Chapter 1
Disclaimer: I don’t own anyone or anything familiar to Marvel.
Author’s Note: So, this is going to be very out of character for Steve, but then again seeing how he was when Infinity War ended and his hopelessness (which we’ve never seen on screen before), maybe you guys can forgive me. Also, I’ve tried to lookup where it was that Daisy’s dad went after his memory was wiped and he was given a second chance. I’ve never been able to find a definitive answer, for the sake of this story, I’m saying New York
Chapter 1
“Hey, Steve. Just calling to check in on you. Call m- ”
Steve Rogers quickly deleted the message.
“Steve, you haven’t talked to us since we left Stark Tower, just making sure you’re okay.”
He rolled his eyes. He loved Natasha like a sister he never knew he wanted, but he wished she realized that he just needed some time alone to deal with things before compartmentalizing them enough to take up some sort of semblance of leadership once again.
“Hey, man, Nat’s getting worried since you’ve been radio silent for days now. Call her, us…someone.” Steve snorted upon hearing Bruce Banner’s voice. So, Nat had recruited help. Maybe if he didn’t respond to either they’d get the point.
“Steve, hi. It’s Sharon again.”
That voice caused him to freeze, and not in a good way. Pursing his lips, he considered deleting the message immediately, but he was curious as to what she had to say. Needless to say, his parting with Sharon occurred under less than pleasant circumstances.
“I tried calling before, but maybe you didn’t get the message. Anyway, Natasha called me, I’m so sorry, Steve. If you need anything-”
He deleted the message then. Nope, he wouldn’t be accepting any help from her. He gave himself a mental reminder to ask Nat what she thought she was going by calling Sharon the next time he spoke to her.
“You look very annoyed.”
The observation pulled him from his thoughts and he disconnected the call from the message center. He noticed a blonde sitting next to him and couldn’t help but wonder when it was that she’d sat down. “That’s probably because I am,” he admitted.
“Never thought I’d see the day when I’d see Captain America drowning his sorrows at a bar.” The last thing she’d expected to see when she walked into the bar was an Avenger throwing himself a pity party.
Following the events in Chicago, Mack had granted personal time to those that requested it and she’d taken the opportunity to leave for a few days and check on her father, hoping that he’d survived whatever it was the caused half the world’s population to disintegrate. She’d been on her way back to the Lighthouse when she decided to stop in New York City for the night, splurging on one of the more swanky hotels the city had to offer. The bar was across the street and she figured she’d have one drink before returning to her room and taking advantage of the jetted tub in her bathroom.
He didn’t bother correcting the moniker for the unknown woman. He’d never see her again after that night anyway. “And I never thought I’d see the day that I’d face such a situation that caused half of my team and friends to turn to dust, but here we are,” he replied self-deprecatingly.
She watched him peer around the room as if checking for something as he pulled a flask out of his pocket and tip the contents into the empty shot glass before him. “You brought your own liquor to a bar?” She asked, unable to help herself.
“It’s a present from an Asgardian friend of mine,” he replied as he put it back in his pocket. “Alcohol has no affect on me. Whatever is in this flask, does.”
Her eyes fell on his jacket where the flask had been placed in an inside pocket. Hmm. She wondered if it would affect her? She thought back to the last week. It wasn’t until after a couple days after Coulson’s goodbye that Daisy realized that despite the two shots of whiskey the group consumed that afternoon, she hadn’t felt the usual in response. She’d casually mentioned it to Simmons who’d then taken it upon herself to test her enhancements. Whatever her previous numbers were where various exercises were concerned they were easily overshadowed by the new ones. It wasn’t exactly what she wanted to do, but she knew her friend was doing everything she could to stay busy until they could rescue Fitz.
“So…you decided to come here and drink when you could have done it at home for free?”
Steve turned his head and looked at her, meeting her gaze for the first time. “Do you judge everyone you first meet or is it just me?” He asked, finishing his words with a frown. Hmm, maybe two nips was too much? He’d never once called someone out in a situation that wouldn’t lead to a physical fight.
“No judgement,” she instantly and easily denied. “Just curious.”
"No offence, but I didn’t go out to chat up some girl.”
“Sure you did,” she argued quickly.
Was this woman for real? He looked at her, as if she was some foreign object and attempted to size her up. “I beg your pardon?”
“You may not have had that exact reason in mind, but you’re out because you want to lose yourself in something,” she shrugged.
He grudgingly admitted that being out was much better than feeling sorry for himself at home. However, he refused to put that acknowledgement into words. He reached for the beer in front of him and took a swig from it.
“But,” she stressed the word, “if you’d rather sit by yourself and stew in your thoughts instead of talking with the semi attractive woman next to you, I’ll leave you to your…brooding.” Standing up, she put her purse back on her shoulder and turned to leave him when she felt a hand reach for her own.
“You’re right,” he sighed quietly. “I apologize,” he said, releasing her.
Daisy looked at him momentarily before sitting back down and removing her purse once again.
“I haven’t had the best couple weeks.”
“Yeah,” she snorted. “You aren’t the only one.” Crossing her legs, she turned towards him. She caught the eye of the bartender and raised a hand. “Hi,” she greeted.
“Quake? You are Quake…aren’t you?” the bartender mused. “The blonde hair almost threw me off, but it is you. What can I get you?”
“Hi, yes, I am,” she said giving him a small smile before giving her companion a side glance. Did he recognize the name? Because if so, it wouldn’t take much for him to tie her to SHIELD.
“Can I have a Pepsi or Coke?”
“Of course.” He quickly filled her order and set the glass down in front of her, watching as she opened her purse. “On the house,” he told her.
She froze. She’d been recognized in the past, but she’d never gotten a free drink out of it. “Oh. Are you sure?” She asked. Is this what it was like to be famous?
“My sister and nephew live in Chicago,” the man explained. “If you hadn’t done what you did…I hate to think about what would have happened to them.”
“Oh,” she said slightly awkward. She felt her cheeks burn in embarrassment. She’d never been able to accept compliments gracefully. “Thank you,” she tacked on after a moment.
He nodded at her before looking at Steve. “You good, man?”
Steve looked at his half full drink.
“I am, thanks,” he said, watching the bartender move on. Turning his attention on his companion, he pursed his lips. “You a celebrity?” He asked then.
She cleared her throat. “No,” she’d never classify herself as one. “You really don’t know who I am?”
He gave her a closer look. There was nothing spectacular about his companion, nothing that shouted out to him. “Should I?” He asked after a moment.
“No,” she said giving him a bright smile. “I’m Daisy Johnson,” she said, extending a hand.
“Steve Rogers,” he responded, noticing her hand. After a short hesitation, he returned the gesture. “Chicago?” He asked, watching as her smile once again faded.
He really had no idea? Not that she was going to say anything about it there. But he didn’t know? She assumed that he and his team had been busy, but the showdown made it to CNN and all other news networks. They hadn’t seen anything? Instead of saying anything she waved away the question. “It was nothing,” she excused.
He didn’t believe the excuse, but given the way she’d blushed when the bartender spoke he didn’t think he’d get a straight answer out of her. “Not a big drinker?” He asked, nodding at the soda in front of her.
“Not anymore,” she mumbled, mostly to herself. Not that she’d had an opportunity to drink herself stupid in the last few years. “No,” she said more clearly. “Not really.” She watched him once again pull the flask from his jacket pocket and pour the liquid in his shot glass before putting it away quickly and tossing the drink back. “The night is still young, maybe you should slow down,” she suggested cautiously.
“Maybe you should mind your own business,” he immediately returned.
“Wow,” she said, nearly scoffing, “you do not handle your liquor well.”
When she looked away from him and his general direction, he sighed. “Look,” Steve began his voice much softer. “It isn’t like I do this often. I’ve had a pretty shitty couple of weeks, so if I want to drink that away, what’s it to you?” He asked completely missing the expletive that had come from his mouth.
She tilted her head and studied her companion. “Do you know what happens when you try and drink away your pain?” She asked rhetorically. “You wake up with a massive hangover and the pain is still there,” Daisy warned him.
“Then at least I’ll feel better tonight,” he waved away.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The sound of rustling pulled him from his slumber and Steve opened his eyes and quickly closed them again. An ache immediately settled behind his eyes as his temples throbbed. He hadn’t that much to drink in a long time. Throwing an arm over his eyes, he sighed and waited for sleep to reclaim him. When the bed was jostled he attempted to ignore it, however when he felt a shifting sensation under him he turned towards the direction of it and peaked out from under his arm. His stomach lurched as he watched a blonde woman move away from the bed.
What had he done? He’d had a one night stand with a random stranger? He knew that the Asgardian drink was much stronger than anything man made, but he didn’t think his inhibitions would have been lowered so much. The last time he’d spent the night with a random woman, it was during the 1940’s and the world was fighting against Hitler. It had gone against everything that he’d grown up believing, but there was nothing like living during a war to realize just how short life could really be. Other than that brief indiscretion, he’d never been with a woman that he didn’t have at least some regard for…until last night.
As he’d only seen the back of her, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the woman from last night. What was her name again? She was blonde too, he recalled, attempting to mentally match them up by the shade of the hair. Had they gotten friendly enough to return to…what he assumed was a hotel room? Other than her, he couldn’t remember another woman approaching him. Slipping a hand under the covers, he felt around and realized he was, at the very least, wearing boxers. Rolling towards the edge of the bed, he searched the floor for his pants. Reaching a pant leg, he used it to pull the clothing article onto the bed. He fished his wallet out of them and began looking for the condom he always carried on him. “Please tell me, I used protection,” he muttered. Upon discovering it in the usual place, his stomach lurched. Pulling himself into a standing position, he put his pants on and sat back down on the edge of the bed. How could he have been so stupid? Unprotected sex with a stranger? He knew better than that! Natasha had drilled it into his head several times, not so much about safe sex, but about not getting trapped by some gold digger.
“You okay?”
The question forced his head up as he looked at the woman from last night. “I can’t believe I had sex with you.”
In most instances she would have been offended by his words. Then again, given the rough shape he appeared to be in, holding anything against him didn’t seem fair. Instead, she found herself snorting in amusement. “You think we had sex?” She asked.
Wait! They didn’t have sex?! “You mean we didn’t?”
“Call me old fashioned, but I prefer my sexual partners cognizant enough to oh…I don’t know, know what they’re doing. Don’t get me wrong, sex while under the influence can be fun, but only when both parties are on similar levels.”
“Then why did we wake up in bed together?”
“Because after I brought you back to my hotel room to sleep off your Asgardian liquor induced stupor I wasn’t about sleep on the couch while you were totally unconscious and unable to appreciate the 1800 thread count sheets,” she replied. “I promise you, your virtue was safe last night. Towels are in the bathroom if you’d like to…freshen up.”
Though her words came off as an offer, he ran his hand through his…unruly hair and inhaled, noticing the scent of stale alcohol. Huh, even though it was Asgardian, it still had that similar scent. “You aren’t very subtle,” he replied.
“Yeah? Well, you aren’t a nice drunk,” she replied with a shrug.
He groaned. “What did I do?”
“Do?” She repeated. “Nothing. But you were kind of snippy. Last night when I suggested to you go easy on the drink you told me to mind my own business.”
He winced. He’d actually said that? “Please accept my sincerest apologies. I never behave in such a way. The last couple weeks have been difficult, but I shouldn’t have treated you in such a way.”
She considered his choppy words. “Do you even remember last night?”
“I vaguely remember meeting you,” he admitted.
So much for making an impression… She sighed. “So, I guess your super soldier serum is the reason that you aren’t praying to the porcelain god right about now…” She watched him nod. “You still look pretty rough. Hot water does wonders, believe me.”
“Thank you, D….” Was it Darcy? No, that was the name of Jane’s friend. Darla? He scrunched his nose. No, that didn’t sound right either.
“Wow, you could really give a girl a complex,” Daisy said, looking away from him, not offering her name. “Chances are that every remaining person on the planet has lost someone directly or indirectly because of Thanos. You had your pity party and drowned your sorrows. Now, it’s time for you to buck up and do what you do…save the world.”
He frowned at her. “I should have the chance to grieve just like everyone else.”
She tilted her head at him. “Unfortunately, Nick Fury placed you in a difficult role that you will never be able to completely shake,” she denied softly. “Everyone looks to you and the rest of the Avengers for hope, how do you think they feel when you’ve lost hope?” It almost appeared like he was ready to argue, but gave in to her words, knowing that whether he liked it or not, she was right. She stood up, her eyes falling on the clock on the nightstand. “Check out is in like…forty-five minutes so you really should shower,” she suggested, making her way towards her luggage and pulling it out of the closet.
He nodded. “Okay.”
Once she was left alone, she finished packing up the rest of her clothes and personal items scattered around the room before pulling out her phone and shooting a quick text to Mack that as soon as she checked out, she’d be working her way back to the base.
By the time he re-emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered, even if he was wearing the same clothes, he felt human once again. The fog he’d awakened in was beginning to lift. He spotted the unnamed blonde woman standing beneath the threshold of the balcony door. She must have heard him because she quickly turned to look at him.
“All better?” Daisy asked, giving him a once over as she closed the door behind her. He nodded in response and she returned the gesture. “Good,” she said reaching for her bag.
“I suppose I should say thank you for last night,” Steve said then, watching her hesitate. “I was…so far gone and it could have been easy for anyone to have taken advantage of me.” He looked around the room. “Uh, ready to go?”
She nodded, picking up her bag. Steve patted down his body making sure he had everything that he’d left with the previous day before following her to the door.
“You, know, you never actually said ‘thank you,’” she pointed out then as they stopped in front of the elevator.
“Thank you…” He said then, trailing off.
“You’re welcome,” Daisy replied simply, giving him a small smile.
“You aren’t going to tell me your name?” He asked. He figured she would have supplied it when he’d purposely left his words open ended.
Daisy turned to him. “Considering the fact that I’ve made such an impression on you,” she started, pointedly. “What would be the point?” She asked smiling, so he knew she wasn’t angry or put out. The elevator doors opened and they entered the crowded lift, thus ending their private conversation.
Steve hesitated upon exiting the elevator, waiting for his morning companion. He wasn’t sure what the proper etiquette was for someone in his position. He figured just leaving her without another word would be rude, and apparently, he’d done enough of that the previous night. He followed the blonde into the lobby, watching as she dropped her key card in the drop box and made her way towards the door.
Making her way outside, Daisy stopped at the valet booth and handed her ticket to the agent working the podium.
“I’ll have this right out for you,” he told her before running off to get her car.
Daisy turned to find Steve only a few feet from her. “You didn’t have to follow me,” she said.
Steve found himself nodding. “Yes, but I wasn’t sure what the proper thing to do was in this situation,” he admitted. “I thought leaving without a word would be rude.”
Daisy tilted her head at him. She thought about teasing him in regard to his lack of care the previous night but changed her mind at the last second. “Take care of yourself, Steve Rogers. It was a pleasure talking to you…this morning.”
“So, that’s it?”
She smiled at him. “Pretty much.” When she witnessed Lola being driven out of the underground parking garage, she made her way towards the curb.