#para:steve

[shield-ofathena]

@pilcttrevor

Diana hurried out of the cab after handing the driver a selection of bills that she hoped was enough to both cover the fare and serve as a tacit apology for her nervous silence during the ride. It wasn’t any sort of comfort at all that he wouldn’t associate her with any unintended rudeness. In fact, that was the entire root of her concern.

It was just a relief that she’d added Steve to her security system shortly after he returned. Otherwise, it would be significantly more difficult to break into her own apartment while she was unable to fly, and had only a fraction of the strength that she was accustomed to possessing. Since she’d awakened to the discovery that she was not currently inhabiting her own body, she’d been frantically working towards getting to the last place she remembered being, her home, in the hopes that if she was currently Steve, he would be there, as would her body.

She hurtled up the stairs to her apartment as quickly as she could manage, which wasn’t nearly as quickly as she wanted. It was uncomfortable, this disconnect between what years of training told her she should be capable of and what this body was actually able to carry out. Too many minutes passed before she reached her floor, and then her front door, and was finally able to wrap her fingers around the doorknob so that the scanner within it could recognize Steve’s fingerprints.

As soon as she was inside, she called “Steve? Please tell me you’re here.”

[ms--union-jack-blog]

Our Greatest ‘What If’ || Steve & Peggy

After turning off her phone and staring at the black screen, Carter did nothing else but stare at it. ‘A nice wall of text excuses’, that was what Natasha called it, and while Peggy would like nothing more than to shrug off the comment as tipsy insight, she could see the truth in the words. She was hiding. Hiding behind excuses, behind her phone, behind her fear... and for what? Because she didn’t know what to expect? When was she, Margaret Carter, ever worried about what lay on the horizon? 

Pushing through her apprehension, she called Steve’s number, her tongue running over her teeth as she waited for his voice on the other end. When it finally did come, she felt herself smile, a tightness in her chest loosening. 

She asked him to come over, her eyes trailing over the pictures on her mantle as she voiced aloud her request. She wanted him there. She lied and said it was because her apartment was drafty and he was a furnace, but really, she just wanted him. She wanted him to remind her that she could be loved as more than a friend or mother, that she was still the same Peggy that she used to be before. She needed him for that. 

And when he agreed to come by, everything sort of clicked. She smiled, clicked off her phone, and rose to get herself a drink. There was no purpose in trying to change back to day clothes, so Peggy made no move to do so. Peggy stayed in her pajamas, only refreshing her lipstick in honor of her visitor. When the knock did come at her door, she took a final sip of her scotch and crossed over, smiling as she opened the door to him. “Hi Steve.” 

[agent--sharoncarter-blog]

Saying Good-Bye // Steve & Sharon

capsrogers

With a final brush out, Sharon looked up into the mirror and saw both her great aunt Peggy, and her own reflection. Her aunt was a queen, dressed in red and looking like she had just stepped from her photographs. Her hair was curled and lay in soft waves, her lips were painted in the signature red, and everything screamed timeless beauty. And yet her eyes strayed up and latched onto her niece. “You’re so beautiful, Sharon. He must be such a lucky fellow.” 

Shaking her head, Sharon replaced the brush on the dresser and allowed her hands to wander to the woman’s shoulder as she looked straight into Peggy’s reflection. “This night isn’t for me, Peggy. It’s all for you.” She smiled softly, feeling her aunt’s palm slide up and rest on Sharon’s hand. 

“Sharon, what did you do?” It was a fair question- for one reason: Sharon never spoke a word of her plans to Aunt Peggy, and only Steve knew a fraction of everything. In truth, she had completely renovated a community space of the nursing home, making it look as close to the Stork Club as possible. The bar was there, the few band members were there tuning up, the tables were set, curtains were drawn, and everything was ready for the guest of honor. All Sharon had to do was get both Carters dressed and then wait for Steve. She could only hope that he was ready in the middle of the dance floor. “I promise, you’ll see soon enough.”

Removing her hand from Peggy’s, Sharon smiled and took hold of Peggy’s wheelchair handles. She began maneuvering them to the doorway, explaining part of the surprise as they traveled. “Do you remember that story you told me when I was a young girl? About the woman who was waiting for her soldier to return from war?” Sharon began, wheeling her from the room and swallowing any sad or bittersweet emotions. She hated the thought of her aunt’s amnesia, but she refused to focus on it during their moment.  “Yes. . .” “Well I think she’s waited long enough. C’mon Peg, your Captain is waiting on us.” At Peggy’s shocked silence, Sharon pushed her into the renovated club, looking around with for the man in question while the band began to play a smooth intro. “Captain Rogers?” Sharon called out cautiously, praying to God he wasn’t waiting somewhere else for them. 

[agent-ac-coulson-blog]

Where Do I Begin? // Steve & Phil

Calming his breathing, Phil exited Lola and began walking down the street through the park. And for once, he noticed the faces he was walking besides. He watched the children interact with the parents, the lovers sashay hand-in-hand, and the countless others make their way from one place to another. And for the first time in a long time, Phil realized just how incredible life was. Each moment passed a person by, and they were rarely noticed or appreciated. But they continued nonetheless. He bowed his head and moved on, hoping he could find a way to blend in with the crowd and not continue his earlier thought process. It was interesting, but beyond his ability to fully develop and expound on the thought and form it into an idea and philosophy. It was beyond the mindset he needed at the moment. 

As he made his way down the path, Coulson looked up and over to the surrounding trees and shrubbery, wondering just what lives were being led behind false smiles and forced laughter. Did the people know how many times they were saved? Did that mother know just how fully she should appreciate that daughter? He swallowed hard and thought back to the most recent problem; the accidental slip that caused a rift in between him and one of his closest agents. Of course, thinking about Echo and Lin reminded him of all the other people he had lied to, all the other people he would have to apologize to. Tony, Banner, Thor, Steve. . . Clint and Natasha had been debriefed just after the situation in Dubai, but even then the reactions had been hard to face.

He moved from the main walk to a side path, wanting to escape from the concrete and move to actual dirt and gravel; at least there he could enjoy a more colorful environment that wouldn't stifle his guilt and thoughts so much. As he continued his stroll, Phil had to fight the urge to grab out his phone and call everyone; to explain his situation and beg for forgiveness over the phone. But that wasn't possible; he had been given strict instructions already. Who was he to test the luck once more? 

It wasn't until a set of footfalls sounded behind him that Phil realized he was in a deserted part of the park and unarmed. Keeping his hands in the suit pockets, he moved over to the side of the path and waited for the person to react; to either make a move on him or to pass him by. As the crunch of gravel grew even nearer, Phil turned his head and immediately closed his eyes. Of course; one more apology to make today. "Hello Captain Rogers." He said, a sad smile curving across his face as he turned to fully take in the man.

[heat-storm]

Bunker || Steve & Kebira

Kebira's composure had lasted for hours. Pietro's threats(or promises as he'd likely say) meant very little to her initially, she'd even laughed when he first sent the messages. But then the sun began to fade away behind the trees and building and the texts she'd received quickly began clawing at the back of her mind. It really took no time at all for panic to set in.

She had to do something. Go somewhere. Hide.

The problem with being Kebira though was that there really weren't many places for her to go. With any sense of trust lost years ago and barely any friends(and even those she called friends she didn't highly regard, not enough to help and protect her) she paced around her room in a panic, hands tightly clasped behind her back and face tucked in between her arms. "Come on, come on..." She had urged herself as she paced, trying to come up with something. Somewhere. Someone. And just as she felt her throat tighten and eyes begin to burn with emerging tears of frustration, she stopped. It had been a good 20, maybe 30 minutes, since her panic set in and her heart had begun beating violently against her chest, threatening to break free of the ribs that encased it.

It had been 20 to 30 minutes and she'd only just realized her option and the tears of frustration that now lined her bottom lids quickly became tears of joy. Her eyes, now bloodshot(which provided a shocking, unsettling contrast against sea foam irises) locked on a dead rose, pinned upside down on her wall where it had been left to dry weeks ago. It was the last of its kind from a bouquet she'd received and the last reminder of the first and only real act of kindness she'd received at the school the far. And it was from Captain America nonetheless. Her scapegoat.

Kebira took no time at all in leaving. She gutted her backpack which had laid ready beside her door for summer session. Her charger, phone, clothes, toothbrush, whatever she honestly needed, she took and stuffed. Once again her hands were shaking, just as they had been when she'd last seen Pietro. She was terrified. Terrified of him. The words he said. Of herself. If he got to her, she didn't know what would happen. Running was her only option right now. And so she did. She ran from her room and ran from Stoner Hall. She ran to her car and from there, sped from the school.

She ran. Like a coward, she ran.

Similarly to Barney, Steve lived in an apartment and if Kebira was thinking clearly, she may have taken a moment to realize that was likely the norm of New York. But her mind was spinning and she realized how shitty it was that nobody ever informs you of how your mind works against you in moments of terror. As she drove, her eyes wavered, sure she saw Pietro on ever curb, bench, and stop sign. Sure that he was following after her speeding vehicle. She just needed to get inside. Inside with Steve. So she parked quickly and scurried from the jeep, hood pulled up and head tucked down. Anything to keep hiding.. just in case. 

It took an agonizing long time to find Steve's apartment door. It was hard for eyes to focus when they were searching for something - or better yet, someone - who could move at supersonic speeds. Eventually she found it though and quickly wiped her eyes and face with the sleeves of her sweatshirt in means of hiding her visibly signs of distress. Steve only knew her by her comments online and apparently admired that side of her. Kebira would be lying is she said she didn't feel grossly ashamed of appearing to him finally and looking the way she did. Disheveled, paranoid, and more than anything, scared. But she had no choice. So after she fixed her face to the best of her abilities, she knocked. "It's important." She called into the door as she began knocking again, more frantically this time.

[silentium--amorisxx]

"For the record, I feel the same way." | Layla & Steve

Takes place last night, after Steve broke his promise of performing.

Steve did not want to face Layla. He didn't really want to face anybody. He couldn't believe he was still that weak. The last time he attempted singing in public was when he was thirteen - that was also the last time he had a panic attack. He thought it was all over. No more attacks. But yesterday, he blacked out again. He broke his promise. He was ashamed of himself. Why Layla would want to see him, he didn't know. But if she wanted to murder him or break up with him, he wouldn't blame her. He broke the promise. And there was never a time he was more furious with himself. Layla had walked out of the bar that night and she was angry. So angry. He broke the one promise that seemed so simple in exchange for her doing something that literally made her sick every day. Detoxing herself from the pills was hell on her body and she threw up more times than she could count. That very same night she had come home in a fit of anger and grabbed the stashed cash from the shampoo bottle she had put away and walked down the streets to where she knew that she would get something. Clutching the small bag of pills, she made her way home and popped one. And hence the cycle began again. That same numbing feeling that she had grown so used to. She had called him to tell him to come over. She wanted him to try and explain to her what happened and also see that two could break a promise. Popping one an hour before he got there and downing it with some jack, she stood leaning against the kitchen counter, waiting for the knock. And when it came, she went over and answered it, her now blondish colored hair hanging in her face. Stepping back she didn't say anything, just motioned him in. Steve only needed one look at her to know she did it and just the sight of her like that made him pale. No. He took a glance at her hair but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he walked into the familiar place, his hands behind his back, that nauseating feeling of guilt running through him. If only he had been stronger. He was supposed to be stronger than that. He was supposed to be able to take care of the both of them and he couldn't. He was a failure. Refusing to meet her eye, he mumbled, "I am so sorry." The same constricting feeling he experienced yesterday returned. Except this wasn't panic; this was nerves. This was shame and guilt and embarrassment. He couldn't help his girlfriend. He didn't deserve her. Layla was still pretty pissed off to be honest, but right now she was comfortably numb. Docile even. Making no sound, she just swung the door closed, listening to it slam and the automatic lock click before she made her way over to the counter again. "For what? Walking out? Yeah. Bad move. And here I thought I'd break the promise first." Layla scoffed a bit and just grabbed the Jack, moving to the couch and sinking down onto it. "So what the fuck is your explanation of doing that?" She set the bottle down next to the bag of pills that were in the shape of mushrooms as she looked over at him. Those definitely were not painkillers. "Come on Steve, because you just fucking walked out on me and didn't even bother explaining." Steve tried not to look at her. The floor was a good place. "I'm sorry." He repeated, his eyes closing briefly. He was trying not to think about it. When he opened his eyes to look at her, he noticed the pills. His eyes narrowed. But he was in no position to yell at her. "I-I didn't want to. It wasn't my plan to." He swallowed. "I had a panic attack. I had to get out of there." He had a feeling she wouldn't believe him. Steve didn't look like the type of person who got panic attacks. "If I had stayed, it would have gotten worse." Layla didn't believe him, only because he hadn't given her reason to. Sitting up, she kept her eyes on him and glared at him when she saw the narrowed eyes. She was so tempted to pop one in front of him. "Panic attack right. Over what? You have stage fright? I don't but it for one minute." No, she didn't believe him but some part of her wanted to even with as high as she was she wanted to believe him. "Well, I hope you're just great now. Don't worry you don't have to ever bother doing it again." Steve would have came up with a better excuse if he was going to lie about it. He shouldn't have been angry with her comment, but he still exhaled shakily, his eyes narrowing. "I wouldn't call it stage fright." He spat out. He had no problem with speaking in front of large crowds or even when he had a small part in a school play. Only when he was singing. It brought back bad memories for him. He gave her a pained look. "I was trying, okay? I thought I could fight it." He was wrong. Layla just shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, get angry with me. Right. Because I'm the one that deserves it right?" She spit back at him, getting up rather unsteadily from the couch and walking over, folding her arms in front of her. "Fine. You tried and failed and you won't have to do it again. All I wanted was an explanation. You gave it. You know where the door is, you can leave now." Layla really wanted to slap him, scream at him. Something and yet for some reason she just couldn't bring herself to do it. That sick feeling settling back into her stomach before she moved towards the bathroom and did just that, hoping he'd get the hell out. Steve was trying desperately not to. "Layla, stop it." He said quietly, pointedly. She had every right to be angry with him, he was angry with himself, but she was wrong. "Stop it." He said a little more forcefully. "What I told you was the truth. Don't believe me? You can ask my mother. I used to get them all the time when I was younger. Very violent ones." He shuddered at the thought. He was turning to go, seeing as this was going to go no where. He followed her into the bathroom, holding her hair as she tossed her cookies. He knew the last thing she probably wanted was for him to touch her, but the instinctive boyfriend side of him took over as he rubbed her back. Layla rolled her eyes when she heard him say stop it. Whatever. She was hurt and angry and if he didn't know by now that she lashed out about that, then well, he didn't know her at all. Throwing up hadn't been part of the plan and the moment she felt him touch her she almost just leaned against him. Instead she groaned and moved away from him, flushing the toilet and leaning against the side of the tub. She felt dizzy and just a little tired. "Didn't I tell you to leave?" She mumbled and forced herself up, grabbing her toothbrush and squeezing a little toothpaste on it before she started brushing. Didn't matter that she tasted blood shortly after, wrinkling her nose before looking at him. Steve knew how Layla was like, he just didn't want his temper to get the best of him. He was pretty good at knowing when it would flare up and even if she had the right to be furious and lash out, he didn't want to do the same to her. He got up, watching her carefully. This is why he worried for her. "I didn't listen." He replied back. He didn't know what to do, except look back at her. Layla muttered while brushing. "Obviously." Spitting, she rinsed her mouth out and then turned off the water, pushing her hair back. "So, go ahead and bitch at me for popping a couple pills. I'm waiting for it." She was. Layla was waiting for him to tell her what a fuck up she was. What a horrible girlfriend. Anything. She'd gotten used to hearing that kind of stuff. "Or hey, glare at me some more." Steve was rolling his eyes, only on the outside. He rose an eyebrow, though. "I broke my promise, why would I yell at you? I'm angry, yes, but in the end it's your choice with what you want to do with your life. Yelling at you won't do anything except cause another fight." He ran his fingers through his hair, which had only gotten longer. "I don't think you realize, I ask that you don't and scold you because I care about you, not to be in control. If something were to go wrong, I'd be devastated." He said quietly. He stopped looking at her. Layla shrugged her shoulders. "Because you want to? That's what angry people do. They yell at each other. We're already fighting!" Frustration had set in and she wandered out of the bathroom at his last words. Devastated. Over her. Right. "No you wouldn't, come on Steve, don't do that. Don't start saying things that you'll regret when you're not angry with me. Nothing's going to happen. How many times do I have to tell you that?I'm surprised you didn't just take my pills and throw them down the toilet by now." Steve was slowly getting angrier with her. "I don't want to yell at you Layla. If I did, I would be by now. I don't particularly like yelling at my girlfriend." He said calmly. His eyes narrowed. She didn't believe him. "Want to bet? What is so goddamn hard about believing that someone might actually care about you more than just a friend. Not family, either. Because I do. I'm not going to regret letting you know that you have someone. Something could happen, Layla." He hissed. He walked over, picked up the bag, and put it in his pocket. "You're not getting these back." Layla watched as he pocketed the pills and her jaw clenched just a little. She was learning, it was really new and she was doing the best she could to let him in. It was just hard and she didn't know how to do it. She would start and then pull back. It annoyed her more than it annoyed him. Or maybe not. "You want to know why? Because everyone I ever fucking let into my life has always wound up hurting me. That's why. Happy? I'm scared. Okay? I'm sure you're mister confident when it comes to this shit but I'm not." Running her hands through her hair she gave it a firm tug before walking over. "Give me the pills back Steve." Steve smirked. "You want them? Get them for yourself." He patted his pocket. What angered him most was the so little faith she had in him. "Well, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying everything I fucking can so you hurt less. I even tried breaking my biggest fear for you, just for you to stop ruining yourself. I'm sorry if I didn't succeed. But I put up with practically torturing myself just for that. And if I didn't have had that panic attack, I would have done that to myself every week for you. Don't talk to me about being scared." He shook his head. "I'm not confident at all. But someone has to try." Layla sucked in a breath and then let it out. He was going to play that game? Fine. "For the record I'm not exactly ruining myself," she hissed back at him and narrowed her eyes, reaching for his pocket with a mutter. "Why are you so fucking scared of being on stage. You're good Steve. You're so fucking good that if you tried you could probably cut a demo and get played on the local radio. So tell me why." Steve took a step back before she could get them. "Oh really? So you enjoy puking? You have fun doing that?" He rose an eyebrow. His jaw clenched. "When I was younger, I used to do it all the time. My mother told me that my father was finally going to see me, that he'd promise he'd be there. He was finally going to take the time out of his oh so important life to watch his son. He didn't show up. My nine year old self didn't know better and got upset. My voice cracked. These two boys thought it was funny and began to mock me. I told them to shut up. They didn't like that." He began slowly. His eyes were staring down at the floor again. "They took me outside the place I was and began to beat me up. Four of these teens against me. And guess who fucking decides to show his face? My dad. And instead of helping me, he just watched them, then he walked away. I had to be hospitalized for internal bleeding and I was stuck there for two weeks after surgery and everything. I never got on stage again. That one mistake nearly cost me my life if my mother hadn't found me." He spat out the last part. "There's your reason. I think I'll be going now." Layla actually listened, stopped trying to grab the pills while her brow perked. So that's why he hated his father. Not because he left them. Because he watched Steve get beat near death. "So that's why you hate him and I bet that's why you keep getting into fights." Her voice was actually calm and she took a step forward. "God damn you frustrate me so god damn much." She mumbled and pressed her forehead into his shoulder. "You know what? We both suck at this relationship thing." Steve dug the pills from his pockets and handed them to her wordlessly. His face was void of all emotion. No one else knew about his dad watching him and not helping him, not even his mother. He just nodded. After that his father moved away, stopped paying childcare, forcing everything onto Steve's mom. Child him was so foolish. "Now you know my story." He didn't make an indication of touching her. His mind was still on the memory. "So what do you want to do about it?" Layla bit her lip and took the pills, shoving them into her pajama bottoms pocket. Him making no move to touch her wasn't alarming really. She'd done it before with him. She sighed and shrugged. "I don't know. I guess try and be more open. I'll try to be a good girlfriend, even though I do really suck at it. I'm not used to like all this shit. I'm sorry about your dad. He's a prick but you have a gift, don't let him ruin it for you forever." Steve hoped that part of her now would know all he wanted was for her to be okay. After revealing the story and everything, maybe she would finally realize he did care. "I have no problem with how you are as a girlfriend. Our main fight was about you not believing I cared." He tilted her chin up, pressing his lips to hers. "I do. And I don't care. I prefer to keep my voice and guitar to myself." Layla rolled her eyes when he said he wanted to keep it to himself. "No. You want to keep it to yourself and me. You can just sing for me when we're alone and you don't have to do it in front of anyone else. Okay? If it's going to make you run out I'd rather not go through that again." Stepping back, she folded her arms across her chest. "What do you want to do now?" Steve thought it over and nodded. "Yes. You and me and that's it. No one can be around." He took her hand and pressed it to his chest. "Feel that? That's just what happens when I think about that day. My attacks are worse." He warned her softly. He shrugged, "I got my pick last time." He smirked just a bit at what had happened. "I think it's safe for you to decide." Layla could feel his heart pounding in his chest and just to try and be a smart ass because it was too good to pass up, she smirked. "I can think of better ways to get your heart racing." Oh yes, the last time, well that had been interesting but that? No that wasn't happening tonight. "I think I'll just drag you to my room, close and lock the door and cuddle the hell out of you." Steve rolled his eyes, smirking just a bit. "Really? I dare you to try." He challenged. He didn't think she could, nor did he think she would bother. He was too worn out to do anything crazy. "You know, you really do seem to have a thing for cuddling." He commented dryly. He didn't mind what she wanted to do. It was all up to her tonight. Layla shrugged and walked towards her room. "Another night Steve when we're not so fucked up and have more energy." Stopping near her bed, she glared at him. "There's nothing wrong with cuddling but hey if you don't want to, you can go back home to Midnight." Steve chuckled to himself, nodding. "Fare enough. But I won't forget it." He warned. He stopped too, with an eyebrow arched, motioning to her bed. "Well, go on. I never said I didn't wan't to." He waited patiently for her to get into bed before he got next to her. Layla pulled back the covers and got in, settling down before she grabbed a few strands of her hair and examined them, wrinkling her nose a bit. "I just like sleeping with someone. It's why when JD is actually home I'm in his bed." She just slept better. Or well, to be more precise, she actually slept. Steve had his hands find her waist like usual, but that's all he really did. His eyebrow perked at that. "If you're lonely, next time just show up at my place. You know, even if JD is home." He wasn't sure how he felt about her sleeping with JD, even if all they were were friends. Layla snuggled into her boyfriend and looked up at him, grinning. "I'll keep that in mind though you don't have to worry about JD you know. If you're worried. He usually passes out right away." She shrugged. "But I'll remember that." She tapped his nose lightly and then nestled her head down on the pillow. "If you want me over there too, you can just shoot me a text. Deal?" Steve cracked just a small smile. "I'm not really worried; I just don't think I like it." He murmured into her hair, running his long fingers up and down her arm lightly. Whenever she cuddled, it was like a different person was there with him. "If I had it my way, you'd be there every night." He said nonchalantly, shrugging. Layla snorted softly. "Ah, so it's the thought of someone else holding me." It was cute almost. And yes, she was a slightly different person when she was "normal", especially when she puked up all the pills in her body. "Ah, but that's not possible. Would be nice, but not doable." Steve shrugged. "Not so much of a nice thought." He admitted reluctantly. He liked that side of Layla. The one who wasn't being some bad bitch. He looked down at her curiously, raising and eyebrow. "Not possible? Why not?" Layla reached over and flipped the light off before kissing him quickly in the dark. "Because that would be a lot of time spent with you and I could get tired of seeing you and vice versa. I'd drive you up the walls if I slept with you every single night." Steve lowered his lips to hers briefly after her kiss. "I'm not saying we have to spend every waking moment with each other. We both have jobs and I have Kelsey on top of that. I highly doubt you'd drive me up the walls, but whatever you say." Layla groaned. "If we did that, yeah, we'd definitely wind up killing one another. I'm fine with our limited time that we have right now. And I happen to like my job, even if it's limited right now since she thinks I need a "break". But Kelsey is most important, she's safe now though right?" Steve let the subject drop. He really didn't mind what she decided to do, he just didn't quite like her in bed with JD. In the end? He did wish he could see her a little more often, but it wasn't such a big deal. "Yes, she is. And she's staying that way." Layla nodded her head and yawned, wrapping her arm tightly around him and sneaking up the back of his shirt. "Good. She better," she mumbled. "Night Steve, love you." She burrowed her face into the crook of his neck. Steve shifted his weight, making her head slide down onto his chest. "She will." He vowed before realizing what she said. His expression was incredulous. "What?" He hissed quietly. He must have heard her wrong. She did not just say the L word. Layla slid down without much thought, giving another yawn before she looked up. "What?" Steve blinked. Did she not realize what she said. "You just said you loved me." He said, confused. Layla chewed her lip a moment. Thank God it was dark and he couldn't see her face. "I know." Steve wished he could see her face right now. If it was a joke, he wasn't laughing. He didn't think the word was in her vocabulary. "Did you mean it?" Layla moved up a little bit and sighed. He sounded worried. "Okay, let me just say this alright? Yes." She cleared her throat. "I meant it. and if you make a big deal out of it I will not kiss you for a week." Steve ran his fingers through his hair. He was worried. He just pressed a kiss to her nose instead. "I don't know what to say." He mumbled. "You should go to bed, Lay. It's late." Layla froze up a little bit and then just settled back down. Fuck. "Yeah, you're right." Well now she felt like an idiot. It just slipped out but that didn't mean she didn't mean it. It's not like she actually expected him to say it back. That would have been stupid to think that. "Goodnight." Steve exhaled. "Sweet dreams, Lay." He pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms around her. "For the record, I feel the same way." He said when he thought she was asleep, his voice just barely above a whisper. "I didn't say anything because I was afraid of your reaction." Layla let her brow perk slightly. "Mhm, well I'm not going to punch you so, it's good that you do so I don't feel like a complete idiot. We'll talk in the morning. Get some rest."

Steve smirked in the darkness. "With you I never know. Goodnight Layla. We'll talk during breakfast." He kissed her temple.

[abittersweet-symphony]

A Unlikely Kinship | Steve and Dana

Dana: had recently met Steve by accident. He'd taken Kelsey out to the store and he was trying to get through to her, but was clearly failing by how silent the girl had become the moment they walked in to look into buying some new clothes. Dana had walked over with Kat and offered to help, seeing as she was a woman and maybe Kelsey wanted some things that Steve couldn't help with. It had taken a while, but she had managed to get Kelsey to open up just a little bit before she picked out some clothes. Her and Steve exchanged numbers and now they were meeting at the Cocoa Tree to talk about Kelsey. Now all she had to do was wait and hope he showed up. Dana could use more friends in the area and Steve seemed like he could use some too.

[silentium--amorisxx]

"I'm in like with you" | Layla and Steve

Takes place last night. Some slight sexual content but not bad.

Layla didn't exactly know what got into Steve that night but she found that she didn't exactly mind it. It was a nice side of him and for some fucked up reason it actually turned her on just a little bit. She refused to get dressed in more than what she was wearing, which was just a t-shirt and only a t-shirt. She hadn't been kidding. Wandering around the flat while she waited, she grabbed her Jack Daniels and took a sip before the buzzer downstairs let her know that Steve was on his way up. Setting the bottle back down, she walked to the door and opened it, leaning in the doorway as she waited for the elevator to get up to this floor. Steve was just in a shitty mood the whole day for reasons unknown to him, he just woke up and things were not going well. Everything today for him he just handled with... aggression. He thought Layla would be pissy back to him but instead she seemed to like it, which confused Steve but he wasn't going to question it. Instead, he decided to come over and see her. When the elevator opened, he looked at Layla appreciatively before muttering a quiet, 'Hey.' Layla looked him over and immediately decided that someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. "Someone looks cranky." She was actually in a semi-decent mood, which lately had been rare since she was so emotionally drained. Her boss had given her some time off from work, telling her that JD was right, she needed to have some time and deal with what was going on in her life. That last call from Cillian had proved to be a breaking point and she still couldn't believe she broke down and cried until she made herself sick. And then eventually passed out with Shana's arms around her. Stepping to the side, she motioned him in and then shut the door after him. "It's just us, JD's out at another party." Steve didn't want to get in a fight with her, but before he could stop himself he hissed a small, "Shut up." Running a hand through his hair, which was getting longer than he usually kept it. "Sorry." He sighed, walking into the apartment. The place was becoming almost familiar to him. At the mention of just him, part of him slightly perked. "Alright." Layla perked a brow at him, but said nothing. For once Layla was being docile, which was a rare thing for her. "Alright, alright, sorry." She noticed his hair getting longer and just idly reached up and ran her fingers through it. "I like your hair longer." Placing her arms around his neck, she looked him over. "Tell me what's wrong. Unless you want to get straight to the wall bit, then that's fine too." Steve was grateful she wasn't yelling at him, though he probably deserved it. "It's not your fault." He murmured, smirking just a bit as he felt her push his hair back slightly. "Are you telling me I shouldn't get it cut this weekend, then?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "Bad things the whole day. And, uh, my father was bailed today." He shrugged, placing his hands on her hips to turn her so she was facing the wall. "I'll leave it up to you." Layla didn't have it in her right now to yell at him even if she wanted to. She knew she had to give a little into this relationship and was trying. She couldn't just keep pushing him away, JD was right. "Get it trimmed, but it's nice like this. More to grab onto." She said as innocently as she possibly could. "Oh. Joy. He comes near you or Kelsey and I'll make sure he never wants to come around again." She didn't like the man and she'd never even met him. Plus, she was protective as hell over Kelsey for some reason. Turning to face him, she tugged him closer. "I say go for it. You were all gun ho about it before you got here. Just tell me what to do to make you feel better." Steve smirked just a little, an eyebrow arching. "If that's what the lady wants." He muttered, nodding. He'd learn to manage longer hair. His eyes narrowed at the thought, shaking his head. "Not a chance in hell. He's not touching her." He hissed, more angry then he was before. He knew it was coming, but he wasn't going to tell Layla or Kelsey. He didn't want to worry either one of them. Steve was slightly surprised Layla was playing nice girlfriend, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. "For now, this will do." He whispered, bringing his lips to her jaw, slowly and gently making it so her back was pressed against the wall. Layla grinned because it shouldn't be too hard. For some reason short hair always bothered her and she'd almost wait for it to become longer. Steve's was somewhere in between the entire time that she'd known him. "Good," because she could and would fight for the both of them. Hell even Steve's mom she'd fight for. But Steve had promised her that he'd be careful in fights. She was just praying that he kept to that promise. Lay was playing nice because she was too tired to put up the bitch front. This was the Layla that existed under all those layers of snapping at people and drinking. "I have no complaints about this," she muttered softly, tipping her head up a little when he started on her jaw. "Just bare in mind that I am not having sex up against this wall." Steve was kind of amused that she had a thing for long hair. He never let his get so long because it was just easier for him. But he did like on the few times in his life when he let it get longer when girls played with it. Steve would never allow Layla to fight one of his own fights, and if he had it his way he'd never have her fight period. He didn't want to see her more hurt than she already was, physically or emotionally. "I'm not bothering with that until you're ready." He said against her skin, letting his lips trail downward. He knew she'd catch onto what he was going for. Layla had many things that she liked. Steve just didn't know them all yet. For some reason, she just often got involved in things that she shouldn't. Sometimes she couldn't help herself. Especially if it was defending people or demanding answers. It's also what got her knocked around a few times by Cillian. It was a new feeling that she didn't feel the need to have sex with him, like maybe there were stronger feelings than just a relationship built out of sex and fighting. Which was new territory for her and one that she was trying to be comfortable in. Yes, she knew exactly where he was going and she hoped that he knew she'd seek retaliation. "a boy not wanting sex. What are the odds?" Steve was going to learn to find out those things in due time. He didn't know why, he just couldn't explain it, but he wanted to be a good boyfriend for her. He didn't know all the details to Cillian or her past, but he knew he wanted things to be made better, even if he had to do it himself. He chuckled. "I want it, I'm just not going to anything about it if you don't." He wanted her to be ready but also the feelings he had were enough to keep him waiting if he knew that would make Layla happy. He found himself at her neck again, slowly kissing around her weakest spot, slightly teasing her. Layla bit back a sound when he found it again, so easily too. As long as Steve didn't try to do those super romantic things, he would be a good boyfriend. Even if she had to get used to using that term again for something that wasn't a tsunami of bad shit. "I'm like a guy, when don't I want sex?" Okay, that might have been bad to say and she just made herself sound like a slut. But she had been sleeping around lately until Steve had decided to put a claim on her. "Using my weak spot is completely unfair though. I'll get you back for this." She attempted to stop that little shudder of her body, but was too late. Damn it. Steve wasn't that much of a romantic guy to begin with so when he would ever try to be romantic, nothing would ever be that crazy and over the top. Steve chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, whenever you want to, I'm ready." He was not going to make a comment about how it sounded, he just shook his head, bemused, and continued with what he was going. "Sorry. I don't care." He shrugged, making a move to the weakest of the weak, sucking just a bit to get an even bigger shudder outta her. Layla was thankful that he wasn't. It meant she didn't have to worry bout flowers, teddy bears and those boxes of chocolates. If they were still together at Valentine's Day then it would be a breeze. "Soon, maybe. I'm still feeling you out at the moment." Usually she'd just be using sex as a way to get the person to stay, this was different though. "Of course you don't." She muttered and pressed her back tightly against the wall, closing her eyes and making a sound before letting her hands come up to play with his hair. Oddly? She could settle for just cuddling and playing with his hair for the rest of the night. What the hell was up with that? "That all you have Steve?" Steve maybe would get her a teddy bear...maybe if it had just had reminded him of something about their relationship. But flowers and chocolate? Not his style. "Don't talk to me about it unless you're ready, Layla, please." He growled softly in her ear. Just because he was being respectful about it didn't mean he didn't want to. "Never." He smirked against her skin at her little moan. He sucked harder this time, letting his hands slide past her waist, past her ass so they were resting midthigh, pulling her closer to him then the wall. He loved having a height advantage on her. Layla could deal with a bear. Maybe. If it was one of those horror bears that were out. The growl? Okay she hadn't expected him to ever do that and it caused her to swallow. She was calling him all different kinds of name in her head to get her mind off of the way his hands were sliding lower and lower. Everyone she ever liked was taller than her. She just got used to it. In a small bit of retaliation, she pressed her body flush against his with a groan, arms wrapping around his neck as she turned her face into his neck, kissing down his neck. "Get your shirt off." Steve wasn't going to get her one if and only if. He was just in that mood tonight and the fact that they were just talking about it and not doing it in the middle of this? It frustrated him. He liked having girls shorter than him. Most of his girlfriends were. Steve sort of liked hearing her groan, it meant he was doing things right. Different girls like different things. He tilted his head back a bit, before easily pulling off his white t shirt, unsure of what she was going to do. Layla figured that he was frustrated. He normally wasn't this aggressive even when he was pissed off about something. She'd be more than happy to oblige and give him something, but she knew if she jumped into bed with him right now that things would get messy. If he wanted to play a little rough, she could return the gesture. Her nails dug lightly into his shoulders as her kisses went right to his collarbone, biting down on it gently before swiping her tongue along the area. Steve had never shown Layla his true pissed side. Most of the time it was already dulled down when he spoke to her. Like he said, he wasn't going to ask for sex when she didn't want it, but if she brought it up again, she would see the worst of the worst of his aggressive side. Somehow he brought her back to the wall, his fingers getting tangled in her hair as his hands went to her back. He let out a low moan of pleasure. Layla actually liked the way his fingers threaded into her hair, biting down again harder when her back hit the wall again. Her moved so her hips pressed against his, one leg sliding up his a bit before lazily wrapping around it. "I'd be really careful Steve, something might happen if you don't." And she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Biting down again on his collarbone, she gave a little growl before tugging his skin between her teeth. Steve untangled his fingers, grabbing from that low point point of her thighs so she was now hoisted onto him, making sure she was looking her in the eye when he growled not so softly. "Do not tempt me." He groaned a little bit more before running his tongue along her collarbone, softly pressing tiny kisses around her neck again before giving such a small nip at her pleasure spot, tugging slightly. This is what happened when she got him going. It was not fair. Layla just stared at him through the growl. Something about it made her bit her lip and her breath quicken. "But isn't that part of my charm? I thought I was always tempting you." She moaned rather loud at that nip, bringing her leg fully around him and letting her fingers tug gently on his hair. Driving her insane? Definitely. She was finding herself liking this side of him more and more. Steve had his eyes narrow at her words, "Fuck you. Actually no, I'm not allowed." He scoffed, biting a little harder before pressing her body closer to his bare chest. "You will be the death of me." His voice was back to his softer growl. He held onto her legs so she wouldn't fall with one hand, the other finding it's way back to her hair. Last message was written 29 minutes ago Steve: . Layla laughed a bit and ran her nails down his back, aiming to leave at least a trail of marks. "The death of you huh? Well, you might as well have fun before I do it right." She pressed her lips back to his when his hand went back into her hair, which was sort of a mess right now. "Put me down," she mumbled against his ear. Steve hissed slightly in pain, though it didn't really bother him all too much. Pressing his forehead to hers ever so slightly, his eyes narrowing again. "That's what I'm thinking, but you're only giving me the half of it." His lips pressed back to hers. "What if I refuse?" He whispered back. Layla just gave a little smile at him before shrugging and holding onto him. "I'll kill you really slowly." It was so stupid but she wiggled against him a bi. "Then, you can just carry me to my room." Steve rose an eyebrow. "If I go down, you're coming with me." He carefully carried her over to her room, making sure he never lost grip oh her. "Now what?" He asked, refusing to drop her just yet? Steve: *. Layla smirked. "We'll see bout that one Stevie," she said as she held onto him, looking around her room. "Bed." She smiled a bit. "You on top." Oh that look on he face was mighty cheeky. Steve grinned slightly. "Yes, we will." His eyes widened slightly. She had to be kidding him. But she wasn't. Why. Just why. Gently, he laid her across her bed, hovering her, waiting for further instruction. But you could see the look in his eyes that if she teased him, she's pay. Layla pulled him back down to her lips and nipped his bottom lip. Layla very rarely kidded around when it came to stuff like this. "What's that look for Steve?" Oh she was teasing him just a little, pressing her body up into his while she worked along the opposite collarbone, biting down hard enough to leave a mark. Steve was actually almost at the point of forgetting what had angered him in the first place. "You know exactly what." He said in a low voice, a small moan emitting from the back of his throat. She was at his weak spot again, dammit. She was learning what got to him really easily. Layla was doing her job then wasn't she? Wasn't it in her job description of being a girlfriend to make him happy? "Nope I'm afraid you're going to have to tell me," she smiled and continued the little nips and kisses. "You're free to retaliate if you want." Steve in a way was slightly proud she was putting effort in the whole girlfriend thing. She was doing her job well. "This is not a night to tease me." He reminded, his voice husky. He just kissed her briefly, letting her have some control for once tonight. Layla could only try. She only knew what she heard from her friends about what to so she was playing this by ear. "I'm not teasing you though, at least not right now." Lifting her hands and linking her hands above her head, she just smiled. "You have free reign." Steve thought she was doing just fine, considering. "We have two different definitions of teasing, remember?" He whispered in her ears. He kissed along her jaw then near her ears, an unfamiliar place to his lips. "You know...it's not fair you get shirtless me and I don't get shirtless you." Layla cleared her throat and actually blushed a little at the mention of getting shirtless, though she hid it well. "Oh right, well, I guess you can take mine off to even the odds, but eyes on my face hmm?" Maybe that would take this weird nervousness away. Steve wasn't sure if he saw correctly, but he was positive he saw her cheeks turn a little pink. "Well, considering you're keeping yours on mine, I guess that's even." He said uncertainly, slowly peeling off her shirt, his grey eyes never leaving her bright emerald ones. Layla had thought she hid it well but apparently she didn't. Considering the last two people to see her naked was JD and Noah, she was comfortable around those two. Steve was a very different case. She just nodded and lifted her body up to get the shirt off of her. "It is even. But hey, feel better now? You sort of have me naked." Steve noticed things most wouldn't. He had an eye for that. Steve had no idea she had no bra on, and if she was uncomfortable, he wouldn't have remoced her shirt. He tossed it to the ground. "I do?" He asked, his eyes beginning to drift down before he realized he had promised to keep his eyes on her face. He just kissed her instead. Layla kissed him back and took his hands, placing them on her sides where he could just feel the swell of her breasts. "Yeah, you so." She let go of his hands and wrapped them back around his neck, kissing him before sliding them down to his hips and pressing them against hers. Steve wasn't sure what he did to deserve this, but man he appreciated it. "I wasn't aware." He said honestly, between a long kiss. He still hadn't looked down as promise. He just had to rely on his hands, which hadn't moved either. He began to work back to the familiar place of her jaw, removing his hands so they could be on the small of her back. Layla finally cleared her throat. "It's okay, if you want to look, make a comment about how tiny I am though and remember where my knee is strategically placed." She mumbled and brought her knee up to press against his groin. Fair warning. It was the least she could do, she though, since he had for the most part been nice and not even pressured her into changing her mind. Steve raised an eyebrow. He didn't really want to make her uncomfortable or self-conscious, but he still glanced down briefly, trying to ignore her knee. Instead of making any comment, he just placed a small kiss on her nose, continuing what he was doing before, just pulling her a little closer than before, making sure her hips were still on his. Layla thought the nose kiss was trying to say something. She wasn't sure if he did it to be cute or because he didn't want to risk getting kicked. How on earth she went from being all gun ho about making out to just wanting to cuddle, she didn't know. But she wanted to. "Hey, spend the night. I kind of want to, um, cuddle." Steve it was only meant to tell her he thought she was beautiful. Steve never tried to be cute...sometimes it just happened. He removed his lips from her skin, looking at her questioningly. Layla wanted to cuddle? That was strange to hear. "Alright. That's fine by me. Does this mean you, uh, want to stop?" He asked, ready to remove him from her. Layla wanted to cuddle. Yes. Alright? She had her moments and this was one of them. That look on his face though made her roll her eyes a little. "No, I was just getting the asking out of the way in case you had to scramble home for Kels." Christ, this was why she never asked. She felt a little stupid right now. "Though, if you're going to grind against me? You might want to keep doing it before I tell you to just get off me yeah? Bet i can get you off just by doing that too." Steve had no objections to that. He liked to makeout over cuddle, but he had no problems with it. Most of the times, anyways. "I always make sure Kelsey is somewhere when I come over here. She's at a sleepover tonight." He told her, shrugging. He didn't like having his sister at home alone and either way tonight he would have made sure she wasn't at the house. He thrusted his hips closer to hers, pulling her body close again. "I just wasn't sure, alright?" Layla let out a little muffled moan against his shoulder when he tugged her closer to him. "Mhm, alright." She wasn't going to question much right now, instead she was going to draw his body as close to hers as she could get it, smirking and reaching down to unbutton his jeans and slide the zipper down. They were eventually going to sleep and jeans were rather uncomfortable when you were doing this sort of thing. Tugging them off his hips, she pulled back and gave a little smirk. "Off." Steve for some strange reason liked her that close, with clothes on or off. This time his lips were on the back of her neck, slowly running down to her shoulder, sucking and biting just a bit, making sure he left a mark on her. He still was not sure what she was doing tonight, but no objections. He helped her get them off, kicking them to the floor. Well, she was just in boy shorts, and all he had on was boxers. He was going to leave the next move to her. Layla felt that the odds were even now. Hell, she didn't even know what she was doing right now. She'd never actually been given control over a situation entirely. Layla was trying though at least. Control just scared her a little bit. She made very small sounds though at the attention to the back of her neck, almost melting before she realized that's what she was doing. Her fingers dug into his hips a little as moved under him, biting his collarbone again with had several tiny little marks on it now. Taking a chance she rolled her hips against him, letting out a whimper and watching his reaction. Steve gave Layla control because she deserved some, and he was also curious. But mainly because he was a good boyfriend and knew it would be good for her to. He liked her in control, she was quite surprising. His eyes widened a bit at what she was doing, but he was enjoying thoroughly. He took her hips in his hands, rocking them together for a few seconds before slamming them back into each other, sucking on her weak spot to create another mark. Layla couldn't complain much herself. It had turned out better than she thought it would at least. He really had to stop biting her though, leaving marks was going to get extremely messy soon. And she'd just leave more on him until the both of them looked like spotted leopards. Layla wrapped her legs around him and smirked a little biting his lip. "I'm in like with you, just so you know. I wanted to get that out before I chickened out." Steve would give it her more often then he had originally planned...until she got crazy with it. Steve really didn't care about the biting or the spots. He already got through telling Kelsey about them and his work was pretty much a judge free zone, unless he was with his mother. He had her so close to him now, he was grinning at her words. He knew this was big for her. He kissed her lips softly. "The feeling is mutual. But thank you for saying it." Layla really wanted to continue this, but that bigger part wanted to just let him hold her for once. He always talked about how much he wanted to just be there for her and well, he seemed the cuddly type. "You're going to probably hate me for this, but can we stop?" She chewed her bottom lip before sighing. "It's not that I don't want to do this, I just think I'll take it too far and I want to do this right." Steve wasn't as affected by stopping as he felt he should be. If this was what she wanted...he was going to give it to her. He didn't understand how he wanted that over this, but he slowly slid off of her. "I don't mind. Should I go get my shirt?" He asked. He wanted to continue, but she was right, they should wait. "As long as you want to, I don't care." He winked. "We'll stop." Layla shrugged and just yanked the black and purple blanket over the both of them, scooting over to him and curling up to him while pressing her cheek against his chest. "No, we're fine like this." She didn't care, it wasn't like they were naked or anything. He just wasn't wearing a shirt. "It's not the first time we've slept together so, yeah. No shirt." She used her finger to draw her name along his arm before moving and shutting the light off. "I should put property of Layla on you somewhere." Steve actually was slightly nervous in a weird way, having them do nothing so aggressive and so relaxed. His hand curled along her waist, pulling her closer to his body. "Whatever you want." He murmured. She was technically half naked and he didn't have jeans on either. "Last time was different. We didn't touch each other." He reminded. Even in the darkness he scowled. "Maybe I'd allow you with magic marker." Layla couldn't stop herself from laughing just wrapping an arm around his waist and feeling might weird? But safe. "Well if you want to move to opposite ends of the bed tell me. But I don't think that you do. So just zip it," she mumbled and kissed his shoulder before settling back down. "Magic marker? I can settle for that I guess." Steve liked having her the way she was. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. "You're perfect the way you are right here. I was just telling you this was the first time we actually slept together." He planted a kiss inside her hair. "If I'm in a generous mood one day." Layla just gave a small smirk in the dark. "Bet I can convince you to let me," she mumbled and yawned, burying her face into his chest. "I'll make breakfast in the morning," she mumbled sleepily. Steve laughed softly. "You would have to be very nice about it." He told her gently, stroking her hair lightly. "I'll do it." He said, realizing she was getting tired. He began to sing softly under his breath, hoping it would just help her pass out. Layla heard him singing and her brow shot up. he was singing? She didn't pay much mind to it as she curled up closer to him, closing her eyes and yes, she actually did drift off to sleep soon after to him singing. Steve continued to sing quietly until he saw she was asleep on his chest. He placed a kiss on her forehead, his whole mind forgotten of why he had been angry, as he passed out still holding her.