24:00 (Steve Rogers Fanfic)

twenty-eight

"Are you really up for a party?" Natasha asks, standing off to the side as Andy scans her closet for something to wear. Bruce had given her the all clear earlier that afternoon, telling her to take it easy which she had every intention of doing but the idea of just sitting in her room while everyone else had fun wasn't all that appealing. 

"I'm fine, Nat. I slept for two days straight and Bruce gave me a clean bill of health. I need a distraction and Tony's stupid party has everything I'll need for just that," Andy says, pulling out two different dresses and placing them on her bed. One was a dark blue with a lace floral pattern that would hang off her shoulders and would end at just above her knee. The other was a simple dark green dress with sleeves that ended just at the elbow. "Which one?" 

"The green one, makes your eyes stand out," Natasha says, Andy nodding in agreement before heading to her adjoined bathroom to change. She could still hear Natasha talking to her, humming in agreement every one in a while but Andy wasn't really focusing on what she was saying. Her head was elsewhere, playing through the events earlier in that morning. She was almost certain that Steve wanted to kiss her, that if Bruce hadn't walked in he would've done it... and maybe she was thinking about possibly seeing if he'd try again tonight. 

"Andy? Are you even listening to me?" Natasha is standing in the doorway of the bathroom with a somewhat annoyed expression on her face. Andy looks away from her reflection in her mirror at the other redhead, smiling somewhat apologetically. 

"Sorry, I was..." 

"Daydreaming about Steve?" Natasha offers, smirking at the red hue on Andy's cheeks. "Can't say I blame you, he's quite the catch if you two ever decide to stop dancing around the issue and actually do something about it." 

"Like you're one to talk," Andy shoots back, Natasha's confident smile faltering for a fraction of a second but it was enough for Andy to throw her own smirk at her friend. "If it helps, he feels the same way about you too, Nat." 

"Maybe I'll do something about it, then," Natasha says, that confident smile back up before she goes to help Andy with her hair.

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Andy could hear the music before they'd even walked into the party, the vibrations making her stomach flutter as they walk through the elevator doors. Andy shouldn't have been surprised at the amount of people, this was Tony's party, but she was and the anxiety she had been keeping at bay almost bubbled up to the service right then and there. It had been ages since she'd been in a room filled with strangers and in that moment she was questioning why she was even doing at this stupid party. She almost leaves, looking at the elevator for a quick exit only to stop when her eyes fall on the real reason why she came. Steve's standing by the pool table, smiling as Sam takes a shot and Andy feels all her worries disappear. She doesn't know how she gets across the room, how she ends up standing next to Steve in a matter of seconds, but she doesn't care. 

"Come to show Steve how to play, have we?" Sam asks, giving Andy a tight hug. It was really the first time they'd seen each other since she'd moved back to New York, Sam the only thing in D.C. that she wished she hadn't left behind. 

"Actually, I thought I could teach you a thing or two. Your game has gotten pretty weak, Wilson," Andy shoots back at her friend, earning a soft laugh from Sam as he lets her go. She catches Steve's gaze as she does, the butterflies taking off and she tries to keep the blush off her face but she knows it was pointless. He's still got that look in his eyes and Andy is wondering when he'll finally ask that question but she knows he won't with Sam standing right there. The two of them might be friends, but Sam saw Andy as his honorary little sister. 

"Bring it, Cassandra Jane. School me in the game of pool," Sam says, stepping aside to allow Andy a turn. Andy breaks away from Steve's gaze, grinning at Sam before taking the pool cue from him. 

"Watch and learn, Falcon." 

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"Eventually, you'll have to tell me where the hell you learned to play pool like that. Don't you dare tell me it was Jesse, I'll call that lie a mile away," Sam says later, earning another laugh from Andy who sits back in her spot on the couch. Steve had excused himself to talk with Thor for a little while, leaving just the two of them to actually catch up. 

"I think Tony taught me, or maybe it was some guy I dated back in high school. It wasn't you, that's for sure," Andy says, taking a sip of her drink as Sam nods his head in agreement. 

"Speaking of guys, what's the deal with Cap?" Sam asks, his question nearly making her choke as Sam was honestly the last person she expected to ask that question. 

"Wh-What? Nothing... Nothing's going on," Andy says once she recovers, earning an eye roll from Sam.  

"C'mon, Cas, even a blind guy could see the puppy dog eyes you two were shooting each other and honestly, if I had a dollar for every time he looks over here, I would be a millionaire by the end of tonight. So what's going on?" 

"Really... nothing. We've been on a few dates, but that's... that's really it," Andy says, fighting the urge to turn around and see if Sam was right about Steve looking at her right now. She doesn't miss the way Sam is looking at her though, the unconvinced expression more than enough to make her shake her head. "I'm not saying there isn't something between us, that I don't... that I don't have feelings for Steve because honestly, I do... but the timing isn't right."

"What are you waiting for?" Sam asks, Andy letting out a sigh as she finally takes the moment to look at Steve from the corner of her eye. He's looking at her just like Sam said, the softest of smiles ghosting his lips and all Andy could think about was how badly she wanted to march over there and kiss him senseless... but she wouldn't because she knew it wouldn't be fair to Steve. She wasn't going to drag him down with her, she wasn't going to make him watch her lose her mind because she was haunted by her past. 

"I don't know, Sam," Is all she says, looking down at her hands for a moment only to be met with a sympathetic look from Sam when she looked back up. Andy can only give him a tight smile in return, the smile fading completely when she catches a glimpse of one of things that haunted her. 

Patrick stood by the bar, sipping a drink with a grin on his face that would make any woman's skin crawl or maybe swoon at the sight... but for Andy, it only terrified her.