For you, I'll risk it all

X

Upon returning to the compound, she left her bag on the kitchen table and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. The kitchen was dimly lit by the corridor light. She offered a glass to Steve, who was curiously watching her from where he leaned against the table.

"Did you had fun tonight?" he asked, a hint of curiosity and concern lingering in his voice.

She responded with a simple nod, her eyes meeting his briefly before darting away.

Steve straightened up, the muscles in his back tensing slightly. His eyes stayed on her face as if attempting to decipher what happened at the Tower. "Did you talk to Bucky?" he inquired, the name of his old friend causing a slight change in his tone.

Her answer was quick and firm, "No," she replied.

"Don't you trust me?" he asked, sighing as he lowered his shoulders.

"I trust you enough," she replied as their gazes locked.

"Steve, I need time. I understand that you were able to forgive him for his actions, but the difference between you and me is that you had the chance of knowing a version of him before HYDRA got their claws into him. You had an image to hold on to, a version that was untainted. On the other hand, the only version of him that I know is the one that relentlessly punched me in the stomach until I spat blood, the one that almost took an eye out of me, the one that pushed my face into the cold snow till I passed out. I need time, Steve. I need a hell lot of fucking time." she cried out, her eyes watering. "It's hard, not just for him. Being here with all of you makes me feel like everybody moved on but I stayed there. I stayed in Siberia, waiting for him to return from a mission, covered in blood, with his eyes completely dark."

"I understand," he sighed, his voice barely a whisper lost in the silence of the kitchen.

"Changing the subject," she began as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear "You have no idea how long it's been since I had this much fun." She paused, her gaze softening. "Really, thank you, Steve."

Steve found his gaze fixed upon her, his eyes meticulously scanning over each of her features. He thought about the events of the evening, the way her eyes sparkled with an inner light whenever she spoke about something she was interested in, the faint blush that dusted her cheeks, and the slight, almost unnoticeable smile that tugged at the corners of her lips.

Slowly, with a grace that seemed to come naturally to her, she made her way around the table. Her footsteps echoed softly in the quiet room. The sight of her approaching made Steve instinctively stand up taller. He slowly withdrew from the table, his gaze locked with hers in a silent conversation as he gradually drew closer to her. The anticipation of a shared kiss had been mounting for weeks, a powerful undercurrent of longing and desire that had been quietly simmering beneath the surface, waiting patiently for the right moment to be satisfied.

As she tilted her chin upward in anticipation, Steve's hands cradled her face as if she were the most precious thing in the world. His thumbs traced over her soft skin, memorizing the feel of her. A magnetic force drew them closer, promising a sweetness that both were eager to taste.

It was a moment they both needed so badly. A moment where their silent longing could finally be expressed, where the tension between them could finally be broken.

Their lips met in a slow, tender kiss, a soft dance that seemed almost too delicate for the passionate tension that had been building between them. Steve's tongue traced the seam of her lips, asking for permission. Her response was immediate, a whimper of acceptance that encouraged him to deepen the kiss. Her hands tangled in his blond hair, pulling him closer to her as if she couldn't bear any distance between them. The rhythm quickened with each passing second, a silent testament to the desire that was consuming them.