Chapter Text
It had been a long time since Steve Rogers had known normality.
He'd even forgotten what it felt like to be a normal person. This insanity had been such a short part of his life but it felt like so much longer. The serum, the war, everything. Before he'd even had a chance to catch his breath, he'd woken up sixty-seven years in the future. In the future, like some kind of science-fiction film. Except it wasn't a film. It was real and it had happened to him, a kid from Brooklyn who has spent the majority of life trying not to die from one of the many, many illnesses he had. It had been a miracle that he'd made it to twenty-five. Now he was in the 21st century.
Just when he thought being catapulted into the future wasn't weird enough, space aliens had invaded New York. Steve then had to team up with Howard Stark's son, a demi-God, a scientist who became a green monster, a guy with improbable aiming skills and a Russian spy. Imagine telling Steve that in the 40s- working with a Russian spy would have been the most probable thing.
With the dust settled on a recovering New York, things finally felt a little normal. Steve had a job. An apartment (in Manhattan, no less- he had very nearly fainted upon seeing the rent). A motorcycle. Everything a normal person had in a normal life.
Steve really didn't know how to feel about it.
He was grateful, for a start. His apartment was apparently subsidised and the army, either out of kindness or a knack for PR, had given him his backpay. That certainly covered his rent for a while. SHIELD was also rather kind by offering him a job. He was lucky.
Still, it was all such a blur. Steve was now definitely in a new era. There was no turning back. It all seemed so real now. It was real.
Especially since he was at work.
It was a Saturday night. Even Steve, not exactly known for being a party-goer, knew that he really should be out and about. What exactly, he wasn't sure, but he was young and single. Saturday nights weren't exactly meant for work. Except if you were Steve Rogers, apparently.
SHIELD HQ was dead. He'd seen a few people here and there, but the vast majority of workers were enjoying their free time. It felt a bit embarrassing. Heck, it wasn't like he really knew anyone outside of the Avengers and a few others. He bet Tony Stark was at a party. Tony knew how to spend his weekends.
Would Steve ever be at a Tony Stark party? He'd avoided Howard Stark's get togethers like the plague.
Steve stood alone in the elevator, consumed by his thoughts. God, he hated feeling sorry for himself.
Ding
The elevator doors opened and she walked in.
Steve's heart was in his throat.
Short dress. Long brunette curls. Red lips. Legs that seemed to go on for miles. There was something about her. It was as though the entire world stopped the moment she walked in the room. There were some people with magnetism and she was one of them. Well, Steve thought so anyway. All he could do was try not to have his mouth gaping open like an idiot.
Crap.
The woman smiled at him. He managed to force a smile back.
"First floor," she said to the elevator.
"First floor," it repeated in that mechanical voice that had made Steve jump out of his skin the moment he first heard it. Whilst he was hardly a technophobe, he had a lot to catch up on.
She leaned against the railing.
Say something.
The elevator must have gone down several floors before poor, flustered Steve had plucked up the courage to say something to the woman.
"You know they used to have music in elevators."
The woman looked up.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, a small smile tugging on her red lips.
"Yeah," Steve trailed off, mentally scolding himself for his less than witty conversational skills. At least she'd humoured him.
He was praying for the elevator to get downstairs faster when his worst fears were realised.
The elevator let out a horrible screech before it began to rattle violently. Rather unfortunately, the woman had elected not to hold onto the elevator railings. As a result of the elevator's tantrum, she went flying across the small space.
Like the world's best football player, Steve rushed forward and grabbed his arms around her waist. Their chests collided, and Steve was treated to a whirl of scented perfume in his nostrils. They'd not been able to take a breath by the time the elevator shuddered to a halt.
"Thanks," she said.
"Are you ok?"
"Yeah, fine. I think we might be stuck."
"Figured."
"I'll sort this-can you..?"
She nodded down at her waist, Steve's arms still wrapped around them.
"Oh, sorry."
"I don't usually let guys get that close at a first meeting."
She winked at him before grabbing a card from her purse, sliding it into something and pushing a button.
"Maintenance, Tanner speaking," a voice said from the speaker, "How can I help?"
"The elevator is stuck," she said, "Myself and one other inside."
"Oh yes, I can see. Hmm, looks like a technical fault. We should have you out soon. Hang tight."
The woman rolled her eyes before sliding down the wall and sitting on the floor. Steve quietly copied. They remained quiet for a while before...
"Mint?"
He looked over to see her holding out a packet.
"Thanks," he took one.
"I'm Emily by the way, Emily Collins," she held out a manicured hand, "I feel that we should know each others names if we're gonna be stuck in an elevator together."
"Steve Rogers," he's hooked the offered hand.
"It's nice to finally meet you."
"A few people have said that," he modestly replied.
"I can imagine. What brings you to work so late in the day?"
"My social life does not exist."
Emily laughed aloud.
"What about you?" he asked.
"I was assigned to do an op at a club but paperwork couldn't wait until Monday apparently so here I am. Only slightly better than yours."
"I imagine you'd have plans if you weren't working."
"True.”
“Good op?”
"My favourite kind. They needed someone young and hot who would likely get into the place. All I had to do was the whole 'oh my gosh, I totally recognise you from this video of a guy saving some kids during the invasion.' Say it all admiringly and bam, you're in. Men are simple creatures at heart. Then it was just a 'oops, I spilled my drink in front of the guy we're supposed to be arresting.''
"Did you charm him too?"
"Bingo," Emily finger gunned him, "At least I get to dress up mega hot."
She threw her hair back behind her shoulder, a smug look on her face. Steve got the feeling Emily enjoyed this kind of thing.
"So how are you coping at SHIELD?" Emily asked.
"Well, it's a lot to take in. I mean..."
"...New century," Emily finished.
"Exactly. New century. Kind of hard to adjust when you've missed sixty plus years of life. New countries, laws, views. Joseph Kennedy's kid was President, and so was an actor. Lot to catch up on."
"Reagan? My dad worships him. God, it's exactly like the joke in Back to the Future."
Steve sent her a blank look.
"It's a movie."
"If it's from after the early 40s, then you're talking to the wrong person. Like I said, lot to catch up on."
"I've seen a lot of old movies if you ever wanna talk about stuff you remember."
"I made a reference to a Fred and Ginger movie to one of the techs and he looked at me as though I'd grown three heads."
"Uncultured," Emily shook her head, "But yeah. I mean, yeah, it's like being an alien. No offence."
"None taken. Though I did have the same reaction when I was told aliens were coming from outer space."
"I think everyone was shocked."
"Were you home when it happened?"
"No, I've been in London for a month for work. Came home to this."
"Was your place destroyed?"
"I was lucky, my building was untouched. Place across the street? Completely gone. Luckily most people were out because it was the middle of the day but there were a few in there. It's just so weird driving past apartment buildings and stores and just seeing how they totally turned to rubble. Then you think of all the people who were in there."
"We lost a lotta people."
"We'd have lost more if you guys hadn't have shown up. I mean, New York would have been nuked. Then I'd have been homeless and loads of people I know would be dead, including my best friend and my neighbours and the woman who runs my favourite smoothie place. You guys were like real life superheroes."
"We did our best."
"Try telling that to the drug store down my street. They have a giant banner saying 'THANK YOU AVENGERS' with incredibly bad pictures of you all. You'd get free Tylenol for life. Not that you need it, with all that super serum in you. Actually, something has been bothering me ever since you woke up. Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Is your birthday actually the 4th July? See, I always thought that it could be a propaganda thing. What's better than Captain America having a birthday on Independence Day? You'd be all out with birthday gifts and fireworks in front of the camera, but then you'd be blowing out a candle on a cake in the middle of winter because you're actually born in November."
Emily looked at him so earnestly that he had to laugh.
"My birthday is actually the 4th July. No lie."
"That's a relief. I've been wondering that for years."
"That's quite the thing to ponder. Any reason why?"
"When I was in ninth grade, we had to do a presentation on an important figure from WW2. I did you."
"I'm flattered."
"Got an A+ as well, so thanks for that. Do you think you can get us out of here?"
"I think escaping elevators might be out of my capabilities."
"Damn it. I should have done my presentation on Hedy Lamarr, she was my second choice. I bet she'd get us out."
"The actress?"
"Turns out she invented radar systems for the war. Pretty badass lady."
"I'll add that to the list of things I have to learn."
"She and I are a lot alike."
"Really?"
"Beauty and brains."
"I can't argue with that."
It came out of Steve's mouth faster than he'd intended- heck, he didn't intend to say it at all. He couldn't lie- Emily Collins was an attractive woman. He couldn't speak to her intelligence, at least in terms of inventing stuff, but she was attractive.
Luckily for him, Emily was kind enough to pretend he hadn't said that.
"Who else did people do presentations on?"
"Let me think," Emily tipped her head back, "Amber did Nimitz, Macy did Josephine Baker, we had Eisenhower, Patton, Doris Miller, yeah, quite a few. My uncle helped with my presentation. He LOVES you. World's biggest fan."
"Well I'm glad that he and I got you an A+."
"I'll bake you my famous lemon drizzle cake as a thank you. Best thing you'll ever taste."
"Thank God. I don't cook or bake."
"Don't or can't?"
"Both really. We use to boil everything back in the day. Hardly great for the palette. Microwaves are shaping up to be really helpful."
"Remind me never to go over for dinner at your place."
"I would probably give you food poisoning."
She laughed again. It made him nervous.
"Well if you ever need any help, I'm here."
"That's very kind, thank you. People have mainly been..."
"Starstruck?"
"Exactly."
"Just know that it'll pass. You're the new shiny toy. After America's most infamous billionaire became a metal hero and aliens invaded New York, people have started to get used to weird shit. They'll still like you, but they won't keep asking you to sign things or if your birthday is actually Independence Day."
"You're the first person to ask me that."
"One of a kind."
She winked at him again.
They kept talking as they waited. Steve liked her. She kept him completely enraptured whenever she talked-which was a lot, as she was a motormouth. Still, he liked it. It was nice to have someone treat him like a human being instead of an employee, teammate or hero.
Emily reminded him of Peggy. It was strange- they were so different, but he saw it somewhere.
She was in the middle of a story when the elevator shook and suddenly started moving again.
"Finally," Emily jumped back up.
Steve moved slower as the elevator shot down.
"You headed home?" Emily asked as she exited.
"Still got a couple of loose ends to tie up."
"Suit yourself."
"See you Monday?"
He was hopeful in his question. He wanted to see her again.
"I'll come find you. See you round."
Emily saluted him before walking away. Both had a smile on their lips.