You blushed when your eyes met Sam's. It was another one of Tony's game nights. After everything that happened between him and Steve, Tony had been trying his best to smooth things over. Steve and those that sided with him had moved back into the Tower, but things were still tense. So, Tony and Clint came up with the idea for game night. You didn't mind, except when you ended up across from Sam.

You really liked Sam. You had for a while. The problem? You were so freakin' shy! There was absolutely no way you could tell him that you liked him. So you settled for glancing at him when you thought he wasn't looking. Cliché, you knew, but you couldn't help it. Whenever you tried to tell him how you felt, you would stumble over your words and what came out was a lame joke or a bad pun. Sam would always laugh, but you figured he was just being polite.

He wasn't. Sam genuinely thought you were funny. He couldn't sense your nervousness over his own. It wasn't like him to be so nervous or shy around someone he liked, but you were different. Sam couldn't just flirt with you the way he could others. He wanted to find a way to tell you, but how could he? Sighing, Sam got up and went into the kitchen. He didn't see the frown that made its way to your face. Nor did he see you get up and leave the room after bidding everyone goodnight.

"Man, are they carrying torches for each other or what?" Bucky asked Steve, who nodded. "Could the two of you come back to present day for a minute?" Tony asked, earning eye rolls from both soldiers. Tony cleared his throat, but it was Clint that spoke, "I gotta say, the two of them are kinda obvious. Shame they're both too shy." Everyone nodded in agreement. "So, what do we do?"

Over the next few weeks, the team did their best to find ways to get you and Sam together. Everything from the most cliché to the strangest. Eventually, Natasha and Bruce came out as the voices of reason. "Guys, don't you think all these suggestions are just going to make things worse? Y/N gets embarrassed easily. She'd never forgive us." Bruce asked and Natasha nodded. "If we're going to do this, we have to do it right." Tony crossed his arms over his chest and pouted. "Well, what do you suggest?" Natasha smirked and leaned in to whisper to the rest of the team.

The next day, you entered the kitchen, ready to cook with Natasha. She was standing there with a sling on her arm. "What happened to you?!" you asked. "Oh this? I was training with Barnes today and Barton distracted me. I'm fine, but I won't be able to help you cook tonight." You frowned, but nodded anyway. "Alright, well I'll ask Tony, Steve or Wanda to help," you said before you heard someone coming in.

"No can do, Y/N," Steve told you, "It's our turn to shop for the Tower. We're out of breakfast food and sandwich meat. Plus, Thor is coming back from Asgard and we're out of Pop tarts. Everyone else is out on a recon mission. Except Sam. Maybe he can help." Your eyes widened and you automatically shook your head. "N-No. That's okay. I can manage." Natasha snorted out a laugh. "Really? No one can cook for the entire team by themselves. You need the help. Just ask Sam. I'm sure he'll be willing."

"Willing to what?" Sam's voice made you stiffen. "Y/N needs help with dinner," Natasha said flatly, with a pointed glare at you as if daring you to argue. "Sure, I'll help you." You glanced up at him and he gave you a small smile. "See? Easy as pie. See you around. Come on, Romanoff." Natasha smirked and followed Steve from the room, leaving you and Sam alone.

After a minute, Sam cleared his throat. "So, uh, what's the plan?" You hadn't expected him to speak, so you jumped a little. "Oh, well, I thought we could make Tony's favorite? If you want." He agreed and the two of you got to work. You worked in silence for a few minutes, only talking when you needed something. At one point, Same stopped working, leaned back against the counter, and watched you.

"Hey, Y/N?" You looked up from what you were doing. His arms were crossed and his dark eyes seemed to be studying you. "Yeah?" Your voice was soft and it almost squeaked. Sam opened his mouth, but closed it again just as quickly. He shook his head and turned back around. You crossed the distance between you and placed your hand on his shoulder.

Sam stiffened before he turned quickly to face you, causing you to fling the spoon your were holding. Food landed on Sam's shirt and on your cheek while the spoon miraculously landed in the sink. You felt your face heating up again while Sam chuckled softly. You glanced at him and realized just how close you were. "Oh, um..." You moved to take a step back, but Sam's gentle grip stopped you.

"Wait. Y/N, there's something I need to tell you." You didn't reply, prompting him to continue. Sam tried to think of how to say what it was he wanted to say. He didn't want to embarrass himself. Lucky for him, you really didn't give him the opportunity to. When Sam was lost in thought, he looked even more handsome. You took advantage of the silence by plucking up a little bit of courage. Enough to kiss his cheek.

You pulled back feeling like your face was on fire. Sam took his free hand and wiped away the food from your face. You stared at him for a minute as you tried to discern what emotion was hiding behind his eyes. You didn't even notice him leaning in until his lips touched yours. Smiling into the kiss, you wrapped your arms around his neck.

In the lab, Tony was smirking at the computer screen while the rest of the team stood behind him. "Looks like it worked." On the screen, Tony had pulled up the video footage from the kitchen. They watched the entire exchange."Yeah," Steve replied with a smile. "Guess we can still work together, after all." He offered Tony his hand. Tony's eyes widened and he took Steve's hand and shook it. "We did good, Tony." The others simply stood by with smiles on their faces.    

(a/n: Thank you all so much for all the reads, votes and comments!!! I can't tell you how much the support means to me!)