Back To The Basics

back to the basics

summary: the team needs so work on their feet, so why not ballet class

pairing: college!football player!steve rogers x fem!ballerina!reader

warning: nothing but fluff

word count: 2.3k

Coach Fury was what your college needed, retired NFL lineman, coming back to his alma mater, keeping the team afloat and popular for the nation. And coming back with championships every year in the past, Fury patted himself on the back for his renowned football team, until this year.

“Parker!” He yelled at the freshmen. “I thought you were the best in your state, what is wrong with you?”

It was like everything he worked for in the past 7 years was nothing, gone down the drain with the new team that came for summer training. It was nothing but conditioning and running drill after drill. His starting lineup could barely know which foot to put forward after the last.

“My grandmama can run circles around you!” He screamed.

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Chris Evans makes a special appearance at the 2022 Academy Awards

Second Chances - Chris Evans x reader

a/n - hey lovely people!!! here’s another angsty fic hehehe. don’t have a lot to say about this one, so just enjoy<3

word count: 5k

warnings: alcohol consumption, angst

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

There was always this thing between you. You knew it, Chris knew it, everybody knew it.

About a year ago, your friend group met Chris’ at a new year’s party. One of your friends distantly knew one of Chris’, and they got to catching up, effectively merging the two groups for the rest of the night, and, even though you didn’t know it yet, for long after. You all mashed very well, quickly making each other’s acquaintance and laughing like you’d known each other forever.

One person stood out to you the most. Chris’ twinkling eyes and easy laughter were hard to miss, paired with these ridiculously broad shoulders, and you two got on like a house on fire, cracking jokes, downing drinks and dancing through the whole night, wrapped up in your own bubble.

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Buzzfeed puppy

Chris Evans x reader

Summary: Chris finally took the interview from Buzzfeed with the puppy’s but you were too distracted once a puppy chose you and wouldn’t leave your side

Warnings: mention of anxiety and depression but just a mention of it. FLUFF!!!!

Words: 2,3K

Buzzfeed puppy’s

Finally the day was here that Buzzfeed would interview Chris with the puppy’s. Honestly if it wasn’t for the amount of fans that asked for this, it might’ve taken a way much longer time than now. Chris was over the moon excited about this and took you with him.

You and Chris were a couple for over a year now and the amount of love Chris had shown you everyday was just amazing. He treated you like the most precious thing in the world and showered you with nice things, even though you found it uncomfortable sometimes but he always reassured you that he wanted nothing more than to show you how much of a Queen you are.

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Headline Events

collegejournalist!SteveRogers x athlete!reader AU

In which Steve is just adorkably obsessed with Y/N; the most beautiful member of his college's swimming team.

a/n: Okay, but imagine awkward, shy student paper Steve falling for a college athlete and absolutely embarrassing himself in front of her. Like, he's just the sweetest and a total nerd and his jokes aren't funny, but he's just super adorable. My heart is melting!

word count: 5.4k

warnings: swearing, super adorable and angsty Steve (yeah he's a warning because I literally get heart attacks thinking about him), also Bucky is a real jokester in this universe so be aware of his stupidity

The air was humid. Like a heavy blanket that was constantly pushing down on his shoulders and head. It was hard to breathe, and the loud screams from the students and parents did not make it easier to concentrate on a steady rhythm in which he could draw his breaths in, either. It was crowded, it was hot, and it was tense. Who wouldn't want to be spending their Saturday morning in a pool cramped with hyper 20something-year-olds and parents that were convinced their kid would become the next Michael Phelps? Well, Steve did. Despite all these seemingly countering arguments, Steve would not have wanted to be anywhere else. His camera clutched between his fingers and a bright smile plastered on his face, he rounded the pool in search of the next contestants in the relay race for the women's 100m freestyle. He was looking for someone specific, and this certain someone was currently jumping up and down behind starting block number one in order to warm up her body.

Y/N Y/L/N; possibly the most beautiful woman he had ever laid his eyes on. Her bright eyes shone every time she smiled at his camera, capturing him in her heartwarming aura, and - god - he loved it. He couldn’t take his camera lens off of her, not to mention his eyes. And that was why Steve was currently sporting his purple NYU sweater, which clung to his body as a result of the draining hot air at the indoor pool, but that didn't faze him. He was determined to take the perfect picture of Y/N for the University Paper, as he was sure her team would place 1st again in the 4x 100m relay.

He wasn't into sports all that much, but ever since he had been assigned the swimming team back in his sophomore year of college, that changed. Bruce, the Washington Square News head student, had forced him to fill in the spot. His fellow classmate and coworker, Tony, had abandoned his assignment for a one-night stand with one of the cheerleaders he had written an article about the week before, leaving Steve to drag himself to the qualifications to report who would make the team this season. Most of the time, he tried to be a good sport and do what he was told, which was also the reason why he was so confused to get the punishment of Tony's egoistic gesture. He had complained to Bruce for at least 30 minutes that day, leaving his "boss" with a bad conscience for the remainder of the week - The poor guy was just doing his job and Steve didn't really know what to make of him, to be honest. He was a good editor and a nice guy on top of that, but he could also be a total idiot and swing a mean right hook if he was provoked. At least that was what he had been told back then. Steve had never been on the other side of Bruce's infamous aggressive outbursts before and he didn't plan to be after he saw one of them for the first time. That was why he was glad that - after he had attended the qualification meet - he didn't feel the need to complain anymore. Because he met Y/N. Well... met was a relative term. He saw her, and he took about ten times as many pictures of her as he did of all the other participants. Yeah, that's how much of an impact she had on him. It wasn't even until later that day when Steve was looking through his pictures and noticed how enticing the ones with her in them were to him. They seemed to have an embracing warmth to them and the way Y/N always managed to look beautiful - even if it was a candid photo - mesmerized him.

He adored the way she could move through the water so easily. Every stroke looked carefully calculated but was executed with an effortlessness that brought a calmness over him. Not only that, it made him try to swim properly himself, but he dropped that hobby rather fast. Despite his fairly nice build, he always felt a little awkward in just his swimming trunks. In addition to that, he couldn't see that well without his glasses and was rather helpless when he stumbled past the slippery tiles until he finally made it into the water. So, yeah... Steve avoided activities that required him to take off his glasses or his shirt. He wasn't particularly scrawny, no, he liked to go to the gym. Late at night when most students already left to party or hang out with their friends, Steve would sneak in the training rooms an hour before close up and lift a couple weights. He was tall, too. Stood a whopping 6'1'' which made it extra comical as he lacked the confidence his appearance would bring to every other person. But instead, he was just an awkward kid that liked comic books and late 90s indie bands.

Steve pushed his glasses up on his nose before lifting the camera to his face to frame Y/N in the viewfinder. A small wave was sent his way before the whistle was heard and the swimmers took their position on the blocks. Steve snapped a picture of her as she got ready: one foot a step behind the other and her hands clinging to the front of the block, her head was looking straight ahead in anticipation.

"Get your mark!"

She leaned into the position; ready for the jump. Steve's heart raced a million miles per minute. He had to take the perfect shot of her start because he had already planned out the perfect pun for his article and it just wouldn't be the same if the picture wasn't right.

'A Jumpstart to the State Championships' a small chuckle escaped Steve’s lips at the thought of his little joke making the title page of the Washington Square News.

Steve inched further toward the swimmers in an attempt to capture the image he had hoped for. He couldn’t miss this moment.

The final signal was heard and Steve could only focus on Y/N through his camera lens. Just as the girls jumped in the pool - Steve was about to press the shutter - his right foot suddenly plunged into the water and his whole body followed shorty. He didn't even know what hit him when he quite literally hit the surface and Y/N in the process as well, knocking her goggles off her face and pulling her straight down with him. His camera pulled his neck a little deeper, making him gulp a great deal of water in the process. Suddenly the noise of the competition was muffled and replaced by the feeling of water entering his ears. Before he could orientate himself, he felt a hand hooking under his right arm pulling him upwards and into the hands of someone who proceeded to seat him on the floor next to the pool. Everything happened so fast and Steve couldn’t help but let himself be dragged through the motion as he tried to understand what was going on.

He sat there like a lost puppy with his knees bend slightly and falling to either side of his body. Hair spilling droplets of water into his face and glasses sitting crooked on his nose. Before he was able to comprehend the situation, he felt a light touch to his shoulder, shaking him carefully.

"Are you ok?" Wide y/e/c eyes roamed his face and body for injuries.

"I- uh-" But before he could produce a proper sentence that would have probably taken another minute, he was hit by a booming voice. Angry and rough were the words that the trainer directed at him as Steve winced in fright.

"What is the matter with you, boy?! You almost disqualified your own team!" The coach shook his head in disappointment. Another, younger boy was summoned to the poolside. He looked just as scared as Steve when he was given his instructions. "Parker, get this idiot away from the competition. Can't have him ruin our chances at winning this shitshow." The last part was mumbled under his breath, but Steve heard it loud and clear, making him shrink in his clammy sweater.

"Y/L/N, are you able to go again? They'll count it as a false start. You can go again if you can get your ass up." There was an apology in Y/N's eyes before she pushed herself off the floor at the same time the younger boy tried to get Steve to leave the area. When Steve was pushed through the doors of the hall, he could hear the signal chime again and seconds later the water splashing from the contestants jumping in. His shoulders hung low with every step the boy escorted him to the exit. It was almost comical how the kid held him at the drenched material on his elbow, tugging him in a direction away from the crowd. Steve could have easily pulled away. This Parker boy was a couple inches smaller than him and his grip on Steve's sweater was hesitant as well. But Steve didn't think about that right now. Too big was the embarrassment of the prior situation. He just wanted to disappear on the spot. Once they were outside, he closed his eyes and laid his head back to breathe in properly for the first time in hours.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Coach Fury is... he is something." The boy shifted from one foot to the other as he clasped his fingers behind his back. He had let go of Steve as soon as they had reached the foyer, and wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hands now. "I'm Peter by the way." He smiled shyly but Steve was too caught up in his uncomfortableness to notice. Wow, this was embarrassing.

There was an awkward silence between the two before Peter began to speak again: "Do you need anything else? I have to head back inside, but I-"

"Thank you, Peter. I'm good." Steve sighed. He just wanted to be left alone to sulk in his shame.

"Oh, ok. I hope I'll see you around then." Peter scurried away and as Soon as Steve heard the boy's footsteps disappear into the swimming hall, he opened his eyes again. That's when he noticed the weight hanging off his neck and his face scrunched up in annoyance. This day couldn't get any worse. He tried to push the button of his camera, which showed his gallery; but all it did was release a puffing noise until the screen went black.

"Shit, Shit, Shit." He shook the device in an attempt to get some water out of its system but it didn't help. Any button he pushed was met with nothing. Not even the weird shushing sound it had made before. When Steve attempted to retrieve the SD Card in order to save at least something, he was met with a burnt scent. Well, this is just great. The Card was fried and with it the article he was supposed to hand in tomorrow morning.

He released a frustrated scream at the sky and lifted his hands in the air. This must have been the most embarrassing day of his life. Not only did he fall into the water in front of her. No, he also ruined Y/N's run and blew the first time he could have had an actual conversation with her. The girl of his dreams. Steve was convinced that this day couldn’t get any worse but the universe proved him wrong once more when a gentle hand was laid on his left shoulder.

His head jerked up a little too fast for his linking, resulting in a sharp pain in his neck but that was long forgotten once he saw who was interrupting his pity party. Y/N's hair was still wet - just like his - and hidden beneath the hood of the black team hoodie she had pulled over her body in a haste after changing into a new bathing suit and a pair of track pants to go with it. Her face was flushed and her breaths came in short heaves. A result of the sprint she had just made and the endless struggle of getting a bathing suit off and on a semi-dried body. Right after her team had pulled in a close second, she had bolted for the locker rooms in search of the weirdly familiar face that had just knocked her out of her jump a few minutes prior.

Her facial expressions were concerned as she squeezed his shoulder. "Aren't you cold? How long have you been out here?" Her voice was quite calm compared to the body it came out of.

And that's when he noticed that the February air of New York did raise goosebumps on his skin. Without even noticing it, he had been standing out in the wind for at least five minutes and - my god, it was fucking freezing! As if reacting to the push of a button, Steve began to shiver under the now cold, wet fabric of his hoodie. His face fell at the sight of concern on Y/N's features. All of a sudden the cold didn't seem to matter that much anymore. The embarrassing memories from a couple minutes before clouded Steve's mind again.

"Listen I am so so sorry!" His hands were waving frantically in front of him, the camera was long forgotten around his neck. "I don't know what happened I just wanted to take a good picture and then..." His head hung low as he shook it lightly. "I'm so sorry...", he whispered desperately, fighting the tears that brimmed in his eyes from falling down. She's gonna hate you forever now... you totally blew it, Steve.

"Did you?" Steve lifted his head again, searching Y/N's eyes for an answer. "The picture... did you get a good one?" Y/N's smile was bright and effortless, her hand still resting on his shoulder and she noticed how his shaking frame tensed a little more under her touch.

"I don't know, actually" A confused stare was now nudged his way. Steve fixed his posture before answering her silent question, lifting the dripping piece of technology still latched onto the Ribbon around his neck. "Oh." She nodded and her face fell. "Yeah..."

"It's not a big deal, it's not mine- It's the School's. They get broken way more often than you'd think" Smiling crookedly at her reaction he stopped himself from rambling too much. "I just have to hand the article in without a picture..."

"We placed second, by the way." She smiled compassioantely, "if you need that information for your article." Yep, just go ahead and rub it in, will ya? Steve was so mortified. Y/N's team had placed second because he ruined a perfectly good start and probably aggravated everyone on her team, not to mention her coach -he had made it pretty clear just how annoyed he was by Steve's stunt.

"I- huh-" He exhaled to collect himself again. Y/N had taken her hand off his shoulder and Steve couldn't help but miss the faint source of warmth it presented for his cooling body. "Is there anything I can do to make you hate me any less? I will clean the locker rooms or something."

"Hey..." The soft voice of the girl in front of him went unnoticed. Steve was too caught up in his ramble to pay attention to her.

"I could organize your guys' supply closet or something. I am just so sorry."

"It's okay." More frantic hand movements filled the space between the two along with a desperate look on his side.

"No, no it's not. I need to make up for this somehow." Another exhale and Steve finally felt like he could stop rambling -for a little while at least.

Y/N sighed. There was a smile tugging on her lips as she shook her head in anticipation. "It's okay. It really is. Don't worry about it. You worry too much," she observed.

"I can't help it."

"Well how about this: You can pay for my dinner today and in return, I will ensure that the team will not hold a grudge against you."

"Not even the coach?"

"I can't guarantee that, but coach Fury's tempers are short-lived. Chances are he already forgot about you, considering he already got it out of his system in there." She pointed towards the doors of the swimming hall and sent a crooked smile Steve's way.

"Are you sure?" Steve was hesitant. He didn't want to blow his chances with Y/N a second time and realized that she just kind of invited him to dinner - even if it was on him. It almost seemed too good to be true.

"Yes, yes I'm sure. Meet me at Amelia's at seven and now get home and change out of these clothes. You'll get sick in this weather."

Steve still looked weary as he shifted from one foot to another in front of her.

"Go, go!" She chuckled with a final nudge to his arm.

"Okay... okay I'll see you then!" And with that, he scurried away towards his residence hall.

–

Steve felt like standing in front of a camera with the way his cheeks hurt from smiling so brightly. And he couldn't stop, either. Not even when he opened the door to his dorm room and was met with his best friend, Bucky, who would probably already have a snarky comment on the tip of his tongue.

"What’s got you so... wet?" And there it was. A shit-eating grin spread across the brunette's features as soon as Steve entered the room. Though marginally stiff from the freezing temperatures outside, his sweater along with his jeans was still drenched and dripping water onto the hardwood floor.

“That all you got?” Steve grumbled, though half-amused by his best friend’s antics.

"Hot and bothered wasn’t really an option and well," he gestured towards Steve with a laugh, "you laid that one out for me." Bucky jumped up from his bed and followed his best friend to the bathroom in order to get some information. Leaning against the doorframe, he watched as Steve peeled the sweater from his body and attempted to wring it out over the sink.

"What happened? You fall in the pool or something?" Bucky chuckled and was met with an angry glare through the mirror.

Realization hit him quickly with his roommate's reaction. "No way! You actually fell into the pool?" He clutched his stomach as he doubled over to contain his laughter. He failed - miserably. Steve turned around to Bucky after a while of enduring the ongoing embarrassment this day had to offer.

"Will you stop?! It's not that funny..."

"Are you kidding me? That's the best thing I've heard in a while!"

"Shut up." Steve shoved his friend a little.

"Did she see it?" Bucky asked and steve only looked at him like he had been caught. "Did something else happen?" All of a sudden, Bucky's tone had taken on a more serious note. He knew about the crush his roommate had been harboring for about a year now. He was his best friend after all, and one perk that came with spending so much time with each other was that he could read him like an open book.

"It was awful, Buck." His hands flew in the air with a frustrated groan. "I knocked her off the starting block." He buried his face in his hands and muffled another defeated whine.

"Oh my god. You are a walking meme, you know that?" But despite his teasing remarks, Bucky ruffled Steves hair lovingly before he pulled him in a comforting hug. "What happened after that?"

"Ugh. I was thrown out of the pool and now I'm going to an apology dinner with her."

"Wait what?" With a shocked expression, Bucky held his friend at an arm's length with his hands on his shoulders. Steve smiled shyly at his roommate who couldn't conceal the grin spreading across his face.

"Steven Grant Rogers, you motherfucker! I knew you had it in you to finally ask her out! I'm so proud of you, man." Steve was pulled back into a brotherly hug with a couple of claps to his shoulder blades.

"Stop..." He dragged as he pushed out of the embrace in order to look back in the mirror again. "I need to take a shower. Can you leave? And take your stupid face with you, will ya?"

"Sure, whatever you need, champion." Bucky backed away with his hands raised in feigned defense. He moved a couple steps backward before turning away to hide another chuckle.

A couple of hours passed that were spent with the two friends bickering constantly. As Steve got ready for his not-date, - he had made that part explicitly clear to Bucky - he was constantly met with unhelpful remarks about the way he should act later that evening.

"If it's not a date then why are you so nervous?"

"Because she makes me nervous. You make me nervous, too! Stop pressuring me!" He fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.

"Sorry, I forgot you have the confidence of a beaten puppy." Another glare was sent Bucky's way.

"That's not helping."

It was about 6.30pm when Steve took a final look in the mirror to fix his jacket for the 20th time. He drew a deep breath and closed his eyes to collect himself when he felt Bucky standing behind him.

"You're gonna be okay." He smiled warmly and proceeded to nudge him towards the door.

Before Steve could step out of the room, Bucky stopped him by shoving a piece of paper into his best friend's hand. It was crumbled and as Steve moved to open and read it, his face fell into an annoyed expression.

"Just in case you don't know how to break the ice." Bucky winked. A grin prominent on his lips.

"'I wish I were cross-eyed so I could see you twice.'" Steve read out loud and proceeded to scold the man in front of him with his stare.

"What? I would climb you immediately if I were a chick and you said that to me."

"You're an idiot, Bucky"

"Yeah, whatever. You can thank me later, buddy." With a firm squeeze of his shoulder, Bucky shoved his friend out into the hall, leaving him to venture towards his 'it's-not-a-date-Buck'-date with the girl of his dreams.

–

He stepped into the diner 25 minutes later, looking for the familiar bright eyes he normally admired through his viewfinder. Y/N was seated in a booth near the back windows to his left, waving at him as soon as she noticed him coming through the door with the familiar chime of someone entering. He beamed as he walked towards her and finally took a seat opposite her. His hands were clammy and cold at the same time.

"Hey I just realized earlier, I never got your name." Y/N offered as a conversation starter, but it only helped little to ease the nerves that were running through the blonde in front of her.

"It's uh- I'm Steve Rogers." Breathe, Steve. This is not a date, remember? You're just hanging out with her. Stop being so stiff!

"Steve..." Y/N tried out the name and Steve couldn't deny that he loved the way it sounded out of her mouth. Get yourself together. She just said your name. "I like it." A warm, welcoming smile was shot across the table. "I'm Y/N..." She hesitated before copying his awkward introduction with a smirk "...Y/L/N."

"I know," Steve confessed, but she didn't question it.

"So tell me, Steve Rogers, what can I do to relax you a little bit?" Oh, God. She noticed. How did she notice his nervousness? Sure, he didn't make a lot of effort to hide it - mainly because he didn't know how to - but was it really that obvious?

"I am relaxed." He lied. But his deceit was instantly detected. Y/N looked at him with pursed lips before darting her eyes down to his hands that were nervously wringing on top of the table. Oops. Steve instantly pulled them apart to wipe them on his pants, looking around nervously.

To his relief, the waitress came to their table to take up their orders and Steve took the time Y/N used to skim through the menu, to take a deep breath. Once they had ordered and the waitress had left the table again Y/N's eyes were trained back on him. She had a comforting look on her face and it did help Steve to ease a little into the situation. But before he could fully relax, he had to get the question out of his system once more.

"You’re really not mad I ruined your chances at the relay?" Uncertainty tinted his features while he waited for her answer anxiously.

"It’s really not a big deal." Y/N lowered her hands on the table. "We’re going to state anyways. Besides, we didn’t stand a chance to beat the other team. They have this new swimmer, she’s like the youngest world record holder on the east coast. And we were one person short, so Wanda had to fill in, and - no offense to Wanda - she is the sweetest and I love her very dearly, but hear freestyle freaking sucks."

Steve's heart melted at her rambling and it lifted the weight on his shoulders by a lot. He was just glad he didn’t ruin their chances at winning at the championship next month and that he got to experience this carefree side of Y/N. Unbothered by the cool- and collectiveness she usually presented herself with in front of him.

Y/N cleared her throat after a couple of seconds of silence. "Tell me something about yourself. You work for the Student paper, right?"

Okay, he could do this. At least she made it easy for him. That was nice.

"Yeah, I major in journalism, and joining the paper was a great opportunity to get into the field." Wow, you managed to say a full sentence. Good job!

"You know I can send you a picture of the relay my teammate took on his phone this morning." Y/N hinted at the broken camera she probably just remembered at the mention of the Newspaper.

"You would do that?"

"Of course, I would."

Steve’s eyes brightened at that.

"Is there anything else you need for the article?"

He was reluctant at first but when he saw the apprehension in Y/N’s eyes, he began to speak again: "Well actually…"

They got into the topic of majors and classes and Steve felt himself relax with every minute he spend talking about what he loved. It was easy to talk to Y/N, mainly because he felt like she was genuinely interested in what he had to say. Not one of his comments was met with a judging expression and that really helped him to open up a bit. Steve hung to her every word, too. He learned that Y/N had been good at swimming ever since she was a child, but that she never took it seriously until her parents urged her to join her high school team. That's when the trophies rolled in, which eventually lead to a scholarship for NYU.

The pair had been sitting in the diner for an hour now. Chatting, laughing, and eating while learning new things about one another. A couple more minutes passed and the conversation was steered back to the reason they were sitting together in the first place.

"Bruce made me go to the competition to write an article about our team making state" he lied " That's how I ended up there... and well- in the water too." A sigh brushed through his lips when he buried his face in his hands. "Again, I'm so sorry. I don't know why I am like this."

"I think it's kinda cute, actually."

"You do?"

"Yeah... it's nice to see someone be so enthusiastic about what they do. Even if it makes them forget about the world around them sometimes." She smiled warmly at him, "That's a rare trait, you should be proud of it - at least I would. Not something I can say about myself. I get distracted way too easily." Y/N shrugged her shoulders while pushing some fries around on her plate.

Steve scoffed. "You got plenty of things to be proud of, Y/N."

"Yeah? Like what?" She sipped on her drink.

"You're like super hot." Silence, and then Steve's eyes widened as soon as he realized what he had just said. "No, I didn't mean it like that!" Idiot. Idiot. Idiot!

"So I'm not hot?" A chuckle escaped Y/N's lips at that.

"No! I mean Yes! You are very pretty," his face heat up, "but you are also very nice and you capture the whole room when you enter it." Good save, dude. Now you can definitely write her off as "not interested in a loser like you".

Y/N reached over the table to tap Steve's chin lightly. "You're adorable, you know that?"

Steve sunk in his chair. Not exactly the words he wanted to hear from her but he couldn't help the twitch of the corners of his mouth as a blush grew hotter and hotter on his cheeks. He kind of liked that she thought he was cute or adorable. It made his stomach tingly. A feeling he would love to hold onto for as long as possible.

–

Darkness and a gushing wind embraced Y/N and Steve when they stepped out of the diner at 10pm. Steve sunk deeper in his jacket and watched as Y/N clung to her scarf, attempting to wrap it even tighter around her neck. when they started walking back to campus and through the dimly lit streets of New York, Y/N inched closer and closer to his side. Sure, it was cold, but Steve liked to believe that she somewhat wanted him to protect her from the sketchy passerby. Her hands wrapped around his right bicep when a particular uncanny man passed them in front of a subway station. Their walk had been quiet for the most part. The occasional sniffle from running noses - it was really fucking cold- and the kicking of loose rocks on the sidewalk were the only noises shared between the two. Steve didn't mind, though. He enjoyed the silence of the night and raveled in the feeling of Y/N's touch on his side. His left hand was gently placed on top of hers in order to keep her fingers warm. The confidence that graced his features now was a harsh contrast to the nervous wreck of a man he had been before their dinner. And he enjoyed it. He enjoyed that he could be himself at this moment and the lack of cold sweat and stutter was just the cherry on top. Y/N had brought that out in him and it surprised him a little, how fast he came to ease into her presence.

Steve wasn't able to wipe the proud grin off his face until they stopped at Y/N's residence hall.

"This was very nice, Steve. Thank you for taking me out." Y/N's nose was red and cold but Steve decided that she looked cute that way.

"Thank you for letting me." He scratched his neck awkwardly as he stood next to her. Their arms had been unraveled from each other as soon as they had entered the building, leaving a cold spot at the place their bodies had touched before.

"I- uhm. I'll see you around?" I'll see you around?! Why don't you just tell her to fuck off directly? God, you're stupid.

"I certainly hope so" And That's when it happened. Y/N stood up on the tip of her toes and pressed a gentle and warm kiss to his cheek. Her cold nose brushed his face in the process and Steve's hands went up to her waist instinctively, thinking his knees would buckle under him if he didn’t hold on to something. Though he tensed at the sudden impact, he came to miss the feeling of her lips on his skin. It was over way too soon for his liking. Steve grinned down to her in a lovesick haze while Y/N smiled up at him with a similar look in her beautiful eyes.

"Yeah, me too." He whispered. One hand lingered on her waist for a couple more seconds before Y/N unlocked her door and slipped inside, sending one last beaming bright smile his way. "Good night, Steve Rogers." And just like that, Steve was left in the hall with a warm feeling in his chest that quickly spread throughout his entire body. Boy, would Bucky be bugging him about his whipped ass later.