Mall!AU
Prompt: Character A works as Santa's Helper and Character B has a small child.
Day 5 of my 8 Days of Hanukkah/12 Days of Christmas Challenge.
—
Steve did not know how he got roped into this. Sure, he worked at the bookstore where they were having the Santa Meet-and-Greet but that didn't mean he wanted to get involved. He was plenty happy painting winter scenes on the windows or making sure people found the book that was supposed to be out of stock. More than likely it was Natasha. She'd give anything to make fun of him in tights.
Yeah, that's right… She knew that he was an avid photographer so that he could make better paintings. He agreed to photograph the kids with Santa. He just didn't know that it came with tights. Even so, he was a man of his word and he never backed out.
So, he dressed up in the candy cane striped socks and green tunic. He wore the jingly bell hat and the curly bell toed shoes. Even in this ridiculous get-up, he was attracting a lot of attention from the single-mothers bringing their kids to see Santa. Hell, the costume hugged his muscles so tight if he flexed they might rip.
It was still a strange experience for him. This sick kid all the way up until college and then he miraculously recovered his first year of college thanks to the help of a Dr. Erskine and his experimental medicine. From then on, he began to run with his lungs finally free to breathe. Then he began aerobics. Then he began weight-lifting and boxing with his best friend Bucky. And now he had the physique of the comic book superheroes he drew in high school.
Wanda, his coworker, led another kid up to the Santa with a sweet smile on her face. Wanda was Jewish but she adored little kids and wanted to work with them. She worked in the children's section of the bookstore and wanted to write books for them.
The man playing Santa nodded at his elves which meant it was break-time. Steve went to the front of the line and hooked up the velvet rope.
"Santa is going on a ten-minute break," he said. "I understand you all want your pictures with Santa and we appreciate your patience."
"It was almost my turn," the little blonde girl whined. "Can't he stay just one more minute?"
Steve knelt down and smiled. She was too cute in her red velvet dress and a giant green bow in her hair.
"Hey, it's okay," he said. "Santa is coming right back and I bet you he's going to be thrilled when you're the first one he sees."
The little girl giggled and grabbed onto the hand of the woman who was probably her mother.
"Sweet words."
Steve's eyes trailed up to the woman holding the little girl's hand and suddenly he couldn't breathe. She had beautiful chocolate hair and a soft face with bright red lips curled into a soft smile. The way her eyes shined as she looked at him made him feel all tingly and he knew immediately that he wanted to paint a portrait of this woman.
"Well," said the woman, her voice crisp yet light. She was British, too. "Isn't that always the way? Next in queue and then you can't proceed."
"Oh, uh, well," Steve stammered. "I— like I said, he'll be right back."
Her eyebrow quirked up as she studied him with those brown eyes. He suddenly felt like that scrawny kid back in school when any of the popular girls would look at him next to Bucky.
"I always pictured Christmas Elves as short," she said. "Have you been bench pressing Santa's Sleigh?"
Steve flushed and crossed his arms self-consciously. "Uh…"
"Are you always this articulate?"
"Aunt Peggy," the little girl said, tugging on her hand, "after this can we go get some hot chocolate? Please?"
"Well, I could certainly use a hot cup of tea," she said.
"I-if you're looking for a good place for tea and cocoa, theres a place on the third floor that makes it best," said Steve. "They got good food as well. I'd recommend the gingerbread, it's always soft and warm. It's run by my friend Thor."
"Thor?" Peggy scoffed. "Like the God of Thunder?"
"You'd think so just by looking at him but really he's a big softie," he said.
"Thank you for the suggestion," said Peggy. She held out her hand. "Peggy Carter."
"Steve," he replied taking her hand and shaking it. "Steve Rogers."
"And this is my niece, Sharon," she said.
Sharon stuck out her hand and Steve shook it.
"Are you single?" Sharon asked.
Steve choked a little and stepped back, his shoes jingling embarrassingly merry.
"Sharon," Peggy scolded.
"I heard Dad telling you yesterday that you needed to find someone to spend Christmas Eve with," said the little girl loudly.
Peggy rolled her eyes and Steve flushed bright red.
"Invite him to cocoa and tea with us," Sharon insisted.
Peggy snorted and shook her head. "My apologies, Steve. My niece is rather headstrong and blunt. I'm afraid she gets that from this side of the family."
"I— no, it's fine, I—"
"As for you, young lady," said Peggy sternly. "Any more talk like that and we won't meet Santa."
"What? No! I'll be good! I promise!"
There was a brief, awkward pause before Steve mustered his courage.
"Well, I mean, if you're still around, my shift ends in half-an-hour and I— well, I mean, I could show you the place my friend works at and—"
"So, you are single," said Peggy.
"Yeah, sort of. Well, no sort of. I am single." He chuckled nervously and leaned against the wooden fence creating the Christmas Town area. It creaked causing him to fall backwards. Steve stumbled back with one foot going in an empty bucket that once held candy canes and the other catching on a red wagon decoration. He skidded back, crashing into Santa's chair. His head knocked painfully against the back of the chair but luckily, he remained conscious. Unluckily, he saw and heard all the laughter.
Santa returned at that moment and raised an eyebrow at him.
"You all right there, son?" he asked.
"The only thing wounded is my pride," Steve muttered, he got up and walked over to Wanda, the bucket his foot was stuck in clanking loudly. "The camera is all ready to go, just click the buttons."
"Yeah, go home," said Wanda. "I'll tell Natasha."
Steve had plenty of embarrassing moments and this one didn't even make the top ten but he still hated looking like a fool. The elf costume didn't help either. He managed to get he bucket off his foot in the break room and he changed into his jeans, navy blue and silver Christmas sweater, and leather jacket in the bathroom. He froze when he saw Peggy and her niece Sharon perusing the bookshelves when he emerged. Panicking, he ducked behind the magazines and dug his phone out of his pocket to text Bucky.
Bucky, holy fuck, I saw the most beautiful woman today and I made a complete ass of myself in front of her and her niece.
Bucky replied almost right away.
Bucky: Outside of normal range?
Steve rolled his eyes and replied: Outside of normal range.
Bucky: Fuck. What happened?
Steve: Work. Elf Costume. My foot ends up in a bucket and I almost ruin the North Pole.
Bucky: HAHAHAHAHAHA!
Steve glared at his phone and huffed. In hindsight it was funny but it wasn't funny when he was trying to flirt with a pretty girl. Who was he kidding? Scrawny kid or beefcake he was still hopeless when it came to women and men.
"So, is this where elves go on their break?"
Steve jumped, jarring his knee into the magazine stand. Luckily, it was too heavy for him to knock over but now he would be sporting a nasty bruise on his leg.
"Peggy! Uh— Ms. Carter," he said. "I— I would have thought you and your niece would be —" He gestured out the window to the rest of the mall.
"We were," said Peggy, "however, I seem to remember a certain elf offering to show us how to get to the shop with the excellent cocoa."
Huh? Steve felt his ears grow hot. His phone buzzed but rather than look at it, he pocketed it.
"Yeah, I could show you where it is," he said.
"Is that all?" Peggy asked.
"I could… sit down with you," he continued hardly believing that this was happening. "Have some coffee?"
He helped her with her shopping bags and led the pair to Thor's café on the third floor. Thor was absolutely thrilled when he realized Steve was on a sort-of date. Did it count if it was chance encounter with a woman shopping with her niece. Peggy was witty, charming, and intelligent and Steve found himself downright smitten with her.
"Sharon and I have to make an appearance at a Christmas Party after here," said Peggy when her tea was gone and Sharon had finished her cocoa. "Perhaps you could follow us there. Stay for a bit."
"Or stay forever!" said Sharon, brightly.
"Oh, I couldn't impose," said Steve ignoring the last comment.
"It's not an imposition if you're invited," Peggy reasoned. "I'd like it if you'd come."
Steve broke into a wide grin.
"Then I'll go."