(djo’s version)

“Okay okay, I’m leaving!” You panted, straightening up to grab your bag.

His lips tugged into a smile, “finally.” He said, though it was a lie—Steve knew he wished for you to be around him constantly, living in your own bubble, separated from the rest of the world to have you all to himself.

You rolled your eyes at him, pretending like his words stung more than they had.

“You know I’m only kidding, I’m gonna miss you, sweetheart.” He leaned over to press a kiss against the side of your forehead, you tried your best not to melt instantly.

“I’m gonna miss you too, Steve.” You offered him a quick smile, a real wide one.

“Bye, sweetheart.” He called out from behind you.

Just as you were about to step out of the front door you responded loudly. “Bye, love you—”

The words had left your mouth before you could take them back, your heart dropping into your stomach when your mind had caught up to reality.

Oh, no, no. Your eyes widened as the realization hit you. You couldn’t hear Steve’s movements because he had completely froze behind you, you very slowly turned around despite all the odds shouting at you to run away.

You stared at Steve in horror, and he forced himself to take a deep breath. “…what?”

“Oh. My. God.” You sucked in a sharp breath, beginning to feel yourself hyperventilating, as heat rushed to your face, internally begging for the floor to open up and swallow you whole.

Steve’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline, his mouth gaping at you. You slammed your hands over your face, “I-I’m sorry—I didn’t mean—”

Steve blinked at you, his mind still caught up with you declaring your love for him in the most natural way possible. “Sweetheart.”

“I’ll take it back—”

“Don’t take it back.” He cut you off suddenly, his voice firm and unhesitating. You made the mistake of taking a peek at him, to find that his expression had fully flipped.

There was still a hint of shock in there, but also something softer had taken its place. His arms were dangling by his sides, like he wanted to reach for you but was still nervous, his head tilted at an awkward angle.

Your heart immediately started beating faster, gaze flickering all around the room. “Look, I know we haven’t been together for long, and I wasn’t planning on saying it like that—but I did and now I sound insane—”

“You love me?” Your rambling came to a halt, Steve’s voice had dipped quieter than before.

You stared at him for a moment, unable to identify what was going through his head. “If you want me to?”

His mouth twitched, but you noticed that tears had also begun to shine through his eyes. “If I want you to?” He repeated in disbelief.

“Okay—maybe I do sound insane.” You replied, returning to hide your face once again.

Then suddenly, his hands were gently pulling yours away gently. “You’re not insane, I’m the one that didn’t wanna freak you out.” He shook his head, you could spot the rawness in his expression.

“What?” You asked confusingly, it felt like things were moving at a thousand miles per hour.

“You know how hard it is for me to stop myself from saying I love you every goddamn day?” Steve huffed, his hands still locked around your wrists. “I tried waiting it off as long as I could, to not scare you—then you just randomly said it, and it just…it reminded me of how sure I was. How every time I looked at you, I already knew.”

Your breath hitched, feeling every ounce of sincerity settle into your bones. Steve didn’t need a rehearsed speech, his love had always been there from the beginning. Your eyes stung, feeling overcome with emotion.

“Hey—baby, don't cry.” He instantly wrapped his arms around you, thumbing away at your tears that cascaded down your cheeks.

“Sorry,” your voice came out broken, he lifted your chin to look you deep in your eyes.

“Don’t apologize, I love you.” You don’t think those words could ever sound as magical from anyone else, saying them like he was relieved he could finally tell you.

A smile spread across your face, “I love you too.”

Steve grinned brightly in response, the kind that made you fall for him all over again. “I’ll never get tired of hearing that.” He pulled you closer to repeat the words against your face, punctuating them with several kisses.