The interior of Steve Rogers’ Brooklyn apartment was strangely comforting, although it seemed to Maria that she had stepped back in time. Everywhere she looked were mementos from the early twentieth century. He had no television, nor was there any evidence of technology apart from a radio sitting on the table. For a superhero, the guy sure lived a reserved life - especially when compared to Tony. “Here,” Steve smiled, passing her a beer. “You look like you could use it.” “Thanks,” she smiled, taking it and leaning back into the cushions of his sofa. “Rough day.” “Don’t I know it,” he sighed, sitting in an armchair opposite her. “We would have been screwed without you out there covering for us today, Maria.”She felt a warm thrill as he used her name, and bit back a shy laugh. “I know,” she shrugged, eliciting a chuckle from him. “What can I say? I’m the best.”“You certainly are,” he agreed, raising his bottle to her. She imitated his gesture and drank. “So tell me, Captain Rogers,” she sighed, running a weary hand through her hair. “Why did you ask me back to your place?” She knew, of course, but it was more fun to see him get all shy and nervous like he always did around women, despite being an American icon - the heartthrob of the nation. “Well,” he said, sitting up straighter. Always a soldier. “I wanted to get to know you a little better. We don’t spend much time together, and I thought that… we could talk.” She smiled. She might have suspected any other guy of trying the charming approach to get into her pants, but with Steve it was all unmistakably genuine. “Come over here,” she said firmly, patting the sofa beside her. He obligingly came over to sit with her, smiling what could almost be called a shy smile. “I know you’re all twenties and stuff,” Maria said, deciding just to get to the point. “And you’re all about the courtesy and the romance, and that’s wonderful. I just thought I’d let you know that I like you. Like, a lot.” She waited as he absorbed that, and to her surprise, he smiled. “You’re very direct,” he observed. “Always,” she chuckled. Then he sighed, and she suddenly thought that maybe she had been wrong - maybe she had interpreted the situation completely stupidly, and he didn’t like her after all. “Maria,” he said, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine,” she sighed dismissively. “I didn’t really expect that anything would come of it.”“What do you mean?” he frowned. “Well, you’re Captain America,” she offered, as way of explanation. “You’re a superhero. The living legend. I’m… well, comparatively, I’m a bit of a nobody.” “Don’t say that,” he said, his frown deepening. “You’re not nobody. And anyway, I wasn’t saying that nothing would come of it.” She raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. “The truth is, Maria… I really like you too. I do. It’s just…” She tilted her head, wondering which cliché he’d come out with. She hadn’t been rejected by many ninety year olds, so this would be interesting. “You remind me of someone,” Steve murmured, looking down at his hands, clasped around the bottle. “Someone who was… very important to me, back before I was frozen. And I’m worried… well, I don’t want to put you in a situation where I hurt you by comparing you to some other person.” She digested this. “Steve, I…” She hesitated, looking up at him, almost nervous. “I want to try. The more you get to know me, the more things you learn about me, the more you’ll think of me as a different person to her.” He nodded at her. “Are you sure, Maria? The last thing I want to do is hurt you, you know that.” “I do,” she nodded back. “And I’m sure, Steve. Even if it’s just dinner together, even if it’s just drinks sometimes, I’d like to spend more time with you.” “Can…” he bit his lip, his cheeks flushing faintly. “Can I kiss you, maybe?” She nodded, her own cheeks pink as he leaned in, both of them as awkward as high school kids on a first date. But when his lips pressed softly to hers, there was no way she could mistake him for a gangly fourteen-year-old. He was strong, and gentle, and every clichéd hero in every romance ever, and she loved it. When he pulled away she was blushing, and he traced her cheek with the tip of one finger. He raised his bottle in another toast.“To more like that,” he smiled. She clinked her bottle with his.“To more like that,” she agreed softly. They drank together as the sun went down, talking and learning and feeling the beginnings of something new.
The interior of Steve Rogers’ Brooklyn apartment was strangely comforting, although it seemed to Maria that she had stepped back in time. Everywhere she looked were mementos from the early twentieth century. He had no television, nor was there any evidence of technology apart from a radio sitting on the table. For a superhero, the guy sure lived a reserved life - especially when compared to Tony. “Here,” Steve smiled, passing her a beer. “You look like you could use it.” “Thanks,” she smiled, taking it and leaning back into the cushions of his sofa. “Rough day.” “Don’t I know it,” he sighed, sitting in an armchair opposite her. “We would have been screwed without you out there covering for us today, Maria.”She felt a warm thrill as he used her name, and bit back a shy laugh. “I know,” she shrugged, eliciting a chuckle from him. “What can I say? I’m the best.”“You certainly are,” he agreed, raising his bottle to her. She imitated his gesture and drank. “So tell me, Captain Rogers,” she sighed, running a weary hand through her hair. “Why did you ask me back to your place?” She knew, of course, but it was more fun to see him get all shy and nervous like he always did around women, despite being an American icon - the heartthrob of the nation. “Well,” he said, sitting up straighter. Always a soldier. “I wanted to get to know you a little better. We don’t spend much time together, and I thought that… we could talk.” She smiled. She might have suspected any other guy of trying the charming approach to get into her pants, but with Steve it was all unmistakably genuine. “Come over here,” she said firmly, patting the sofa beside her. He obligingly came over to sit with her, smiling what could almost be called a shy smile. “I know you’re all twenties and stuff,” Maria said, deciding just to get to the point. “And you’re all about the courtesy and the romance, and that’s wonderful. I just thought I’d let you know that I like you. Like, a lot.” She waited as he absorbed that, and to her surprise, he smiled. “You’re very direct,” he observed. “Always,” she chuckled. Then he sighed, and she suddenly thought that maybe she had been wrong - maybe she had interpreted the situation completely stupidly, and he didn’t like her after all. “Maria,” he said, but she cut him off with a wave of her hand. “It’s fine,” she sighed dismissively. “I didn’t really expect that anything would come of it.”“What do you mean?” he frowned. “Well, you’re Captain America,” she offered, as way of explanation. “You’re a superhero. The living legend. I’m… well, comparatively, I’m a bit of a nobody.” “Don’t say that,” he said, his frown deepening. “You’re not nobody. And anyway, I wasn’t saying that nothing would come of it.” She raised an eyebrow, and he sighed. “The truth is, Maria… I really like you too. I do. It’s just…” She tilted her head, wondering which cliché he’d come out with. She hadn’t been rejected by many ninety year olds, so this would be interesting. “You remind me of someone,” Steve murmured, looking down at his hands, clasped around the bottle. “Someone who was… very important to me, back before I was frozen. And I’m worried… well, I don’t want to put you in a situation where I hurt you by comparing you to some other person.” She digested this. “Steve, I…” She hesitated, looking up at him, almost nervous. “I want to try. The more you get to know me, the more things you learn about me, the more you’ll think of me as a different person to her.” He nodded at her. “Are you sure, Maria? The last thing I want to do is hurt you, you know that.” “I do,” she nodded back. “And I’m sure, Steve. Even if it’s just dinner together, even if it’s just drinks sometimes, I’d like to spend more time with you.” “Can…” he bit his lip, his cheeks flushing faintly. “Can I kiss you, maybe?” She nodded, her own cheeks pink as he leaned in, both of them as awkward as high school kids on a first date. But when his lips pressed softly to hers, there was no way she could mistake him for a gangly fourteen-year-old. He was strong, and gentle, and every clichéd hero in every romance ever, and she loved it. When he pulled away she was blushing, and he traced her cheek with the tip of one finger. He raised his bottle in another toast.“To more like that,” he smiled. She clinked her bottle with his.“To more like that,” she agreed softly. They drank together as the sun went down, talking and learning and feeling the beginnings of something new.
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