Chapter Text
You’d think after living in Washington, DC for nearly 8 years you’d be able to catch the metro on time, but that is just apparently not in your particular skill set. Your friends say that you couldn’t be on time for your own funeral, but clearly the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority has it out for you. It’s the only logical reason that you’d be barreling down the escalator at 8am trying not to miss the metro for the 2nd time this week. You can already hear the train arriving before you’ve even swiped your metro card.
“Shit Shit Shit FUCK.” you mutter to yourself before managing to swipe your card and continue your stressful commute.
By the time you get to the train platform, you can see the train doors starting to close and in an instant you see the death of your professional career flash before your eyes. Dr. Banner has no choice but to fire you for being late (again), your work bestie, Wanda, never talks to you again, and you start living in the homeless encampment down by the river. Or worse – have to move back in with your parents.
Shaking out of your nightmare, you see your last opening and take a sliding leap into the train car only to hit a wall. You look up, expecting the disappointment of having missed the train again, to find that you’re actually inside the train car. And the wall that you ran into has beautiful blue eyes and a pair of hands firmly wrapped around your shoulders.
“Woah, woah, ma’am are you alright?” the very handsome wall asks you.
“Jesus Christ, I’m 0 for 2 on this morning.” you groan to yourself.
“I’m sorry?” the stranger responds, his face a combination of concerned and slightly offended. Your heart drops as your brain manages to catch up with what you’re seeing. The wall you crashed into is quite literally the most handsome man that you’ve ever seen on the DC metro. In an instant, you become all too aware that you are both hyperventilating and sweaty from your race to catch the train.
“Oh my god, not you! Well, yes you it’s just-“ you take a deep breath before continuing “Thank you for catching me, it’s just that our new intern insists on calling me ma’am and I think I sprout another gray hair every time he does.”
“At least the boy is polite,” the man laughs “But, my sincere apologies for potentially adding another gray hair.” he offers back with a kind smile. You return his smile before doing the only logical next step: turning around and finding a seat as far away from him as possible in order to wallow in your shame. DC isn’t called “Hollywood for Ugly People” for nothing, seeing this Adonis of a man on the metro was truly startling. It’s all you can think about for the rest of your commute until you’re left getting off the train before him, resigned to never see this gorgeous man ever again.
-
A few weeks later you actually do see him again on your same early morning commute. You can’t help but stare at the stranger, dressed in a well fitted suit with one hand on the overhead rail and the other holding open a book. He looks like the physical embodiment of a wet dream. The man looks up just in time to catch your eye across the crowded train car, before giving a small smile and getting back to his book.
He was there a couple more times that week, only to disappear for a while before returning again to his normal commute. Sometimes with a book, other times he carried a small notepad you’d see him scribbling in. Always giving you a smile or small nod of acknowledgement. And as if the man couldn’t get more sexy, he was always the first one to offer up his seat to a pregnant woman or elderly person (“What? Chivalry is sexy.” was your defense to Wanda). DC is inherently a transient city, people coming and going isn’t a rare thing. So what is it about Hot Train Guy (As you and Wanda have come to call him) that is so fascinating?
It had been another stretch of him being gone when you board the train, only to find not only is Hot Metro Guy back but he’s sitting with the only available seat next to him.
“May I?” you ask, motioning towards the rare empty seat.
He looks up to you, smiling in recognition “It’s all yours, miss.”
“Hey, you remembered!” you smile back, settling into the seat.
“Is the intern getting any better with it?” he inquires, closing his latest book of choice. You are now acutely aware that you not only have his undivided attention, but are also sitting incredibly close to him. It makes you flush, hoping to blame it on the crowded metro car.
“Uh no… unfortunately not. I’m sorry to report I’ll be looking like Anderson Cooper by Memorial Day.”
“Well, I’m sure you can’t look that terrible.” he awkwardly offers.
“…Thanks?” you cautiously respond.
Hot Train Guy stammers “Sorry, It’s just – I meant I’m sure a woman as beautiful as yourself could pull off any hair color.”
“Oh, of course… I don’t know if silver is my style but thank you, nonetheless…” you trail off, opening your phone for a distraction. You’re not good at the whole flirting thing. Okay, that’s not true. You’re not good at flirting with people who are actually interested in you. Pointed attention is scary and intimidating, so it’s much easier to turn to your phone and mindlessly scroll twitter than to actually admit that this gorgeous (and apparently somewhat awkward) man could be interested in you.
The train slows to a halt, despite being between stations, before the conductors’ voices crackles on over the nearly inaudible intercom,
“Apologies ladies and gentleman but due to track issues, the train will be temporarily delayed.”
The entire train groans, as do you and the handsome stranger.
“Come on, seriously? my stop is literally the next one! And I was on time today for once.” you mutter.
“Well, there goes my 9am meeting.” Hot Train Guy laments, sharing in your agony.
You both go about letting your jobs know you’ll be late and settle into the comfortable silence of the stopped train, waiting for the end of the delay. However, 5 minutes turns into 10, 10 minutes turns into 15 and finally, thanks to insomnia and the low buzz of the train, you nod off.
-
The jolt of the train coming alive jerks you awake as you blink the sleep out of your eyes to surprisingly find no crick in your neck.
“Oh good, you’re awake, I didn’t want you to miss your stop.”
You quickly sit up ramrod straight and are now very much wide awake. You fell asleep on Hot Train Guy. Oh god, had you been drooling? Or worse, snoring? Your mind is racing as you stammer out an apology.
“Oh my god, I am so, so sorry I didn’t mean to sleep on you. Oh my god you should’ve woken me up I-“ Before you can dig yourself further into this hole of embarrassment, you see that the train has arrived at your stop.
“Oh, shit, okay I have to go. Again, I’m so sorry!” you stutter before very ungracefully gathering your things and rushing out the train doors.
-
“I’m never taking the metro again.” you barge into Wanda’s office, slamming your head down on her desk. She pets your head gently in an attempt to calm your dramatics.
“Oh come on, y/n, it’s the metro there’s going to be delays. You know Bruce doesn’t care that you’re late! Plus, you’re one of the best directors at PEAR, he can’t afford to fire you.” Wanda says while petting your head in an attempt to assuage your fears.
PEAR AKA People for Environmental Action and Reform. A DC based not-for-profit whose goal is to help underserved communities that have been heavily impacted by global warming and other environmental issues. You, as Director of Legal Outreach, specifically do pro-bono work for families impacted by corporate-greed-induced environmental disasters. The pay might be crap, but you get to sleep at night which is more than other lawyers and politicians in the city can say.
“It’s not that, it’s Hot Train Guy.” you mumble pathetically into the desk, still unable to show your face.
“Hot Train Guy’s back in town? You know, I just might have to take the green line with you someday because I am dying to see this so-called ADONIS of a man.” Wanda responds, clearly not reading the severity of your embarrassment.
You lift your head up to look at her, “Wan, I fell ASLEEP on him! A total stranger! Who does that, that’s so fucking weird of me?!”
You begin pacing as Wanda continues her obliviousness, “You sat next to him? That’s great, did you guys talk at all? Why are you treating this like it’s a bad thing?”
“It’s just so awkward, and embarrassing! All he said when I woke up was ‘oh good, I didn’t want you to miss your stop’ god he probably thinks I’m a fucking narcolept.” you continue to pace in her office until Wanda puts her hands on your shoulders, stopping you from your break down.
“Okay, first of all, that’s adorable that he didn’t want you to miss your stop. Second of all, I would kill to have a gorgeous woman fall asleep on me on the metro so Hot Train Guy should BE so lucky.” you finally manage to crack a smile at your friend's reassurance.
“And lastly, Come on, we’re both late for the staff planning meeting about the Congressman’s visit.” Wanda reminded you.
“Ah shit, that’s tomorrow isn’t it.” You mutter, hanging your head
“Yup, let’s move it, Mrs. Hot Train Guy.” the red head responds, poking you in the ass to get moving.
Wanda gathers her belongings from her office as you ditch your coat and work bag on her desk, grab your laptop and both head down to the conference room.
-
You have been dreading this Congressman’s visit for weeks now. Working at a DC based non-profit, you unfortunately have to rely heavily on government grants to stay afloat which includes staying in the good graces of politicians. So when your Executive Director gets a call from a new hot shot junior Congressman from New York asking for a meeting, your team doesn’t really have a choice. But just because you don’t have a choice, doesn’t mean you won’t go kicking and screaming.
“Bruce, I know we have to play nice with them, I just don’t understand why you keep insisting that they’re going to make any difference! We know he’s just gonna come in with his team for a photoshoot, shake some hands, flirt a little with the staff, and be on his way. Those baby congressmen never get anything done, especially not in the first few months of their term.” You plead with your Executive Director.
You and Bruce have had this conversation a million times. He brings in some new politician or bureaucrat who says how vital PEAR’s work is and promises to help bring in incredible funding in order to change the scope of work that PEAR can do. Then they take their pictures that they’ll use for their next election and you’ll never hear from them again. The ones that actually do try and go to bat for the organization, don’t usually end up getting re-elected.
“Look, y/n, you know my hands are tied on these things! I can’t say no when congress calls and asks for meetings.” Bruce explains as he fiddles with his glasses as you groan loudly. As much crap as you give Bruce, he really is an incredible boss. With two PhD’s, a kind heart, and about 25 years of experience in environmental conservation, there’s no one else you’d rather be working with.
“If it’s any consolation, I’ve heard genuinely great things about Congressman Rogers, apparently he’s the real deal.” Bruce added, trying to diffuse the tension.
“Dr. Banner is right, the guy’s Brooklyn born and raised, grew up poor, then enlisted at 18. When he came back from Afghanistan, he wanted to make a difference in his hometown.” Wanda added, clearly having done more research than you had about tomorrow’s visitor.
“Yeah, Congressman Rogers won his congressional seat in a landslide! A lot of my friends from back home live in his district and said he’s a great guy that really cares about Brooklyn. Maybe you should give him a chance, ma’am?” Peter, PEAR’s newest baby faced intern, added.
“Okay, fine, enough with the Steve Rogers circle jerk, I’ll play nice!” you put your hands up in defense.
“And Peter, for the last time, if you call me ma’am one more time I will have you doing coffee runs for the rest of your internship. For the love of god, I’m barely 30.” you quip firmly at Peter. He’s a sweet kid, well meaning, but he drives you crazy sometimes.
“Sorry, y/n…” Peter whispers, making you smile. It’s progress. Bruce looks around the room, ensuring everyone had made their points.
“Well then, let’s get started.”
-
The next day was the big meeting with Congressman Rogers and you were stressed to say the least. Even though you didn’t think the visit was going to make any difference, it was still incredibly important that everything went well. Despite how annoyed you were with the fake niceties that these visits entail, a big up and coming Congressman paying PEAR a visit would mean more eyes on the organization. More eyes on the organization, meant more contributions and support.
In order to try and start your day right, you decided to splurge on an Uber to work in order to avoid any train delays like you had yesterday. That, and the last thing you needed before an important meeting was an awkward run in with Hot Train Guy.
You definitely weren’t hiding from him.
However, DC traffic is also not your friend, apparently, and you still somehow end up running late that morning. With only about 10 minutes until the Congressman and his posse would arrive, you were slightly rushing. In your mad dash out of the Uber, you’re not paying enough attention and walk smack dab into a familiar figure.
“Sorry, I wasn’t looking where I was go- oh my god, uh, hi! Again…” you stumble over your words as you realize that Hot Train Guy is standing in front of your office building, in the flesh.
“Sleeping Beauty, good to see you again. Did you miss the train again? I didn’t see you this morning…”
“Oh very funny, as if I wasn’t embarrassed enough about falling asleep on you” you retort, “And are you sure you’re not stalking me, huh? Mr. Strange-Metro-Guy?”
“You weren’t on the train this morning, how could I be following you?” Train Guy makes a good point.
“Fair point, and no I actually have an important meeting this morning with some asshole junior congressman. I wanted to try and avoid train delays by taking an Uber, but alas that clearly didn’t work out.”
“Congressman?” the man asks with a quizzical look.
“Yeah, some Congressman Rogers from New York? Everyone at my office is convinced he’s the second coming of Jesus but I just know these hot shot first term congressmen all have their heads so far up their own asses they practically wear it as a hat.” You explain, rolling your eyes.
“Trust me, I know better than most that some of our representatives aren’t the best our country has to offer. But, I hope Congressman Rogers isn’t too much of asshole to you” he offers, kindly
“Oh, Do you work with Congress a lot?” you ask him.
“Yeah, you could say that,” he says with a soft laugh.
You smile back at the stranger, taking a chance to admire him unabashedly. The dim lighting on the metro never gave you the chance to admire just how pretty he actually is. You could probably spend a couple days alone just admiring how gorgeous his hair looked in the early morning sunshine.
Your buzzing phone snapped you back to the real world, quickly answering it.
“Hi Wan, yes I’m downstairs I’m walking in the building now, I swear – No I’m not lying! I just- I’ll see you in a minute.” you quickly hang up with your co-worker.
“I’m so sorry, I gotta run. I am SO late for this meeting, but it was nice seeing you again!” You quickly explain, before running inside.
-
Wanda meets you at the front desk, with a fresh cup of coffee and a stern look, “Thank you thank you thank you, you’re a LIFESAVER.” you respond, drinking as much of the coffee as you could in one gulp before quickly heading down you to your office,
“Y/n, where the hell have you been? You’re lucky Rogers’ Chief of Staff is running late!”
“I swear I took an Uber to specifically try and get here on time and avoid embarrassing myself in front of Hot Train Guy again, but of course there was traffic AND I ran into Train Guy downstairs anyways.” you explain in one breath.
“Wait, you saw Hot Train Guy again? We are definitely tabling that conversation for later,” Wanda says slyly. You both turn your heads as you hear voices down in the lobby area, welcoming your visitors to the offices.
“Shit, okay, I guess it’s now or never…” You mutter to yourself. Gathering both your wits as well as your presentation materials, you head down to the conference room. Before you even get there, you can already hear Bruce introducing the two of you.
“And here are our two directors who you’ll be talking to today. This is Wanda Maximoff, our Director of Family Advocacy, and Y/n Y/l/n, our Director of Legal Outreach.”
“Y/n, It’s nice to meet you, I’m Steve Rogers.”
Your polite, professional smile falls from your face as you shake the Congressman’s hand. Steve Rogers, the man in front of you, is none other than Hot Train Guy himself. The very man you were just talking shit about himself to. What could go wrong?
10 minutes earlier – Steve’s POV
“I’m so sorry, I gotta run. I am SO late for this meeting, but it was nice seeing you again!” Cute Train Girl stammers out.
Steve offers her a small wave as she rushes inside the office building behind them. Stuffing his hands in his pockets, Steve hangs his head and lets out a small laugh. Of course the cute girl from the metro would be at his meeting with PEAR. Of course the cute girl from the metro would apparently hate all politicians.
At least this meeting will be more interesting than budget committee hearings… he thinks to himself with a sigh.
Before Steve could get too wrapped up in his inner thoughts, he finally spots the tall red head he’s been waiting for.
“Well well well, look who finally decided to show up!” Steve quips at his Chief of Staff.
“I don’t even want to hear it, Rogers. Half of downtown is shut down for this fucking Anti-Vaxxer rally or else I would’ve been here 15 minutes ago.” Natasha bites back.
“Funny enough, I have been here just as long waiting for you and it only cost $2.25 for the metro.” the blonde man smirks.
“Steve, you can’t take public transportation forever. You’re a member of congress for fuck’s sake,” She explains, clearly already tired of this debate.
“You honestly expect me to walk into a meeting with an environmental non-profit having taken a gas guzzling SUV to get there?” Steve dead pans back to her.
“Okay fine, you have a point just this one time. Also, who was the pretty young thing you were talking to when I pulled up? Rogers, are you dating and withholding juicy details from me?” Natasha asks, faux scandalized.
“No, she is uh… just an acquaintance. And Nat, you know damn well the only woman I have time for in my life right now is you,” Steve elbows at her.
“Oh Rogers, even if I was straight, you’re not quite my type, babe” Nat responds with a firm pat on Steve’s cheek, “And are you sure she’s just an acquaintance? She could be into the whole Hot-Young-Congressman thing.”
“I wouldn't be so sure about that…” Steve sighs.
In the year that Steve was on the campaign trail and subsequent three months he’s been in office, dating has not been Steve’s strong suit. Or even a priority, really. There’s been certain people, like Cute Train Girl, who have been totally turned off or intimidated by the political spotlight Steve’s found himself in.
Then, there’s the other group of individuals who are only interested in the label of Congressman. Steve’s upset over the previous democratic incumbent was major news in the New York Metro area, causing several media outlets to label him New York’s newest most eligible bachelor. What followed was a tsunami of people who were solely interested in their 15 minutes of fame next to “Captain America: New York’s Hottest New Representative” (That particular nickname was courtesy of the New York Post due to Steve’s previous ranking in the Army. Bucky had yet to let Steve live it down).
If there was a rare chance that Steve found a genuine connection with someone, socially awkward Steve always managed to take over. After growing up with chronic childhood illnesses, Steve managed to beef up in his late teens before joining the military. Despite Nat’s best effort to use flirtation as a campaign tactic and convince Steve that he was “an absolute dime piece”, it was sometimes hard for Steve to remember he wasn’t still that scrawny kid following Bucky around Brooklyn.
“Okay, we have now moved past ‘a little late’ and are now in ‘fucking late’ territory, so let’s get a move on.” Natasha says, and just like that, they are back in work mode.
-
Walking through the front doors of the PEAR offices, Steve is antsy. On the one hand, he’s looking forward to seeing you again, which he didn’t think would happen so quickly. Over the past few weeks, your presence and his brief interactions with you on his morning commute has given Steve a much needed sense of normalcy throughout this extremely not normal experience of becoming a sitting congressman.
On the other hand, he is also slightly dreading your presence in this morning’s meeting. He is now starting to realize that lying by omission to you about who he is will cause some very real consequences at this meeting. That combined your clear distaste for politicians will result in an interesting meeting, to say the least.
Swallowing his anxiety, the first person Steve and Natasha see is a young man leaning against the reception desk. The boy, who can’t be older than 22, is nervously chewing on his bottom lip as he fiddles with a vintage looking camera, clearly in deep thought. Steve can’t help but wonder if this is the intern that had been driving Train Girl so crazy.
“Excuse me, son, I was hoping you could direct us to the conference room. We’re here to meet with Dr. Banner?” Steve says politely. The boy’s head snaps up, eyes wide in shock and recognition.
“Captain Rog- I mean, Congressman Rogers! It’s so nice to meet you! I mean, yes I can show you where Dr. Banner is, he’s just down the hall. I’m Peter! Peter Parker.” he stammers out in a single breath.
“Peter, pleasure to meet you. I’m Steve, this is my Chief of Staff, Natasha Romanoff.” Steve smiles as he shakes hands with the clearly nervous kid.
He can’t help but smirk at how Peter’s jaw drops slightly as Natasha shakes the kid’s hand. She tends to have that effect on people.
“Ma’am, it’s an honor to have you both at PEAR! Dr. Banner is, uh, right down this way.” Peter responds.
Oh yeah, definitely the intern that Train Girl mentioned… Steve thinks to himself as he and Nat follow Peter down the hall until they reach a large conference room. The young intern heads into the room first, followed by Steve who makes a point to hold the door open for Natasha.
“Congressman Rogers, Ms. Romanoff, Welcome to PEAR! We’re honored that you were so interested in hearing more about what we do here.” Dr. Banner says with a soft smile and firm handshake.
“The pleasure is all mine, Dr. Banner. And please, call me Steve.” He responds. Letting go of Dr. Banner’s hand, he can’t help but scan the room to look for you. Maybe after his conversation with you downstairs you realized he was the “Asshole Congressman” and ditched the meeting? Steve’s mind is running with anxious thoughts, before Bruce’s voice brings him back to reality.
“Well, I see you’ve already met our intern, Peter. He can usually be found helping Dr. Richards with studies we’ve been doing on the effects of radioactive contaminants in drinking water, but for big events like this we’ve been using his incredible photography skills.” the Executive Director explains, giving Peter a proud-dad-like clap on the shoulder.
Bruce continues introducing Steve to the other staff who were sitting in on the presentation, only for it to largely go in one ear and out the other as he is consumed with thoughts of you.
Why isn’t she at the meeting yet? Is she really that pissed going into the meeting with me? Is she angry with something in my campaign promises? Don’t be stupid, Rogers, she didn’t even recognize you how would she know your campaign promises…
“Look alive, Rogers. I can literally hear the gears turning in your head.” Natasha discreetly whispers in his ear, snapping Steve back to reality and re-focusing on what Dr. Banner had been saying to him.
“And here are our two directors who you’ll be talking to today. This is Wanda Maximoff, our Director of Family Advocacy, and Y/n Y/l/n, our Director of Legal Outreach.” Bruce says, motioning to the two women walking in the door of the conference room.
Steve turns around to introduce himself only to, once again, come face to face with Cute Train Girl, or apparently y/n. He can’t help but smirk at the shocked look on your face as he reaches out to shake your hand.
“Y/n, It’s nice to meet you, I’m Steve Rogers.” The congressman says, attempting to put all the sincerity in the world into his introduction.
You pause, looking like a deer in headlights and it takes all of Steve’s power not to laugh at your embarrassment. He feels bad, he truly does, but it’s too funny not to be a little amused by.
“Congressman Rogers, it’s a pleasure to meet you… for the first time” you respond with a tight lipped, polite smile, “I hope traffic wasn’t too bad getting here for you?” you question with a pointed look at Steve.
“Being late was all my fault, I’m Natasha Romanoff, Steve’s Chief of Staff.” the red head offers a hand to you and Wanda, “Traffic was total gridlock this morning. This guy, however, uses the metro to get everywhere.”
“So I hear…” you mutter to yourself.
“What was that?” Steve questions with a smile, clearly seeing your real meaning behind the quip.
“I was just saying I heard there was a stupid anti-vaxx rally going on that shut everything down around here” you said for a quick save
“On that note, why don’t we get started with the presentations? Wanda and y/n, why don’t you take it away?” Bruce says with a smile, clearly trying to deflect from whatever tension was happening between you and the Congressman.
-
Reader’s POV
“In conclusion, this Lead Paint Abatement Initiative won’t be possible without this next round of EPA grant funding. We’re really hoping to make a positive impact in areas where lead paint poisoning is a big issue like underserved parts of Brooklyn as well as Southeast DC. Your help both publicly and legislatively would really make a huge difference in getting this initiative off the ground” You say, concluding your presentation.
Your presentation luckily went off without a hitch, no thanks to the absolute shock of finding out that Hot Train Guy is none other than Congressman Steve Rogers from New York’s 7th Congressional district.
It also doesn’t help that he was an incredibly respectful audience member, listening intently, asking thought provoking questions, even laughing at your jokes. And then he has the audacity to look as distractingly handsome as he looks in his suit, but that’s neither here nor there.
“Absolutely, you guys are really doing vital work here. My office is ready to give you all the support you need, both with the EPA and shining a spotlight on PEAR to the general public with this new lead program.” Steve says intently as he stands up, “Y/n, Wanda, thank you both so much for your time and answering all of our questions I really appreciate it”
Steve goes around the conference room shaking everyone’s hands, looking like the absolute dream boat that he is (the bastard). You’re pretty sure you even see Parker swoon a bit. Soon enough, the man of the hour makes his way over to you.
“Ms. Y/l/n, I really mean it, that was an incredible presentation. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or Natasha if there’s anything we can do to help with this new initiative.” He says with a soft smile. You feel like he’s staring into your soul as you hold out your hand for a firm handshake.
“Of course, Congressman. We really do appreciate all that you do on capitol hill for organizations like ours.” You respond, attempting a sweet smile that ended up being as sarcastic as you felt.
Steve raises an eyebrow at your comment, “Is that so?” he asks teasingly, voice slightly lower in tone than before. The two of you stand there for a beat longer than necessary, hands still clasped in a handshake, until Bruce interrupts, oblivious to the clear tension between the two of you.
“Steve, I’m sure you have plenty of work to get back to on the hill but I’d love to give both of you a quick tour of our offices before I send you on your way.” Bruce asks earnestly
Once Natasha gives Steve the nod of approval, Bruce leads them down the hall rambling about facts and figures, closely followed by Peter documenting everything with his camera. You take this opportunity to scurry back to your office to take a sigh of relief or have a panic attack. Or do both, you haven’t decided yet.
Back in the safety of your own four walls, you lay your head on your desk hoping to become one with the furniture. You’re not sure if you should be more embarrassed or more furious at this situation. Who does this guy think he is? Does he just go around flirting with girls on public transportation? Did he know you worked for PEAR before you opened your big mouth this morning? And how could you be so stupid! This isn’t the first time your stupid mouth has gotten you in trouble, but it’s certainly the worst outcome so far.
A million worst case scenarios run through your head when you hear a soft knock on the door.
“Come in.” you mumble into the desk, assuming it’s Wanda here to check in on you.
“Am I interrupting something?” that is certainly not Wanda’s voice.
You sit up to see none other than Steve Rogers himself standing in your office. Hands in his pockets, head cocked to the side, looking like he actually cares about your response.
What an asshole you think to yourself.
“No, not at all just… wallowing in my embarrassment.” You pause, realizing you’re going to have to swallow your pride, “I really am sorry for what I said this morning. I was just in a bad mood from the traffic and I really hope you don’t hold it against our office going forward.”
Steve looks at you for a moment before responding, like he’s trying to figure you out.
“First of all, I would never hold it against you or your office, the work PEAR does is too important to let petty shit like my ego get in the way.” He says, taking a few steps further into your office before taking the seat across from you, “And second of all, where’s all that fire I saw this morning? That passion!”
You’re a little shocked. Not only that the goody-two-shoes congressman has the capability of cursing but also that he called you out like that.
“I… I just don’t want to let my big mouth get in the way of accomplishing our goals here.” you explain quietly.
“Well, maybe I like that big mouth of yours,” Steve says. You feel like all of the air has left your lungs. Steve’s eyes go as wide as yours are as if he is just now realizing how that last comment sounded.
“I- I just. I mean, please don’t filter yourself on my account. Too many people do that now that I have the title ‘Congressman’ ahead of my name. Trust me, I know better than most people how useless most members of Congress can be. I do not blame you for not trusting some junior congressman schmuck from Brooklyn who you’ve never heard of. But I do hope I can earn your trust, y/n.” he says sincerely.
“I appreciate your honesty, Congressman Rogers. I’m just glad to see you’re not too offended by my shit talking this morning.” you say with a smile, feeling slightly more comfortable sitting across from the blonde man in front of you than you did 10 minutes ago.
“Sweetheart, I’m from Brooklyn. Shit talking is basically a love language where I’m from.” He says, standing up from his chair, “And please, call me Steve.”
You follow suit, smirking as you stand up to meet his handshake, “You’re something else, Congressman Rogers, you know that?”
Steve lets out a belly laugh, “I could say the same for you, Ms. Y/l/n. Please, Don’t be a stranger.”
He slides a small business card across your desk, before walking out the door. Once he’s out of sight, you pick up the card to inspect it. Next to the congressional seal, in ornate gold lettering, it says
Steven Rogers
Member of Congress
7th District, New York
You don’t think anything of it until you turn over the card, only to see in neat handwriting “Steve - Cell” followed by his ten digit phone number. You smile, and tuck it safely into your wallet.