Just thank you

Chapter 3

Three days later, Daisy was met at the airport by Steve. She couldn't help the flutter in her chest upon seeing him, there, waiting for her. My boyfriend.

Daisy had never had a boyfriend before, and that really bothered her. She was twenty-years old and had never had a boyfriend- pitiful. But now she finally had one, and man was he something. Besides being a literal superhero (which wasn't all that big a deal considering Daisy's dad was one as well) he was, well, Steve Rodgers. The mannerisms of the forties decked out with a quaint smile. Steve was spectacular even before he put on the suit, and well, the skin-tight red, white and blue suit just made things a little bit better.

"Welcome to D.C.," he greeted, taking Daisy's bags for her. She let him, not because she couldn't carry them, but because why not let him? Steve was trying to be sweet, and he certainly was.

"Thanks for meeting me," Daisy answered, smiling brightly. She liked Steve. A lot. For understandable reasons too. "I haven't been here in years. My dad got called to testify before congress a few years ago, but that wasn't exactly a sight-seeing trip. They were trying to take his suit away."

Steve looked surprised, "Why would they do that? It's his own private property. What right does the government have to that?"

For the first time it crossed Daisy's mind that perhaps Captain America wasn't all that up to date on American politics. After all, the massive government control really began with the cold war, and Steve was a bit too cold during that war too notice. "They saw it as a weapon and didn't want it in private hands. In the end Rhodey just ended up with another suit and that placated them enough to let it drop. I lot of people don't like the idea of super-anything."

Steve nodded, understanding that a bit. In his time people had been so desperate to win the war that they were thrilled to have a super-human soldier fighting the Nazis. Since New York, however, Steve had discovered everyone wasn't as thrilled with the idea. Even with his limited ability to use the internet, he had come across enough comments by the Watchdogs to know something was up. "People fear what they don't understand."

"People want what they can't have," Daisy countered, thinking of her own experience. She'd desperately wanted an Iron Girl suit, and had been pretty resentful when her dad wouldn't let her build one. "And jealousy makes people do stupid things."

Steve nodded again, but didn't say anything. Instead, he just led Daisy out to the parking lot, where he figured out a big problem. "Oh crap," he muttered, looking at his motorbike. He hadn't thought twice on not having a real car; his bike fit two. It did not, however, fit two people and all of Daisy's luggage.

Daisy laughed at his predicament. "It's alright. I'll just call a taxi and meet you at my apartment. Well, actually, it's just the apartment a few doors down from yours. My dad told me you lived there, and thought I would be safer down the hall from an Avenger so…"

"And he was okay with you living only a few doors down from your boyfriend?"

She looked down at that, and clicked her feet together just a bit. When Daisy finally looked up to answer, her lip was red from where she'd been biting it. "Well… he doesn't exactly know… I mean I was going to tell him, but then I remembered you do like Avengers training sessions on the third Tuesday of every month, and next week is the third Tuesday, and I figured that wouldn't be enough time for me to convince him not to kill you…"

Steve was caught between amusement and horror. Daisy's father didn't know they were a couple. Daisy's father, Steve's teammate, Steve's teammate with a suit that kills people, didn't know they were dating. "So now he can just be more angry when he finds out from someone else?"

"I promise I'll tell him! Just not yet. He's happy with Pepper and… and I just don't think he's ready to know yet." More like she wasn't ready to tell him yet. Steve was older than her, quite a bit even if you did discount the seventy years in ice. And, well, Tony could be overprotective. Daisy didn't want to complicate things among the Avengers, that was all. Not until she had to. After all, she didn't have a clue where this thing with Steve was going to go. No need to make a big deal out of it until there was something to be said, even if, so far, Steve was perfect.

Steve just shook his head, certain that things had not been so complicated in 1942. "Okay, but I'm not letting you take a taxi alone. Those men drive like madmen. I'll just come back for my bike later."

"How are you going to get here to pick up your bike? They're on opposite sides of the city."

"I'll run," Steve replied simply, and Daisy was reminded, yet again, that he was literally a superhero. She was in great shape as an agent, but even she couldn't just casually run sixty miles.

They took a cab towards the apartment, and Steve helped Daisy unpack. They chatted as they did, about everything and nothing. Daisy knew a lot about Steve's past; she'd been obsessed with him as a kid. It was different though, hearing about a different time from someone who literally felt like it was only a few months ago. To Steve World War II only ended back in May, and then two days later aliens invaded. His world was totally different from that of Daisy. It wasn't bad though, or awkward, and both of them found enjoyment from Daisy's attempts to explain history.

"So you would just come home from school and talk to someone living in France about a book written in England?" Steve asked and Daisy nodded. "Wow."

It was pretty spectacular, and yet she hadn't thought so in years. That was something else Daisy liked about Steve- he gave her a new perspective on what to her was just another mundane thing.

They spent all afternoon together, and it was only after Chinese-take-out-dinner that Steve decided that Daisy's apartment looked friendly enough to sleep in and went to head back to his own. She walked him to the door, and, before his conservative ways could kick in, kissed him goodbye. It wasn't a particularly long kiss, but it was good, and safe. "Goodnight Daisy."

"Goodnight Steve," she called, as he made his way down the hall. Daisy watched him go, and was about to go back inside when she caught sight of a familiar face down the hall.

She disappeared quickly into an apartment, laundry in hand, but Daisy was sure of whom it had been: Agent 13- one of her instructors at the S.H.I.E.L.D Academy. Why she was living across the hall from Steve, however, Daisy had no clue, and she couldn't just go and ask. She'd learned years ago about not blowing someone's cover when you find them in the field, even if you're off duty. She'd learned that lesson when Fitzsimmons were spending Christmas break working for her dad. Still, Daisy couldn't help but wonder why Agent 13 was there, spying on Captain America himself.