Chapter 7
It had been such a lovely walk to work this morning. The Spring air flowing through the blossoming trees on your way to the office. It was also May 4th. A big day for every Star Wars fan, including yourself. Some of your co-workers had been planning on watching them after work, and you, desperate to make some new friends, were going to tag along. It was not a special day at work, just another Friday. You had clocked in and sat down at your desk to start the day, like any other office job it didn't consist of much work.
You'd been trying to file some old company paperwork when someone from another floor of the tower rushed into the quiet room yelling for people to pull the news up, begging to stay safe. At first, you were very confused. Then, you saw others going up to the windows and turning around looking petrified. Before you could make your way or see what was happening, a huge alien-like creature came straight through the window.
People started screaming everywhere, panicking, and making phone calls. You were so horrified you didn't know what to do. You tried to run, but all around was chaos.
You suddenly snapped out of it. You were sweating horribly and trying to catch your breath. You were trying to ground yourself after your nightmare. Avengers Compound. Steve. Drunk? Maybe. You woke up with a raging headache and trying to get a sense of time. You tried to get up from the couch you were laying on but got a terrible head rush when you stood up. You finally gave up and remained awake on the couch until you heard footsteps behind you, you turned around to see Steve. You give him a slight smile, but you're pretty sure it looked like a drunken grin.
"Hey Y/N. Look, I'm sorry for sending you here by yourself. I - uh, got caught up in something during the party. I had to do some press and then I was just talking with Tony's lawyers about some of the requir-,"
You held your arm up, signaling him to stop talking. "It's fine. I am just going to go to sleep. And is there any Advil around here?"
Steve led you to get some Advil and nearly picked you up and dragged you to the elevator.
"What did you drink?"
"Thor let me try this really good stuff,"
Asgardian liquor...
Steve just shook his head and led you to your room, before you knew it you nodded off, even while trying to fight off a headache.
It had been two full days since the party. Whatever Thor had given you that night completely knocked you out and you had been staying in your apartment trying to sleep it off, Steve had come to check on you as much as possible, he kept you updated on things going on around the compound.
Pepper had come by a few times too, mainly to talk you through and revise your weekly schedule, which was becoming longer and longer by the day. You had taken the weekend off and now it was Monday. Pepper had reminded you that today you would be meeting with lawyers to discuss the full legality of Project FAM, you would also have a chance to revise or ask questions, she reminded you that Steve would be there too.
All this free time in your apartment had given you time to reflect on your life before you'd come to the compound. You have been here almost 2 months now. Working an office job from 9-5 only to convince your parents that you were fine and pushing them away, never talking to them again hadn't been so bad, now that you are fake dating an Avenger.
And Steve. He made your time here better. No, you weren't in love with him, nor did he have any of those feelings for you, but it felt good having someone to be affectionate with. He did care for you, and after finding out that Adrian was just a field agent and a cover-up, it felt like you had been betrayed. You'd never put much trust into anyone, so it was nice to let down your walls a little.
Since you had a meeting today you decided now would be a good time to get ready and see if anyone had made breakfast. Typically, if the team wasn't on a mission, debriefing, etc. someone would take the time to prepare something. It was strange though because you figured that Tony would have chefs working around the clock to prepare nutritious meals to help the team. You didn't mind though because someone whipped up the best pancakes you had ever tasted.
You got ready and headed to the kitchen to see if anyone was still there. The compound was quiet until you approached the living area and saw Steve talking with two people. You recognized one from the party the other night, or what you could remember of it rather. His name was... Bucky? You then remembered meeting him on the balcony. From what you could recall he hid in the corner and scared you. Well, he could be a shadow when he wanted to, but right now he looked fairly relaxed. The person next to Steve was Wanda. You remember she had tagged along with Widow and Pepper when you were getting ready for the party. She was very quiet.
You waved at Wanda and she flashed you a smile and walked over as she kept talking. You noticed she whispered something towards Steve before you walked up. You jokingly looped your arm around Steve's like you had that night on the red carpet, he was a little surprised to see you.
"Anyways Steve, I heard you two both have a busy day today. And hello Y/N, it's nice seeing you again!" The friendly Sokovian then walked off, leaving you, Steve, and Bucky.
"So, Bucky. Sorry about what you saw on the balcony this weekend." you forced a laugh out.
He mumbled something you figured only Steve could hear and then walked off. You were a little hurt, you had always tried to be kind to people. Steve saw your expression.
"Look, Buck- he's been through a lot. While I was on the ice, he was being tortured by Hydra. He's just now getting his life back in order. It takes him time to trust people."
Your arm was still intertwined with Steve's and you led him to the kitchen as you kept asking him questions about Bucky. You had paid attention to your History classes in high school, but a lot of the information you had forgotten over the years. When Steve started talking about the Winter Soldier, it clicked. You remember reading about that and James Buchannan Barnes in the history books.
You were disappointed that no one had fixed (or left any) food while you were with Steve, so instead you just brewed yourself a cup of coffee and we're sipping on it, looking out the window at the field in front of you. Steve didn't linger too much on the topic of Bucky, you felt bad for both of them. One lost a best friend, while the other lost himself. He sat down beside you and brought up his earlier conversation with Wanda. He also apologized for leaving you the other night when you were drunk. He opened up about a recent lead with Hydra. Unbeknownst to you, the Avengers were trying to take down Hydra once and for all. After SHIELD being compromised a few years back, and housing, not one, but two of Hydra's most wanted here at the compound, the team knew they were threatening.
After the morning and talking to Steve, you both walked to Tony's office and met with the lawyers. They had outlined a lot of your questions related to the fake relationship. You and Steve had set boundaries, but nothing legally yet. You knew going in that it wouldn't be a walk in the park. The contract stated that you and Steve must attend public events together at least once a month, you must be seen in public together twice, and you would have to do interviews together. Anything said about the other had to be romantic, you had to make sure that everything you said about the Avengers was positive. And the absolute biggest rule: No dating other people, but what other options do you have? The contract expired in 12 months, but it would ultimately be your and Steve's decision to renew it.
You signed where they told you to. You swear you had to sign at least 50 times. It wasn't a thin piece of paper either, it was a whole book. After the signing, you decided you would take a walk around the compound, now that Tony and Steve felt it was safe for you to do so.
12 months. Fake Dating. Steve Rogers. This will be easy.