issue if I hung out around superheroes."

"Okay," he sighed, "I guess I'll just say that I hope to see you around then."

~~~

You made your way home safely, just as you promised you would. You gathered your belongings from the roof and returned to your apartment, anxious for sleep. It suddenly hit you that you hadn't brought your phone, and panic filled you as you hoped that you hadn't missed anything from Foggy. Things were too tense right now to seem like you were ignoring him when you weren't. You flipped the phone over and your heart sank. There were missed calls and numerous missed messages from him and a few from Matt.

Hey, you weren't answering my calls so maybe you're asleep. Or out fighting crime.

Matt said he hasn't seen you at "work" so I'm not sure what you're up to. Let me know when you get this.

Okay, it's been four hours now, and I'm getting worried. Are you okay?

Seriously, (Y/N), answer your damn phone.

I just went by your apartment and you weren't there.

The man was relentless. He wasn't this way before your revelation, and apparently he wasn't handling it very well.

Foggy, I'm fine. I was just out. You worry too much.

It was only a matter of seconds before he replied, clearly sitting by his phone for any sign of life from you.

Oh my god, (Y/N), do you realize how scared and furious I am right now? You can't tell me you're a vigilante then not answer your phone!

It's hard to stay hidden if I have to do that, Fog. I ran into someone and got distracted, I'm sorry.

Who?

Does it matter?

Yes.

Steve Rogers.

At least five minutes passed before he replied. You could only imagine his face right now, his mouth hanging wide open, his mind racing with the possibility that he could meet a superhero if you got to know him.

That's Captain America.

I'm aware. I met Bruce Banner too.

The freaking Hulk?

Well, he was just Bruce when he was doing my stitches.

Like an idiot, you hit 'send' before you realized it. The mistake. The glaring mistake that was the beginning of what would become your final argument with Foggy.

~~~

It was funny; you felt bad about how things ended with Foggy, but you would have felt worse to have to give up your secret life that made you feel vital and useful in the world. Well, useful in the city at least. Tonight was another one of those nights that only solidified your decision.

"You know, wiggling around won't get you out of my grip. I've done this before."

"You like it rough, lady?"

You rolled your eyes at the cheap and weakly executed innuendo. "Please, just stop. You're only making yourself look worse, believe me." You secured the zip ties around his wrists and ankles, calling the police anonymously so they could pick him up.

"So I was right. That wasn't a one time thing."

You froze. The voice sent chills down your spine from your head to your feet. If you could see yourself, you knew you would be as white as a ghost. You dropped the cheap phone and made a sprint towards the fire escape next to you, but he grabbed the back of your shirt and pulled you down, throwing you on the ground hard enough to knock the breath out of you.

"Hey, Steve," you groaned.

"Don't 'hey Steve' me. What the hell do you think you're doing?" He stood over you with his foot resting on the center of your chest to keep you down. "Vigilante? Wrong place, right time? Picking fights?"

"I guess you could say a bit of all three?" You grimaced, the pressure from his massive boot starting to hurt. "Maybe let up a bit?"

"Are you going to try to run again?"

You paused, making him think you were considering it, when in reality you knew there was no chance that you could get away. It was fun to make him think you could though. "No. I won't run."

"So have you completely lost your mind? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

"Are you my babysitter now?"

"Well it sure seems like you need one, (Y/N). Do you realize how dangerous this is?

You stepped up closer so you were only inches from him now. "You may be in charge of that team of yours, Steve, but you're not in charge of me."

"Are you guys about done?" the man you had tied up said, "I'd rather be in a jail cell than have to listen to this."

"SHUT UP," you both said, almost in unison.

You sighed and closed your eyes tight, rubbing your forehead as you thought of a way to end this fight with him. "Okay, tell you what. How about you come with me for the night, just to watch." You pointed your finger at him authoritatively, "no helping or telling me how to do my job. See what I do before you judge me."

He shook his head at first, not wanting to be associated with anything as illegal as what you were doing. But as he continued to play the scene out in his head, he became intrigued and actually considered it. "Okay, I can do that. But," he pointed back at you, "if I see that you are going to get hurt, I will step in. That's my job."

"Deal." You grabbed the equipment you had dropped when Steve rolled you and headed for the roof of the nearest building. "Let's get started."

Part 4

Your laughter filled the small hallway of your apartment building as Steve carried you on his back, fumbling with the keys to your door. "I could just kick it down?"

"Don't you dare! Give 'em to me." He threw the ring full of keys into the air and you caught them easily. "Spin." Steve turned so you were at the door and cheered when you finally got it open. He brought you to your couch and threw you backwards off of him, sending you flying with a loud thump on the cushions. "Hey, Cap! That was rude!"

"Sorry," he chuckled and raised his hands apologetically. "But you wouldn't let go, so it's what you get." He paused and sat on the armrest of the couch, lowering his head to look at his hands; they seemed to be fidgeting a bit as if he were suddenly nervous around you.

"I had a good time tonight," he murmured. "I'm completely impressed, (Y/N). You're very talented, and I never once felt like I needed to step in." He smiled as he looked at you, the moonlight giving him a soft glow that made you feel butterflies in your stomach. "Thank you."

"You're very welcome."

"Can I...um...can I come by again tomorrow? If you're working, that is?"

You were still lying on your back, looking up at him as he spoke, marveling at the fact that Captain America was asking to see you again. Your demeanor changed when Foggy flashed through your mind, and you realized that this moment felt too casual, almost inappropriate. You stood quickly, moving to the door and pausing with your hand on the doorknob, "sure, you can come by. How about nine?"

Steve understood your cue for him to go, smiling briefly to himself when he reached you. "Great, I'll see you then." He wanted to kiss you, you could tell, but he was a gentleman who understood when it was or wasn't the right time. He stepped through the door and turned back with a small wave as you closed it behind him.

"Dammit, I'm such an idiot." You leaned back against the door and knocked your head back against it as you considered what could happen if you kept seeing Steve. You weren't ready; it had only been a few days since Foggy had ended things with you, and it would be crazy to think about moving on, especially with someone like Steve. This had to be just a work relationship. You had to resolve yourself to this.

~~~

The next night it was the same thing; Steve followed you around the city, but this time he was much more active, taking a role for himself and helping you rather than just observing. He was enjoying it, though you were certain he would never admit it. He was obviously a natural when it came to fighting, and his Avenger training combined with his strength was no match for anyone you had come across. He wasn't overbearing though, and only took part when you gave him the green light to do so. It was still your job and he took a role as second; something that was new for him to experience.

"(Y/N), I've been thinking," he said between punches at your current assailant, as you stood nearby and watched the Captain take charge, "I want you on the team." The man fell to the ground, unconscious, as Steve turned to look at you to gauge your reaction to his offer.

"That's ridiculous."

"Why?" He reached down to restrain the man before he woke, and leaned him against the nearby building for the police to find. "Give me one good reason why that's a ridiculous idea." You opened your mouth to speak, but after a moment you closed it and gave him an exasperated look. "You can't, can you?"

"I just can't, Steve."

Before he could say any more, a message came in on his phone. He pulled it out of his pocket with a huff, but his eyes widened when he read what was on it.

Cap, you were supposed to be here 30 min ago.

"Son of a bitch." He grabbed his gear from the ground next to you and stopped abruptly to kiss your cheek before he ran from the alley. "Sorry, (Y/N)! We're gonna talk about this later!"

~~~

Once Steve reached the tower a few minutes later, he found the team waiting for him in the conference room, looking at him with frustration as he hastily threw his gear on the floor and landed quickly in his seat to prep for the mission at hand. "Sorry guys. I got sidetracked."

"We know, Cap."

Steve looked up from the files in front of him, sensing that they were all staring at him. He glanced around the table at each of his teammates, waiting for someone to say something; waiting for someone to make any kind of move, but they were waiting for him.

"Sorry?"

"I said we know, Cap." Clint leaned forward, resting his folded hands on the table as he spoke. "Frankly, we're a little shocked. This doesn't seem like something you would take part in."

"It's the girl, right?" Tony interjected, "you're chasing the girl? Showing off a bit, trying to impress her?"

Natasha leaned close to Steve to whisper, but her voice still carried around the room, "I told you to let me set you up. Nothing illegal that way."

"Okay, guys. That's enough." Steve shut the file harshly and sat back in his chair, folding his arms over his chest. "No, I'm not chasing her. Nat, thanks, but I can handle it. And Clint, it's under control. Can we just focus on the job please?"

"We've already got it planned." Tony stood and gathered the papers from the others, "we'd like you to sit this one out. Get your head right, Captain."

~~~

You had just gotten home and were ready to go to bed when frantic knocks shook your door. It startled you so much that you almost fell of the couch in your half-awake state, and it was all you could do to get to the door without stumbling. Looking through the peephole, you groaned when you saw Steve pacing in front of it. When you opened the door his hand determinedly pushed it open and he charged in past you.

"Steve, what's wrong? What the hell happened?"

"They left me behind." He continued to pace, his hands on his hips and wearing a confused and panicked expression. "They're on a mission without me because I've been with you the past two nights. They think that my head's not in the game, that I'm just trying to impress you." He stopped and rushed up next to you when you closed the door, standing in position to hold you there. "I'm not. I swear, I'm not."

"Okay, I believe you. But you need to calm down and talk to me." You gestured towards the couch, but he wouldn't budge. "Steve, you're not telling me everything."

"The work you're doing, it's exciting. It's different. It makes me feel like the old days when I would fight for the little guy, who was usually me," he laughed, "but it felt more honest, ya know?"

"Sure..."

"But I'm responsible for my team, and I'm afraid that if I keep doing this with you that I'll put them at risk." He finally backed up enough for you to duck away from the door and move to the couch, still trying to get him to sit down and to stop pacing around the room. "I was serious when I said I wanted you on the team, (Y/N)."

You took a deep breath and furrowed your brow, "I know. But I don't know if that's a good idea, Steve."

"But why-"

"Because of you." You held your breath at the escape of your thoughts that you meant to keep to yourself. It was out there now, so you decided to just say what you were thinking, sinking back into the couch, exasperated with yourself. "I can't work that closely with you, Steve. I'm having...difficulties...being that close to you."

He looked surprised at first, but his eyes softened and he leaned against the wall to think about the situation and how he would feel with you working that close every day. He also thought about what it would be like to never be able to work with you, and he quickly decided that it would be worse to never see you than it would be to maintain only a working relationship.

"We can figure it out. We can be...professional."

"So you agree, though? That it's difficult?"

"Of course I agree!" He tensed again, and the calm demeanor was gone as quickly as he had gathered it. "(Y/N), it's difficult as hell! But I would rather put my feelings aside and see you than to never see you at all. It's been a long time since I've felt so comfortable around a beautiful lady." You saw a flush build in his cheeks, and he looked down at his feet to avoid your eyes. "I can work through this. Can you?"

You stood up and moved towards him, deliberately holding his eye contact as you got closer. You pressed against him, sliding your arm around his back and pushing a leg between his. "Can you work through this? What if we're in a fight that puts us this close to each other?" You ducked under his arm and pushed behind him, wrapping your arms under his with your hands grazing his abdomen. "What if you were shielding me and I was pressed up against you like this? Could you work through that, Cap?"

He cleared his throat and the sound of his nervous swallow filled the room. "Uh...yeah...I suppose I...I could do it..."

"Well then, I'm convinced." Your tone was thick with sarcasm, and he easily picked up on it. You stepped out from behind him and began to walk towards the door, but he grabbed your arm tightly and spun you back to him. Before you could pull away, his lips were on yours and you were held firmly against his chest. When he finally released you, his eyes searched yours, trying to get a read on your reaction and trying to see if he could continue.

"Yeah," you sighed, "I'm convinced."