A.N.: All places mentioned are purely fictional as far as I am aware.
Erin didn't know how to feel. Her stomach said to be nervous as it instinctively twisted itself in to knots upon hearing the term 'date'. Her head said to be on guard because men weren't to be trusted and yes, the guy had saved her but he'd also hurt her (even if it wasn't directly his fault). Her chest cried out that the dress was too tight but reason told her to ignore it – the dress had fit fine in the store.
Her heart was, of course, locked away safe and sound in a place where no one could get to it. She'd not moved it from its hiding place in seven years.
"Erin, you've gone very pale. Are you alright?" Pepper asked, motherly concern filling her voice.
She was twisting Erin's violet hair into a bun at the base of her neck. It was an uncomfortable and fiddly process which required more bobby pins than Erin had thought possible and bizarrely included a squishy foam donut.
"I'm fine," Erin lied breezily.
Her body alone was numb from where she'd been sitting for so long and her head ached from all the pins stuck into her scalp. Quite frankly Erin couldn't believe she had agreed to this. You don't just date a guy because he saved your life! It was too cliché! Besides it put ideas into men's heads that could be very dangerous to both sexes. What was she doing going against two of her major beliefs? If you had to go through that much pain for someone to like you they weren't worth it.
But he'd still asked her out while she looked like a mess, in her lowest of points. Surely that counted for something.
"Maybe it's the foundation." Pepper frowned.
Or perhaps the horde of monkeys rampaging inside Erin's stomach. She really wanted to throw up. Sadly she'd 'forgotten' to eat dinner which meant she physically couldn't. It was an idiotic yet failsafe idea.
When she was finished Pepper stood back and admired her work. Tony's girlfriend had somehow managed to get ready in fifteen minutes but she'd spent about an hour on Erin which didn't even seem possible but all the facial hair removal, nail painting and make-up and hairstyling really added up. No one could say Erin wasn't making an effort for Steve.
"Right, I'm going to go. I'll see you there." Pepper decided. It was 6:55 and she didn't want to be around third-wheeling when Steve arrived.
"Okay," Erin nodded and walked her friend to the front door.
She didn't linger to watch Pepper leave however as Erin found herself in desperate need of a wee. She apologised and ran off before the door had even closed which suited Pepper just fine. She caught the door before it shut and closed it slowly so the latch didn't click in place. She didn't trust Erin to answer the door in her current state.
On her way down the stairs Pepper ran into Steve. Like Erin he was clearly suffering from nerves which made Pepper smile. It was sweet how much he wanted this.
"I propped the door open just in case." Pepper told him as he passed.
"Thanks," Steve tried to feel relieved but he couldn't. The fact that Pepper had felt the need to prop open Erin's door was reason enough to feel anxious.
As Steve reached the apartment Erin had claimed to be hers he could see that, true to Pepper's comment, the door wasn't fully closed which allowed him to relax slightly because it meant that Erin hadn't lied to him. Before he could lose his nerve Steve knocked on the door. Inside he heard a door slam and Erin's hurried footsteps. There was a small thud as something heavy fell to the floor while she paused but by the sound of it Erin didn't stop to pick it up. Flinging open the door, Erin was halfway to putting her coat on when she stopped and had to supress a laugh as she looked at Steve.
"You've cleaned up nice." She wasn't lying.
It was a nice look, just one she wasn't used to. The high-waisted brown trousers, khaki shirt and deep green tie were all very reminiscent of Steve's era. Erin shouldn't have been surprised considering her own outfit. Tony had bought her a violet and white polka dot dress to match her hair with cap sleeves, a swishy skirt padded with netting and a white satin sash. The outfit was made more 'forties' by the wide-brimmed black felt hat with a thick white sash and a matching black felt coat.
"Thank you. You look…" He stared at her, captivated by her new look. "Beautiful."
Erin shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot, looking at the floor.
"Shall we go?" She asked, not meeting his eye.
"Of course," Steve offered his arm out to her, trying his best not to panic. He'd made her uncomfortable which was the last thing he wants to do.
Erin hesitated and then looped her arm through his. She had no bag tonight. She placed her keys, purse and phone in her pocket, paranoid despite the reduced chance of losing her most valuable items. Steve paused as Erin closed the door properly and then led her downstairs.
Steve had stopped the cab a block from where they were headed and with Erin's permission they walked the last little way. Had it been a real date, one with someone else perhaps, Erin would have attempted to hold his hand as they walked but she was too uncomfortable to do it. Instead she shoved her hands in her coat pockets and gripped onto her phone and ran her thumb over the teeth of her keys. She was clearly tense as she kept her head down, staring at the pavement in front of them.
"I like walking. There's something very calming about it." Steve said conversationally.
Erin gave a small smile and replied "I know what you mean. It's very rhythmic."
"Before the war I used to walk most places. There was nowhere I needed to go that I couldn't walk to," He reminisced. "The world isn't like that anymore. It's too big."
"It is too big." Erin mused.
Steve watched as her eyes grew misty with thought.
"What are you thinking about?" Steve asked, unable to help himself.
"Walking. Just walking through New York with my headphones in, drowning out the world with music and not really knowing where I'm going." She smiled and shook her head, clearing away the distractions.
"What kind of music?" Steve asked, trying to keep the conversation flowing. He wanted to know what she listened to. Maybe for their next date they could go to a concert or he would plan something where music she liked was involved.
"It depends on my mood." she finally looked up and smiled at him. She seemed almost embarrassed as she gave a tiny shrug of her shoulders. Steve found it cute.
"So if you were happy?" Steve prompted her.
"I dunno. Probably either pop-punk or something Latin that I can dance to?" She looked away again.
"I've not got around to those genres yet." Steve told her, hoping she'd offer something more than that.
"That's a shame." She shrugged. Erin felt like she'd shared too much. It was her own fault for getting distracted. She might have said more but her stomach was now doing backflips and she didn't feel like saying more.
They walked in silence that was only mildly uncomfortable the rest of the way. They arrived at an old redbrick apartment building. The bricks were covered in decades' worth of grime and the paint of the whitewashed windowsills of the flats were peeling but it didn't matter though. The renovation of the first two floors was enough of a distraction from that. The front had been extended half a foot and the large blocks had been painted cream. Either side of the large wooden doors an arch created a little alcove in which Erin could imagine couples in old-fashioned attire sheltering from the rain. No one stood out there now in the blue light of a new night but later couples would emerge from inside to smoke there, she was sure of it. A light up board had black letters stuck to it telling anyone who passed about the forties dance occurring inside that night until 1am which Erin found quite nice.
"It's about time!" Tony looked up from checking what looked like a terribly expensive watch to tut at them mockingly.
Erin smiled and shook her head as she ran forward the last few steps and hugged him, Pepper and Bruce in turn. At least they would be there to cushion the blow throughout the evening.
"Shall we go in?" Bruce asked, feeling incredibly third-wheelish.
"My lady." Tony comically bowed and offered his arm to Pepper.
She accepted it with a smile and the couple led them in. In another situation Steve would have done the same with Erin but she walked between him and Bruce, commenting on how nice the scientist looked. He and Tony had dressed similarly to Steve but in a navy blue and grey suit instead whilst Pepper was more similar to Erin in a deep green dress. Bruce thanked her and then got out his phone although no one had any idea who he was texting.
"How did you find out about this place?" Erin asked quietly to Steve as she looked around. They were standing in a short hall in a line to get in to the main area. The walls were the same as the building front but with old posters and newspapers framed in the alcoves. A black and white squared linoleum floor looked a little bit odd beneath her black heels but she didn't comment on that or the angel mural on ceiling above them. She quiet liked the quirky décor.
"I was walking." Steve felt a little proud that he managed to reference their conversation and was even more so when Erin smiled.
When they reached the front Steve refused to let Erin pay for her ticked in. She expected she was on a date with Steve and he was a gentleman but she still tried to pay anyway. Erin wouldn't abandon her morals that easily.
Inside was breath-taking. They descended a short flight of steps that led into a multi-tiered ballroom. A large square polished dance floor was lit up by a chandelier and circled by spotlights buried in the floor. At the far end a stage housed a Big Band that played the liveliest music Erin had ever heard. Couples and groups of friends in varying degrees of forties attire danced enthusiastically whilst others haunted the bar or the booths separated by painted banisters. It was amazing. Erin laughed aloud and led the way to a booth on the highest tier away from the floor to dump her coat and hat. Bruce and Tony took orders from the bar and Pepper slid into the plush leather bench on one side of the table and apologised for having to send a quick work email. Erin leant over the banister and looked at all the dancers moving on the floor.
"You can join them if you want." Steve stepped in close next to her so he could hear her over the loud music.
"Can you dance?" She asked distractedly. Eyes flitting from person to person.
"Not well. Can you?" Steve felt a little nervous all of a sudden. He hadn't danced in so long.
"Nope." With a sudden surge of bravery she took his hand and led him down the steps onto the floor.
Tony and Bruce returned with the drinks a few minutes later. Tony had managed to commandeer a circular tray to carry the five drinks on and was very pleased with himself for it. As he placed the tray on the table with one hand he snatched Pepper's phone with the other and tossed it to Bruce who pocketed it. Pepper opened her mouth to protest but Tony raised an eyebrow and gave her a look so she shut her mouth again and instead engaged Bruce in a conversation. They'd had a rule for the night: no phones.
Tony wandered over to the banister and scanned the crowd for Steve and Erin. He found them in a far corner where it was less crowded. Fondly he smiled as Erin moved about wildly in time with the music, not particularly caring about what others thought. Steve danced but it was more compact than his partner. She was really trying with him, Tony could tell even from a distance. He was happy about that. He worried that Erin was going to be unresponsive and not put any effort into the date but she proved him wrong and not, as he suspected, just to prove him wrong either.
A couple of songs later and Erin and Steve returned, panting and slightly sweaty. Erin took a big swig of her drink and dragged Pepper off to the bathroom while Steve slumped down across the table from Tony, next to Bruce.
"How's it going?" Bruce asked, a grin on his face.
"Good," Steve nodded, a smile blossoming on his face involuntarily.
"Do you need to clear off so you guys can talk?" Tony winked.
"You don't have to." Steve felt bad about wanting to kick the others off the table for a bit. He'd asked them along after all.
"Don't worry Cap', we'll hook you up," Tony grinned. He drained his drink and then offered his hand out to Bruce. "May I have this dance?"
Bruce gave Tony an incredibly weird look but left just the same. As they filed down to the stairs Tony hooked Pepper's arm and dragged her with him as she and Erin returned to the table. Startled, Erin let her friend go. She was meant to be on a date after all which meant that she couldn't just leave Steve alone.
"You know, I was thinking," Steve began as Erin slid into the seat Tony had vacated. "That in all those months you spent interviewing me you learned all about me but I never got to find out anything about you."
Erin smiled wryly and took a sip of her drink before responding.
"You can ask me a couple of questions if you want but I have nothing to tell really." She was lying. She had a lot to tell but she didn't want to. It wasn't first date material and things Steve certainly wouldn't need to know as they wouldn't be going out again.
"I'm sure that's not true." Steve called her out on it in a friendly way. There was no edge of accusation to his voice which Erin liked. She could relax a little around Steve now that they had spent so much time together. That didn't mean she could share though.
"It's not as interesting as what you've told me," Erin said evasively.
Steve, not wanting to cross any boundaries, didn't respond straight away. He thought carefully and then decided to learn the little things first to make her comfortable. They could work their way up as the night went on if that's what they both wanted.
"I'm sure your favourite colour is interesting." He replied. His head was bent to look at the table but instead he watched Erin who seemed to evaluate him for a second before answering.
"Purple. Couldn't you tell?" She grinned. It was an effort to keep smiling as she was on edge but she did it all the same, hoping he wouldn't notice.
"Your hair colour does suit you." Steve commented. The compliment seemed to make her uncomfortable again so he changed tactic. "Favourite movie?"
They carried on that way for a good while, him quizzing her on her favourite things. He kept a mental note of them all, hoping he would get the chance to use them at a later date. Steve enjoyed the little stories behind some of the things. As she spoke Erin relaxed and they carried on talking, even when the others returned to get drinks. Sometimes he would ask her a question that would cause her to wall up and retreat into herself but with a little trial and error Steve quickly learnt which topics to avoid.
It wasn't perfect but it was admittedly the best date Erin had been on in a very long time.
Sadly nothing good lasts forever.