Authors Note: I do not own the Avengers or any other property of Marvel. I just own the plot of the story and the satisfaction that writing these brings me.
Steve found himself drawing when he felt nervous or bored, and he would try to call images from his mind and place onto the white paper. Usually this process would connect the sketches with the causes of Steve's nervousness. It was one of the reasons that Steve had a sketch book dedicated to his friends Bucky and Natasha. Both were known to cause the artist discomfort.
The drawing in front of him instead was of Wanda, rather than an old friend or flame. Even though their first meeting had been cut short, Steve remembered enough of her to conjure a quick mental image. He added, for what he thought was a funny joke, a pair of lab goggles to her head in the picture. Maybe because the source of those connect the two, or possible it was that Wanda played the part of Doctor Horrible so well.
Because Steve was so focused on his personal piece of art, he didn't hear the door to his classroom open. The door behind the visitor closed quietly and the figure stood for a few moments, watching Steve in his natural action.
"Is this a bad time Mr. Rodgers?" A nervous voice asked, slightly scaring the art teacher.
Steve made a quick jump and shut the sketch book. When he looked at the source of the noise, Steve saw the face of one of his students, Peter Parker, chewing on his bottom lip. The boy was tightly holding his camera in his hands and proceeded to fiddle with the item, waiting for his answer from Steve.
"Not at all Peter. What can I do for you?" Steve asked, wanting to bang his head against the desk. He hated when he did something to make one of his favorite students nervous like this.
"It's just I saw that the art classes are painting landscapes right now, and I thought that they might like some pictures from outside the city.." Peter started to trail off, his nerves still a little on the edge.
"That'd be great Peter. Do you mind if I take a look?" Steve motioned to the camera and Peter handed it to him. The art teacher flipped through the devices pictures and couldn't contain his smile at the images.
"These are great. I'm sure that my other students would love to use these for their assignments."
"Thanks Mr. Rodgers." Peter said as the bell rung, signalling the end of the lunch break "I'll stop by after class to bring you the hard copies of the photos. See ya Mr. Rodgers."
With that Peter took off from Steve's classroom hurrying to his meet someone down the hallway. The man couldn't help but laugh at the teen's antics. It seemed that no matter what, the student would make Steve's day a little better. He just wished he could get Peter as excited about art as he was about photography.
Shaking the thoughts from his head, Steve placed the cord around his sketch book and gently set it into his desk drawer. Students filled into the classroom's empty desks and Steve moved to the podium in the front of the room hoping that the day would go by fast. He sighed the moment that Ms. Johnson entered the room with a large grin on her face, dragging along an awkward Peter.
"It's going to be a long class." Steve muttered to himself, turning on his projector.
"Mr. Rodgers?" Asked the voice of Daisy 'Skye' Johnson after class had ended.
"Yes Ms. Johnson." Steve responded, curious as to why his favorite student was being dragged by his most challenging but talented student.
"I was wondering for the project if Peter did the photography on the subject and I did the art, that would be okay." Skye questioned, switching the gaze between Mr. Rodgers and the nervous boy.
Steve gave a glance at the girl in front of him before looking at Peter. He wasn't paying attention to Steve's inquisitive gaze but rather at his current partner in what the art teacher guessed was crime. It seemed that Skye had planned this and Peter was being dragged along for the ride. But with the look on the teenage boy's face and maybe Steve was in a good mood because of his morning that Steve smiled at Peter's actions.
He knew that the two had developed tangled teenage feelings for each other, Natasha having told him about the two always working and talking together in her class. Steve also knew that for the project that two would balance each other out and Peter could get Skye to put in a greater amount of effort towards her work for a change.
"I'll allow it. But since there are two of you working on it, the due date will be moved to Monday of next week instead of Friday." Steve informed them, his voice stern. "And I will expect a great piece from this."
"Thank you Mr. Rodgers!" The two exclaimed in unison, quickly turning and leaving their art teacher chuckling.
Steve stood from behind his desk and retrieved his discarded sketchbook from the bottom drawer. Gently closing and letting the band seal the book, Steve placed it into his canvas bag at his side. He took a quick stride around the room making sure that everything was in place. Locking the door, Steve started to walk his usual path home, enjoying the warm weather and clear sky. There was a small spring in his step, with the thoughts of this evening in his mind.
The smell of burgers and the steady hum of an ice cream machine allowed for Steve to find a moment of peace from his own thoughts. The man couldn't help but feel nervous about his meeting with Wanda. (Or date, he wasn't entirely sure.) This felt as though it was a whole new experience for Steve, and he wish he could have a little help in these uncharted waters. This was Nat and Bucky's territory, while Steve was the awkward artist. It took a few moments but Steve was able to once again push these thoughts from mind, instead focusing on having a nice meal and pleasant conversation with the singing neighbor he had met.
It was a little while after Steve had arrived that Wanda entered the diner, and scanned the area until she found Steve in the booth he had chosen. The booth was next to the window, and Wanda quickly slid in to the cracking leather seat, intent on greeting Steve.
"Hello Steve. Is everything alright? You seem out of focus." Wanda asked, the gentle voice being enough to spook Steve in his nervous state.
"Wanda! Hello." Steve exclaimed "I'm sorry. I'm alright just a little lost in my head again."
The man just smiled and rubbed the back of his head, obviously embarrassed by not noticing the girl take her seat until she had spoken.
"It is alright. I usually am pretty quiet on my feet." Wanda elaborated, smiling at the bumbling man. "So what are we eating tonight?"
"I was thinking a burger and fries but if your not a fan, I would recommend the roast beef sandwich." Steve responded, not bothering to check the menu.
Wanda looked though the plastic cover sheet and decided to trust Steve's judgement. She placed the menu on top of the other and Steve raised his hand to call the waitress.
"May I get you a drink to start tonight?" The woman asked, grabbing the menus from the corner of the table.
"A vanilla shake for me." Steve ordered for himself.
"I'll have a strawberry milkshake please." Wanda told the woman.
The woman smiled at the two and walked off to get their drinks. This left Steve the chance to capture Wanda in his mind once again. She had traded her messy bun for loose curls tumbling past her shoulders and the basic, comfortable clothing for a simple black dress and boots. Her eyes held the sparkle of what Steve could only describe as a free spirit but lingering behind the light was a dark edge, as though there was something Wanda held back. He noticed her face move into a gentle smile as he looked at her.
"You know it is rude to stare." Wanda stated, breaking the silence between the two.
"Sorry again. It's just um.." Steve paused, searching for the words "a habit I guess. I'm an artist and I just start to lose myself in certain people. I tend to focus on features and expressions rather the person sometimes."
"I guess I should be flattered then. I don't think that any artists I've met has 'focused' on me."
"That's surprising." Steve blurted out, wanting his head to hit the table the moment the words left his mouth.
"Oh is that so?" Wanda asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Yes. You have a very symmetrical face. And the shape is just very interesting."
"I'm glad to have learned that."
The two moved back into a deafening silence until the waitress returned with their drinks. She broke the silence by posing a question of what they'd like to order for their meal tonight.
"I'll just have a burger and fries. Mayo on the burger please." Steve stated matter of fact as the woman scribbled on a tiny notepad and retrieved the plastic sheet from the table.
"The same for me. But dry." Wanda informed the woman, who repeated her process.
"Okay, we'll have it out in just a few." The waitress said as she wandered off to drop the order off to the cook.
Both fiddled with their shakes for a little bit of time, taking quiet sips and sharing glances from across the table. In between heads facing down, slight smiles would creep up and find their way on the faces of the two. It was after this that Steve broke the silence by asking a simple question.
"What do you do?"
"I have two jobs technically. First I am a small time actress, just doing these tiny shows in theaters across town and second, I teach dance to some of my friends daughters. One isn't really more of a career than the other, and I enjoy them both equally." Wanda told the man, enthusiasm gushing as she talked about her career. "What about you? I know that you are artists possibly."
"That was the plan originally and about six months after I graduated, I was almost out of money and looking into getting a job in a museum or something when my friend Natasha told me that the school she taught at was looking for an art teacher. So for the last five years I've been teaching art to high school students, and honestly I don't regret ending up where I am. My students are great and especially this year I see a few going far." Steve explained, smiling at the thought of his students and the amazing work that they he knew they could produce.
"That sounds amazing. And I honestly don't know how you do it. I can barely handle four students, and here you are with a days worth of them." Wanda awed at the fact about Steve and was impressed with the patience that he must have.
It was a moment that the waitress brought their food to the table and the two began to tuck in, casually stealing each others fries and trying the others milkshakes as the evening progressed, laughter and jokes filling the once tense silence. The two discussed friends and their families, day to day routines and mundane things like hobbies and what their favorite foods were. The two filled the evening with this, up until the dinner was closing up for the night and the two were forced to leave towards home.
"Tonight was nice." Wanda told Steve as they stood outside their respective homes, both not willing to leave the other yet.
"I agree. We should do it again sometime." Steve responded, hoping that the eastern European woman would share his opinion.
"Okay. How about pizza and a movie the next time? I make a good veggie pizza. And I have been dying to watch the newest Pitch Perfect movie."
"Sounds like a date." Steve said almost as a reflex and then tried to double back on his statement. " I meant like a pla-"
"No I think is the right word for it." Wanda cut Steve off, not letting him change his statement.
Steve stood stiff at Wanda's correction, and she just let loose a slight giggle and stood on her tip toes to give Steve a quick kiss on the cheek. She then opened her door and moved in, Steve still in the hallway.
"And for the record Steve, I hope to sing with you again sometime." And with that Wanda disappeared into her apartment.
"I hope the same Wanda." Steve said to himself as he touched his cheek and smiled at the thought of spending more time with the amazing woman.
Author's Note: I'm sorry that I took so long to post this, it's just that I had graduation last week and then this week I had my freshman orientation so I am now an official college student now! As always I hope you enjoy and please review, they mean so much to me.