"Captain." I kept my voice low so that I wouldn't wake anyone. "Do you mind if I join you today?" I'd been in the living room, hoping to catch him before he left for a morning workout. It was asking a lot, but I couldn't stay in the tower, I'd go crazy. I wasn't expecting them to just allow me unrestricted access to the tower and such, but I knew that they each at least wanted to trust me. It was a one step at a time thing, but so far it'd been positive.

He hesitated, "Are you sure you're feeling alright? I know you've been healing quickly and all, but that was still quite a hit you took." Of course, this was referring to the fractured ribs and vertebrae I'd received after the backhand from Madman.

The thought only made me more determined to do this, "Please, I feel like I'm going to waste away sitting around." It'd been a little over a month and the pain was hardly noticeable.

At that he seemed to sympathize with me, finally nodding, "Alright, but if your ribs start to hurt, we're coming back. Sound like a plan?"

I smiled, nodding happily in agreement. "You've got a deal."

We crossed over to the elevator, "And please, call me Steve."

The air was cool and crisp outside, perfect for a good workout. After a quick stretch we began a slow jog until we reached Central Park, picking up the pace once we reached the designated path. It wasn't long until we established a comfortable speed, still much faster than the average jogger, and continued with cardio for the next half hour.

I drew a deep breath, holding it for a moment before releasing it slowly as I walked idly in small circles with my arms over my head. It'd been a while since I'd really been able to go out for a good jog and I savored the moment despite the dull ache becoming more pronounced with the stress. No, I could deal with a little more before I called it a day. If I didn't focus on it, it couldn't get to me.

"Feeling alright?" Steve offered a water bottle which I accepted.

Twisting off the cap, I took a sip, "Thanks." I acknowledged the gesture before continuing, "Yeah, I'm fine. I can handle a few more exercises."

He nodded, "Well maybe something light then. It is your first day getting back into the swing of things and all."

"Bodyweight exercise is it."

"You know," He started after a while, not missing a beat as he continued with his pushups, "It's...different to have someone keep up."

"That must have been kind of lonely. I mean, unless you like to use the time to clear your head." I finished my own set of pushups, sitting back to get control of my breathing before I moved on to the next exercise.

"It was a little bit of both. Sometimes it was a good way to get rid of some tension and other times it was pretty lonely." He exhaled, sitting back and looking at me.

"Well, I'm happy you let me tag along this time." I smiled

With a nod he returned the smile, "I'm glad too. Maybe we should pick this up later on in the week?" He suggested, eyeing me as my hand ghosted across my middle in an attempt to soothe the aching that was beginning to return.

I straightened up, "No, I'm okay." For a moment I needed him to believe me. I couldn't be the reason we returned early.

"It's fine, really. There's nothing wrong with taking time to make sure you heal correctly." His expression was sincere, putting me at ease as we both stood.

I couldn't help stealing glances as we returned to the tower. He genuinely seemed to mean what he'd said and it was a strange feeling. There wasn't an option to just stop in Hydra unless you were really unable to continue. I kept waiting for him to show how annoyed or disappointed he truly was, but I didn't see it.

Sighing to myself, I relaxed. I'd needed this. I needed to feel like I was doing something. There hadn't been a reason for me to leave the tower although I'd been invited to do so on a few occasions. Maybe I was afraid, maybe I'd thought there wasn't much for me to do while I was still in the process of healing. Whatever it was that was holding me back I was at least making progress on.

"Hey." I looked up, knowing who was standing behind the couch before my eyes found him, "Feeling okay?"

"I promise, I'm fine. Steve kept asking me earlier." Bruce nodded at my response, but remained where he stood.

"Good…good…" He murmured more to himself, averting his gaze as he toyed with the glasses in his hand, "Probably needed the fresh air..."

"Yeah, it was refreshing."

Another nod, "Well if you're still feeling alright…If you'd like to….Would you like to go get dinner later?"Almost immediately he began to ramble quietly, "If you want. I understand, of course, if-"

"Yes." I interjected, the answer making its way out before I got tongue tied myself. My mind was starting to replay the conversation, leaving me with an elevated pulse and slightly clammy palms, "I'd like to. Dinner would be nice." I kept my sentence short, sweet, and hard to mess up.

He took a moment to get back on track, obviously taking a few seconds to process my answer, "Um…okay." A smile crossed his features and he continued, "There's a little jazz spot that I've passed on occasion, but really there's everything in the area so if there's another place you'd like to try I'd be happy to go there with you."

"A jazz spot?" I thought out loud. It was an interesting choice, most likely full of people and yet still personal.

He shrugged, "Food, live entertainment, still quiet…"

"I'd like that." I smiled.

"Seven sound okay?"

"Seven it is."

I waited until he was gone before abandoning my spot on the couch, "Uh…Jarvis?" I asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Ms. Brooke?"

"Do you know if Ms. Potts is busy and where I can find her?"

The time flew by after I found Pepper and told her about the impending evening. We managed to recruit Natasha and got to work. It wasn't too hard, just a quick search on the most likely jazz club and a few yay or nays on attire. I managed to settle on something between Pepper and Natasha's varying taste in clothing with a simple yet attractive dress, short heels, and minimal accessories. A light, natural covering of makeup minimized, but didn't eliminate the scar across my cheek and drew attention to the other areas of my face. My hair was left to fall neatly into place. It was a simple look, but it earned nods of approval before I was left alone.

A knock on the door pulled my attention away from the mirror. With a quick swipe of my hand, I removed the imaginary wrinkles in my outfit and snatched up the small purse from the bed before answering the door. "Bruce." I paused. He looked nice. He'd chosen a nice pair of pants and a softer, more neatly fitted button up.

I smiled to myself as he ran a hand through his hair. "…You look great, Rachel." He matched my smile.

Something in his tone made my heart flutter and I bit the inside of my lip to keep my expression in check. "Thank you. You look nice yourself." His smile broadened ever so slightly making it obvious over the nervous tic that he was happy.

"Thank you. Shall we go then?" He stepped aside so that I could exit the room.

The jazz club was a nice, quiet spot. Each table was lit with a candle, the lights were dimmed, and a singer filled the air with slow, emotionally charged songs. The food was wonderful, but my focus was on Bruce since the night began. Without a doubt, the best part of the meal was when he caught me looking at the others dancing in the open area asked to dance.

We grew closer as we continued to sway slowly until my head was resting gently on his shoulder. I felt his chest rise and fall with a contented sigh along with my own heart quicken once again this evening. "Bruce?"

"Hm?" He pulled away slightly to get a better look at me.

"I'm having a really nice time with you." I smiled, "It was pretty sudden, but I'm glad we're here."

A soft smile touched his face and he pulled me close again, "To be honest," He breathed, "I thought I'd lost you. In that time, I wished I'd had more time with you…and now it's like a second chance and I don't know what will happen, but I don't want to let it slip through my fingers again." He was quiet for a moment, still rocking in time with the music, "I just want you to know that I care about you."

A pleasant mix of emotions flooded my brain and made it hard to think. The only clear thing was that I enjoyed whatever time I spent with him and that I wanted to keep doing so. "I care about you too, Bruce."

We remained on the dance floor for the next few songs before deciding to leave. After the jazz club, we stopped by the High Line to stargaze with ice cream in hand. Everything was quiet and perfect and I wanted to hold on to the feeling for as long as I could, later falling asleep with a smile on my face. No matter what would come, I had friends here. I had Bruce.

AN: So sorry it took me so long to update. I've been so busy lately. Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoy. So it's just a bit of fluff/getting to know the others a little more. I thought it'd be a nice little chapter. :)