"Great work today, (Y/N)."

"Yeah, I know," you said to Steve with a smirk, "but I appreciate the sentiment."

"And I did okay too...?"

"Yes, Steve," you laughed, "you did great, very impressive."

He nodded at you with satisfaction and grabbed his gear, preparing to leave the jet once it landed at the tower. He glanced back at you several times but never said anything, and it finally caught your attention.

"Something to say, Cap?"

"I've been thinking," he began, "you and I seem to get paired together on a lot of these missions lately. Why do you suppose that is?"

You sat back in your chair and considered his question, removing your boots and weapons, sliding them carefully into your pack. Come to think of it, you had been paired together on the last four missions that Fury had sent you out on. Now your curiosity was peaked and you felt the need to get to the bottom of it. "This is totally off the top of my head here, but maybe you've been slipping a bit? You need someone to make sure you look good?" you chuckled, your tone laden with sarcasm.

"If anyone can make me look good, it's you, (Y/N)."

Your head snapped up to look at him, catching him just as he turned his face away so you couldn't see him. "Alright, we're home," he said, clearing his throat, "I'll see you at the debriefing." He rushed down the ramp and into the elevator, not looking back.

~~~

A few days later, another mission was in the works and you were just waiting to hear that your name was listed with Steve's. You peeked into the director's office as you walked by, seeing him working on the final plans and looking confused as to what he was going to do.

"Director Fury?"

He looked up from the files in front of him and sat back in his chair with a sigh and a smile, raising a hand to wave you in. "Agent (Y/L/N), please, come on in. I could use a break." He nodded towards the chair across from him, and you quickly took a seat.

"Sir, can I ask a question? Off the record?" you asked, hesitation in your voice and your eyes averted from looking at him.

He sat quietly and looked at you for a moment; long enough so that you finally raised your eyes up to meet his, and a smile crossed his lips. "There you are. Okay, shoot."

"Sir..."

"(Y/N), if this is off the record, you can call me Nick," he interjected.

"Nick," you sighed, the use of his first name creating a strange sensation for you, "are you putting Captain Rogers and I together on missions for a reason? Is there something that I should know, or something in particular that you need me to do?"

Fury shook his head, looking around his desk for something. "Nope," he said, "just your job." He grabbed a tablet and handed it to you, watching for your reaction; it held the plans for the mission you would begin tomorrow, and the names of who he would be sending.

"Well, now I feel a little ridiculous," you chuckled, "I'm paired with Clint." You stared at the list of names in front of you and scrolled down to see Steve's name paired with Tony. You'd be lying if you said that there weren't pangs of disappointment running through you, seeing his name next to someone else's rather than your own. The only thing was that you didn't know why those feelings were there.

"Yes, you are. I did that before you walked in too, just so you are aware." He sat quietly for a moment, still watching you. "Is that a problem, (Y/N)?"

"Hmm?" You were shaken from your thoughts, looking up quickly at him and clearing your throat. "Um, no, not a problem." Nick was looking back with a strange smile on his face, so you returned it with one of skepticism. "Fury, what are you up to?"

"Not a damn thing. Now go." Once you had exited his office, he began to laugh quietly to himself, "I think you're gonna like this one, (Y/N)."

~~~

It wasn't exactly clear how it happened, or if it was just because the two of you had formed such a natural rhythm working together that you gravitated to the same location, but in the midst of battle you found yourself cornered in an abandoned building with Steve.

"So, fancy meeting you here, Cap." You wiped the dirt from your face and stood to peek out a small window, "I thought you were covering Stark?"

"I was, until he took off and I had to find my own cover." Steve stood next to you and moved the shield to his back, "where's Barton?"

"Probably off crying in a corner somewhere," you snickered, "he cracked his bow." You turned around and sat on the dirty floor, reloading your guns and securing them in their holsters. "So, what's the plan?"

"I say we hold tight here for a bit longer. It looks like they might be retreating."

"So we aren't going to help push them out?"

"It looks like they're doing okay," he said, sitting down across from you. "I think we've earned a break." Steve sat motionless, watching you as you finished with your weapons, a small smile unknowingly crossing his lips.

"What?"

"What?" he asked with a start, not realizing that he had been staring. "Um, sorry. I didn't mean to stare." He dropped his gaze from you and adjusted a few straps on his gloves to keep himself distracted. "Well," he mumbled, "maybe I did."

It made you smile, and you didn't feel like hiding it from him; you knew how much it took for him to say anything like that to you, and you could almost feel the heat emanating from him as his cheeks began to flush. Maybe the poor guy needed a little help.

"Steve?"

"Yeah?"

"Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night? With me?"

Steve exhaled slowly and his body relaxed, but he didn't answer right away. He just sat there, looking at you with a stillness in his expression; you felt like he was studying you, and committing this moment to memory.

"Say yes, Cap. We want to go home." Fury's voice was almost amused as it rang out in your ear. "This wasn't supposed to take all day."

You gave Steve a quizzical look and stood again to look out the window to see your team together, along with the group you had been fighting against, all with Nick standing in the middle. "What are you doing here?" When you saw the grin on his face, you knew he was up to something. "Fury, what did you do?"

"You kids were taking too long for my liking. You needed the push."

Steve stood now, crossing his arms and looking a little annoyed, "so you mean to tell me that this whole thing was staged, just to get (Y/N) and I together?"

"That's right," Fury laughed. "I'm pretty proud of how this one turned out, if I do say so myself. It was a real team effort."

"Um, Nick," you interrupted, "he hasn't actually said 'yes' yet." You looked across the small room to Steve, waiting for any reply, either yes or no, just so you had something to know how he felt for sure. It surprised you how nervous you were feeling, and how ridiculous it was that the entire team was now listening in and waiting as anxiously as you were.

Steve took the few steps forward to close the gap between you and reached up to remove his earpiece, signaling you to do the same; he took them both in his hands and opened the small window, throwing them out for the team to see. You both couldn't help but laugh at the cheers that came from the group when they realized what he had done.

"I don't want to go to dinner tomorrow night."

"Okay," you replied, trying not to sound disappointed. "That's fine, I just figured that I would ask..."

"I can't wait that long," he breathed. "I want to start this right now." Steve's hand reached up and gently lifted your chin, your lips meeting his for the first time. It felt strange for just a second, crossing that line, but it quickly passed and became natural for you both.

Steve pulled away after a moment and rested his forehead against yours, his eyes still closed. "That was even better than I imagined it."

"Oh, I'm not looking forward to the ride home with those guys," you groaned, "we're never going to hear the end of it."

He straightened and looked out the window to see the group immersed in something Fury was saying, acting like they had all but forgotten about the two of you. "I'll bet you twenty bucks that we can get to the jet and get her in the air before they know what hit 'em." He looked back at you with a smile that you couldn't resist, and a glimmer in his eye that promised mischief.

"I like the way you think, Rogers," you replied with a nod and a smirk, "they might just regret getting us together after this." You opened a small door at the back of the building and grabbed his hand as you crept towards the jet, hurrying to pause behind each tree and shrub as you got closer.

"Hey!" you heard Tony yell, "catch them!"

You let out a loud squeal as Steve pulled you forward, throwing you over his shoulder in a full sprint. He jumped into the back of the plane and slapped the control to quickly close the door, letting you down to hurry to the pilot seat. A few frantic moments later you were in the air, looking down at your defeated team and both laughing until tears were in your eyes and your sides hurt.

"We make a good team," you panted, still trying to catch your breath.

"You owe me twenty bucks, doll."

"Sorry Cap," you shrugged and held your hands up in front of you, "I don't have it on me." You gasped when the breath was jolted from your chest as he grabbed you and pulled you to him, his expression much more serious than only moments before.

"I'm sure we can figure something out," he murmured into your hair, breathing you in. He stopped and groaned at the sound of Fury's voice booming through the jet, yelling something about theft and insubordination and abandonment or something of the like, and quickly silenced the director.

"Steve, we should probably go back."

"He'll work it out," he said with a smile and a hint of sarcasm, "he needed the push."