#pparkerwrites

“Good morning, Captain.” You emphasized the word. “Did you forget that we’re in public?” 

He pressed a soft kiss to your temple. “I just wanted one morning where I could say good morning to my girlfriend outside the walls of a bedroom. Is that so wrong?” 

You shifted out of his hold and tugged the hem of your shorts down. Steve signaled for you to keep hitting the bag he was now holding for you. 

“It’s not wrong. It’s just stressful. Do you know how much grief I’ll get if people know I’m dating Captain America?” 

“What’s wrong with dating me?” He asked. Steve’s clear blue eyes darkened with sadness.

“Nothing’s wrong with dating you. Something’s wrong with you dating me. No one here thinks I’m good enough for you.” 

As if on cue, two agents walked in. They were both in tight workout shorts and sports bras. If you didn’t know what they did for a living, you’d have thought the were models. As soon as they spotted Steve, they began undressing him with their eyes. That’s how all the girls were at S.H.I.E.L.D. They acted like they had some special claim on him. 

When you’d met Captain Rogers a year ago, you were working in the Stark technology lab. He’d walked into your office one day asking for some help and you were the only one willing to walk him through it. After that, you spent everyday together, growing more in love with every hour. 

He’d taken you to a fair one night, donning his famous baseball cap and glasses. You’d teased him so much about it, but not one person interrupted your date. At the end of the night, he’d walked you back to your room at the compound. You’d been amazed at how nervous he was, as you watched him stutter the whole way through asking you to be his girlfriend. From then, it’d been history. 

“Good morning, Captain Rogers! Perfect day for a workout, huh?” The blonde girl, Sharon, called out from the elliptical. 

Steve nodded in their direction, “Good morning, ladies.” Then he turned his attention back to you. Sharon scowled at you and then returned to checking out Steve’s ass. 

“Case in point.” You uttered. Steve gave you a puzzled look in return. “Those girls over there, they hate me for even taking a little bit of your attention. Think about how they’ll treat me if they find out we’re dating. They would be so appalled that you lowered yourself to my level.” 

“Why do you care what they think? I don’t. Besides, shouldn’t my opinion be the most important? And I think you’re spectacular.” His face had hardened from the sweet man you loved to a cold mask. 

“You are the most important opinion, S. I just meant-”

“It’s clear what you meant.” You reached out to touch his hand but he shoved his hands into his pockets of his gym shorts. “Look, I’ve got to go. Guess I’ll see you around sometime.” 

You watched as he stalked into the locker rooms, his shoulders were tense and his head was held straight ahead. You took note of the way his shirt fell just right on his body and his shorts hugged his butt. He was the perfect man and yet, you were fighting about something so insignificant. You sighed heavily and began rubbing your temples, a headache lingering. All the while, you could feel the stares boring into your back from across the room. 

~~~

The curtains were pulled tight and you had a sleep mask strapped to your face. The headache that had started in the gym had grown exponentially the more you stressed about Steve. It had effectively put you out of commission for the rest of the day and all through the night. 

You hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings. You wished there was a way to explain to him how daunting it was to be Mrs. Captain America. People’s eyes would follow you everywhere. There would be no room for mistakes or crude behavior. A pain shot through your head as you started thinking about it again. 

You winced and curled into a ball, smushing your Captain America bear closer to your chest. It was what Steve had bought you to celebrate six months together. And now it was one of your most prized possessions. 

A quiet tap on your door made you groan and you flipped the mask up to see Steve standing at the foot of your bed. His arms were folded making his shirt pull taught across his pecs. His expression was filled with worry as he looked at you in his ratty tshirt and the comforter cocooned around you.

“Hey, kiddo. Heard you weren’t feeling too great.” 

You whimpered in response and peered up at him with puppy dog eyes. In a flash, he stepped out of his shoes and crawled under the sheets. He cradled you into his arms and smoothed down your hair. 

“I thought you stopped loving me.” You whimpered.

“Oh baby, I could never stop loving you. I just felt...” 

“Hurt? Like I was embarrassed of you?” 

Steve rested his cheek against the top of your head. He took a deep breath in, letting your scent of lavender and chamomile relax him. 

“I know I was being ridiculous.” 

“You weren’t, Steve. I was being ridiculous. I have no reason not to want to shout it from the rooftops that you’re the man I love. You’re the man I’m going to spend the rest of my life with.” 

“I know my job doesn’t make things the easiest.” You snorted at that. “But I think you’ll be happier if you stopped trying to force yourself into the box people have designated for you. And I want to be able to show you off to the world.”

You nuzzled into his neck, kissing the sensitive skin, smiling as he shuddered. “You’re right. You’re always right. We can tell people. Let’s just not make a big spectacle of it.” 

Steve gave you a devilish grin and started attacking you with kisses. “What if,” kiss, “I just,” kiss, “want to,” kiss, “make a,” kiss, “huge spectacle.” 

Your laugh rang out like a melody in the room and you tried to squirm away from him. He was holding you tight to his body and quickly locked your legs in his so you were left to his mercy. You let him pepper your face and neck with kisses, enjoying this moment of normal between the two of you. 

Finally, he took a deep breath in and settle back against the headboard. You threw your leg over his to straddle him, laying your head on his chest and letting him rock you back and forth. 

“How ‘bout we watch a movie, kiddo? I’ll get you some medicine, make you some popcorn, and we can cuddle under the blankets.”

Steve delicately placed you back on the bed to rest while he set the movie up. You watched him move, admiring the strain of a muscle or a crinkle of his eye. You were so thankful that he was in your life. 

It was quiet for a moment when he spoke, “Fury told me that I’m winning some award. There’s a big dinner and I have to make a speech.” 

“What is it? Oldest Living National Treasure?” You taunted, winking when he looked back at you. 

“Hey now, Bucky is a year older than me. He’s the old man.” 

“He’s not quite the National Treasure that you are. Nothing beats Captain America.” You threw a piece of popcorn at his head. “But really, I’m proud of you, babe. No one deserved the honor of ‘America’s Hero’ more than you. People should know what a real hero you are.” 

Steve rested back on his heels, nervously tapping his fingers on his thighs. “I was wondering if you would go with me. As my date.” 

Your jaw dropped open slightly and your mind went blank for a moment. 

“I know-” 

“Yeah, of cours-” 

You both started at the same time, cracking up laughing. Steve moved his hand across his lips like a zipper and gestured for you to continue. 

“Of course I’ll go with you, Steve. We said we were going to tell people and this would be the perfect opportunity. Besides, I’m your forever date, now. You don’t have to ask me to go to events with you.” 

Steve looked at you, his eyes eager, before plopping into bed with you. He yanked the covers over your bodies and wrapped an arm around your shoulder while the movie started. 

~~~

You were trying not to hyperventilate as you paced inside the coat check. Your navy dress was silk but it felt rough against your skin as you moved back and forth in the tiny space. The thoughts were racing through your mind and with each step, you were starting to panic more and more. What if everyone laughed at you? What if they all shunned you? What if you became a public mockery. It was impossible to know how to handle yourself. 

The sound of someone clearing their throat over a microphone brought you back to the present. With one more roll of your shoulders, you stood up straight and quickly made your way to your seat. 

You hadn’t seen Steve yet because he had to arrive early, but you knew he’d sit next to you after receiving his award. In the gallery, you’d caught a glimpse of him in his tux. He looked incredibly handsome and just the sight of him had stopped your heart for a moment. Quietly, you slipped into your seat at the main table. A few people had turned to give you a quizzical gaze, including Bucky, but no one asked you to move. You sunk down a little lower and you stared at your lap. 

“Ahem,” Your eyes shot up at the sound of Steve’s voice. “Good evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. I want to express how thankful I am for being recognized. I didn’t know what I was doing when I went into the ice, and I didn’t know how lucky I would be when I came out.” Steve had a goofy grin on his face as he looked in your direction. “All of you have been so accepting and helpful while this old man stumbles through the 21st century.” He paused as the crowd laughed. 

It was impossible not to smile as he spoke. Captain America just had a way of commanding a crowd. 

“But there is one person that I’d like to thank specially.” Your stomach flipped. He wasn’t going to announce it to this entire room and whatever tv stations were there. “Y/N, you have been with me every moment to help me feel comfortable in this world. That never would have happened without you.” 

A small smile played at your lips as he continued. “I am a fool for you, doll. You are my sunshine when it’s dark, my comfort when I am lonely, and my partner in every meaning of the word. You are the best part of me. So thank you for being, as you put it, my forever date. Thank you again, ladies and gentlemen, for this honor. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” 

It was silent in the room and the only thing you could focus on what Steve and the slamming of your heart. Then in a split second, the entire crowd was applauding, surprising you. Bucky was giving you a huge grin from across the table and some of your coworkers were sending you a thumbs up. 

With a laugh, you wiped the tears out of your eyes, and stood to meet Steve as he came to you. 

“You didn’t tell me you were going to do that.” You fake pushed him. 

Steve pulled you against his chest, wrapping his arms around your waist. “Well you said you didn’t want to make a big spectacle, so I had to tone it down a bit.” 

Instead of thinking for one more moment, you pushed your lips against his eagerly, earning a few clinking glasses and a wolf whistle from Tony. A blush crept up your cheeks and you tucked yourself into Steve’s side. 

Before he turned you to introduce you to his friends, you tugged him closer once more. “You know this means you’re stuck with me now, right?”