#scientist reader

"You are here."

"You summoned, I came. Where is the beast?"

Tony looked at you as if you with a smile. You always loved working and trying to find a new way to find a solution to a problem. This was one of the reasons he actually called you. He really needed your help. You were a tech genius, too even if he wished to have the title for himself.

"Always ready to work. Do you maybe want to drink something first?"

"Yes please. Do you also have some snickers?"

"Who do you think I am? Of course, I brought some. I know how to coax you."

You laughed. You have known Tony for almost ten years now. Even when you were just his lab assistant and he was still very egocentric, he couldn't have missed the number of snacks that you were ingesting. He already put a bag of snickers in your drawer. He knew it was your favourite.

It was two am when you decided to go to the kitchen. You decided not to work the next day after three weeks of working intensely. You have been binging movies in your room. Now, you needed a refill. You didn't expect to find anybody at this hour. You almost jump at the view of Steve.

"Hi, I didn't expect to find someone here."

"I just needed some water. Do you want some?"

"Yes, please. Can you grab me a bowl too?"

You found what you were looking for in the freezer. Ice cream. Not any ice cream but the cookie dough one. You loved it, you also took the chocolate fudge with it. You were indecisive.

"Are you going to ice cream at this hour?"

"My dear Steve, there is no hours or season for ice cream. And this is the best night snack."

You smiled at him. He didn't seem to agree with you.

"You never had night ice cream did you?"

He confirmed you that he didn't. You patted the seat next to you.

"Take a bowl and a spoon. We need to remedy that."

You put several coops of both of them in the bowls. You looked at Steve sitting next to you, waiting for a reaction.

"I really like the vanilla one but the chocolate one is also good."

"Yeah? You like it?"

"I do. I am just not sure if it's a good thing to eat it now. I mean, it's night."

"That's why it's the best."

Technically, it wasn't good for your metabolism, but it didn't matter. You loved it and it was the only important thing. You continue to eat it, talking more with Steve and why he was up.

After your encounter in the kitchen, you became close with the soldier. Every day, he was asking you about something that he didn't understand. It could be a word, an anagram, how something was working. It didn’t matter as long as you were helping him. Before knowing you, Steve  didn't realise how much he needed that. You didn't make fun of him. You were helping him like you told him you would that night in the kitchen. So when you liked something, he was making mental notes to love it even more.

In the last three months. Everybody realised that you became close to each other. It was small things that made them feel that way so now, the team was trying to make you tell your feelings. On movie nights, you always sat next to Steve because it was the only seat available. With time, it become an occurrence that you were cuddling him by the end of every movies. You were always paired for game night. And when something random happened, you were always finding a seat next to Steve, asking how he was. You never really realised it, not minding the fact that you could be close to your new friend.

Steve was coming down to the lab. He needed to see you even if it was just for a split second. It was more and more difficult for him to be away for him. He was missing seeing you, missing the sound of your voice and your smile. It has been only since the previous night that he didn’t see you but it felt like it was too long already. He brought coffee for everybody and your favourite drink plus a snicker. When he arrived, he didn't hear your voice and felt his heart aches but still decided to enter the room. Maybe you were just very busy.

"Steve, what brings you here?"

"Tony, I know that you are all working very hard, so I wanted to bring you something to drink."

The soldier was still trying to figure out where you were but couldn't see you. His smile disappeared, hoping to see yours.

"When are you going to ask her out?"

"Who?"

"The person that you originally came to talk to."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

Steve was red. He never talked about his feelings for you. He knew that he loved having you around him. You never judged him for not knowing things and, on the contrary, was very helpful. He also felt more relaxed around you, like if a weight was lifted of his shoulders. You were so easy going and never tried to push him to tell you things that he wasn't ready to share.

"Listen, I shouldn't tell you that and she might kill me for it but you know that she loves you right."

"No, she doesn’t. She is just being friendly."

"You two are really two idiots but I still want to be your best man at your wedding as a thankful for introducing you two."

Steve knew that Tony was playing with him most of the time. Their relationship was a strange one even if there was mutual respect. However, despite not seeing eye to eye with everything, he doubted that the genius would lie about your feelings for him. He wasn't that cruel. You were his friend after all or whatever you called your relationship, Steve could see that Tony was protective of you. He would not hurt you in purpose.

You took him by surprise when he finally heard your voice.

"Steve, how are you? Did you need something?"

"I am fine, thank you. And you?"

"I am good too."

Your smile made his stomach growls with butterflies.

"I was just bringing you something to drink. I know that you are all very busy and you need to stay hydrated."

When you see the snickers with your drink, your smile gets wilder. It was a small thing, but he remembered.

“That’s very nice of you. You didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to.”

You kissed him on the cheek, forgetting that Tony and Bruce were here. You couldn’t believe that he just came to give you a drink. When you look around, you saw that he brought some for Tony and Bruce. You felt like an idiot for thinking that you were special.

Steve thought a lot about what Tony told him. It has been two days that he didn’t really sleep, thinking about the fact that maybe you liked him. After all, you were close and you even kissed him on the cheek. It meant something right? He decided that the scientist couldn’t be that cruel and that he might be right. He needed to act and fast before someone else decided to ask you out.

The blond prepared a full basket for you to enjoy in the park. You introduced him to picnics and have taken the habit of bringing him to your favourite park in the city. Sometimes, you didn't do much except read while he was drawing or just enjoying the moment. You just enjoyed each other company outside of the compound.

You went to the kitchen to take something to drink. You were surprised to see Steve with a basket. You didn’t planned anything. You felt a pinch in your heart. It was your thing. Was he taking someone else? You didn’t want to believe it but it kind of seems like it. Except if he was going alone but that meant that he didn’t want you to be here with him. You didn’t know which reason was less hurtful. You kept your smile on.

"Hello. What is all of this?"

"I thought it would be nice if maybe we were going to the park today. It's a nice weather and there is kind of a festival next to it."

Your heart jumped at the fact that Steve wanted you there but shrunk quickly . You would love to got with him. You really would but you couldn't.

"Oh, that seems really nice but we are going out with Natasha for a girls day. It has been planned for a while."

It wasn’t the response that he expected. You were always free for him. The one time he needed you the most, you weren’t.

"Oh, that's OK."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be. I shouldn’t have expected you to be free."

You tried to find a compromise. You didn’t want to let him down.

"I am free tomorrow if you are."

"That's very nice of you but you don't have to."

Steve left the kitchen. You didn't know what you did wrong, but you didn't like it. It felt like something was left unsaid. You weren't sure if you should follow him or let him have time alone for a bit. You decided to know what happened. You still had time before leaving with Natasha.

"Steve, wait. You seem mad at me. What did I do?"

"You did nothing. Enjoy your day."

You gripped his arm before he ran away from you one more time.

"Steve... please, tell me. I don't like feeling that something’s wrong between us."

"I just wanted to go on this picnic with you, have a nice time with you had the fair, maybe winning something for you like a teddy bear and after, I could have told you...”

He stopped. What was he talking about? It was so stupid. Winning you a teddy bear? You weren’t twelve anymore.

“It doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does. What's going on? What would you have told me?

"I can't tell you here."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not romantic."

You smiled. You hoped that you were not reading it the wrong way.

"You wanted a romantic picnic with me?"

"I wanted to ask you to be my girlfriend."

His eyes got wild at the realisation that he just told you what he wanted to do. He prepared the perfect picnic, the perfect moment without nobody, just the two of you, in the spot that you liked. Now, it was all ruined.

"Why don't you ask me now?"

"In the corridor? Before you leave?"

You nodded.

"Yes, it's not the park but it can work."

"If you are going to turn me down. You can say it."

"Ask me."

Your tone was firm but sweet. You wanted him to ask you to be his.

"Hum, Y/N, you are really the best woman I ever met. You never judged me for asking random questions. You always make me feel better when I am next to you, and your smile always light up the room you are in. I know you are way more intelligent than I am, and I can't compete with your exes who have careers that I didn't even know existed, but I guess I still hope you could like me. Would you like to be my girlfriend?"

He felt shy. He was so different of the type of men that you were usually dating. Why didn’t he think about that before? You would never go for someone like him. He was way to old for you and not a genius like all your other boyfriends.

You made him look at you.

"For someone that is one hundred years old, I feel like you should really be more confident. You might not be as intelligent as my exes, but you are far from being stupid. You are very smart in a different field than the one I work for, and I love it. I love that you don't try to surpass me all the time or prove that you are better than me. You are so supportive of me and what I do. I can't thank you enough for that. You are the nice and the best person I ever met, and I felt drown to you naturally. If I had to say no to being your girlfriend, I would be the stupidest person in the world and I am not that stupid. Of course, I want to be your girlfriend."

Steve smiled at you so much. He kissed you and put your arms around his neck.

"There is it. The most beautiful smile in the entire galaxy."

His cheeks redden, and you kissed them before putting your head in the crook of his neck.

Natasha, who was coming to find you, saw the two of you.

"What’s going on?"

You turned to look at her.

"Steve asked me to be his girlfriend."

"It was about time. You said yes right?"

Steve was still smiling, look at you.

"She did."

"Good because I would have kick some sense into you if you didn’t. I want all the details now before I leave you two alone."

You looked at her surprised.

"What about our day?"

"Sweetie, don't tell me you prefer to spend the day with me instead of your boyfriend."

You hide your head in Steve shirt.

"I don't."

You looked at her. She wasn't mad at all.

"That's what I thought. Now tell me how it happened.”

Steve kept you close to him while you were telling the red head the details of how he asked you out. She asked further questions and Steve couldn’t believe that a ten minutes conversation was translated in half an hour resume. However, he didn’t say anything, he was about to have you first the rest of the day and hopefully his life, he could was thirty more minutes if that was the time that you needed to finish the story.

Bodies everywhere, most wounds self inflicted. The heroes had yet to make it to your floor and those in too deep knew there wasn't anything better waiting outside. Those hired under false pretenses scrambled for the exits like a wild stampede. The mass panic made up the minority of the casualties as they trampled each other and fought. The sprinklers going off to quench various fires raised the body count. By the time you left everyone was either dead or on their way to the lower floors. You stroll through the field of wasted flesh, checking your bank account with that spring in your step that amount zeros would give anyone. Getting that degree was good for something after all.

Reaching the flight of stairs leading to your salvation, a lone figure awaits you at the bottom; expression steeled with a glare that the press would've just eaten up. Banking on the notion they may not have seen your clothes, you use the rain of the sprinklers to play as your tears.

"Oh thank goodness you came- the evacuation alarm went off and then there were guns and-" Expressing your fright with incoherent words and sobs, you descend the stairs one step at a time. "I'm sorry, I really don't know what's going on since I just started working here. Thank you for rescuing me."

The hero is a little too welcoming for your liking as you fall against their chest.

"You don't have to keep up the act. It's just me here."

That voice. So familiar.

"Nobody else is alive. I'm taking you home this time. Where you belong. We both know you're better than this."

It reminds you of that little hero everyone's been talking about recently. The same one who's flyers kept appearing in your mail. The same one who investigated those disappearances at your old apartment. The same one you sold the information to. You've been paid off for information by so many their faces all blur together at this point.

"In that case."

Teetering back on your heel and planting your foot in the center of their chest, you pour all your strength into a kick them that sends them down the flight of stairs to the next. The hero willingly takes the plunge, but goes down harder than they expect; back breaking their fall and taking on the brunt of the damages. You grab the sleeve of your lab coat with your teeth as you drop down each step, ripping it from your soaked figure and throwing it over their head. If you had to fight your way out of this all the water weight retained in the coat would just limit your mobility. The hero pulls it off and springs onto their knees. They didn't want to do things this way, but their patience had run them. Wiping blood from their lips, they take a double look at you as you hover over them - certain they hit their head harder than they thought.

Eyes lose in confusion at their slack jaw expression, your lips retain a mocking grimace. "What's the matter, hero? Afraid of fighting a civilian?"

The hero opens their mouth, but nothing comes out. They point instead. You look down at your shirt. Oh...

The guard's blood and falling waters had eaten away at the cheap material of your shirt. Through the translucent fabric peaks the garments you wore beneath. A lacey black piece perfectly shaped to your bust with straps cross over your upper chest and cut off at your midriff. The strings of the matching bottom sit high upon your thigh, frills barely hidden at your waistband. You may have a few screws lose, but you wouldn't leave the house without underwear and this was all that you had - was the excuse you stopped using after showing up to work in lingerie two days in a row. The hero swallow the first breath in ages as you pop the first button.

"Like what you see, hero? Well I can show you more~" You take off your shirt and throw it at their feet. They scramble to pick it up as your leg falls onto their shoulder. You ease into a squat, pushing them down with you as you slide. Their hands slide up your legs. You tease them with a slip of your bottoms, fist clenching as they yank your zipper. The salvation of reaching their in goal drags them in too deep as everything goes dark.

-

The hero wakes up with a splitting headache traveling all the way down to their nose. The bloodstained walls of the laboratory had been switched with floral wallpaper. Your living room wallpaper. They were bound to a chair in the middle of the room giving them a view of different areas in your home. It takes them less than a minute to notice you laying out on the couch. You had changed into dry clothing, but they could still see the single string hugging your hips. They lick at their cracked lips.

"Anything...."

You toss their phone aside as you sit up. "You're awake. Afraid I knocked that nasty little brain of yours out when you fell like that. Looking through your phone I see you have a talent for photography. A hero and a stalker. What a combo."

They bite down until their lips start to blister. "Please.. anything, anything you want is yours if you take off your shirt. Please, I cant- I can't live off pictures alone anymore. I need you... I have since I first say you."