Collide (Steve Rogers)

Chapter 13

As I walked through the halls of the tower, I began to feel like something was off. My head felt foggy, and my limbs felt heavier than usual. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but something wasn't right.

I had just come from seeing Bruce, who had given me a clean bill of health after examining me for any traces of the super soldier serum after Rumlow injected me with Bucky's blood. He assured me that I was fine and that there was no trace that the serum had taken effect. But now, as I made my way back towards my room, I couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

Steve was already in my room, sitting on the couch, watching some movie Tony told him to watch. "Hey." He said, looking up when I entered. "Hey." I sighed, walking over towards him and plopping on the couch next to him. I threw my legs on his lap and leaned into his side. He leaned forwards, turning off the TV before he rested his arm on my leg, gently rubbing my calves. I tried to ignore the growing sense of unease in my gut. Steve gently rubbed my legs as we sat in silence for a few moments. I could feel his gaze on me, studying me carefully.

"Are you feeling okay? What did Bruce say?" He asked, breaking the silence.

I hesitated for a moment, "I'm okay. Bruce said everything is fine. No trace of the serum in me." I gave him a toothless smile. He didn't answer right away, and I could tell he was considering his next words carefully. "You just seem...off. Is there something else bothering you then?" I shook my head, but even as I did so, I knew it was a lie. I couldn't lie to him.

My head was pounding, and my body felt like it was moving in slow motion. "I don't know." I sigh. Steve reached his hand over to me and felt my forehead. "Your forehead feels okay." He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and I leaned into his side more. "I think I must've just eaten something bad. I'll be okay, watch your movie." I smiled at him and snuggled into his side. He reached forward, turning the movie back on.

"Rocky? Really?" I asked, shifting my eyes from the TV back to Steve. "Yea Tony keeps calling me Rocky when he sees me hitting the punching bag. I understand the reference now." He gives me a toothy smile and presses a kiss to my forehead.

"'It ain't about how hard you hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done.'" I said, quoting the movie. "Rocky embodies resilience and determination in the face of adversity, he never gives up and always pushes forward, no matter how difficult the situation might be. I see that in you."

"You never cease to amaze me Olivia Stark." Steve whispers, placing a hand on my cheek and leaning in. "And to think you hated me at first." "I didn't hate you...I figured you were like Tony."

"That's truly an insult." I place my hand on my chest and gasp. "You're right. You're more spoiled, more stubborn, more annoying..." I playfully glared at him as he continued, "but definitely prettier than Tony..."

He delivers a soft kiss to my lips that slowly grows more passionate. "You want to talk about stubborn?" I mumble against his lips. "Shhh..." He whispers and smiles against my lips. He knows he's more stubborn than me. He pushed me back on the couch and hovered over me. I let my fingers play with his hair as we make out on the couch. Steve pulls away first and rests his forehead on mine.

"'I just want to say hi to my girlfriend, okay? Yo, Adrian! It's me, Rocky.'" I whisper as the scene I quote plays out on the TV. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth and gaze into Steve's eyes.

"Be honest, how often has Tony made you watch this movie?" "More times than I can count on my fingers." I say, pulling his lips back down to mine. "Are you tired?" He asks softly. "A little." He pulls away, sitting us back up on the couch. "Rest." He pulls us into a laying position on the couch and holds me close to his body. He pulls one of my many blankets over us as I let the sound of his steady heartbeat thump lull me to sleep.