You and Steve keep the relationship secret because he says it’s safer, and because he likes being in control. Everyone else sees a serious hero who follows rules. You see the way his focus slips when you walk in. He notices you noticing.

That annoys him.

He finds excuses to be near you. Training, meetings, checking in. You tease him for it. He tells you to stop smiling like that. You don’t. He fixes things that aren’t broken just to touch you for half a second longer.

When you’re alone, he drops the act. Still bossy, still intense, but softer. You call him dramatic. He calls you trouble. Neither of you leaves. The secret works because you both want it to. And because he trusts you, even if he hates how much.