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rogersideup · 1 year

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Late Night Talking

Mrs. Rogers

Series Masterlist

Next: The Smiley Sticker

Word Count: 7,843

Summary: Your relationship with the Avengers was a little more than one would call mysterious. Though you were officially appointed to the team, Tony and Pepper were the only ones who knew your real name and have met you in real life. You lived and operated in the compound, the same place most of the team lived yet somehow and some way none of them have ever even bumped into you in common areas... or so they thought.

Warnings: My blog is 18+ only. All minors or blogs without an age in bio will be blocked. Minors DNI.

"Hey pretty baby" Your sultry voice of the team's eyes away from battle soothed Steve's mind as it filled his communication device. "Did you miss me?"

He couldn't help the smile on his face, regardless of being mid battle. You could hear the rumble of his motorcycle engine followed by a few gunfire shots, and you watched the green dot of his location on your monitor screen move quickly, little red dots slacking on his trail.

"Oh I'm always missing you, sweet cheeks. I was starting to wonder when you'd show up to save the day" Steve spoke back, still focused on dodging bullets coming from behind him.

"I'm going to start by saving your life. Take a right" You told him.

He saw a clearing in the dense trees and the path he was on split into two, so he cut his wheel and and took a hard turn. Just as his back wheel made it to the new path, an explosion sounded exactly where he would've been.

"What would I ever do without you?" He asked, really thankful you caught something he didn't.

"Can't have you dying on me yet, Love. Gotta keep you alive long enough to meet you at least once" Your giggle through comms warmed his soul. "Keep riding that path straight through, you'll cross with Nat in about a quarter mile then you guys can make a run for the Jet together"

Your relationship with the Avengers was a little more than one would call mysterious. Though you were officially appointed to the team, Tony and Pepper were the only ones who knew your real name and have met you in real life.

You lived and operated in the compound, the same place most of the team lived yet somehow and some way none of them have ever even bumped into you in common areas... or so they thought. Even if they did they would have no way of knowing other than recognizing your anonymous voice.

Generally, you got along well with all of them, and your skills in hacking into enemy's intelligence saved all of their lives more times than you could count. Though they all tried to make you feel welcome and involved in their social bubble, you never accepted the invites to any post work occasions. Steve desperately wished you would.

The two of you got along like two peas in a pod. With your voice in his ear you guys would rip through missions easy-peasy. The constant banter and persistent flirtatious nicknames started through all of the Avengers listening to how you spoke to each other on comms. All of them insisted that you interacted like a married couple so frequently that you started flirting with Steve as a joke. That joke stuck so well that the only time you guys wouldn't speak to each other with pet names or romantic gestures was in serious situations.

"In order to meet me, you gotta show up" Steve told you.

"Babe, if I ever saw you in real life I think your gorgeousness would melt me into a puddle right on the spot. I gotta keep myself alive too" You were almost too quick and witty for Steve to keep up with, sometimes you even had to give him a few extra moments to formulate a response.

"I'll mop you off the floor?" He offered.

"Then who's going to be around to keep you alive?"

"This is a really slippery slope" He smiled.

He passed by Nat on the bike, so she cut in behind him and followed him straight through.

"Widow is riding your ass, she's just like me" You joked.

"Harharhar" Steve rolled his eyes. "If you want a piece of my ass, you know where I live"

"Wow, you wanna meet me so bad you're offering up America's ass? I feel so special"

"You should, honey, It's reserved just for you."

"Your Jet reservations expire in about a minute. Lay heavy on that pedal for me, Love" Right as you instructed, his little green dot started moving faster. Nat sped up to keep up with him.

"We'll make I-"

"Nuh uh. Dont focus on me, focus on getting on getting out of there safely"

"Awwww, you worried about me?"

"It's kind've my job" You could hear the smile in his voice.

"Almost there"

There was about a minute of nothing but the sound of heavy breathing and motorcycle engines, you watched them move closer and closer as the metaphorical clock counted down.

"And we're on" He informed you, and his location confirmed his statement.

"You got me holding my breath over here, Rogers" You let out a sigh of relief now that you've accomplished your mission of getting all of them rounded up for a speedy escape.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Mrs. Rogers. Thank you" He really was constantly grateful for your guidance.

"Wish you could see him, Smiles. Steve's cheeks are pink" Tony informed you once all of their comms connected into the same channel since they were all in range.

Smiles was the nickname Tony used for you and it kind've just stuck with the team. They could constantly hear the smile in your voice as you spoke to them through the channels, and Tony confirmed that's just how you was in real life too. Constant toothy smiles.

"You know I just ran like 17 miles, right?" Steve rolled his eyes at Tony.

"They weren't pink 'till she called you Love" Nat cut in earning an eruption of giggles from all the Avengers.

"You should've seen my face when he called me Mrs. Rogers. I think i'm giving red roses a run for their money" You added to bare some of Steve's burden.

"Red looks great with your complexion, sweetheart" Tony complemented.

"How about white and blue?" Steve asked Tony, earning her glorious laugh right in all their ears.

"That was a good one." You gave Steve credit where it was due. "Alrighty guys, I gotta go. You all did great. Get home safe, rest up. Love you all"

A variety of different goodbyes and love you's flooded your ears.

"Still coming over for dinner later?" Tony asked. Sometimes he liked to show off that he was the only one who got to know you in real life, so giving them breadcrumbs and hints of your friendship always had them all asking a flood of questions about what you were like in person that he would always refuse to answer.

"Depends, is Pepper going to be there?"

"Yes"

"Then yes. Tones, I'll see you at six. Everyone else, I'll smell ya later." You disconnected the call and ripped the headset off your ears before letting your head fall backwards to take some long, deep breaths. No matter how long you worked this very position, your sever anxiety never let up.

When Tony first recruited you for a position on the Avengers, your immediate response was absolutely not. Never in a million years. But after almost a full year of persistence and boarder-line harassment from Tony, you explained why you could never be an Avenger.

Every ounce of skill you had was clouded by huge, thick fog banks of anxiety. Though most of it was managed through therapy and medication, it still lingered and created an excess amount of discomfort.

The high stakes and celebrity status that came along with being an Avenger would do nothing but heighten that. It would simply kindle the flame and reverse all the work you did to make yourself functional on a daily basis.

Fortunately for you, Tony knew first hand what it was like to have that looming grey cloud. So, he made accommodations.

Private workspaces, anonymity from your colleagues, an apartment in the compound away from the Avengers private living quarters.

After lots of reassurance, you accepted.

And now with over a year and a half under your belt,you were just now starting to feel guilty for your lack of presence around the people you absolutely loved talking to.

You so badly wished that she could join Wanda and Nat for Sunday morning brunch, or go out for flights with Sam. But the worst of all, you felt like your heart was being ripped out every time Steve practically begged to meet you.

Every time you thought you were making progress towards introducing yourself to them in person, you would see one of them in passing and immediately feel a weight in your chest and your head would spin.

At this point, you felt like they all had romanticized your anonymity so much that you would be nothing but a disappointment to them. In their heads, they probably imagined a supermodel in a spandex suit and a cape. Maybe perfectly outgoing with a flirty demeanor, an extrovert who only denied time with them for lack of interest.

In your mind, you didn't fit the bill of what an Avenger typically was. When it came down to it, you were a sensitive, introverted soul. Most of your time away from work was spent on whatever special interest would provide a creative outlet, and binging movies with your friend who worked in the compound IT department. Though you were physically strong and had stamina, you certainly didn't have the superhero physique. Soft and squishy around the edges was a good compromise for yourself, you could never imagine devoting her whole life to maintaining a level of fitness and diet that took away from living you day to day life how you wanted.

Taking all of that into consideration, you didn't want to feel like who you really were would let them down. You knew that they had created a grand conspiracy about what you might've looked like and who you might've been just by you voice alone. It scared the shit out of you.

Although later that night Tony and pepper reassured you over dinner and a few bottles of wine that none of them suspected you at all, you couldn't help but to feel like they all knew. Every walk down the hallway, trip down the stairwell, and polite smile in the lobby was an interaction closer to becoming a suspect in the grand conspiracy of the mystery Avenger.

The wine flowing through your veins certain didn't help as you got dropped off from dinner at Tony's and had to make the walk through the compound to get to your apartment.

Your phone rang in your back pocket, and Tony's name popped up.

"Can't get enough of me, huh?" You answered the phone in a state of giggly drunkenness.

"You wish. I forgot to tell you about the thing tomorrow night"

“The thing?" You questioned while pressing the elevator call button. "Pretty non-descriptive for a genius, don'tcha think?"

"I'm starting to regret even telling you about the thing now." Tony stated, you could almost hear him rolling his eyes. The elevator doors opened as you laughed as his statement. Thing. What a funny word. "You still with me? Did I give you too much to drink?"

"Oh yeah" you stumbled into the elevator, blissfully ignorant of the human already inside. "I can barely even handle one glass let alone the 3 refills I caught you pouring when you thought I wasn't looking. Hey, I'm in the elevator I might lose service. "

"Cool, let me make this quick. Tomorrow night, private Avengers party in the compound. You're going. If anyone asks, you're a systems analyst technician. 8 o'clock, wear your prettiest dress. See you then, bring your friend from IT!"

"Tony! What? I'm not going to that thing!" You tried telling him but you were cut off by beeping, letting you know the call had failed.

"Floor?" A strong voice asked beside you.

You jumped a mile high and clutched your hand to your chest to try and keep your heart from running away.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you" The voice apologized.

Your drunken brain barely allowed you to see straight, but when you looked up at the man just to identify him as Steve, your heart only ran away quicker and dropped straight into the pit of your stomach.

Suddenly, you felt like you were going to puke. But also, you were right. His extremely good looks had you melting into a puddle.

Self consciousness took over as you realized how you were dressed. Leggings, a big cozy sweater, sneakers, and hair in a ponytail with not a speck of makeup on your face. After a long mission, casual dinner at Tony's was tradition. You both didn't ever want to worry about wearing uncomfortable socially acceptable clothes after hours of stress. You didn't deserve to be in the presence of Steve in an outfit like this.

"I'm s-sorry" Your anxious stutter got in the way of even acting like you were fine. "Seven please"

He gave a little nod before pushing the button with a number seven on it, meanwhile you prayed that it was the end of your interaction.

You had only ever seen him in quick, few seconds long intervals. Sometimes you guys passed each other on the way to your private office, and other times you would see him walking in and out of the building while you sat at your favorite coffee shop right next door, but you had never gotten close enough to notice the small details.

The way his voice sounded straight from the source instead of muffled through the comms, his real height, the smell of his cologne, his strong energy.

Holy shit. Holy shit. Holy shit.

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but Tony as in Stark?" He questioned with an obvious friendly demeanor.

While your mind was on overdrive, his was only thinking about how the woman in the elevator with him was one of the most beautiful people he's ever seen, and he definitely wasn't going to let you get away without at least some small talk so he could make an impression.

"That's the one" You spoke quietly and kept looking down at the floor, praying he wouldn't recognize your voice.

"And he wanted you to go to a thing?" Steve kept pressing.

You so badly wished that this conversation was happening over the comms, so you could tell him to stop talking to strangers in the elevators. Maybe even smooth talk him, butter him up by calling him your baby and that his habit of being overly friendly was kind've creepy.

"Yeah, tomorrow night" You nodded. Even in your terribly anxious state, you still drunkenly laughed at the word thing.

But the pit in your stomach grew to be a lump in your throat. You didn't know if you needed more alcohol or less. Either way, you were holding back tears and vomit at this point.

"Oh nice! The Avengers party! Why aren't you going?"

This man really didn't know how to read body language, huh?

“Just busy at work, I'm sure you know how that is. Plus I'm not really much of a social butterfly" You explained.

"Stark will work you to the bone if you don't step away. Maybe going to the party and putting yourself out there can help with both those things" Steve shrugged.

Things. Why did everyone keep using that word? And why did it get funnier every time?

"What's so funny over there?" He asked with a lopsided smile.

Oh shit. Were you laughing out loud?

"Sorry- nothing. It's just........ the word thing." You explained, hoping that this elevator ride from hell would end soon.

Luckily for you, they came to a stop and the doors opened again for you to get off. You practically ran out but Steve held the door open with his forearm.

"It's a great word" He agreed. "So, will I see you tomorrow night?"

"Probably not" You shook her head and he gave you a fake hurt expression, dramatically clutching his chest.

"Right, cause you're going too busy at your job as a..."

"Systems analyst technician" thanks Tony.

"Got it. Steve Rogers by the way" He extended his hand to shake yours.

Another invasive giggle took over at the thought of him introducing himself to you. This was the same man calling you Mrs. Rogers but had no clue.

You reached out a shook his hand in a giggly anxious daze.

"Kind've put that one together. I'm-" just as you were about to say your name, you had to stop and think about it. "Drunk. Very, drunk"

He raised an eyebrow, obviously amused by the confession.

"Nice to meet you, Drunk. Hopefully you'll reconsider your choice and join us at the thing tomorrow" he smiled as the doors closed leaving you alone in the hallway.

Your artificial smile dropped as you raced back to your apartment. With shaky hands and nausea running rampant, you unlocked the door and found solace in the solitude of your own private space and your grey and white cat, Eeyore.

Your brain buzzed calculating all the possible outcomes of this situation. The only thing you could think of doing was calling Tony again.

It only rang once before he picked up.

"Seems like you’re obsessed with me" His voice did little to calm you down.

"Anthony Edward I swear to god-" you threatened.

"Woah there, Frowns. What's got your 'tude in a twist?"

"Remember that little elevator ride I was telling you about?"

"So what? You're stuck? Press the emergency call button, not me. You know, you really suck at basic survival skills" Tony said as if it was a matter of fact.

"No. You know who was in the elevator? Rogers" Your voice called attention to every ounce of panic you were feeling.

"No shit" You could hear Tony's amusement through the line. "Finally met your husband, he's a handsome guy isn't he? How red did he turn when he realized who you were?"

"This isn't funny! He didn't. At least I don't think he did. I hope he didn't, I'm panicking over here metal man"

"Oh he's more of an idiot than I thought" Tony mused.

"He kept asking me questions, why does he ask so many questions?"

"It's just what he does"

"He's going to figure it out, Tony. I can't go to that party tomorrow. He heard us talking on the phone, he knows I know you, he knows I'm drunk, and he thinks I'm a systems analyst technician whatever the fuck that means"

"Realistically, you know how many new people he meets every single day? He will probably forget all about it by tomorrow morning. You're fine, everything is going to be just fine"

"Okay, okay. Maybe you're right" You agreed.

Those words replayed over and over in your head like a mantra until the next day at two o'clock when you put your headset on to join in on an meeting about yesterday's mission.

You tried your hardest to push past the sinking feeling twisting your insides while you waited for their voices to come through, and when they did your heart sank.

"Awwww I think Steve is in looooove" Sam's voice taunted in a little song.

"Let's ask Tony about her when he gets here! You said she was on the phone with him right? I'm sure he can give you all the information you need" Natasha suggested.

"When you say she's pretty, how pretty do you actually mean?" Bucky questioned doubtfully.

"Stunning. I can't believe I've never seen her around before" Steve laid Bucky's words to rest.

Fuck, fuck, fuck. Maybe you should just hang up and call out for the day. You knew they were all trying to get Steve to date, they were probably all so excited that he was talking about a girl like that.

Wait... they were talking about you.

Steve Rogers thinks you're stunning.

He thought you were stunning when you looked like that.

Instant heartburn.

How were you supposed to cut into this conversation without seeming suspicious? Act. Normal.

"Who are you talking about, my love? Me?" You joked trying your hardest to not pass out on the spot. Little did he know...

"Oooooohhhh caught red handed" Clint shouted like a grade school student.

"Steve fell in love with a drunk girl in an elevator last night" Bucky explained bluntly.

"A stunning drunk girl?" You questioned with a forceful smile, you needed to sound as normal and undisturbed as possible.

"From what we've heard" Natasha confirmed.

"Is she willing to share with me?"

"You'll always be my one and only, sweetheart" Steve reassured.

Ironic.

"Keep talking like that and you're going to have no choice but to actually marry me"

"I'll go buy you a ring as soon as this meeting lets out" he said confidently.

You could hear the door of the meeting room open and close followed by Tony's voice. "Keep it in your pants love birds, let's get to work"

The rest of the meeting went smoothly, but that didn't do anything to still your fidgeting fingers and keep your bouncing leg in place. You knew that the closer they got to the end, the sooner the banter would start up again.

Tony's routine meeting conclusion of "I think that covers it. Anything else we should touch on?" Sparked the exact conversation you were dreading.

"Yeah! Yes." Sam jumped on it as if it was slowly killing him to keep the knowledge Steve's new love internalized. "Who's the girl you were talking to on the phone last night?"

"I talk to lots of people all the time. I have no clue what you're talking about" Tony played dumb.

"Stevie boy got in the elevator with a girl who was on the phone with you. Allegedly she was beautiful and captivating enough to spark a cute little middle school crush" Nat tried to refresh his memory.

"You invited her to the party tonight" Steve added.

"Ah right, I don't think she's coming" Tony deflected.

"But who is she? What's her name?" Wanda questioned.

"Eva" Tony said bluntly nearly giving you a heart attack. Thankfully, it wasn't your real name. "Leave her alone, she's really shy and pretty tentative. I'm sure a hoard of nosy Avengers all up in her business is the last thing she wants"

"Oooh, I like her already" Clint smiled.

"I do agree that everyone should leave her alone" Steve's strong voice commanded.

"So it's settled. Leave her be. Anything else?" Tony asked.

Everyone looked around at each other, all of them shrugging their shoulders or shaking their heads.

"Alright, no more work for the day. I expect to see all of you in your best outfits tonight" Tony dismissed them.

You quickly hung up after a speedy goodbye in anticipation of hanging out with your bestie tonight. It was Friday and a half work day, of course you were absolutely buzzing to get out of there.

By the time you had made it from your office to your apartment to get ready for the rest of the day, your phone was buzzing in your pocket from texts sent by Steve.

SR: Hey Princess! You left so quick I didn't even get a chance to talk to you! How are you?

SR:Hopefully an invite to the party was extended to you for tonight? I already know you aren't going to come, but that doesn't mean I'll ever stop inviting you :P

You: Always so thoughtful, sweet boy. Maybe if I didn't already agree to sushi and sake with my bestie I would come sweep you off your feet ;)

You: Also I'm sorry! Wouldn't have left so quick if I knew you were trying to talk to me. Im doing aye okay! Have you recovered from yesterday's mission?

SR: Honestly, sushi and sake sounds so yummy and way better than another Stark party :,). I'm almost recovered but I'm so tired I feel like I could sleep for another 70 years

You: Take a nap!!! Want me to come snuggle you to sleep?

SR: I could probably benefit from some cuddles to be honest

You: Couldn't we all?

SR: Hope you have the best sushi ever

You: Hope you have the best nap ever. Sweet dreams! Love you long time :p

SR: Love you lots!!!

Once again, you put down your phone and focused on yourself. You raced to get ready and had to stop yourself from running out of the compound to fill up your starving belly.

Dinner and drinks ended up being the perfect stress reliever, but walking around and doing some shopping in the city after was definitely healing your soul. Filling in your best friend about all the recent drama within the team over warm cinnamon rolls from their favorite corner bakery left you feeling so thankful you had at least one person outside of the team you could trust and talk you through everything happening in your life. You also loved hearing all about her drama within the IT department.

By the time you were walking home, your phone was flooded with texts in the team group chat from drunk avengers who were very obviously talking about you at the party.

Sam: Smiles we're placing bets about you right now. Are you tall or short? We have $10 on the line!

Nat: has anyone seen Clint? I think he ran away

Nat: Smiles is short for sure

Clint: I'm literally looking at you right now?

Bucky: I think she's tall

Wanda: Tiny but mighty

Tony: I planned a whole party and you guys are using it as a betting race for Smiles' height? Only mildly irritating.

Bucky: Steve is grumpy. Someone find a way to get him drunk

Pepper: Smiles is short :)

Sam: ????????????????? Pepper you know her why are you placing a bet?????????

Pepper: oops

You: Oh? Should I feel offended by this?

You: Why is Steve grumpy? What did you guys do to him?

You: Did anyone find Clint?

Sam: what's your height?

Bucky: He's grumpy because he's tired and hungry LOL

You: someone feed him!!! Y'all suck

You: You guys are all in the same room! Put your phones down, weirdos!

Clint: it's a very big room

Nat: maybe he's sad that Eva isn't here :(

You: Steve blink twice if you need help

Steve: You can't see it but I'm blinking

Steve: I'm sad because Smiles isn't here

Bucky: me too tbh

Wanda: did I miss the result of the bet?

You: Sweet sweet Wanda I love you!!!

You: Im 5"2

Tony: I think that's generous

Sam: TINY

Bucky: a whole foot smaller than me

Nat: I just know you're adorable!!!!!

Tony: now everyone place bets on if you think she's pretty or not

You: Tony you suck

You: Kiss my ass

Tony: <3

Pepper: don't do that. She's beautiful. Promise

You: Is this what y'all do when I'm not around to listen? Lolololol

Bucky: How pretty?

You: Omg

Tony: Smiles and Steve would make a cute couple

Steve: that's good! We already are a cute couple so this conversation is pretty unproductive

You: You tell 'em baby <3

Clint: what color hair do you have?

Sam: and eyes

You: Wanna know my bra size too?

Sam: well Steve does need to know what size lingerie to buy you for your wedding night ;)

You: We're already married

Steve: got her name changed to Smiles Rogers last week

Bucky: Steve is still grumpy

Nat: Clint is still missing in action

Clint: I'm at the bar

You: Don't worry, Stevie baby. I'll take care of you <3

You: Clint I'm going to put a location tracker on your ass

Sam: thank god. Someone needs to turn his frown upside-down.

You: You guys put your phones down and enjoy the party, I'll brb ;)

A few more stops around the city and a stealthy walk around the compound praying you wouldn't get caught, you curated the perfect plan to get Steve exactly what he wanted.

After making sure everything was in place, you quickly fled the scene to insure you wouldn't get spotted by any avengers as it happened since you had to approach a waitress at the entrance of the party to make it happen.

Sure, Steve was admittedly grumpy. But that didn't stop him from plastering a fake smile across his face while socializing with people he barely knew for hours on end. It's not like his shortening fuse and grumbling tummy was plaguing the rest of the mood for everyone else, so why Bucky kept choosing to bring it up was completely unbeknownst to him.

Besides, he was justified. Who would throw a party with just alcohol? No food, no snacks.

Maybe if he was a little better slept, being hungry wouldn't have made him so irrational. But what he wasn't admitting out loud was that he hadn't had any peaceful sleep since their last mission. His last night of sleep was full of constant interruptions and an occasional nightmare, and the nap he tried to take to make up for it had the same result.

So when a waitress approached him frantically with furrowed eyebrows and a shaken look on her face, he didn't even know if he was annoyed that his superhero status made him so approachable for help, or if he was happy to leave the party by any means.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt, Captain Rogers but something weird is happening and I don't know what is is or wh-" She rambled with a seemingly nervous buzz.

"It's alright, what happened?" He comforted the girl who couldn't have been older than seventeen. She looked like a young child to him.

"There's a person walking up and down the halls of where all the avengers rooms are. I think it was a girl but they had a hoodie on I couldn't really tell. They were being super creepy, jiggling all the doorknobs and trying to enter codes into the keypads. None of the doors opened but they left a package and I'm just really worried about it" She spoke at a hundred miles per hour. He could barely even get his brain to focus on her words through the thumping music and loud chatter around the room.

"I'll go look into it right now. Thanks for letting me know" He reassured her before pushing his way through the sea of people and exiting the noisy crowd into the solitude of their private living space.

The thumping of the music was now only a distant mumble and his shoes against the floor were the loudest noise around him. It brought him an odd amount of comfort as he snuck through the very halls the waitress had seen the suspicious person wandering.

Sure enough, the person was gone but there was a package. A brown paper bag right in front of his door.

He approached slowly, full of apprehension as his brain though of all the worst case scenarios of what could possibly be inside.

Was it a bomb? Perhaps disembodied limbs? A death threat?

But the closer he got, he noticed a little card with his name written in the neatest handwriting he's ever seen sticking out of the top.

It eased his suspicions a bit, but he still stood back as far as he could while peeking his head forward to look inside the bag.

Sushi and sake.

He threw his head back with a smile and a sigh of relief when he realized who it was from, and the concerned waitress was just a trap.

He unlocked the door and walked in his room before kicking off his shoes and opening the card inside.

My dearest husband, Steve~

Sorry for the little production, had to find a way to get you out of there! Hope this helps your bad case of the grumpies ;) Love you, mean it!

~ your wife, Mrs. Smiles Rogers

Steve happily accepted the excuse to end his appearance at the social event and spend the rest of his night eating alone and indulging in a good book.

However, after his belly was full and he had showered, he could barely even get his mind to focus on the book in his hands. His mind kept running off to the conversations the team regularly had about Smiles. In hindsight, he felt guilty.

There had to be a reason why you chose to stay hidden away from them, and there were so many valid reasons to choose that for yourself. He couldn't imagine that being easy, and he also knew that even with distance between them, you made the avengers feel loved and cared for.

You had the sweetest soul and just your voice alone had the ability to sooth the nerves of in-battle superheroes while also being commanding enough to get shit done. Smiles felt special regardless of what you looked like, he knew that with full confidence.

So when the whole team placed stupid bets on your height, or hair color, and even regularly begging Tony to tell them more about the way you looked, he couldn't help but to feel a little angry at them. Sure, it was fun to visualize what a person they loved could possibly look like, but boiling your worth down to physical attributes was wrong.

He didn't know if it was his own guilt or faulting mood that craved the comfort of a conversation with his favorite teammate, but either way his hands were dialing your number faster than his brain even thought about it.

"Hello?" The familiar voice came through, instantly putting a smile on his face.

"Hey, baby" He giggled, it was obvious you didn't check collar ID before picking up.

"Oh! Hi, cutie" Your smile was obvious now and your mood seemed to have dramatically changed. "Didn't realize that was you calling. I just assumed it was Sam or Bucky calling me again"

"Again?" Steve asked.

"Yeah, they called like 10 minutes ago. Something about wanting to know if I had curly or straight hair." You explained.

"Oh man, they're really laying in on you tonight huh, Sweetheart?" Steve sighed.

"It's alright" You shrugged even though you knew he couldn't see it. "I'd be curious too, I can't really blame them. How are you feeling? Better?"

"So much better, all thanks to you. I feel like I owe you a billion dollars for getting me out of there alone. Thank you so much"

"Oh stop it" You giggled. "I know how much it sucks to be stuck in a social situation when you aren't feeling the best. It's our duty to look out for each other."

"Well I think you're an angel sent from heaven above, and I appreciate you more than you'll ever know"

"You're making me blush over here! Anything for you, baby."

Both of your laughter took over before you caught you composure again and a small comfortable silence took over. It was like you guys were both weighing out the pros and cons of bringing up the slightly heavier topics you wanted to talk about. But, you pushed past the slight racing in your heart and tried to be brave for the sake of making sure he was genuinely alright.

"Bucky mentioned you were tired, what happened to that nap you were supposed to take?" You questioned sympathetically.

It was almost like you already knew the answer, yet for some reason, Steve always felt safe talking to you. Sometimes he found himself telling you about things he didn't even tell Bucky.

"To be quite honest, I don't really know." He sighed. "No matter how tired I get I just can't sleep, and when I do sleep it's not great."

"You should ask Tony to install an off and on switch connected to your brain" You suggested.

"You're so right. That's brilliant. Do you have one?" He questioned.

"Nope. Unfortunately for me my brain is always on. I'm very familiar with sleep issues" You explained. "Bold of me to assume your dreams haven't been too sweet?"

"Not bold at all. I think that mission got to me, I'm not even really sure why. It's not like it was a particularly bad one" He admitted.

"I'm pretty sure all missions are bad missions" You though out loud. "You know...... not to be drab or anything"

“You're right, maybe I'm just desensitized to it"

"Ground work is not fun, it makes me sad you guys have to do it so often. And I hope that nothing ever gets bad enough that I have to join you guys out there" Your tone was sympathetic, but it was interrupted a few times by tiny high pitched meows.

"Hold on, there's so much to unpack" Steve laughed. "Do I hear.... a cat?"

"Yes Sir" He could hear that constant smile come back. "A very needy and annoying cat that's trying to convince me that he's starving even though I see food in his bowl right now"

"What?! I thought we weren't allowed to have pets?" He jealously questioned.

"You guys aren't allowed to have pets, but apparently Tony thinks I'm special"

"Apparently! What's his name?" Steve couldn't help but to smile at the wholesome image of you on the phone with a little cat stepping all over you trying to earn some attention.

"Eeyore! He always has this little grumpy expression on his face, hence the name" You explained.

"I'm so jealous! I wish I could have a cat" He pouted like a child as the meows turned into content purrs.

"Have you asked Tony?"

"I ask him like once every two months"

"Did you know if you see a therapist you can get a note and qualification for an emotional support animal? Then legally Tony can't say no" You said smugly.

"Is that how you got to be so special?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Therapy all the way, baby" You confirmed his suspicions.

"Okay, next question. Have you ever done groundwork?"

"Only twice and decided right on the spot that my particular set of skills is more beneficial in an environment I can concentrate in. I'm fully trained for emergencies though, so if all of humanity is on the avengers shoulders you guys will be seeing me up close and personal" You explained.

"Well in that case I hope I never meet you" He joked.

"Same here! I'll just keep admiring you from a distance"

"That implies you see me on the regular" Steve poked, wondering how often he's around you while being completely unaware.

"You know what? Not as often as you might think!"

"No? I'd assume at least once a day."

"I don't even remember the last time I saw you." You lied in hopes of dissolving any tiny suspicions that elevator Eva might've been you. "Are you sure you even still live here?"

"Oh I'm positive. Because if I didn't, maybe if actually be getting some sleep." He pointed out.

"Touché."

"I have a question for you, and I hope it's okay to ask, but does it bother you when everyone asks questions about what you look like?" He sounded hesitant and boarder-line sad about it.

"Most if the questions don't bother me, but I'm not particularly a fan of Tony asking everyone if they think I'm ugly. He's lucky I knew he was joking or else I'd actually beat his ass" Your answer earned a hum in agreement from Steve as you contemplated on letting him in more.

You knew he had a heart of gold, nothing you could say to him would be held against you and he certainly wouldn't use it to dig around to find more information about you.

"The part that actually bothers me is that I can't answer. It makes me sad to rain on the parade. I wish I could answer all the questions and be with you guys all the time but I can't." You elaborated.

"Well I certainly don't think you're raining on any parades, sweetheart." The amount of sincerity in Steve's voice made you smile and your tummy flip. "If it starts to bother you too much, just let me know and I'll yell at them."

"I don't think any yelling needs to happen." You giggled, followed by some shuffling sounds.

"Whatcha doinnnnnn?"

"Mmmmmmmm I'd tell you but I think you're going to make fun of me." Your sweet voice contemplated.

"Me? Make fun of my wife? Never!" He was fake offended.

"Okay, then I'll tell you."

"Let's hear it!"

"I just got into bed and buried myself into a mountain of blankets." You admitted.

"Okay then I can't really make fun of you even if I wanted to because I'm doing the same exact thing right now." Steve smiled.

"Wow, we really are soulmates. Huh, handsome?"

"Seems like it, Lovie."

Even as it started getting late, you guys stayed on the phone for hours. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, your chit-chat was helping him ease all the residual anxiety and preemptive nerves of a night full of terrible dreams. But eventually, he fell asleep.

When the comfortable silence turned into even, soft and steady breaths, you knew he had lost the battle. Nothing made you happier knowing that you had lulled such a gentle giant to sleep- even if it was unintentional.

That night, the nightmares never showed up which Steve was thankful for. When he woke up the next morning slightly confused as to when exactly he fell asleep, he realized that talking to Smiles was the absolute highlight of his day.

Over the course of a few months, that same phone call became routine. Right before bed, you would wait for your phone to ring and the two of you would talk about everything under the sun and absolutely nothing at all. You guys spoke about your days, simple pleasures, complex issues, how much you loved your work, how much you hated your work, and even your love lives (or lack there of).

The more comfortable you became around him, the more you contemplated on adding him to the small group of people who knew your true identity. It was getting especially hard to keep him away when he would ask the cutest questions with his raspy, sleepy voice as he drifted off to dreamland.

Each question always started with a genuine "you don't have to answer, but...". And each one usually involved when you would see him. He wondered where you saw him walking around the most, if you had ever even been to the Avengers private sector of the compound, and most importantly if you two had ever had a face to face conversation.

Since it had been a few months post elevator incident and he had finally stopped talking about 'Eva' you answered with an honest yes but nothing more descriptive than that. He respectfully asked more about that interaction but nothing that would give away exactly when and where it had happened. It was playful, and he loved teasing you about it.

"I know you're lying to me" Steve laughed with a smile, thankful you couldn't see his face turning red.

"I'm not, but you can believe whatever you want Pretty Princess" You made fun of the nickname Steve was stuck on tonight.

"Sweetheart, I'd recognize that pretty little voice anytime of the day. There is no way I looked you in the eyes and held a conversation without knowing" He insisted.

"Oh so you do know me! Where'd we meet?" You questioned while shaking your head with a smile.

"We didn't. You're lying"

“I shook your hand too" You happily added fuel to the fire.

"You shook my hand?!?!?" His voice was twice as loud as he shouted that statement. Drama queen. "Now you're really lying"

"How many hands do you shake a day, baby?"

"A lot." He said bluntly. "What color was I wearing?"

"White" You immediately answered knowing he was trying to call your bluff.

"I always wear white" he complained.

"It looks good on ya!" You complemented. "I just winked by the way."

"I gathered that." He reassured.

You readjusted your blankets for maximum comfort, completely unaware of the silence that fell over them. Your tired eyes stayed closed and your phone resided on the unoccupied pillow next to your head.

"You falling asleep on me, sweet girl?" He questioned.

"Mhm, I'm drowning under the weight of my own lies" You mumbled into the pillow as Eeyore made himself cozy on your back. He curled up into a little ball so you were pretty much stuck laying on your stomach.

"Punk"

"Jerk" you rolled your eyes.

Comfortable silence took over, both of your brains were running far away into the vast planes of dreamland, minds forming half conscious thoughts at a mile a minute... too lazy to verbalize any of them.

That was until you had one that you couldn't quite keep to yourself. He just made you too damn happy. "Honey?" You whispered, hoping he wasn't asleep yet.

"Yes, sweetheart?" He questioned, voice deep and raspy.

"One day, I'm going to be able to give you the biggest hug in the world." You told him.

A big smile smeared across his sleepy face at your words. "That'll be the best day of my life."

"Your life?!" You emphasized.

"The whole entire thing." He confirmed. "And whenever you come give me the biggest hug in the whole world, I'm going to give you the biggest hug in the universe... you know that?"

"Sounds amazing." You pulled the blankets around you even tighter. "You know I would if I could."

"I know, I know." Steve reassured sympathetically. "There is never any pressure, Baby. I find comfort knowing you're only one call away, really, that's already so close."

"And when our phones go out in the middle of the night, we're only a few floors away in the same four walls." You agreed.

"To me, that feels like a hug." Steve let you know. "The biggest one in the whole wide world."

"Maybe the universe." Those three words were the last you managed to mumble out before sleep forcefully washed over you.

Although Steve knew deep down he was going to be let down eventually, he couldn't help the warm and fuzzy feeling that basked in his brain and swirled around tummy at the act of falling asleep to such a lovely voice every single night. It felt domestic and vulnerable, like it was always meant to be that way.

He didn't even know when it happened, but at a certain point he didn't even have to try anymore. The romantic sentiments and pet names just rolled off his tongue without second thought. At its height, he found himself daydreaming about what it might be like to actually meet you one day. He knew it probably would never happen, but for now he was happy knowing that the distance between you was so small that it was practically an illusion.

Next: The Smiley Sticker

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