Failures; But Not Really (Steve Rogers x fem!reader) Road Trip AU

                                    

                                          
(also no powers AU. Thank you for all your patience while I was in the hospital and recovering!)

                          
Invisible. That was how you felt a lot of the time before you met Steve. Steve knew that. When the two of you had met, you had been sitting on the bus next to two people who seemed more interested in feeling each other up than respecting your personal space. Lucky for Steve, he saw how uncomfortable you were and offer you his seat, telling you he would stand until a new seat opened up. 
                          
You flashed him a dazzling smile and took his seat as soon as he assured you he was serious about his offer. That became your daily routine after that. Whenever you'd get on the bus, Steve would give up his seat for you. Every day for months until one day, there was actually an empty seat next to Steve when you climbed on the bus. Steve smiled shyly at you as you sat next to him. After a few minutes, a conversation started. That was the beginning of your friendship, which soon blossomed into something more. Something deeper. 
                          
That had been two years ago and now, Steve was ready to take your relationship to the next level. He was ready to propose, but he wasn't sure how to do it. He could do something ordinary and cliché, or he could something extravagant and over the top. He didn't know which and it was torture for him. He wanted everything to be perfect. Then, Tony came up with a brilliant idea that Steve could use to his advantage. 
                          
"A road trip?" Bruce asked, setting down his coffee. Tony beamed and nodded. "Sure. All of us, even Y/N if she wants to come, Steve." Steve sat back in his chair. It wasn't often that the group of old college friends got together anymore and maybe this would be a good time to do it. "That's a great idea, Tony! And it's given me another!" 
                          
The others leaned forward, eager to hear what Steve was planning. "I want to propose to Y/N. Maybe I could do it on the road trip. Find the perfect spot and ask her." His friends all beamed at him. "That's great, Steve! I knew you had it in you." Steve glared playfully at Bucky. "Jerk." Bucky smiled. "Punk." The others rolled their eyes. Some things never changed. Steve looked at them all sheepishly. "I could use some help though. I really have no idea how to do it." The group of friends all shared a smile and began giving Steve their own ideas of how to propose. By the time they all went their separate ways, Steve was more confused than ever. 
                          
Still, you readily agreed to go on the road trip with Steve and his friends. You loved Steve and his friends were really important to him. "Hey, Steve, are you ready yet?" you called from the living room. Steve snapped his suitcase closed and pocketed the ring he'd purchased. This was it. Steve was going to propose at some point along the way. And it was going to be perfect. What could possibly go wrong? 
                          
*short time skip*
                          
Apparently a lot could go wrong when trying to propose on a road trip. So far, Steve had tried a total of six times to propose to you. Each time, he failed a different way. The first time was when you had stopped in Chicago at the Navy Pier. Steve convinced you to go on the Ferris Wheel and he hoped to propose there. That was where he learned that you were petrified of heights. The wheel stopped with the two of you at the top and you wouldn't bring your face away from Steve's chest or stop crying long enough for Steve to ask his question. 
                          
The second failure was in South Dakota. The sun was rising over Mount Rushmore and you both were enjoying the sight. Steve thought it was the perfect time to propose. He lead you both over to a nearby bench where you could watch the sunrise and he could pluck up the courage to do what he had been dying to since you left New York. You leaned into him, your head resting on his shoulder while Steve gave himself a silent pep talk. After several minutes he finally spoke. "So, uh, Y/N, I've been thinking about this for a while. We've been together for a couple years now and I'd really like to take that next step with you. W-Will you marry me?" At first there was no answer. Then, Steve heard it. Light snores were coming from you and Steve bit back a groan. 
                          
The next three failures happened in California, Arizona, and Florida. Every single time Steve tried to propose, something happened to get in the way. Steve was beginning to wonder what the universe had against him. Still, he was determined to ask you. So, he thought he'd try again in Louisiana. You loved the French Quarter more than any other place in the south. That was it. Steve knew it. That would be the place he'd finally be able to propose to you...or so he thought. 
                          
You were all enjoying a wonderful dinner when Steve decided it was a good time. He turned to you with a smile. "Y/N?" You looked at him and beamed. "Yeah, Steve?" He swallowed thickly and opened his mouth. He scooted his chair back, but just as he was about to ask, a waiter came by. The poor man wasn't paying attention to where he was walking and tripped over Steve's chair. The food in his hands went flying and the light shrieks you and Wanda let out drew the attention of the entire restaurant. 
                          
The waiter apologized profusely while Steve just sat there, defeated. "I give up." After making sure the waiter was okay, Steve got up and left the restaurant. He refused to say another word. Why was it so hard to ask the love of his life to marry him? Why couldn't he get the words out without something happening to ruin the moment? Steve felt like such a failure. He couldn't even get a simple proposal right. 
                          
"You okay, Steve?" Steve turned to see Natasha following him. She was always one of the more leveled headed of his friends. "No. Everything is going wrong. Why is this so hard?" Natasha shrugged. "I don't think it's that hard, Steve. I think you're just trying too hard. Y/N loves you. I don't doubt she'll say yes. Just relax and be yourself. Don't try to be perfect." She gave his shoulder a squeeze and returned to the group. 
                          
Natasha's words lingered in Steve's mind the rest of the trip. He hadn't tried to propose again by the time they made it back to New York. He couldn't. He knew that, if he failed again, he might give up entirely. Six failures was bad enough. Steve didn't think he could handle seven. He needed to think. What better way to think than to go back to his old stomping grounds? "Hey, Tony I think we should make one more stop. Brooklyn." Tony gave him a knowing smile and nodded. "Sure thing." 
                          
Steve couldn't get out of the car fast enough when the group stopped in Brooklyn. He breathed in the air and smiled to himself. You followed him out of the car with a confused look on your face. He hadn't been very talkative the last leg of the trip and it worried you. "Steve? What's wrong? You've been acting weird." 
                          
He turned to face you. Standing in front of him, you looked so beautiful, even with the crease in your brow from your worry and your lips pulled down into a frown. For some reason, seeing you like that gave Steve a little more courage. Maybe it was you or maybe it was the environment. After all, Brooklyn was Steve's roots. A man can't go wrong when in the place he grew up in, could he? Licking his lips, Steve came over to you. 
                          
"Y/N, I've been trying to ask you something from the moment we left New York. I have tried six times before this and each time, something has gone wrong. I was almost ready to give up. But, seeing you here with me, in my old neighborhood...it reminds me why I wanted to do this in the first place." He took your hands in his and beamed at you. "Steve?" 
                          
"Please let me finish before I lose my nerve again. I love you, Y/N. I don't when I started loving you. It was probably the moment you tried to refuse taking my seat on the bus. Still, it doesn't change the fact that I love you and have for a long time now. I know that we have something special here, something that doesn't come around often. I truly believe that we are meant to spend the rest of our lives together. So, I'm finally going to ask you what I've been trying to ask for so long. Y/F/N, will you marry me?" 
                          
Steve waited as you opened your mouth to reply. Tears were streaming down your face now, but you wore a smile. Steve could only hope that was a good sign. For a few moments, you didn't reply. You were too busy crying and staring at Steve. "Uh, Y/N...could you answer please? I kind of feel like an idiot standing here." You let out a watery giggle and nodded. "Yes. Of course I'll marry you, Steve." 
                          
In a nanosecond, Steve picked you up and spun you in the air before his lips firmly planted on yours. Cheers and catcalls erupted from behind you. Steve felt his face heat up. In all honesty, he'd forgotten the others were there still. Judging by the way you hid your face in his chest again, you had too. Steve kissed the top of your head as the others ran over to the two of you. Each of them congratulated you, hugging you both, even Natasha who wasn't a hugger. Even as everyone was gathered around you, Steve couldn't help but meet your gaze again. He smiled once more. Yes, he had failed, but in the end, those other failures meant nothing. He got what he wished for. You said yes. 
                          
(a/n: I hope you like it! Also, when this book hits 200 parts, I will be starting a second book for my Avengers one-shots!)