it’s 1:47 a.m. in the avengers tower. the city glows outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a quiet hum beneath the glass. you move barefoot through the dark hallway, careful to avoid the one floorboard that creaks near the kitchen — you know every inch of this place by now.

you reach steve’s door, heart already racing, and tap twice. it opens almost instantly. he’s standing there in a gray t-shirt, hair a little messy, eyes soft in that half-asleep way that makes you forget how dangerous this all is.

“hey,” he says quietly, a smile ghosting across his lips. “couldn’t sleep either?”

you shake your head. he steps aside, letting you in, the door clicking shut behind you. the room smells like coffee and cedar and something uniquely him. the city lights trace his shoulders as he turns toward you.

“you shouldn’t keep coming up here,” he murmurs, voice low but warm. “tony’s starting to notice how often you disappear.”

you grin. “tony notices everything. he just likes pretending he doesn’t.”

steve laughs quietly, rubbing the back of his neck. “still… if they find out—”

“then they find out,” you interrupt, taking a step closer until you’re right in front of him. “we’re not doing anything wrong.”

his gaze lingers on you for a long moment before he exhales, tension melting into something softer. “you know, for someone who’s supposed to be the soldier, i think you’re the brave one here.”

he leans down, lips brushing your forehead, and for a second the whole world outside the tower disappears.

“i don’t know how much longer i can keep pretending you’re just a teammate,” he admits quietly. “every time you walk into a room, it feels like everyone can see right through me.”

you smile up at him, fingers playing with the hem of his shirt.

“they probably can,” you whisper. “you’ve never been good at hiding how you feel.”

he huffs out a laugh, forehead resting against yours. “guess i’m not trying that hard anymore.”