Steve Rogers / Reader
- You got to be freaking kidding me! you cursed when your Visa Electron was declined the third time.
- Ma’am, do you have cash? the cashier asked. She was keeping her customer-service-smile on her face like a pro and the cheerful tone of her voice added to the never-fading smile just irritated you. You breathed in and tried to calm yourself down. You went through your wallet, there was nothing but old receipts, bonus cards and other cards.
- No… No cash. This is impossible! I checked the balance of my bank account this morning. Can we try my Mastercard? you asked. You were losing your nerves. You hated awkward situations like this and your nervousness turned easily into a light state of panic. You knew that the other customers were cursing you in their minds.
- Sorry, but it seems that we have problems with the connections today. other cashier said. He was taking care of the other queue. It was the rush hour and the shop was lacking staff so even without you stalling the other line the employees were buried.
- It’s not working there either? she asked him. It was the worst thing to happen in the middle of the busy afternoon rush hour.
- No. he answered. You checked out your walled once more and also your bag hoping that you would have a 20 dollar bill in a pocket or buried under everything on the bottom. But there was no money in the bag either.
- Great! This is just… great. you said and asked someone pass you a basket so you could take everything back. You were red as a tomato from embarrassment and on the verge of starting to cry. There were a long line behind you and the people waiting were getting restless. Your day had begun so well; you had been in a job interview that had gone brilliantly and the sun was shining although there had been a storm warning in the news. You had finally recovered from a long flu that had bothered you for many weeks… Your day had been great!
- Miss, I will pay your groceries. the next customer said. You turned around and saw a tall man who was wearing s baseball cap, a leather jacket and jeans. He had wide shoulders and he looked strong and reminded you about someone, but you could not remember exactly who. Even his voice was familiar.
- It is not necessary… I can come back lat-
- Just get on with it! an old, angry man from further behind shouted. The tall man took a 20 dollar bill from his wallet and gave it to you. You paid your groceries and then moved to pack them. The man paid his things and then came to pack next to you. You were still blushing and trying to avoid the angry gazes.
- I really can’t thank you enough. You are a life saver. I mean… I always pay with my card and I never carry cash… And then this happens. you said as you walked side by side with him out from the shop and stopped to talk.
- Call me old fashioned but I always pay with cash…
- Is it a statement –thing? Want to stay untraceable? I would not blame you… I mean, the amount of information that the companies collect about their customers is… unbelievable. Anyway, as long as you do not pay with a card, use bonus cards or shop online, you stay somewhat anonymous… kind of… you mumbled. You had been working in a company that made money by collecting shopping data and selling it to the third parties, who used the information for their marketing purposes. You had resigned because you had come to a conclusion that what you helped to do was morally unethical.
- More like a habit that has stuck with me from young days. he answered and chuckled. You took a look at him and made a “hm” sound; “what is that man talking about? Young days?” you thought. You could had sworn that the man was in his twenties, early thirties max.
- Right. Do you know if there’s an ATM nearby? you asked the man.
- No, why?
- Well… I owe you 20 bucks, I’d like to pay you back.
- No-no-no, it is not necessary. he said.
- Sir…
- Steve. he corrected. You smiled briefly.
- Sir, I really want to settle this. I appreciate your help, you have no idea how much, but seriously. you said and looked the man straight into his eyes. He had blonde hair and blue eyes, kind eyes. He smiled and there was a some level of shyness in his smile, he seemed genuine and sincere. There was something very familiar about him. Maybe he was a celebrity or something.
- 20 bucks is nothing, do not worry about it. he assured you. You groaned. You hated owing people money. You wanted to get by on your own and borrowing money from your friends, family or strangers was a big no-no for you.
- 2 bucks is nothing, 20 is plenty. you commented and wished that your financial status was so good that you could claim that 20 dollars is nothing. At the moment, being unemployed and living on your savings, you were counting every coin.
- Are you always this defensive? he asked. He sounded concerned and curious at the same time. Maybe a little bit frustrated also. You rolled your eyes and scoffed.
- Only when it’s about money or my financials. you answered. You did not want to seem rude or anything but you did not want to be the charity case either.
- Fine… but… Let’s settle this my way. the man said with a thoughtful look on his face. He clearly had a proposition in his mind. You sighed and bit your lip unintentionally.
- What are you suggesting?
- You will prepare a dinner and I will come over and eat.
- Prepare… dinner?
- Yeah. The way I see it is that I will save money like this.
- Please explain.
- You see, if I took you out for a dinner, I would pay because I am a gentleman, no arguments about that. I would not take you to a fast food –place so I would easily spend 40-50 bucks. However if you prepare the dinner, with my help of course, I will save at least 20 bucks.
- I do not know if I agree with your logic. you chuckled. Wait, what? Was the man kind-of asking you out?
- Come on. Work with me here.
- I don’t know. I will certainly invite you for a dinner because what you did back there was just… I mean… I most likely would had died from shame if you had not saved me. So yeah, you have yourself a deal about the dinner, but still… Can you give me your bank account number? I could transfer the money to you since you do not accept cash. What about a credit card? you joked. The man laughed. He winked his eye and said
- Captains orders. he said and flashed a charming smile. At that moment you realized that you had been talking with Captain America himself. You blushed and fought the nervousness. “He is just a guy” you told to yourself inside your head. Now it made sense; you had seen him in the news, that’s why he looked and sounded so familiar.
- Okay. you answered. It was getting obvious that this was a battle that you could not win.
- May I drive you home? he asked.
- I live like 2 blocks away. It’s cool, I will walk.
- I’ll walk you then. I actually live right across the street. he said and took the bag from your hand.
- You don’t have to…
- It’s my pleasure. he answered and left no room for objections. You mumbled a thank you.
You walked side by side with the man, Steve, in silence. The sky was turning dark as the storm clouds arrived from the horizon. There was electricity in the air and you were quite happy about the fact that there was going to be a thunder. You loved to watch the flashes of lightning especially when the water was just pouring down from the clouds.
- This is me. you said when you got to a tall apartment building that had red brick walls. The building had been an industrial building before but it had been turned into loft-style apartments some time ago and you had been lucky enough to rent a flat. It was not a big flat but it was big enough.
- Tonight at… six? he asked.
- Sure. you said and reached out your hand for the bag. He gave it to you. You thanked him and said goodbyes.
- Well, I’ll see you tonight then. By the way, what is your name? he asked.
- It’s (Y/N). you answered.
- Beautiful name suits a beautiful woman. he commented, flashed a charming smile and turned away to walk back to his neighborhood.
You went in and unpacked everything into your fridge. Then you started to clean the place and after your apartment was in a good shape, you took a quick shower, put on your favorite clothes, nothing too flirty because you did not know whether it was a date or not, fixed your hair and put on some makeup. You looked pretty by your own standards.
At 6pm there was a knock on your door. You went to open and found Steve standing in the hallway.
- Hi… how did you know which apartment…
- I have my ways. he answered and came in.
You had already started to prepare the dinner and there was a delicious scent of food coming from the kitchen. Steve took off his shoes when he noticed that you were not wearing any and then walked further into the apartment. He gave you a bottle of white wine.
- What-what is this? you asked.
- Well… Wine compliments usually good dinner.
- You’re eating away your savings. you joked and thanked him.
- You mean “drinking” away?
- Yeah. you chuckled as you returned to the kitchen.
- So, how can I help? he asked and walked behind you to watch what you were doing.
- Just… keep me company. you answered and continued preparing a salad that you were going to serve as a appetizer.
- You look beautiful. he said suddenly.
- I should had brought you flowers but I did not know if that had been too much. I do not want to scare you away. he continued.
- Right…
- I have seen you, you know, before today, but I never had the courage to come and talk to you.
- You? Lacking courage? You fight the bad guys and basically save the world every now and then…
- I know it sounds strange, but I am not that smooth with women.
- Well that’s good. In my opinion there are too many players and womanizers anyway. Although it still does not make any sense! you chuckled.
- So you have seen me before? you continued.
- Yes. he said and smiled shyly as he blushed.
- I have not seen you.
- I am keeping low profile, unlike Stark who tells the terrorists where he lives and we know how that turned out.
- Oh yeah, I saw it in the news!
- Can I confess something? he asked.
- Sure.
- It really was no coincidence that I was behind you in the line today.
- Oh?
- I stalked you at the vegetables and basically tackled an old lady when you were on your way to the cashier…
- Did you jam the card readers a well?
- Ha-ha! Yeah, my elaborate scheme to get on a date with you.
You set the table and asked Steve to sit down. He opened the wine bottle and poured it in his and your glasses. You served the salad after checking out the main course that was in the oven already. You sat down as well. The salad was very vibrant and full of different flavors that came together and complimented each other. The meatloaf you were preparing came out slightly mushy because you had added some mashed carrots in it which had screwed up the proportions of eggs, breadcrumbs and liquid. However, despite the weird orange-color and slightly less firm texture, the meatloaf was delicious anyway and went well with baked potatoes.
- This was amazing. Compliments to the chef. Steve said when he finished the second plateful.
- Well thank you. I hope you have some room for dessert too. My birthday was a couple of days ago and I made a cake. you said with a smile on your face.
- Well, congratulations! he said and continued
- I knew I should had brought you flowers. Well, next time. he said with a smile on his face. You blushed. There you were; having dinner with a true old-fashioned gentleman who was known to be honest and trustworthy… and it felt good. It was easy to talk with him and during that evening you noticed that your stomach filled with butterflies when he smiled at you and when he accidentally touched your shoulder as he helped you to serve the cake, your skin tingled and you felt electrified.
You stood at the window and watched out. The sky was black and there were constant flashes and the sound of thunder and heavy rain echoed everywhere. Steve walked behind you and leaned closer to see out over you. You felt the warmth of his body radiating from him and you leaned backwards so your back touched his chest. You had not meant to do so, or maybe you had, you were not sure. However Steve did not step back or go away. He encouraged his mind and put his hands on your shoulders and massaged them softly. You closed your eyes and breathed in and out peacefully.
- I should go home. he said after a 15 minutes. Those 15 minutes were the fastest of your life and they had slipped away completely unnoticed.
- Are you sure? I mean the storm is pretty bad.
- Yeah, my apartment is only 2 blocks away… Besides, I have an early morning tomorrow.
- Alright. you said and turned to face him. You were expecting him to leave immediately but instead of leaving, he stood there with his eyes fixed upon you. He examined your face and played with the stray lock of your hair with his fingers while his other hand traced your arm up and down softly.
- Well-uhm… Thank you for a pleasant evening. you said after a long silence. Steve recoiled from his thoughts and walked to the entrance hall. He put on his shoes and jacket.
- Thank you for an amazing dinner.
- I’ll see you around. you said and smiled.
- Yes, Ma’am! he answered and left the apartment. He knew that he would be seeing you around a lot from now on.