I was bored and wrote this a long time ago.

It's kind of lame but whatever, I wanted to post something.

Disclaimer: I don't own Young Justice or Avengers

"So…do you come here often?"

Steve Rodgers paused in the middle of his drawing to look at the woman in front of him. She was average height with a tough, athletic build. Her hair was blonde, and fell just below her shoulders, contrasting deeply with her tan, Vietnamese features. Idly, Steve wondered if she dyed it. He noticed it was a popular trend among women these days, something he still was trying to get used to. Never in his life had he seen such vibrant colors on top of a woman's head as he did now in the twenty-fist century.

"Yes," He answered, then furrowed his brows, "And I don't mean to be rude ma'am, but is there a reason you're talking to me?"

At this, the young woman bit her lip, dark eyes downcast, "I was actually wondering if I could sit with you." she said with a hint of embarrassment. "All of the other tables are taken."

Surprised, Steve looked around the small cafe, noticing that she was in fact right. All of the small tables were full, all of them except for…his.

"Oh," the soldier said, cheeks flushing as he hurriedly moved his coffee closer to him, "Of course, I'm sorry about that."

She smiled gratefully, setting down what looked suspiciously like a large hot chocolate before sliding into the booth. "Don't be," She said, "It's not your fault, I got stuck in morning traffic." There was a teasing tone to her voice. "I'm Artemis, by the way."

"Steve," He said respectively, extending his hand to shake hers, "Pleasure to meet you."

"Same."

They both smiled at each other before settling in the silence. Steve with his sketch pad and coffee, and Artemis, with her phone and hot chocolate. It stayed like that for a while, both immersing themselves in their own world, but after a while the constant scratch of a pencil against paper piqued Artemis's curiosity.

"What are you drawing?" She asked, leaning closer to the super soldier.

Steve blushed, "Oh, um, it's nothing really."

Artemis arched a perfectly sculpted brow, "Doesn't sound like nothing." His blush increased and her smirk grew. "I'm right, aren't I?"

Steve's blush increased as he mumbled something unintelligible.

Artemis preened, moving closer, "Hmm?" She hummed with a hint of smile.

The soldier glanced at her then, hesitating, before he gave defeated sigh and slid his sketch book onto the table, towards her, "It's…um, of you."

An astonished look overtook Artemis's face, her eyes wide and lips apart. Steve held his breath. "Oh," She seemed to squeak, before clearing her throat, "I mean, woah." Her eyes flicked over the page, taking in the pencil drawing in awe, "Steve this is amazing."

Steve looked relieved, breathing out a long breath, "Oh, thank god, I thought you were going to have me kicked out of the cafe or something."

"For drawing me?" She said a bit incredulously, chuckling, "Steve I don't think I'd kick anybody out of anywhere for drawing me." She smiled at his flustered look, "I'm just a bit surprised is all."

"Surprised…?"

Artemis glanced down at the drawing, eyes softening. "Its just…its the first time anyone's drawn me before."

"Yeah, well," Steve sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, face beet red, "You seem different is all."

"Different? Is that really it?"

"Well-um, I mean-"

Artemis laughed, pushing back the drawing to Steve, "I'm only teasing."

Steve breathed out an airy laughed, "Yeah…I noticed you like to do that."

"Well, let's just say it's a bit of a habit of mine," Her tone began to turn wistful, "That was actually the reason of one of my nicknames ya know? Spitfire. Someone I knew gave it to me because I was such a pain."

Suddenly, Steve watched as the woman's face in front of him seemed to crumple in. Her eyes fell, lips trembled and hands clenched her mug tighter. It took him a while to recognize the expression on her face as one he felt not so long ago, for someone he once cared about too. A spitfire of his own at one point, named Peggy Carter.

"You know," began Steve softly, as his eyes flickered over Artemis's heartbroken face, "It does get better."

Artemis's head popped up, eyes narrowed, "Excuse me?"

Steve flicked his pencil at her face, "What you're feeling ma'am, it gets better."

As someone who often tried to hide his emotions, especially when having been thrown into such a confusing world like this, in the twenty-first century, Steve had to give Artemis credit for being able to mask her face so quickly, "I don't know what you're talking about." She said stiffly.

Steve shook his head, slightly amused, and wondered if this is what he looked like within the first few months of being back from the ice. "Whatever you say ma'am, but trust me, you're not the only person who's lost someone they've cared about. I was in your shoes a few months ago and even though it feels like it's impossible,life does gets better."

"How do you know?" Asked the young woman, quietly, after a few moments.

"Because I'm still here." And with that, Steve Rodgers smiled at the confused young woman and gathered his things, before walking out the door of the small cafe.

Three months later, as Artemis Crock stood in a low caverned cave, next to a glowing hologram of a young man in yellow spandex with scarlet red hair and an impish smile, she wondered where she could find that stranger she sat next to in New York and tell him he was right.

Because for first time, in a long time, it didn't hurt to look at Wally West.

And life felt...better.

x.x

.follow