A/N: Two chapters in one day! I hope that makes up for how short they are! The next one will be longer I promise.
Previously
She looked at her watch and saw that being a lab rat for the two mad scientists had killed just over an hour. Everyone else was still absent from the loft so she was back at square one with nothing to do. She flopped down on one of the sitting room chairs with a huff.
The elevator doors began to open again and Cat turned to see who it was.
Chapter 10 – A Walk in the Park
Steve and Thor spotted Caterina as they stepped off the elevator. Thor invited her to eat second lunch with him but she hadn't really gotten to know him yet and his boisterous attitude made her uncomfortable. She politely declined his offer and turned to Steve with a hopeful expression. He slung his towel over his shoulder and nervously switched his gym bag to the other hand. "Miss Marcos-"
Cat held up a hand to stop him right there. "Please Captain call me Cat." Steve returned her easy smile. "Alright Cat, then call me Steve. As I was saying, would you like to get out of the tower this afternoon? I was planning on going for a walk in central park and company is always welcome." For a moment Caterina was torn. She would love to get out of the tower for a while even if it meant people would stare at her but she didn't want Natasha to get mad at her. If Tasha wanted a date with Steve would she be mad at Caterina spending time with him? This wasn't a romantic type date so she decided it would be alright.
She smiled at him and bounced a little in excitement but then her expression darkened. "Am I even allowed to leave tower? I mean they never gave me one of those pass cards to get back in." A look of comprehension dawned on Steve before he smiled again. "Of course you are allowed to go out by yourself. Tony probably just forgot to give you a card. Give me half an hour to clean up and I will take you out. Okay?"
Cat looked down at herself and noticed she was still wearing her clothes from the workout earlier. "Make that 45 minutes Captain and we have a date."
xXx
At the appointed time Steve was waiting for her in the kitchen. She came down the stairs nervously. She was dressed in a flowing floral print skirt, a cute little cardigan, and strappy sandals which was not her usual attire. She hoped it was appropriate, having chosen it based on an off hand comment Natasha had made when she tried it on. She and Pepper had joked that it was something Steve would love. Apparently he did because he beamed at her, "You look lovely! Ready to go? Oh before I forget I got you a card from Stark."
Cat blushed at his compliment and nodded yes to his question. She took in his khaki pants and the polo shirt that clung to him like a second skin. "You look… dashing as well. Did I use that word right?" Steve had to chuckle. "Yes ma'am you did."
Still smiling he handed her the card and then offered her his arm. Caterina just stared at him, confused. He smiled indulgingly and took her hand to place it in the crook of his arm to lead her to the elevator. She blushed and smiled in understanding.
When they reached the lobby Steve turned to speak with her, "Central Park is only a few blocks from here, is it alright if we walk?" Cat studied him for a moment and then agreed. Just walking down the street it was unlikely that people would stare at her so much, especially with her hair down and sunglasses on so she agreed.
The two of them strolled down the sidewalk, in no rush to be anywhere. Sometimes they stopped to look in shop windows but Shadow Cat was feeling a little self conscious still. She didn't know what to talk about. Steve noticed her getting flustered and started a monologue. He waved in the direction of the Brooklyn Bridge and began telling her of his childhood in New York. Things had changed a great deal from what he remembered and he tried to tell her about the simpler times.
The sound of his voice relaxed her. She listened intently to him describe how Harlem and Brooklyn used to be. He told her about how women would dress and act in his day. Women in this age confused him. He admitted that he still didn't have the hang of what this feminist movement had done. He quickly held up the hand she wasn't holding on to, "Don't get me wrong, I like strong independent women like Natasha, I mean Agent Romanov, but I don't know how to talk to them."
Caterina didn't say anything. She was not the right person to give him dating advice so she just listened. She nodded and gave him a sympathetic smile. It must have been enough because Steve gave her a grateful look. He finished chatting as they reached a bench in the park. They sat together and watched the ducks swim in a pond.
They sat in silence for a bit until Steve asked Cat how she was settling in. She smiled, "It is really great but also really strange. I am used to having my whole life planned out for me and now it's like I have been thrown out on my own! Sometimes I don't know what to do or think. I am just glad I have you guys to help me muddle through." She smiled at the Captain and he smiled back.
"When I woke up after crashing into the ice 40 years had passed in the blink of an eye for me. Suddenly the world I knew was gone and I no longer felt like I had a purpose. Since then I have learned a lot about this new time and it isn't so bad. I am still not used to women wearing what looks like under clothes out of the house but I'm learning to deal with everything else." Caterina gave a little chuckle and had to agree. "Yes, you should see some of the things Pepper and Natasha wanted made me try on! At least they didn't make me buy any of them!" Steve nodded in sympathy. "They tried to make me buy silk boxers!" The two of them laughed together over what was considered fashion.
"It gets better. I promise," He says with a serious expression. Just then they heard the bells of an ice cream truck. Steve pulled her over to try some for the first time.
A/N: An unexpected encounter in the park has explosive results! It's going to be a great chapter!