A/N: Trust me when I say, this was a challenge to keep clean and short. Or should I say short and sweet? Eheheh. Enjoy!
The shiny storefront seemed harmless enough. The large color posters in front of the store windows and displayed around the inside of the store were intriguing and easy to read. However, the products themselves, Steve had no clue how to use. This was why Tony Stark had directed him here. To the Apple store. He had been informed he needed to be able to communicate with the rest of the team, and the best way to do that would be to catch up with the world of technology.
What Tony had actually said was,
"Get with it Cap. You can't be the only middle aged, okay, younger than middle aged, guy without a smartphone. They're basically a requirement of being American."
Steve was skeptical, but considering SHEILD would be fronting the bill, and adding improvements and special tools to whichever device he chose, it was hard to find a reason to argue.
He stepped inside the building, and marveled at the rush of cold air that met his skin. He didn't get overheated like the rest of city, but it was a severe temperature change from the balmy 90 degree summer afternoon in New York City.
Before he knew it, several employees were approaching him and asking if he needed assistance, he blushed and nodded,
"I'm supposed to be purchasing an I-telephone, or something like that." He trailed off, realizing the item he was looking for was actually staring him in the face. An entire table of operating phones were laid out in front of him.
The employee closest to him nodded understandingly, and began asking a series of questions, such as, what size did he need, did he want to become a member of Itunes or was he already signed up?
Steve had no idea what they were going on about, so he shook his head, and they handed him a booklet, and when he just asked for the largest memory phone, they pointed to the 64 gigabyte model, and began speaking about the sharp screen quality, and something about an 'app' store.
He numbly took the packages they held out to him, and made his way to the register. He pulled out his SHEILD issued credit card, and they swiped it without blinking an eye. Of course it had no SHEILD markings on it, but the fact it was black with silver and white lettering was enough to distinguish it from the other items in his soft brown leather wallet.
He left the store as quickly as possible, without looking like a criminal fleeing the scene of a crime, and headed down the street to the café he had been frequenting since re-joining the world.
They made a very strong express that, while it couldn't affect his ability to focus or not, still tasted great.
After ordering his drink, he made his way to a small table in the corner, where he set down his recent purchase, and began browsing the booklet.
None of it made very much sense, and he began to worry about what the rest of the team might think. A simple modern everyday object, and he was baffled by it. The super soldier who couldn't work a phone. Certainly a much different style of phone than he grew up with, but that was no excuse.
"Your coffee sir?" he glanced up to find a girl with dark reddish brown hair holding out his drink, which steamed lightly and smelled wonderful. Her nametag read "Amy," and he smiled at her, taking the cup, and thanked her. He then realized he had nowhere to set it, as the materials for the smartphone covered the entire table surface.
She glanced at him, and noticed how he seemed in need of assistance, and she glanced at her watch, noting the time, and reached over to tap his shoulder,
"I'll be right back okay? I'm gonna take my lunch break now and help you with this."
She disappeared in a whirl of green, white and black and he barely had time to blink, before she had returned, settling easily into the chair opposite him.
"So, first cell phone purchase? Or simply your first time with an Apple product?"
Steve merely nodded, answering both questions without uttering a word. This girl, Amy, was taking away his brilliant speech making ability with her kindness and simple beauty.
She licked her lips and leaned over the table, concentrating on the box which held the device.
"Okay, so the best thing to do is just open it and turn it on, there's no point reading 100 pages of instructions, that will end up making you more confused than you are. It's actually a simple phone to use, but they make it look so complicated and flashy."
He nodded, and gently opened the box, unwrapping the small silver device from its plastic bag and pulling out all the different items included with it.
There were some apple stickers, a set of something Amy called 'earbuds,' the charger cable, and yet another instruction booklet.
"Okay here goes." She held the power button on the phone, and the screen lit up as it began to boot up.
Steve was stunned, this kind of technology he had been exposed to on the Helicarrier, but he had no idea the same level of advanced systems were available to the general public.
Amy tapped the screen a few times, each time explaining exactly what she was doing to Steve, and he nodded, carefully storing everything she said inside his memory for later reference.
Eventually, by the end of her lunch break, Steve had been shown the basics of how to make calls, send texts, and work the app store.
She stood up, and smoothed her uniform, and turned to the handsome stranger, beginning to speak just as he did,
"Would there be any chance-"
"If you need any more help with that-"
They both laughed, and Steve felt a little less nervous,
"Could I have your number? Maybe we could get a cup of coffee sometime, if you're not working or busy."
"Sure. It'll give you some practice using that." Amy pointed to the newly mastered piece of tech in Steve's hand, and he smiled,
"I will need all the practice I can get. What's Your Number?"
Steve had just begun to towel dry his hair, after finishing dabbing on a bit of Old Spice cologne, thank goodness that was still around, when he heard a chirping noise. It was Amy's set text-tone.
He smiled and set the towel aside, carefully walking across the tile with wet feet, over to the kitchen island where his new cell phone sat. It was the third one in the last week. He managed to end up sitting on them and crushing the screen, or drop them en route to a meeting at SHEILD, or somehow spill a drink or two on them.
It was too bad they were so fragile.
She had texted him asking if he was almost ready, and that she was minutes away from the arranged meeting spot.
He grinned and carefully typed a reply. He had smashed a couple screens by typing to vigorously also. He was just a bit too strong for his own good.
This was their third date, and tonight he hoped he would get the honor of holding her hand, and maybe kissing her goodnight on the cheek.
He quickly finished getting dressed, and slipped the phone into his front shirt pocket, where it would be safe from any harm.
Happily full and slightly sleepy from the wonderful meal of Italian food, Steve guided Amy up the steps to her apartment, and she paused at the top, to pull out her keys, and he knew this was it. The do-or-die moment. Should he kiss her?
She turned to face him, her keys clutched in her right hand, and her reddish brown hair glowing slightly under the street light, her brown eyes sparkling, and she leaned towards him,
"Steve? Are you okay?" he met her gaze with his clear blue eyes, and nodded, licking his lips nervously, and he leaned in close until their lips were only inches apart, as the world seemed to slow down, Amy let her eyes fall shut, and Steve did the same, stepping forward to close the gap, and their lips met with a rush of emotions flooding through them both.
Steve smiled slightly against her mouth, and she mimicked him, and pulled back, to grin widely.
"That was nice. That's a great way to say goodnight, and goodbye for now."
Steve blushed and stuck his hands in his jean pockets, trying to keep from shuffling his feet,
"So I'll call you tomorrow?"
Amy nodded, suddenly feeling a bit shy herself,
"Sounds good. 'bye."
Steve nodded,
"'Bye."
She unlocked her apartment and quickly walked inside, shutting the door gently, so as not to seem rude.
Steve walked down the street, until eventually only moonlight lit his way, humming slightly to himself.
He felt his phone buzz slightly in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see a text from Amy,
Thank you for a lovely dinner, and my first kiss. –A.
He stopped in place, stunned that a girl like her had managed to go 24 years without being kissed.
He typed a quick response, and then headed back up the street.
I'm honored to be your first. I look forward to many more dinners and possibly kisses with you. - Me.
END.