Steve sat on the porch swing watching the rain fall in heavy sheets.
“Here.” Y/N interrupted his silence to hand him a glass of water. He smiled up at her and nodded his thanks. “Clint’s got a pretty good set up here, doesn’t he?” She said, moving to sit next to him on the swing. Steve leaned his arm across the back of the small swing to make more room for her to squeeze next to him. Y/N leaned into the crook of his arm, and he wrapped it around her shoulder.
“It’s nice.” He took a drink and looked for somewhere to put the glass. Y/N chuckled.
“Give it to me.” Taking the glass, she placed it on the table next to her side of the swing. Folding her legs under herself she leaned further into Steve and put her head on his shoulder, focusing her attention on the rain. “You know,” when she didn’t continue Steve tilted his head to consider her.
“What?” He said softly.
“My people have a saying.”
“Is it the one about eating after you go swimming, or the one about which furry animals are or are not carnivorous?” He said playfully, squeezing her shoulder. Y/N smiled and jabbed his side with her finger before sobering.
“Neither of those you goof.”
“Ah.” He smiled. “Then it must be a new one.” When she didn’t respond to his attempt at banter, he looked down to see her staring off into the distance. That haunted thousand-mile stare. A look he was not unfamiliar with. “Hey.” He wrapped his arm tighter around her. She looked up at him. “You were somewhere else, Y/N.”
“Pak’me’vi.”
“What?” Steve’s brows scrunched in confusion.
“The saying of my people. It means ‘blood of my veins’.”
“Pak’me’vi.” He copied her slowly, trying to get the pronunciation correct. “Did I say it right?”
“Close enough for your first time.” She gave him a wry smile.
“And what do you refer to when you say…” He waived a hand in gesture to the phrase. Y/N closed her eyes in thought. Steve grinned at the way her tongue poked out slightly between her lips. He could practically see the gears turning in her head.
“Hm, how do I put this?” Turning her face up to look at him, she straightened and turned to face him. He was taken aback by the intensity of her stare. “Give me your hand.” Y/N held out her own and wiggled her fingers. Looking at her warily, Steve reluctantly placed his hand in hers. Lightly she traced his much larger fingers with her own. It took all his will power not to shudder. Looking back up at his face, she took his hand and laced her fingers through his and placed them against his chest. “Beat of my heart.” Steve felt his breath stall. Quickly she released his hand and turned back towards the rain. He cleared his throat.
"Have you ever had a… Pak’me’vi?” He looked at her sideways and resumed watching the rain, albeit with much less interest now. Y/N extended one of her long legs and began mindlessly rocking the seat back and forth.
“Yes, many years ago.” He nodded. She turned slightly to study him. “You?”
“We have a different phrase for it, but yeah.” She turned fully to face him with renewed interest. Lifting a brow, he leaned back and grinned at her. “Are we turning this into a cultural exchange?” At her insistent nod he chuckled. “Soulmate.” Y/N furrowed her brows and leaning her elbow on the back of the swing, she propped her chin in her hand.
“And can you have more that one of these, ‘soulmates’ in a lifetime?”
“I didn’t use to think so.” He mirrored her position and looked over her head.
“But now you think different?” Instead of responding, Steve just leveled his steady gaze on her face.
“What about these, Pak’me’vi, can you have more than one in a lifetime?”
“Yes.” Y/N murmured, realizing for the first time how close they had become. Sitting nose to nose, she looked intently into his eyes. Normally they were a much lighter shade of blue. Steve was doing a similarly intensive investigation of her face. “Steve,” She tried clearing her throat.
“Hm?” She could practically feel the rumble in his chest. Tentatively she reached out a hand and touched his heart. With a gasp she quickly pulled her hand back. His focus went to where her hand had just been.
“It beats so fast.” Y/N whispered, looking anywhere but at him. Steve took his hand and turned her face back gently to look at him. With his free hand he took her hand in his and laced their fingers again placing them over his heart.
“It beats with yours, Y/N.” His focus traveled over her face with the gentle drag of his fingers over her jawline. Y/N felt her breath hitch in her throat and she tried to look away. “Please don’t.” He pleaded, looking back into her eyes. Steve could sense the battle being waged from within her being.
Y/N’s eye flit over his face. Furrowing her brows, she reached up and framed his jaw with her free hand. Closing his eyes, he fought a groan at the contact. The last thing he wanted to do was to scare her, it had taken them this long to tear down their walls.
“Y/N, I don’t want to retreat anymore.” He whispered, brushing his thumb down her nose and across her bottom lip. Closing her own eyes, she focused on the thudding of her hearts against her ribcage. Reaching out, she gripped Steve’s hand on her face and laced her fingers through it and pulled that hand to her own hearts.
“I’ve got more than one, do you think you can handle that, Captain?” Looking into his eyes, she gave him a slight smile. His gaze was drawn back to her smile, and he pulled her to him by their joined hands. Y/N felt his nose brush against hers, and suddenly everything started going fuzzy. It was she that made the decision to tilt her head ever so slightly, and with that her universe was consumed in his scent, his warmth, his everything.
Catching her breath, she gripped his hand tighter. His fingers simultaneously twitched around hers. With a gentle, reverent sigh he connected his lips with hers. And in the give and take, pulling apart for soft breaths and reconnecting for slow wordless communication, Steve willed his soul to pour into her flesh and bones. When the burning in her lungs became too much, but not willing to be parted, Y/N pulled away with a reluctant whine. Taking a ragged breath, he dropped his head to the crook of her neck and left a warm kiss on her clavicle.
Y/N smiled lazily and freed her hand to tug gently on his hair. Steve looked at her with a satiated grin of his own. There was no need for words. For them reality was still tinged around the edges with a golden haze, and they’d bask in in for as long as they could.
“He’s whipped now.” Tony grumbled from behind the screen door.