Love at the North Pole - (Steve Claus x Fem Reader)

Flashback

A Quiet Realization

It was late—far later than either of them had planned to stay up. The North Pole was quiet, most of the elves having retired for the night after a grueling day of preparations. [Y/N] sat cross-legged on the floor of her small workshop, a space tucked away from the bustle of the main control room. The only light came from the soft glow of fairy lights strung along the walls and the faint flicker of a single desk lamp.

Steve leaned against the doorway, arms crossed, watching her. She was hunched over a project—a prototype toy with intricate moving parts. Her brows were furrowed in concentration, her lips pressed together as she gently twisted a tiny gear into place.

"You know," he said, his voice breaking the silence, "most people would call it a night after twelve hours of work."

[Y/N] glanced up at him, her expression softening into a small smile. "Most people don't enjoy fixing broken toys"

He chuckled and pushed off the doorframe, stepping into the room. "Fair point. But even Santa's helpers need to sleep sometime."

She rolled her eyes but didn't look away from her project. "You're one to talk. When's the last time you slept?"

Steve sat down on the floor across from her, his long legs stretched out in front of him. "Touché." He leaned back on his hands, his gaze never leaving her face.

It wasn't the first time he'd been struck by how at ease she seemed in moments like this. While the rest of the world felt like a constant flurry of motion and expectations, [Y/N] had this uncanny ability to ground him. There was something about her presence—calm, steady, unshakable—that made him feel like he could take a breath, even in the middle of chaos.

As she worked, a strand of hair fell loose from behind her ear, brushing against her cheek. Absentmindedly, she tucked it back, leaving a smudge of grease on her skin. Steve smiled faintly, shaking his head.

"What?" she asked, catching the look.

"Nothing," he said quickly, though his chest tightened.

It wasn't nothing.

It hit him then—so sudden, so overwhelming it was like being knocked over by a wave.

He loved her.

His heart stuttered, and he quickly looked away, pretending to inspect a nearby tool. This wasn't supposed to happen—not to him. He didn't have time for this, for feelings he didn't know how to deal with. His life was already filled with responsibility, with expectation. Letting himself fall for someone—especially someone like [Y/N], who made him feel things he wasn't sure he could handle—was a complication he couldn't afford.

He had always prided himself on control, on logic and focus. But [Y/N] shattered all of that with her unshakable determination and the way her smile could make him forget the weight of the world, even for a moment. It terrified him.

Pushing the feeling down, he forced his attention back to the present. He couldn't let her see it. He couldn't let anyone see it. Not now, maybe not ever.

"There," [Y/N] said suddenly, holding up the toy with a satisfied smile. "Good as new."

Steve forced a grin, his throat dry. "You're amazing, you know that?"

She looked at him, surprised. "Where did that come from?"

He shrugged, trying to keep his tone light. "Just stating the obvious."

Her cheeks flushed faintly, and she glanced back down at the toy. "Well...thanks."

He watched her for a moment longer, his chest tightening as he shoved his emotions into a box he wasn't ready to open.

---

[Y/N] wasn't entirely immune to her own realizations that night. As Steve sat there, his gaze was distant but thoughtful. She caught a glimpse of something in him that she hadn't seen before.

She didn't know what it was exactly—maybe the way his voice softened when he spoke to her, or the faint crease in his brow as he focused on something she couldn't see. But for the first time, she found herself noticing things about him she'd always taken for granted.

The sharp intelligence behind his eyes. The way he carried himself with quiet authority. The way he always seemed to show up, no matter how hard things got.

Her chest tightened, and she quickly looked away, pretending to inspect the toy in her hands.

She couldn't go there—not now.

But as the two of them sat in the stillness of the workshop, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, she was starting to fall for him.

And somewhere deep inside, she wondered if he felt the same.