Chapter 4: The search for the winter soldier
Disclaimer: I do not own MCU!
A/N: ok so my timelines are wrong. this story takes place after CATWS and before Avengers AOU. if you have any questions, I am happy to explain. after this chapter, the author's note will always be at the end unless there is an important change like today. The story today is entirely in Steve's POV. Enjoy!
Steve's POV
Steve was sitting in the kitchen of Stark Tower, sipping hot chocolate and thinking. Where would Bucky go to hide? Where would he feel safest? Steve took another sip and focused on the map of the world laid out before him. Natasha walked in and took a seat opposite him. "Did you have a good time at the club the other night?" She said with a soft smile. Steve looked up at her and noticed a slight twinkle in her eye. She had been trying to set him up with a woman for a while, and he groaned internally at the thought that Sam and Nat thought he had gone home with Orchid. Not because he wouldn't want to. Orchid was a gorgeous woman with a fantastic personality to match, but he didn't want to rush into anything and right now, he and Orchid were strictly friends. "I did. Got a new friend out of it."
Natasha raised an eyebrow. "A friend huh? Is that what they called losing your virginity back then?" Steve blushed the shade of her lipstick and glowered at her. "I didn't lose it. Not yet. She invited me to a quiet bar, bought me a drink, and we talked. Nothing else happened. By then end of the talk, she had helped me find a way to get ahead of Bucky. That's all that happened." Steve said before returning to the map while Nat stared at him in disbelief. She had to remind herself that Steve wasn't like most men. He didn't sleep with a woman the night he met one. "Are you going to see her again?"
"I hope so." Came his soft reply and Nat gave him a huge smile, standing up and coming over to help him with the work. They poured for hours over the map before finally emerging with several places to look. They planned to leave in a few days, giving them enough time to finish up a few things at home. Steve looked at the clock and saw that it was almost 8pm. He grabbed his baseball cap and jacket before climbing onto his bike, taking off towards The Blooming Rose. He opened the door and stepped in, recognizing Amanda at the bar looking exhausted.
She saw him and smiled brightly, walking over. "Welcome back sir. Want me to grab Miss. Orchid for you?" He smiled and nodded. She winked at him and took off towards the back of the bar. Steve took a seat and ordered a beer. He was just about to sip the drink when a soft hand lay on his shoulder. He turned his head and saw purple eyes and that gorgeous smile. "Hey stranger."
"Hey back." He said with a smile. She studied him for a bit before giving him a soft smile. "Come on. My office is this way. We can talk." She grabbed two menus and his arm without the beer in it and led him to her office. It was a large sized office painted lavender, pictures of herself with family, friends and her cats on the walls in white and black frames. A large beige sofa was on the wall opposite her desk with plush pillows that had cat sayings embroidered on them. The desk was rosewood with a large plush leather chair behind it. Papers were all over it in an organized chaos. A small table was next to the only window in the corner of the room, a large vase of white and purple roses in the center. One wall was a huge bookshelf with tons of books from every era. It felt warm and inviting.
She sat him down at the small table and thrust a menu in his hands. He started to talk but she held up a finger. "Food first. You look famished and I haven't had dinner yet. Pick as much as you want, anything you want, and ill order it. We will eat and then talk. Ok?" He looked at her and gave her a huge grateful smile. She must have either heard his groaning stomach or she saw him eying the plate of food next to him back at the bar. He looked at the menu and picked out two cheeseburgers, three baskets of chicken tenders, 2 hotdogs and a large vanilla milkshake. He could have gotten more, but he didn't want to eat all of the food. She left and soon returned with two milkshakes. She set the vanilla down in front of him and took a sip of her strawberry banana one. "The food will be here in a few minutes. While we wait, tell me something that not many people know about you." She said with a warm smile. Steve blushed and gave a chuckle.
"Well, I used to be a part of a barbershop quartet. It was my stress relaxer." He said as he watched her. He noticed she gave him her whole attention, asking questions about songs he sang with them, the other members, how they started it. The conversation lasted 20 minutes until a knock on the door sounded and she called out for them to enter. Three waitresses walked in with his food and set it before him, and set a large beer battered fish with extra tartar sauce before her. As they left, she looked up with a smile.
"Dig in!"
A/N: Thanks to all that favorited and followed my story!
Guest: I am so glad you are enjoying this story!
TGIF! Till next time!
-Shell