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The smoke-filled air wisped around you as the strong smell of alcohol stung your nose. The smoke began to fill your lungs and you coughed, waving your hand in front of your face to rid the air of the thick, second-hand smoke that threatened to enter your lungs once more. You blew air out, annoyed of the situation you had been placed in by your so-called 'date'. He told you it would be fun. He told you he would stay right by your side the entire time. But, lo and behold, as soon as you stepped into the dingy bar full of sweaty bodies and females grinding on men, he lost interest in you and left you off to the sides, which led you to where you were.Your discarded drink sat near the edge of the small table, seemingly drowning in the smoke-infested bar whilst you sat alone in the dark corner that only dwelt the jukebox. The only action you had seen near you was drunk people wobbling over to play another happy-go-lucky song on the jukebox, which you had concluded would be the thing that had deafened you by the end of the night. You tapped your fingers against the wood that was bound to give you a splinter and let an exasperated sigh rack your body. You were about to stand to leave the grimy bar when a shadowy figure emerged from the darkness causing you to stay in your seat. Once the figure's face was visible, your heart leaped in your chest."Steve?" Your palms began to sweat as the small man sat in the seat across from you. Of course, your crush would show up right when you were about to leave. You resisted the urge to tell him you were tired and wanted to go home, and offered a sweet smile instead, in hopes of lightening your mood. "What are you doing here?"He smiled and folded his hands together across the table. "I have bad friends." He chuckled softly and your heart fluttered having yet to cease its thumping against your ribcage. Chills ran down your spine as he smiled that breathtaking smile of his. "What are you doing here?" He enunciated the word 'you' knowing that going to bars and getting drunk wasn't necessarily your thing."Bad date." You smiled, becoming comfortable in the presence of your best friend and your crush. It didn't bother you one bit that he was smaller and skinnier than the average male. You knew he was bullied for it and never really had any girls gushing over him and it always caused a ping to go off in your chest. He was the sweetest man you had ever met and it was practically love at first sight for you. You knew how much he wanted to be in the army and how much he wanted to sacrifice himself for his country and it hurt you when he was never accepted into the army no matter how many times he tried. It surprised you that not every single girl had fallen head over heels in love with the man and that you seemed to be the only one.Steve's brow furrowed as he looked into your (eye color) eyes, searching for pain or sadness but finding none. "You don't seem too upset about it," He observed before getting lost in your eyes, as always. He tore his gaze from yours and glanced around the room in hopes of finding the man that abandoned you. "Where is he?"You looked away from him and scanned the room slowly and carefully in hopes of spotting his face within many others. You were about to shrug and tell Steve you didn't know when you spotted him at the last second with a blonde girl, who left not much to the imagination, dry humping his thigh. You scoffed and let out a disgusted sound, offering him a foul look in case he glanced your way. You scrunched your nose and looked away quickly. No one knew modesty in that bar.Steve twisted around in his chair to glance in the direction you had been staring a few seconds prior, his eyes widening as he quickly turned back around to try and rid his mind of the image. "Let me guess: That was your date?"You nodded and shuddered, wanting to strip your mind of the image that would be stuck there forever. You groaned and lifted your hands to your temples to massage your skull in hopes of forgetting what you had seen. It was the '40s and seeing people basically having sex in public was definitely something that was frowned upon. Apparently not in this bar."I'm sorry." He winced at the image still floating about in his head and gave you a sympathetic look. "Hey, why don't we go to my place? It might help you get your mind off... That." He shot you a smile and you nodded returning the gesture quickly."Okay. Let me use the restroom super quick. I'll meet you outside." You stood from the chair, its legs squealing against the floor as you pushed it back into its designated spot before heading off in the direction of the restroom after he nodded and headed in the opposite direction. You stepped out of the bar, the cold air hitting you and the breeze practically freezing your bones as you adjusted to the change in temperature. It was remarkably warm in the bar and when you stepped outside it changed to remarkably cold. You shivered and sighed, scanning the area for Steve only to find a dark alley on your right and the entrance to the bar on your left. Wishing you had brought some form of a jacket with you, you stepped onto the pavement and began walking to search for Steve. You made it about five steps before a warm, clammy hand covered your mouth and your body was pushed against the hard, cold, brick wall of the alleyway. The hand muffled your scream and you winced when the wall slammed into your back."Hush, darlin'." The voice was of a man and you could smell the alcohol in his breath. "If you scream, you'll earn a sliced up stomach." He lifted the sharp knife, holding it in front of your eyes to prove his seriousness. Your heart thumped against your ribcage as fear coursed through your veins. "Understand?" He pushed the blade up against your neck as tears streamed down your cheeks. Barely drawing any blood, he held the knife there until you nodded in understanding. He pulled his hand from your mouth and then the blade from your neck, stashing it in between his fingers as he gently ran his hands up your thighs, lifting your small dress and exposing your black lace panties. He was about to cup your heat when a voice screamed into the darkness, startling both him and you."Hey!" It was a voice you recognized. You slowly turned your head and saw a small figure sprinting over to you and the man. Steve. Taking advantage of the distracted man, you released a blood-curdling scream causing the man to turn his attention back to you. You sighed in relief when he momentarily forgot about Steve and gave you the death glare."I told you to be quiet, bitch!" He wrapped his clammy fingers around the base of your neck, refusing to let any oxygen pass through as held his blade up, about to stab you in the stomach when Steve used all his strength to shove him to the slide. The knife missed your stomach but slashed a cut above the cleavage of your breasts causing you to hiss as pain shot through your body. It was worse than a papercut but tolerable.Steve wasn't sure what to do, so he began kicking the man as hard as he could to keep him away from you. You slumped to the ground, knowing you wouldn't die but you'd be in pain and probably be tired for a while.The next few minutes were a blur as you tried to stop focusing on the fear that still coursed through your veins. You faintly saw the police take the man away but everything was unclear until you saw Steve rushing over to you. He looked like he was crying as he kneeled before you and took your hands into his, whispering sweet nothings to you and pushing the sweaty hair that stuck to your forehead away from your hot skin."I'm sorry I couldn't protect you (Y/N). I should've been there and now you're going to die and-" He choked up at the end and pulled your body to his, resting your head in his lap as he held you as close as possible, rocking you back and forth gently."S-Steve." You tapped his shoulder and giggled softly seeing that he didn't hear you. "Steve." You repeated and he glanced down at you silently asking you want you wanted to say. "I'm not gonna die." You pushed away from him and showed him the small cut you had received with a smile. "You saved me.""But you're hurt." He furrowed his brow and you laughed softly, leaning over to hug him gently."I'm fine. If you hadn't shoved him, I would be dying or already dead." You pulled away and kissed his cheek causing a blush to travel up his neck and his ears to turn red. "Thank you."He glanced away and looked at his hands, flustered from your act of affection. You put one hand over his and the other on the side of his face, cupping his cheek in your palm. You turned his face towards yours and leaned forward, capturing his lips in a sweet kiss. His heart began beating frantically as he kissed back gently, lifting his left hand to cup your cheek much like you had with him.A chorus of 'awws' erupted from around you both and you pulled away, blushing softly. You hadn't realized you had an audience but it didn't bother you one bit. You wanted to prove that anyone was capable of love, as cliche as it sounded. You looked into his beautiful blue-green eyes and smiled softly."I never thought this is how I would tell you this," You gestured to your condition before smiling softly and continuing, "but I think I love you."He smiled and leaned forward, kissing you again before responding. "I love you too." He gently whispered the four words against your lips before kissing you one more time. He couldn't get enough of you. He had never loved anyone like he loved you and it was exhilarating."Are you still up for going back to your place?"Steve chuckled and nodded. "I'll clean you up when we get there. It looks like we have a lot to catch up on." He smiled and helped you stand, his arm remaining around your waist as he held your arm around his shoulder."Thank you.""You have nothing to be thanking me for." He kissed your cheek as you both began walking back to his apartment, ignoring the confused stares as you walked in sync."Just accept the praise." You laughed and he nodded with a soft chuckle of his own.He pulled you closer to him and gently caressed your hipbone clandestinely before replying in a teasing tone. "Whatever you say."