Everywhere Steve went, he couldn't stop thinking how big everything was. He couldn't imagine when he would ever stop thinking everything was grand and...out of place. He was out of place, not everything else.

He had taken his sessions with Seren Soul very seriously, grasping as much he could each time. She was kind enough to repeat herself whenever she thought he wasn't catching something. Every question he had, she'd answered without ridicule. And he was sure that some of his questions were in fact ridicule-worthy. Apart from that, Steve wanted to venture out on his own and see if those lessons helped him or if he could just learn on his own. Either way, he had to do things on his own. He couldn't rely on Seren nor S.H.I.E.L.D. for the rest of his life and he didn't want to.

But everything was so strange.

He'd taken to going out on the streets by himself, getting to know what was now New York. People lined the streets like boatloads. There were so many people, way more than what he was used to. Even though it was daytime, everything was so flashy. He passed by dozens of stores with bright signs. He would stop by every now and then to see what each business was selling. Clothes were way too different to even consider wearing them, at least for the moment. Grocery stores had a lot more options than he was used to. And the cars? The honks, the constant chattering and busybodies on the streets? Steve often came home exhausted as if he'd been fighting all day when all he did was walk.

One day, in a slip, he mentioned the fact to Seren. She, however, was quick to suggest a spot. Two days later, they agreed to switch things around a bit and meet outside of S.H.I.E.L.D. in an effort to help him get to know more of the city.

He was there first and because he wasn't sure when Seren would arrive—she'd called in ahead saying she was running a bit late—he found an empty table outside of the coffeeshop. He'd done some sightseeing before coming, unplanned but that was a new norm for him, and now he somehow found a table that gave him a perfect view of a huge tower that was just a bit too flashy for his taste. Still, his hands fell into an old habit and he was soon sketching the tower on a napkin.

"Are you ready to order?" A young blonde waitress stopped by. She'd already stopped by several times before. She seemed like the cheery type with her smile.

"No, no thanks," Steve gave a shake of his head.

"You waiting to see the big guy?" She asked suddenly, making a point towards the tower ahead of them. "Everybody always does." Steve was naturally confused and for some reason, the waitress chuckled. She tucked some hair behind her ear and shrugged. "It's alright, literally everyone sits here for hours just to see if he'll pass by."

"Right…" Steve nodded, eyebrows still yet to relax. The woman kept smiling for a bit longer before she finally walked away.

"Ask for her number you idiot," Steve heard the snap from an old man behind.

What?" He was startled and looked back, even more puzzled than before.

"Steve?" He then heard the familiar voice of Seren, and for some reason he relaxed. She was walking towards the table with a smile that could rival, and probably win, the waitress.

"Oh, I get it now," the same man, again, spoke. "Good on you."

This time, Steve understood perfectly and promptly shushed the man. He rose from his chair just as Seren arrived.

"I am so sorry," she said, running a hand through her short hair as if it'd been a problem. He still couldn't imagine a woman like her in the 40s. She wore a red velvet long sleeve blouse with a squared neckline and dark pants.

His gaze lingered more than it should have, that was for sure, but it wasn't just her. Each person he saw or met were under his scrutinizing eyes. He noticed every difference between them and the people from his time. He didn't do it on purpose, it just happened. He would compare how different these people were, how they acted and even talked in comparison to everyone he knew in the 40s. He couldn't help it.

Seren long ago deduced that so she let it happen. Hopefully one day, he would be able to stop. "Have you been waiting for a long time?"

Steve blinked back to the present. "No, no, I'm good. Here." He moved around the table to pull her chair out.

She smiled at the gesture. Sometimes his out-of-time acts were heartwarming. "Thanks," she said as she sat down. "So do you like the place?"

"I do, actually, thanks for recommending it," Steve said as he returned to his own chair.

"I thought it'd be a little quieter but with a good view," Seren gestured to the current sight. It was busy as usual but she was right about the noise being slightly quieter than the rest of the city. "It's the location."

Steve agreed. "Do you come here a lot?"

"Not a lot, my favorite one's a bit closer to home but that one only seats you inside. It's, uh, louder and the view's not nearly as good as the one here." It was then that her eyes fell over the sketch Steve had been working on. "Oh that's right, you draw!"

For some reason, Steve felt like covering the sketch up. He was out of practice and since these were odd buildings, he was more self conscious about them. Seren didn't seem to mind his hand covering up the sketch. She made herself aware that he wouldn't be forthcoming all the time.

"There's some leftover pictures that made it through history, you know," she remarked.

It certainly caught his attention. "What? Really?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "There's a few clippings. I don't remember which ones though, sorry."

"That's okay," Steve said, falling pensive for a moment. Something of his, something that was truly his was still out there somewhere. What would it look like today? Yellow and crumpled from its age?

Seren berated herself thinking she'd said something wrong. Things weren't getting better for her in that department. Every now and then she would say something that she shouldn't, that she didn't mean to say, and she felt terrible for it. "I could, um, maybe try to get those back for you?" She offered. It might have been a futile attempt but if she was able to get at least one of them it would mean a lot for Steve.

Steve appreciated her offer but he wasn't that naive to believe it wouldn't be a tough challenge for her. "No, it's alright." He didn't want her going through more trouble on his behalf. She already had to give up most of her time just to help him out.

Seren nodded. She said nothing for the next few seconds, her gaze falling to the sketch again. "That's Stark Tower," she started again, though her voice was quiet and her look calculating. She was trying to see how much she could say without further perturbing Steve.

"It is?" His eyes raised to the tower again, his mind turning with flashes of Howard, a long ago dead friend.

"Yeah, uh, his son owns it. You know about him…?" Seren never asked Steve to what extent had he read the files that Fury gave him at the beginning. It wasn't her business.

Steve nodded. "I've read about him. He's doing well, it appears."

"Understatement," Seren said with slightly widened eyes. "That man was flashy even before he made the suit."

"Does he ever stop by S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

"No," Seren's answer was given much too quickly, like she herself wouldn't want Tony Stark around.

"Have you met him?" He found himself asking her, like it was his business to know. Before he could apologize, Seren shook her head.

"No. We've just done a mission with him a few months back. Well, my friend did. It did not end well between him and S.H.I.E.L.D." Seren had her own opinions over that mission but she wasn't going to dump it on Steve. He didn't need the irrelevant information anyways. "But you could visit him, if you'd like? I could help set that up."

"Thanks but I don't think I'm ready," Steve said for a lot of reasons. He wasn't ready to meet the son of his late friend, much less when said son was a billionaire in the eye of the public.

"Right," Seren cleared her throat, glancing to the side. She saw a waitress coming by. "Would you like to eat something? My treat?" She chuckled at his reaction.

"Uh, no—"

"If you say 'no thanks' I'm going to be very offended," she warned playfully. "One thing you'll need to understand about this decade is that women can and will invite men for lunch. Not a big deal anymore."

"Yeah, I get that, it's just...odd…" Steve felt like he didn't have to explain further than that. She understood perfectly. "Especially when you're always helping me."

"Just till you get back on your feet," she shrugged. She called for the waitress in time.

Steve knew when to call it quits and Seren Soul turned out to be very good at getting him to do that often. He liked to think it was the dimples she flashed each time she smiled. They helped when she tried convincing him, and even others, to do what she wanted. He'd seen her use the same thing on a few other agents on some occasions.

When the waitress stopped by, they both ordered but before the waitress went on, Seren stopped her for a last minute addition. "Can I get something to drink that has alcohol? I literally do not care what it is so long as it's your strongest thing you have."

The waitress merely nodded and left.

"Sorry," Seren felt the need to apologize to Steve when they were alone again. As far as she knew, women in the past didn't exactly make the type of order she had. "It's been a very long day."

"No worries," Steve assured.

"Did you want something too? I'm so sorry!" She was quick to shift in her seat to call for the waitress again.

"Don't worry, Seren," he had to chuckle. "I can't even get drunk."

"Yeah, me neither," she said off-handedly only to then realize what she said.

Steve eyed her oddly for the comment. "You can't?"

"Uh, I mean...it's just...hard to get drunk. I may be small but it takes me a while," Seren nervously smiled. She was so used to being open around S.H.I.E.L.D. missions about what she was and what that entailed. She needed to be extra careful when she was around Steve. He wasn't ready at all to know about her. He still thought she was enhanced and she hadn't been brave enough to tell him the truth, nor had gotten the 'all clear' sign from Fury to do actually do it.

"Really?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her, still mildly unconvinced. He couldn't fully disbelieve her because as far as he knew, this new world had made it harder for people to get drunk. Maybe not everything was about being enhanced.

Seren nodded. "Yeah, um, it's just like that." She needed to change topics and fast. Her eyes landed on his sketch again. "Hey, um, I don't really know much about art but my best friend—she works for S.H.I.E.L.D. too—travels constantly so she's seen a lot of stuff, including art galleries. I'm sure if I asked if she could recommend some that you can visit if you'd like."

"Uuh, that would be nice actually," Steve said after a moment of thought. It would be a nice way to see how the arts had changed throughout the years as well. Plus, it was quiet. Right now that's what he felt like he needed most.

"Great, I'll give Chloe a call later today." Seren was already making a mental note of it.

Later on when the food arrived, Seren was eager for that surprise drink she'd ordered. It turned out to be some type of wine that, unfortunately, wouldn't be giving her that buzzy feeling she'd been hoping for. She should have know better.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Steve asked when he watched her practically drink half of the glass. He'd never seen a woman drown alcohol so quickly.

"Mm?" Seren covered her mouth for a second, realizing too late how it must have looked to him. "Oh God, I'm so sorry. No, we don't...of course we don't have to."

"But it's clearly troubling you," Steve gestured to her current state. He'd never seen her be anything but professional. It had to be big if it was affecting her that much.

"Yeah, but, you don't have to…"

Steve tried following her movements, they were rather awkward and shy. "Don't have to what?"

"You know, listen," she shrugged. "You're not here to listen to my troubles."

"But you're here to listen to mine?" Steve raised an eyebrow at her. "Pretty sure that wasn't part of the request when I asked for your help."

Seren's eyes narrowed slightly, her lips twitching into what could become a smile. "Well, it's not like you've said anything either. What I know about you is all from a file and history lessons."

"Touché," Steve relented. "So let's do something about it. Ladies first."

Seren scoffed. "Oh, of course!"

Steve couldn't help laugh. That was a weak attempt and he knew it. "Sorry, but seriously you look really upset. What's the matter?"

Seren's playful exterior faded the more she thought about things. "My parents," she sighed. Her hand curled around her glass of wine, perhaps gripping it a bit tighter. "I was visiting them today and, as usual, things didn't end on a good note."

"You don't get along with them?"

"I do, but...they've never really agreed with my job."

"They don't like S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Seren scoffed again. "Try 'hate' and then some. They despise the entire organization."

"Why?"

"Because of me...because of my grandmother. She worked for S.H.I.E.L.D. back in her day, and she brought me in." She would keep the exact details of the 'when' to herself for now. "I'm an only child, see, so they're…"

"Overprotective?" Steve assumed, watching her nod.

"Something like that."

"You know back, uh, home, that was pretty common between parents and daughters."

"Some things really don't change, huh?"

Steve half smiled. "Guess not."

Seren sighed. "I'm 24 years old, I think they can cut me some slack."

"You know when I was 24, I had already joined—"

"The war? Yeah," Seren said sarcastically, "Could you not mention that around them please? My mother would totally use that against me. I can already hear her, 'See what I'm trying to protect you from, Seren? A war!' when there isn't even a war!"

"Then I imagine they would have plenty of things to say about me then."

"Are you kidding?" Seren rolled her eyes. "My Dad loves you. You're an icon in history, Steve. Nobody's going to tell you anything. But they'll be up and ready to tell me to pick a different career."

Despite his flushed face, Steve still found a moment to remark, "So some things really don't change."

Seren agreed and shook her head. "Unfortunately, no. But anyways, thanks for hearing me out. You didn't have to…"

"It's the least I can do, and I really hope you can resolve it with your parents." Judging by the look on her face, Steve got the idea that it wouldn't be happening anytime soon.

"This has been going since I can remember," she admitted. "Like I said, only child. Their entire devotion is to, well, me."

"I can't think of any parent not wanting to devote their life to their child," Steve said, hoping that she wouldn't take offense to his words. She chuckled so she must not have.

"I don't know exactly how different our childhoods were in terms of 1920s and 30s but I feel like my parents take the cake."

"What were your years?" He curiously asked.

"I'm 24," she reminded. "My childhood was the 90s."

"Oh, so, not a big difference then." He honestly was not expecting her to laugh so genuinely, but it was nice to hear. Not many people laugh WITH with him and much less women.

"Well, not to brag but my time was when Google was invented and those big cellphones with the antenna on top."

"That's nice, I went through what you guys now call the Great Depression?" Steve vividly remembered the shortages of everything he always needed.

Seren's smile turned sad and fast. "I know, I'm sorry."

"It's not like it's your fault, Seren."

"I know but… it's so different learning about that stuff from history books. I mean, your childhood was my exams. It's different when you're learning it and another is to...have it in front of you and hear about it. My childhood wasn't the best, definitely wasn't perfect, but it had to be a lot better than the things that you went through."

"It's not your fault," Steve said because it really sounded like she was feeling guilty over that. He appreciated her feelings but the last thing he wanted was to make her feel like she owed him for things that were out of her control. "Why don't you tell me where you grew up? You're from New York too, right?"

She nodded. "Mhm. Hudson. Not like that!" She said quickly when she saw a glimpse of Steve's reaction. "I know that Hudson has its reputation back in the day but I promise you that it is nothing like that anymore."

Steve didn't want to be that obvious with his thoughts about that place but he supposed it was too late. He could only sheepishly smile at this point and offer an apology. "It was just very different back then."

"I know," she nodded. "The Red District, believe it or not, is still a big attraction even though it's been shut down for decades. Right now, Hudson is actually really pretty and really nice. Kind of like a city away from the city. I mean, like I said my childhood wasn't perfect but I can admit that my hometown is very nice."

"I'm glad to hear it then since that's where you grew up," Steve was still smiling apologetically.

"But it's still very different from Brooklyn, right?"

"Well that and, you know, the fact we're talking about a 70 year gap…"

Seren nodded, though she chuckled again. "Yeah, I guess." She glanced at her glass of wine and, after thinking about it some more, she pulled her hand away from it. The urge to drink wasn't all that big anymore. She settled a look on Steve, shifting forwards in her seat. "What was it like?"

"What?" He hadn't been expecting the sudden change in the topic, much less when it was a question like that.

"Sorry, I just think about everything and the best thing we have of history are stories but even those stories aren't all that well because...it's been written by God knows who. You wouldn't lie. What was Brooklyn like back then?"

"You really want to know?" Steve wasn't even hiding his reluctance. It didn't seem like something she would want to know about. What difference would it make to someone like her?

Seren nodded, though, proving him wrong. "What did you do back then?" She may have been asking questions that didn't encumber her, that she knew, but she wanted to encourage Steve to start talking about his past. Even if it was little by little, it would benefit him in the long run. Plus, she was a little curious. "I dumped my troubles for today, the least you can do to help me feel better is to give me a little story. Something itty-bitty?" She held her index finger and thumb inches from each other.

Steve couldn't help the laugh that slipped through. "There's really not much to tell, Seren. Like I said, and you know, my early childhood wasn't in the best of years. Things were in shortage. The food—" he gestured to the current plate in front of him, "—was terrible but we ate it because there was nothing else. I...I remember my Mom…" he paused for a second, the memory coming fresh and unexpectedly, "There was one day where...she was able to buy this bread. It was, um, it was sweet."

Seren listened attentively, nodding silently as he went on. She could tell he was more in the past than the present now and she counted a win if he was able to get through it without stopping midway.

He laughed lightly during his thought. "It was just a regular loaf of sweet bread but it was so good. I was so happy with it, especially because I got two slices that day. I didn't realize it until years later that my Mom had given me what was supposed to be her share." He felt terrible once he realized what really happened that day. It was stupid, really, because he was just a kid back then. What was he supposed to know about shares? All he knew was that on that night he'd gotten sweet bread twice.

"I was a dumb kid," he said in a much lighter tone, missing the way Seren smiled at him for it. This was exactly what she hoped he would be able to do one day, think about the past without the pain. Even if it took years, she hoped that she could help him get there one day.

"You were a kid," she corrected. "With, what sounds like, a really good Mom."

"She was," Steve nodded. He only now thought of his mother's grave. Would it still be intact? Or did Time take that away too?

"You were an only child too, right?" Seren asked. "So you had her all to yourself."

Steve smiled. "Yeah, most of the time." At Seren's puzzled face, he added, "I was a lot to handle—I got sick all the time—but I had a friend. My best friend."

"Right," Seren said, eyes lowering a bit.

"You know?" Steve wouldn't even be surprised. Most of his life was detailed in books, apparently.

Seren nodded, her shoulders shrugging shyly. "Part of history. You and the rest of the Howling Commandos. Sergeant Barnes was the only member who didn't make it out of the war.

"Bucky," he said, correcting her without even noticing, because that's just who he was to him. "My first and only friend. We were together most of the time so...our mothers kind of just adopted us."

Seren chuckled. "Boys. Can't imagine the things you got yourselves into." Judging by his look, Steve still couldn't get past it himself. Seren had to laugh again, and louder, that in the end she had to take a forkful of her food to quiet her down.

Still, with that conversation, the rest of their lunch went by pleasantly. Seren felt right in believing that the steps they were taking were the right ones. At the end of lunch, Steve excused himself for the restroom so Seren waited idly by the table. She'd taken her phone out to start giving her friend a call and find out about the art galleries she promised Steve.

"Hey sweetheart, you would look nicer if you smiled more," she heard from a distance. She rolled her eyes before she even looked up to see a man-admittedly attractive-coming her way.

"Original," she muttered, focusing on her text message. She hit the 'send' and waited for her friend's response.

"C'mon," the man stopped by the table, "A little smile would make those gorgeous eyes of yours just pop."

Seren exhaled heavily, her eyes finally looking up to the man. "Can you go bother somebody else? I'm not interested."

"Why not?" the man gazed down at the table and noticed the two sets of plates and glasses. "You here with someone else?"

"Is that any of your business?" Seren shrugged.

"Well, I just think that if you were my girlfriend, I wouldn't let you out of my sight. Gotta protect you from the bad men out there, right?" The man flashed her a smile, probably thinking he was saying the best of lines.

Seren laughed humorlessly at him. "Alright," she slipped her phone into her bag, letting the man think for a second that he'd somehow landed a chance.

"There you are," he said, reaching a hand to touch her. Seren seized his hand midway and just as the man smirked with more assumptions, she squeezed it. The smirk fell in an instant to be replaced by a deep frown. "Ow! What the hell!?" His bark was loud enough to get the attention from the other tables.

The waitress who'd attended her earlier came out with Steve, both stopping when they saw the distraction. Steve mumbled a very quick 'thank you' to the waitress, honestly forgetting what she'd even said to him, and hurried towards Seren.

"What kind of strength is that!?" the man was all but squeaking from the pain.

Seren raised an eyebrow at him, still holding onto his hand quite tightly. I'm sorry, is that not what you wanted?"

"I was just being nice to you—argh! Let go of me!" He raised his other hand but Seren grabbed it as well and slammed it against the table, startling the pair from the table beside.

"Seren!" Steve exclaimed as he hurried up to her. "What are you doing!?"

"This is your girlfriend!?" The man was two inches from having his face slammed into the table as well. "Dude! She's crazy!"

Seren rolled her eyes. "Oh, okay, so suddenly you're the victim here?" She shoved him away, taking pleasure watching him nearly fall back. "Next time take the 'I'm not interested' the first time 'round, okay?"

"You bitch!" He moved towards her but now it was Steve stepping in.

"Back off, man, now!"

The man huffed, muttering the same insult again. Steve pushed the man back, like Seren's, it was enough to send the man stumbling back a good deal. "That's not how you talk to a woman! She told you to leave so go!"

"Yeah, whatever, she's not all that worth it anyways," the man straightened himself up, as well as his jacket, and took off.

When Steve was sure that the man wasn't about to come back, he turned back to Seren. "Are you okay?" He asked her, voice full of concern.

"Yeah, he wasn't going to do anything," she shook her head, clearly more angry than afraid. "Guys like him do the talk until somebody actually stands up to them. Better men have tried to get smart with me and they all end up with broken hands." Some were even lucky to get the broken arm when they really pissed her off.

"Yeah, that was, uh, a good hold you got there…" Steve rubbed the side of his neck, face scrunching as he clearly went over the details. Seren swallowed hard, now afraid. Logically speaking, she shouldn't have enough strength to crush a man twice her size.

"Ma'am, are you good?" The waitress from before came over, thankfully distracting Steve.

"Of course, I'm sorry for the inconvenience," Seren said, and loudly for the rest of the customers. "I didn't want to…"

"Don't worry about it," the waitress smiled. "That guy comes in here at least once a week trying to pick one of us up. I'm glad someone finally gave him what he deserves."

Seren smiled for a split second before the weight of her actions truly settled on her. The questions that Steve would inevitably ask and oh God she wasn't ready for that. "I'm so sorry," she said, grabbing her bag from the ground and slinging over her shoulder. "Really, I…" There was nothing she could possibly say to make things better. She took off and ignored any and all calls of her name.

She expected a couple more seconds before Steve would actually catch up to her. With the extra time she would either have the perfect excuse for her strange strength or she would be just dramatically upset with herself. It was going to be the latter option apparently.

"Seren, hey!" Steve managed to grab her arm and stop her, immediately letting her go when he saw her face. He wasn't planning on becoming the next man to upset her. "Hey, I...what happened back there? I was gone for 2 minutes…"

"What happened is that I messed up!" she unexpectedly snapped at him. She swallowed hard, pushing down the lump in her throat. "I told Fury that I wasn't up to this! I couldn't be normal and he said that I would be fine! Well I am not fine, clearly!"

"Be normal…? What are you talking about?"

"That!" Seren gestured frantically towards the restaurant. "There are things you don't know about me that would definitely freak you out and honestly, I'm not ready to say anything about it. But you don't have to deal with me and my...stuff. You didn't have to so why did you want me to help you?" There was a fierce fury in her eyes to know the answer to her question.

Steve felt like he would be a fool not to answer her. "You want to know why?"

"Yes!" Seren practically yelled at him. "Because there were so many other agents who could've done a way better job than I am!"

"Seren you're doing just fine," he stopped when he scoffed strongly, "You are," he insisted. "Don't you think I would've asked for a change in Agents if I didn't think you were helping?"

Seren folded her arms, eyes darting to the side. "I don't know," she mumbled.

Steve half-smiled at her. "The reason I asked for you is because I couldn't stop thinking about the way you treated me the first time we met."

"Oh, you mean the moment where I yelled at you to sit down?"

"No, I meant the words you used later on. Seren, you kept talking in a way that people had been talking to me for the past 4 years of my life. You told me you were an ally, that I didn't have to fight anymore. You came up with that all on your own. Fury didn't tell you to say that. In fact-" He pointed at her when she'd been about to retort something, "I had a long conversation with Fury before he agreed to ask you for your help. You had a script and you steered away from it. You didn't call in the soldiers, why?"

Seren still mumbled but he heard her perfectly. She didn't want him to feel overwhelmed with PTSD.

"You just had a way to talk to me that nobody else has had since I woke up," Steve shrugged. "I wanted that type of person to help me because then I would know that person would truly help me adjust. They weren't interested in giving me a position at S.H.I.E.L.D."

"I wouldn't say that…" Seren trailed off for a moment, "Of course I think it would be nice if you joined us at S.H.I.E.L.D. but…"

"But?" Steve nodded, motioning that this was his point. She had her opinion but she wasn't forcing it on him, not even talking about it. She was only looking to help him. "Human decency," he reminded her of her words. "That's never been big in any time period."

Seren groaned and let her arms dangle on her sides. That was actually a really good answer. "Dammit," she muttered. "Are you naturally good at making people feel better?"

"Truthfully?" His scrunched face was already making her smile. "Not at all. Even less with women."

Seren exhaled and laughed without her consent. "Well you're doing a fine job at it. I'm sorry for exploding like that...I don't usually do that…"

"Which means that was bound to happen but listen, can we make a deal?" He pointed between them, only proceeding when Seren nodded. "From now on, if there's ever a doubt about me that you have...just ask. I really don't mind, especially if it has to do with you. I know I'm asking for a lot. I don't know anything and you have to give up important missions just to come help me. The least I can do is try to answer your questions."

"Okay," Seren agreed. "That was just...that had just been on my mind for a long time now. It made me nervous—it makes me nervous—because I was never really one to fit in."

"You don't have to be, especially around me," he said in such an incredulous manner. Seren could genuinely believe he had no idea why anybody would have the nerve to be nervous around him. Humble. She liked it.

"Yeah, that's never been easy for me," she admitted. She started walking again, prompting him to walk alongside her. "S.H.I.E.L.D. is about the only place where I have some type of stability."

"So exactly how long have you been working here?" Steve thought to ask.

"Ooh…" Seren hesitated delving into her past with him right now. It was a lot to take in and he had a lot already. "I started really young. My grandmother was an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s. I've climbed my way up the ranks. Yet another thing the founders made possible, women are allowed to do a lot more than what the 40s offered us."

"I'm happy to hear that." There was something in Steve's expression that warned Seren that he was trying to say something else.

She noticed it right away, lifting an eyebrow at him. "Something on your mind?"

"Uuh, I'm just…" He scratched the side of his head, almost flustered with embarrassment. "I don't want to offend you…"

Seren laughed. "I really doubt you are capable of doing that. Yeah," she crossed her arms over her chest, "You're the pinnacle of properness. Seriously, I know some people who could really use some lessons from you, that guy back there for starters."

Steve smiled. "Thank you. I was just wondering...back when I woke up and you were there...you looked very different." His eyes lingered on her hair for most of that sentence.

Seren watched him with utter amusement. "It's a modern world, Captain. I had long hair once, then I decided to cut it off. My mother still hasn't forgiven me for it." They shared a small laugh between them. "But, uh, the whole point was to make it as easy as possible for you when you woke up."

"Okay, but honestly I probably would have had an easier time dealing with your appearance instead of listening to a game that I was there for," Steve countered with a very good point.

Seren shook her head at herself. "I'm not a historian but I know for a fact that I would've caught that. I know that I would have handled that mission a lot differently."

"You, uh, you lead a lot missions, then?" Steve asked curiously. He didn't know Seren a lot but her kindness, her softness, didn't exactly give the impression of someone who could command a team. That, and she was also petite.

"I lead a team," Seren confirmed then, after some thought, she added, "I'm the head of an Initiative, actually."

Steve nodded. He would've asked more if he hadn't picked up on Seren's tone carrying some finality. She wasn't going to explain what that Initiative was. No doubt classified, he assumed. "Well, you guys did the best you could for me back there. I don't think I came with a handbook or anything like that..."

Seren laughed. "Well, neither do I."

Steve's mind went back to the day they met. So many questions bombarded him each time he remembered her.

Flying.It didn't slip his mind that he'd witnessed Seren flying and landing on the ground across from him. However fuzzy his thoughts were, that image was painted clearly in his head. He hadn't had the courage to ask Seren so straightforwardly, but it was always there gnawing at his head. Was she enhanced? If so, how was she enhanced? Another project like the one he underwent? Did S.H.I.E.L.D. do that to her?

"Okay, now there's something on your mind," Seren soon picked up on it. She was coming to recognize his expressions and the one he wore at the moment usually meant that he was puzzled. "What is it?" Steve was reluctant to speak, to look at her too for some reason. "Steve, what is it?"

"It's...it's what I saw that first day, when you caught up to me in Times Square…" He could already see the cheery expression fading from her face. "Seren, you flew. And I know that my head isn't all that great, but I know what I saw. I'm not crazy. My sanity is the one thing I've managed to hang onto."

"Of course," she said softly. "You're not crazy. What you saw is right but...I'm...I'm not ready to talk about that." She wasn't ready, he wouldn't be ready. She swallowed hard. "I will tell you one day but…"

"Thank you," he cut her off, startling her with the action. Didn't he want to know the truth? He smiled lightly at her, bringing a hand to rest on her shoulder. "You acknowledge it. Even though I know I'm not owed anything, it means a lot that you're willing to tell me about it one day."

"Even if it's not right now?" Seren couldn't imagine him being all that patient especially when they saw each other almost every day.

"Yeah," he shrugged. "Because you're telling me the truth. 'One day' is good enough for me."

Seren bit her lower lip, clearly still unconvinced that it would be so easy for him to let it go. "You sure?"

"Yes." Steve promised her.

Seren smiled softly at him. Yes, he was really good at making people feel better about themselves. His words were perfect.

Author's Note:

Yes my man Steve is very talented with his words. I need some of that in my life during these pandemic times!

Also, as I've said before, I'm disregarding the horrible math in the MCU to make it work for my stories so if years are off, this is why!

P.S As always, I have a tumblr account dedicated to my fanfic works! It's a place where anyone can comment about a story or even just talk to me! I often drop aesthetic work belonging to my stories too! Feel free to check it out, my URL is "saiilorstars"