Chapter Text
London
March, 1944
You are no fresh-faced innocent to be standing around gawking and indulging in hero worship, no indeed, and you are here on a mission of great importance.
But this is Steve Rogers. Captain America. Leader of the Howling Commandos. The man’s practically a legend.
No one told you that you’d have to actually talk to him.
And considering that the meeting comes barely minutes after you’ve been introduced to Agent Carter, you’re more than a little overwhelmed.
Snap out of it, ___, before he thinks you’re an idiot.
“Captain Rogers,” you greet in a rush, sticking out your hand. He hesitates for a second, eyes flicking away from yours to the ground, and that single instant is all it takes for you to realize- he thinks that this is his key, a simple handshake.
You begin to withdraw your hand, not wanting to inconvenience him, but before you can finish the motion his eyes flash back up to yours and he grasps your hand firmly in his.
Nothing.
There is no rush of memories, no instant connection - the world doesn’t suddenly fall into place.
You can’t help feeling a little disappointed, but then again, this probably isn’t even your key anyway - it would be far too simple. And then there’s the fact that a similar flicker of disappointment plays across his face too- that definitely helps.
“Agent ___,” he greets, dropping your hand, “I hear you’re the one that’s going to fill in the gaps on our map.”
“I certainly hope I can,” you reply, inordinately proud of the fact that you don’t let those gray-blue eyes rattle you into stuttering.
He looks like he’s about to say something else and you wait with bated breath, quite unable to tear your gaze away from his.
“If you’ll come with me, Colonel Phillips is already waiting in the War Room.” Agent Carter is the one who speaks, and suddenly the rest of the room– the people surrounding you and the gravitas of the situation– leaps sharply back into focus and you can only hope that your embarrassment doesn’t show too obviously.
You push through the awkwardness and the tension lingering in the air and force out a reply.
“Yes, of course. Lead the way, ma’am.”
Once you’ve been ushered into the main room of the command center and introduced to Colonel Phillips, the rest of the meeting passes smoothly. Of the five new HYDRA bases whose locations you had discovered, the SSR had already been aware of three- and yet, one of the bigger ones is not on their map and the Colonel is more than happy with the information you supply.
And once you’re finished giving them every single detail you can, you’re dismissed. Before you can actually get around to leaving the base, though, Captain Rogers catches up to you, leaving you no option but to walk along with him and wait nervously to see what he wants.
Just when you think you’re going to burst with anticipation, he speaks up.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” he says, voice soft and somehow different from the firm tone he had used before. You look up at him, surprised, only to find that he is already glancing at you from the corner of his eyes. Immediately you feel the heat rising in your cheeks but you manage to reply nonetheless.
“Please, there’s no need to apologize. You thought that was your key, right?”
It is his turn to look surprised, eyes widening, as he gives you yet another once-over, as if trying to figure something out.
“How did you know?”
“What else could it be, Captain? You didn’t even know me- there was no reason for you to be.. wary.”
He falls silent for a moment, and you can tell that he is considering your words rather seriously. You remain silent too, still stuck on wondering why someone so.. well, a hero like him, would ever think you of all people could be his partner.
“Well, I’m glad you’re not offended,” he offers you a smile that is mostly shy and all of a sudden you are hit with a blast of deja vu. And you wonder if this is what he had felt earlier, if this is why he thought you might be the one to hold his key.
After all, there is something achingly familiar about this man, something that has been drawing you to him ever since you laid eyes on him.
“Of course not,” you reply, some measure of confidence returning to you as you manage a smile of your own, and with the next words out of your mouth you shock even yourself, “though if you’re still looking to make amends- I wouldn’t say no to a drink. It’s been a hellish week, and I don’t really know London”
To his credit, he only stares slack-jawed for a few seconds before swallowing once, hard, and meeting your gaze with a strangely focused expression that has your heart skipping a beat.
“I know just the place.”
His eyes are practically dancing with some inexplicable emotion– happiness? excitement? hope? you can’t quite tell– as he offers you his arm, and you find yourself grinning from ear to ear as you take it.