Steve Short Story

6

Monday Morning....

Remi arrived at Tony's to find it empty and the lights off. Puzzled, she asked Friday where Tony was. "He is in conference room three," she replied.
As she made her way to the conference room she didn't see any staff or Avengers in the hallway. She opened the door and was surprised to find everyone seated and waiting for her. "And here's the woman of the hour, Dr. Remi Spencer!" Tony said enthusiastically. Everyone stood and clapped as she walked into the room. Steve came to her side and took her jacket and bag.
"What is all this, Mr. Stark?" She adjusted her name badge, her glasses, and started to fidget with her hands. Steve could hear her heart rate picking up and grasped one of her hands to help her calm down.
"We've completed the project and I wanted to show everyone the quality of your work," Tony said. At the front of the room there were three cases and the glass gradually began to fade to clear. Each body suit was a different color and had different features to the light armor that was layered over it. Everyone oohed and ahhed when the suits were fully visible.
"The materials used are nearly as strong as vibranium. They have an aerodynamic quality along with flexibility and reinforced protection. They are also good for high or low altitude aerodynamics and heat signature minimization." Tony kept talking about all the specs of the suits and there was a case with wings coming out of a pack.
"These suits look amazing, Dr. Spencer," Natasha said as she approached. "Did you design one for each of the team members?" She asked.
"Thank you, Natasha. I'm not sure who gets what suit since Tony referred to them under nick names. I do know there is one for Captain America, one for a bug? And there is one for a cyborg?" Remi was puzzled as she hadn't met all of the team members yet.
"The cyborg one is for Bucky. You'll meet him tonight," Steve said near her ear.
"Why tonight?" Remi asked.
Just then Tony was talking loudly again. "Party tonight, 8:00pm sharp and dress up, ladies and gents. That includes you, too, Dr. Spencer. There's no getting out of it and I'm sure it's in your contract somewhere that you have to do what I say," Tony said as he winked at her.
Remi squeezed Steve's hand a little tighter. She didn't know what she was going to wear and would need to call her sister for help. Just the thought of wearing something different and being in a large group of people she didn't know made her feel dizzy. Steve noticed the change in her pulse and how she spaced out for a moment. "Are you ok, doll?" He asked as he placed a hand on her face.
"I-I just...just need some air," she panted out. He immediately grabbed a chair and guided her to sit down. "Just sit down and relax. Breathe for me ok?" He coaxed her as Natasha grabbed a bottled water for her. She also brought a folder so Steve could fan Remi. Everyone else started to notice she wasn't feeling well and stopped talking to look at her and crowd around. "Oh, I'm so sorry.... I just have anxiety...I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ruin your meeting," she panted out.
"Don't worry about them, doll. They've all had their own breakdown moments; we all get them," he said to comfort her.
Once everyone saw that Steve had the situation handled they crowded back to the suits, and casually listened for her to improve.
"Just look at me, right here and breathe. Take a deep breath, hold it in, and let it out," Steve coached her. He grasped her small hands in his large one and she held on to him for dear life.
"I'm so sorry, Steve. This is one of those things where I don't handle large groups of strangers and new experiences. It's all unknown to me and I just freak out. I got teased about it all the time in class." Remi was talking so fast, just wishing the floor would open up and swallow her.
"It's ok. It's nothing to be ashamed of," he said to her gently. "I'll be with you the whole time at the party or you could just not go. Tony was just joking when he said you had to go," Steve assured her.
Remi looked at Steve's intense blue eyes and couldn't deny wanting to please him. "If you can be brave and go to the party, then I can be brave, too," she said with a small smile.
Steve smiled in return and kissed her on the lips before he stood up. "It would make me really happy if you went to the party, but I won't pressure you. I'll still like you even if you don't go." He was serious in his tone, but his eyes were gentle as he looked down at her.
"It's ok. I'll go. I could use it as a learning experience," she said more to herself than to Steve.
"Come tell us more about the suits," Tony said, beckoning them over.
Remi gradually relaxed a little more as she talked about the suits to Bruce, Wanda, Natasha, Maria, and Phil. Science was her comfort zone and she would rather talk about numbers and alloys than try and meet new people.