Upon his return to Washington D.C. from New York, Steve didn't waste any time getting things in order for his date with Martha. He spoke with Bruce's friend at the Smithsonian and privately reserved the observatory for their big night. Then, he called in a few favors from his teammates. Once every detail had been handled, Steve returned to his apartment to get ready to meet Martha.

Freshly showered and dressed in jeans, a white t-shirt and his leather jacket, Steve leaned against his motorcycle while he waited for Martha outside her building. As was the standard, Martha had worked earlier in the day and stopped off home to change before their date. Steve smiled at the sight of her emerging from her apartment complex wearing a pair of black skinny jeans, a lacy white tank and a denim jacket. "You look beautiful," he offered as a greeting, which he coupled with a quick peck when she moved closer.

"And you look like you're cold," Martha joked. She rubbed her hand up and down his arms before returning the kiss. "What are you doing here? I thought we were supposed to meet at your flat."

"Change of plans. We're going out," Steve informed her.

"Out?" she repeated, interest clearly piqued.

"Yea," he confirmed with a nod. "I thought it was time to break from tradition and try something new."

"I like new things."

"How does a ride on my bike sound?"

Martha touched her hair, which hung neatly around her shoulders like a dark veil. "It sounds like a case of helmet hair is in my future."

Steve shrugged slightly. "I don't usually wear one," he confessed. He knew it was poor practice and he had already prepared himself for the lecture that followed.

"Do the words 'traumatic brain injury' mean anything to you?" Martha asked seriously. "You know I used to work in accident and emergency, right? So I've seen the effects of motorcycle accidents firsthand," she scolded gently. "Not to mention that I'm fairly certain there are actual laws in place in this country that require helmets while riding."

"Martha…"

"Are you actively trying to cause me to have a conniption?" she continued. "It's bad enough that you jump out of planes without a parachute, but now you're riding motorcycles without a helmet?" She sighed softly and ran a hand over the soft, supple leather of his jacket. "You know…if you want to play doctor with me, all you have to do is ask," she joked. "No need to put your life in danger."

Steve gave a half smile at the seamless transition from passionate doctor to woman with more amorous intentions. "If I wanted to play doctor with you, I'd let Natasha hit me," he retorted. "But I mostly do it for the thrill. I feel free when I ride that way."

"I understand that," Martha conceded with another sigh. "I reckon I just prefer thrills that have a lower risk of causing bodily harm."

Steve pressed a quick kiss to her temple. "Which is why I have helmets this time," he said, pulling away from her to retrieve the two motorcycle helmets he had secured earlier with Natasha's help. He placed one of the helmets on Martha's head and she thanked him with a kiss before flipping it closed. Once his was securely in position, he slid onto his bike. Martha followed suit, leaning into his back and encircling his waist with her arms. Steve enjoyed the closeness and felt no guilt over taking the scenic route from Silver Spring to the Smithsonian.

When they arrived at the museum, Martha was the first to disembark, leaving Steve feeling cold without her warmth pressed flush against him. She removed her helmet and ran a hand through her hair a few times while she looked around. "You brought me on an after-hours museum date?"

"Something like that," Steve answered as he removed his own helmet.

"Do I get a private tour of the Captain America exhibit?"

"Better," Steve promised. Setting their helmets aside, he took her by the hand lead her inside the museum, taking in the first floor exhibits as they walked.

Once they reached the second floor, they veered off towards the Einstein planetarium and Martha pulled back a little. "Isn't the Captain America exhibit the other way?" She gestured over her shoulder.

"Yea, but I promised you a movie." Steve took both her hands and jerked his head towards the planetarium.

Martha smiled brightly. "Alright," she conceded and allowed him to lead her inside. Steve signaled the hidden projectionist once they got to their seats. The lights lowered and a film about journeying to the stars began to play. "What's all this?" Martha asked with a wide grin.

"I couldn't take you to the moon, but I thought showing you the stars would be a nice compromise."

"There you go being smooth again."

Steve chuckled. "I can't take all the credit. I had a lot of help."

"Natasha?"

"All of the Avengers," Steve confessed.

Martha quirked a brow. "Seriously?"

"You already know that my personal life is one of Natasha's biggest hobbies, but Clint reckons himself a modern day Cupid too," he informed her. "Dr. Banner had some connections here and Thor asked Jane Foster for her help as well. As for Tony, well, he insisted on footing the bill."

Martha appeared stunned by all that had gone into preparing their date. "I can't believe you went through all this trouble."

"I had a lot to live up," Steve said before shrugging. "I wanted tonight to be special."

"Any amount of time I get to spent with you is special," she assured him with a tender kiss on the lips.

Steve slipped his hand behind her neck and deepened the kiss. The fact that they were missing the film, and that one of the Avengers was probably running the projector, were the only motivating factors in him pulling away a moment later. Martha leaned into him as she watched the screen, but his eyes were glued on her the whole time.

Once the show was over, he lead her back downstairs and out onto the east terrace where the observatory was located. A small picnic awaited them upon their arrival and after eating, they began searching the skies with the aid of a stargazing app that Tony and Jane had jointly created.

"What's that one?" Steve asked, shifting away from the telescope to give Martha a chance to look through the eyepiece.

"Which?"

"The bright orange one."

"Let me check." Martha searched the app on his phone. "Ah. It's called Alphard, which according to the guide is known as the heart of…Hydra." Steve pursed his lips in response and Martha cleared her throat awkwardly. "Well that's a downer," she joked. "How about…" She consulted the app again and located a different constellation. "That one."

Steve slid in close behind her, craning his neck over her shoulder to look and placing his hands on her hips to steady their position. "Which one is it?"

"Virgo."

"The maiden."

"Mmhmm," Martha confirmed. "And that bright blue star? That's Spica. It's a binary star."

Steve took his eyes off the stars and focused on her. "A binary star?"

"'A pair of stars which revolve around a common center of mass and united by the bond of their own mutual gravitation towards each other,'" she read aloud then looked up with a smile when she finished. "Who knew astronomy could sound so romantic."

"Stephen Hawking probably has a good idea."

Martha smirked. "You're familiar with his work?"

"Not really," Steve answered. "I looked him up after a friend mentioned him once in passing." His brows knit together. "Phil Coulson."

"Oh," Martha said quietly. She slipped his phone into her pocket and then turned to face him, placing a hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry."

"No." Steve shook his head and resettled his hands on her waist. "I'm sorry for bringing down the mood."

Martha smiled kindly and caressed his face. "You haven't ruined a thing. Tonight has been absolutely perfect," she assured him and pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. Steve instinctively drew her body flush against his upon feeling her lips again and Martha responded by slipping her arms around his neck.

Once again, Steve found himself getting lost in the wonder that was Martha Jones, but unlike their night on the couch, he had no intention of pulling back this time. His hand slipped under her jacket and over the lacy material of her top as he caressed her back. Martha shivered in his arms and couldn't help liking that he had that effect on her.

After a long while, Martha pulled away panting. "It's getting late."

Steve reluctantly released her. "Do you want me to drive you home?"

"Well unless you were planning on us sleeping here, I'm not sure what other option we have," Martha retorted playfully, putting some space between them.

"You can sleep at my place tonight," Steve suggested. "Or…not sleep," he added after careful consideration.

Martha looked surprised for a moment before relaxing into a smile. "That's a mighty tempting offer, Captain."

Steve reached for her hand. "So what do you say?"

"I say…" Martha took his hand and laced her fingers with his as she closed the gap between them. "I hope you have something I can sleep in."

Steve matched her smile before leaning in for a gentle kiss. "My arms," he answered against her lips.