Abandoned

Never Alone

ONE YEAR LATER

As it turned out, it was a good thing you had trusted Steve in all aspects. As your Captain, though he was right, HYRDA did want you for your special skill set. After the encryption came through they had data dating back from some of the first experiments performed on you. You and Steve had spent days going through everything and reading over it all, it was overwhelming, to say the least, but he never left your side as you took down the HYDRA facilities. He respected your decision when you said no to his firm request to take you off the field until he could secure your safety. He made sure that you were always with him and Bucky, which made you the fearsome threesome on the battlefield dubbed by Natasha.

All three of you had an easy friendship, especially when Bucky had found a feisty SHIELD Agent, Sofia, that gave him a run for his money and put him in his place to everyone's sheer delight. They were a perfect match and to his dismay, everyone would always help her out in every scenario, he was sure it was a conspiracy and everyone quickly confirmed that it indeed was.

Tonight all of you were going to the teams favorite pub and Steve steered you through the door with his large hand on the small of your back. He whispered into your ear, "Don't think your gettin' out of a dance with me t'night, doll." He kissed your cheek as you smiled up at him. "Wouldn't dream of it, Cap." He then took your hand and let you scoot into the booth next to Buck and across from Wanda and Vision. You smiled to yourself thinking of how far you'd come. You and Steve were flourishing and all because you finally let yourself be happy. Two years ago you would barely let anyone in your personal space and yet now there was barely a moment when a part of your skin wasn't touching Steve's. If he wasn't near you, you were linking arms with Wanda or Nat, hell, even Bucky was known to throw his arm around you. You and Bucky had fallen in sync almost as if you hadn't shared a shady past and decided to focus on the good instead of the bad. This was your family and your life. Steve leaned in and put his arm around your back, "Penny for your thoughts, darlin." You shook your head and smiled up into his baby blues. "My thoughts will cost you more than that, Mr. Rogers." He smiled and leaned in for a kiss and you heard Tony groan. "Oh for fuck's sake. We just got here and I haven't had nearly enough to drink to handle you two making out already. Plus Pep's out of town and lovers disgust me." He pointed to all of the couples. Steve pulled away but only enough to say, "No one care's, Tony." And flicked him off with the hand that wasn't on the back of your head. "Let's go dance, Steve." He grabbed your hand and led you out as Wanda and Vision followed close behind.

Steve and you had made it a tradition to dance as often as possible from the first night that you were together until now. Sometimes even if it was only him humming a tune from the 40's in the shitty lighting on the Quinjet on the way home from a mission. He would make the time to hold you in his arms and dance with you close to his chest and it would calm you and make you feel safe and loved. You two had spent so many hours and nights together, he still never made the leap of officially living together and while you did find it frustrating you assumed it was because he moved at a snail's pace which was fine. As long as you and he were together you really didn't give a shit the details that surrounded the how's and what's. He spun you out and twirled you then brought you back and dipped you in this elaborate and graceful move. When he brought you up, you laughed breathlessly. "Well, you've been practicing." He gave you a genuine Steve Rogers smile and put his forehead to yours.

"Well, all the trip-ups and stepping on toes made it all worthwhile, especially since your the perfect partner. Right now, here. We're at this place where we had our first real date and we're surrounded by friends and I have you. I never thought a little guy from Brooklyn could get a happy ending and yet here I am." You smiled and gave him a chaste kiss. "It's not an ending, handsome." He smiled and dipped you again with a shit-eating grin. "Perhaps the end of something and a beginning of others?" You looked at him and heard tremors underneath his steely voice. "How so, Cap?" He was showing off and spun you and out of the corner of your eye you could see everyone watching you, taking in how you recognized more of the bar than usual but it was a fleeting thought and he pulled you close again.