30 day OTP challenge-Maria/Steve.
Prompt: On a date.
Steve pulled up outside of Maria's apartment building, still quite surprised that Maria had agreed to go on a second date with him. He still got nervous whenever she was around, afraid that he'd say something stupid and offend her.
He sighed nervously, knocking on the door and surprised when Maria answered so quickly.
"Come in for a few minutes while I finish getting ready." She said, stepping out of the way so he could enter.
Maria's apartment was small but comfortable. It was more of a loft with an open floor plan. His shoes echoed against the hardwood floor as he made his way to the right to her bedroom and looking around. It was surprisingly plain with beige walls and a white down comforter. She only had two pictures on her nightstand. A picture of herself and her brother with an older woman who appeared to be their grandmother and another picture of a much older Maria with a girl who appeared to be ten or eleven.
Another room was down a small hallway across from the bathroom.
"I'll have to admit, i'd have thought that I scared you away by now." Steve said, looking towards the bathroom where Maria was still getting ready. He heard Maria chuckle.
"If anything, I thought I scared you away." She called from the bathroom down the small hallway, "Are you going through my stuff?" She teased, causing Steve to come out of the room and into the living area to join her.
Maria was in a black cotton knee length dress, most likely wanting to dress more conservatively for Steve's sake, and she grabbed her black leather clutch, "Ready?"
They went to a very posh restaurant and were sat down almost immediately at a small table that was set for two.
"So, why just the wallet?" Steve asked as Maria took a sip from her glass of water.
"Excuse me?" She asked, putting her glass down before grabbing her cloth napkin and placing it in her lap as Steve spoke.
"Well, every other woman I see is always carrying a purse. Why don't you?"
"Well, purses are just a hassle. If everything I need can't fit in a clutch, then it isn't all that important. A clutch is just easier to carry around." She said as the waiter came to take their orders.
The waiter was a man of his early twenties and kept flirting with Maria and looking at her with barely noticeable looks.
"You don't notice it?" He asked, amazed at how oblivious she seemed to be at the waiters flirting.
"Notice what?"
Steve gave her an 'are you kidding me?' look.
"Come on. This is the second date we've been on where it's happened. The eyes, the...flirting as Stark calls it."
Maria leaned over, folding her hands on the table.
"Well well well, are you jealous, Captain?" She teased, smirking at him.
Steve shook his head, "No. Just stating my own observations."
Maria hummed before leaning back, "Well, the waiters aren't exactly my type if you haven't noticed. I'm much more interested in someone else. A certain captain that I happen to be on a date with at this very moment." She said, flashing him a flirtatious smile.
The super soldier flashed her a kind smile, " Well, with that being said, I like you for who you are."
The agent cocked her head to the side, confused, "What do you mean?"
"Well, the last couple dates we've been on, you've dressed...differently. Different than you dress outside of work."
Maria sighed and looked down at her lap before peeking at him through her eye lashes, "Is it that obvious?" She asked, looking as though she were a teenager who had just been caught doing something she shouldn't.
Steve nodded, "Would you like to know how you can really impress me?"
Maria snuck a peak at her wrist watch as their food came, surprised to see that they had already been here for over an hour. She looked up and nodded. Steve leaned in close to her, lowering his voice so only she could hear.
"Then just be yourself. Dress how you want, act how you want. I can guarantee that i'll like you just the same." He said, grabbing her hand in his as they ate their meal in silence, occasionally making small talk.
After they finished their dinner at the very posh restaurant, they left and took a walk in central park that wasn't far from Maria's own apartment and the path was illuminated by the full moon.
"So, what do you do for fun when you aren't at SHIELD?" He asked, taking her hand in his.
"I usually go to the gym. No longer than i'm allowed by my brother though."
Steve looked at her, finding it odd that Maria had a time limit for exercise.
"Why are you only allowed a certain amount of time?"
Maria sighed, "Sometimes I can overwork myself. I've always got to be doing something. I've always been that way." She said. It was partly the truth, and she wasn't ready to tell him the other reasoning so soon.
He nodded in understanding, "Well, maybe you can come for a run with me sometime."
She raised an eye brow at him, "Was that a fat joke, Captain?" She asked, smirking at him.
"Oh no. You're the opposite of fat. Well, all that extra weight is muscle." He said, only half joking as she playfully shoved him.
The two talked and laughed for the remainder of their walk until they got back into Steve's car, but the laughter didn't stop until they were right outside the door to the apartment.
"I had a great time tonight, Steve." She said, leaning up and kissing him on the lips, wrapping her arms around his neck as he instinctively wrapped his arms around her waist.
The pair pulled away breathing heavily.
"So, i'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, reluctantly letting go of her waist as she rested her hand on his shoulders.
"Yeah. Sounds like a plan." She said, letting go and opening the door, not breaking eye contact with him until she closed it.
They both went to bed smiling that night.
A/N: Let me know what y'all think! Please review :)