Work Text:
You walked the museum slowly, trying to soak every single detail of the exposition. You knew everything by heart, about Captain America and Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson and the Avengers. You knew about the serum that changed Steve Rogers’ life and about how he sacrificed himself. About how they brought him back. Everything.
Yet there you were again, taking a deep breath as you looked up at a picture of him in admiration. Even in just a picture, you could read the kindness in his beautiful eyes and recognize the valor and loyalty in that man through the windows to the soul. Big or small, short or tall, you were crushing hard on him.
With a dreamy sigh, you took a step back to continue the tour. You turned around, suddenly running into someone that was right behind you and hadn’t foreseen your sudden movement.
“Oh!” You gasped when you met with someone taller than you, bumping into his sturdy chest. “My bad, I should have looked where…”
When you looked up at him, you became speechless. You met with a pair of blue eyes that you had been looking at just a moment ago. Unless like in the picture, he was now in front of you and looked much more normal and relaxed in real life.
“You…” You gawked at him, pointing at his face as he hurriedly put his cap back on.
“Sh” He whispered, taking you by the arm so you walked with him to a less crowded part of the museum.
You could only follow him as you rummaged your brain for something to say. Even if you did, though, you knew you had to get over the shock of actually being in front of your hero.
Once you were alone in an empty part of the museum, you locked eyes with him. They were even more beautiful in person, but just as kind and expressive.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Captain! I mean… Mr. America” You shook your head in frustration, hoping you weren’t making a fool out of yourself. “Uh, Captain Steve, I…”
He chuckled, endeared by your excitement, and dedicated you the most gorgeous smile you had ever seen. You suddenly felt glad that his hands were on your arms, because you felt like swooning.
“Don’t worry about it, no harm done”
“I, uh… Captain Rogers, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”
“Steve’s alright” He calmly nodded to comfort you. “Did I hurt you?”
You stared at him in awe, still finding it hard to believe that he was actually right in front of you. The concern and sweetness in his expression brought butterflies to your stomach. When his eyebrows arched, you realized he had asked you a question and you rushed to answer.
“N-No, I’m alright! It’s okay, it was my fault anyway!”
Steve’s smile widened, and much to your dismay, his hands left you. They had been warm against you and made you miss his touch.
“What’s your name, ma’am?” He suddenly asked you, surprisingly serious.
“Y/N” You tilted your head and grinned at him. “And don’t call me ma’am, Mr. Rogers”
You didn’t know where you got that sudden courage from, but he seemed to enjoy it as he chuckled again. There was a moment of silence as you locked eyes. The butterflies in your stomach intensified, and the sudden but subtle blush on his cheeks made you think he felt that spark too.
“I-I’m not trying to be a fangirl…” You paused to catch your breath, still a little starstruck. “I greatly admire you and… You’re always so brave and… and… You kind of inspire me to be a better person and…”
You grimaced when you realized what you had just said. It was sappy and embarrassing. All of it was true, but still… You averted your gaze, mortified that he had heard every single word. When you dared to look back at him, his eyebrows were knitted together in contained emotion.
“Thank you” Steve vehemently nodded his head. “That really means a lot to me, it’s all I ever wanted”
You smiled widely, relieved that he liked it. He reciprocated the gesture, even if he looked away from a moment in what seemed… bashfulness? Steve Rogers?
“Maybe I should make it up to my biggest fan…” He shrugged a little, making you feel like the man in front of you was the one he was before the serum, even in his big burly body. “If she wanted to, we could have some coffee”
You couldn’t contain a chuckle, a mix of amusement and astonishment.
“Not really, she doesn’t like coffee” You blurted out before you could think about it. Your nerves had gotten to you, but you gracefully recovered from the silly joke. “But she would love to go for anything else”
Steve laughed and pursed his lips in an adorable way. You never knew he could be so shy and meek, but you loved that about him too.
“Perfect” He offered you his arm along with that dashing smile. “Let’s go”
You linked arms and accompanied him, giggling and hoping you weren’t blushing.