Word count: 2609

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After breakfast, there was honestly nothing to do. Clint and the kids were working in the garden, most everyone was watching tv... it was a nice, slow day. Steve had asked if anyone wanted to go explore the woods, but Stella declined and from there, everyone else dropped out one by one.

Wanda, however, changed her mind. She wanted to move a little, plus, she was finally starting to bond with the captain. For some odd reason, Stella had tried to stop her, however, Wanda didn't care what she said and believed that Stella shouldn't care about what she did. It only affirmed her lust to go with him.

Within only a couple minutes (the amount of time it took for Steve to get his shoes on and two water bottles together), Wanda was standing out on the porch. She had a bag over her arm, but it didn't have much in it. It had a camera (Laura had wanted her to take a picture if she had seen anything interesting), a flashlight (in case they got lost and night came) and a small first-aid kit with little more than a couple Band-Aids and Neosporin. Clint had insisted that she also brought a rope, but she didn't know why she would ever need something like that. It was a day hike, not a camping trip.

When her family used to go out for hikes, they would bring a couple water bottles and nothing more. Here, they did more than prepare.

Steve walks out next to her and Wanda smiles at him as the memories part for the present. He says, "Ready?"

"You say that like this is something to be ready for," she rolls her eyes before stepping off of the porch and starting to walk towards the trees.

Where Clint lived was just less than illegal. He lived right on the border of a county park. Wanda had heard him refer to it as Dater. It was fairly mountainous but it wasn't much for hiking. The only reason it was worth it was because it was early summer and everything was green.

Steve lagged behind Wanda as she begins walking. She seemed sure of where she was going, as if she had been through these woods hundreds of times. The way she held her shoulders back were noteworthy. She was almost leaned back a little to have a wider view of the area. She looked so relaxed as she stepped, one foot in front of the other. She looked around, her expression being hidden by her hair which she had neglected to tie back.

When she tucked her hair behind her ear to grant Steve a look at her face, he saw that she was smiling. It was calm but euphoric.

"You seem happier to be here," Steve smiles to himself as he says.

Wanda rolls her eyes playfully as she looks back at him, "It's nice. It's cooler under the trees... the sun doesn't bear down as much."

She stops to let Steve catch up, thinking that she had just walked too quickly. Without thought, she takes his hand as he begins walking under the canopy of green. Little light made its way down to their level, but what did was soft and inviting. She stepped a little in front of him again by accident, keeping a gentle hold of his hand while she looks around to see any creatures.

Steve didn't really think anything of their fingers being intertwined. Wanda kept walking at a steady pace, just quick enough to make it clear to Steve how excited she was to be out here, but slow enough where she could appreciate the surroundings.

When they reached their first water break, they had been walking for just over two hours, but Wanda didn't feel tired. She hardly felt thirsty. She didn't feel anything but a serene joy. The pollen made the air smell sweet, so she felt like she was being fueled by that as well. Steve had, however, told her that drinking water would mean that they could both keep going for longer. She considered this more an opportunity to just sit and talk.

The walk had mostly been filled with a strangely comfortable silence. Neither dared to break the quiet, more because neither wanted to. It didn't feel awkward or tense.

They sat on an uncomfortable rock, but Wanda kept her eyes up, her eyes were attracted to a squirrel up in the trees, jumping from branch to branch before settling in one spot. She gently leans into Steve after a moment.

"Why didn't we do this before?" Her voice was gentle, quiet. It was almost like she tried to blend in as she takes one of Steve's hands in both of hers. Their hands had only separated just before they had sat down. Wanda had taken comfort in the callouses of his knuckles, which she had begun running over with her thumb about an hour in. She now felt them with her other hand.

Steve glances at her, smiling a little, "I never thought to. Plus, the last couple weeks haven't exactly been full of free time..."

Wanda smiles a little more, feeling his knuckles with one hand while the other felt his palm. Her gentle fingers trace his skin, feeling each ridge.

"That's a good point," she says quietly. "This is nice, though. It's peaceful."

She looks up at the treetops. High, thin, wispy clouds grazed the otherwise deep blue sky. The sun was hidden behind a cluster of leaves, so looking up was fairly comfortable. She didn't even need to squint.

"It's almost a good thing nobody else came along... it would have somehow divulged into chaos..." Steve shakes his head before looking at Wanda. She didn't seem to be paying attention anymore, more lost in the atmosphere than she was in her thoughts. "I'm sorry I made you leave."

"I needed to leave anyway," she replies, revealing that she was, in fact, paying at least a bit of attention. "I needed to reset."

"And now that you've reset?" Steve asks, holding and gently squeezing the hand whose fingers tickled against his palm. Wanda looks at him, expecting a followup. After a moment of silence, she looks away as she mutters her answer.

"Now that I've reset... I'm better," she replies simply, pulling her hands from Steve's. She felt a sudden embarrassment in holding onto them for so long. It was probably a weird thing to do... she didn't know that Steve had interpreted that as him doing something wrong. There was a weird air around them now that she had pulled her hand away. It was awkward. Even worse, it felt gross. They weren't supposed to be awkward. The moment wasn't supposed to be awkward. Holding hands definitely shouldn't have made them awkward. Something felt natural about the way their fingers tangled together so perfectly. Her hands were cold enough to cool down his, and his hands were heated enough to make hers warm.

Steve purses his lips before standing up, "Maybe we should keep walking."

Wanda takes a deep breath, "Maybe we should..."

She stands and begins walking again. Steve pauses to allow her to get ahead before following. She kept looking around the area before looking down and folding her hands. She messed with her fingers, like she did when she was thinking. Steve, for some reason, hoped she was thinking about him.

Steve and Wanda came home past supper, since they had stayed out for too long. The skies were not colorful but were instead darkening with the approaching night. Tony and Vision were tasked with clearing the table and washing the dishes, so there was no chance of either Steve or Wanda getting any scraps.

Wanda was in her room at this point, pulling off her shirt and replacing it with a tank top to sleep in. She didn't mind missing supper; she wasn't all that hungry anyway. She suspected that Steve, however, would not be okay with missing supper. She suspected that he needed much more food than she did in order to continue on, but what she didn't expect was a knock on her door.

"Wanda?" Steve asks quietly from the other side of the wood. "Are you in there?"

"Yes," she pulls her tank top over her stomach and opens up the door, stepping aside to let him in, which he refused to do.

"No, I just wanted to know... do you want to go to dinner tonight?" He asks. Wanda tilts her head at him curiously. "We missed dinner here and Clint said that there are some restaurants in town that we could go to."

Wanda smiles a little to herself, "Yeah, I would love that. Only thing is that you have to choose the restaurant."

"Gladly," Steve had this kind of smile on his face which made Wanda smile too.

"Alright. I'll get dressed and meet you outside," she smiles a little and slowly closes the door, leaving Steve on the other side of the door. She tugs off her shorts and begins changing.

Steve smiles a little to himself. He was glad he didn't have to go out alone, but it felt like he could trust Wanda.

"Mr. Rogers's got himself a date," Sam says in a sing-song voice as he passes Steve.

Steve rolls his eyes, "It's not a date."

"That's what they always say," Sam keeps walking, but Steve was unsatisfied with the ending of the conversation, so he trails behind.

"What do you mean by that?" Steve asks.

"I'm just saying. You can pretend that you don't think it's a date, but we'll all know better," Sam replies, continuing to walk. He goes to the living room. "You should go get ready for your date."

"Hold up, Steven Grant Rogers has a date?" Tony asks, starting to walk over. "With who?"

"I don't have a date! Wanda and I missed dinner, so we're getting dinner in town," Steve sighs angrily. Wanda then walks down the stairs, putting her hair up in a ponytail as she walks. Tony looks between Wanda and Steve, then starts walking away and gesturing for Sam to follow.

Wanda walks over to Steve, "Ready to go?"
Steve grabs the keys and nods, the anger he held for the conversation before slowly fading away. They leave the house and Wanda starts walking to the car. She gets into the passenger seat as Steve walks around and gets in the driver's seat.

Wanda looks out the window. The sky was this sad shade of blue. The sun was nearly gone, but phantom light pollution made it hard to see many stars.

Steve looks at her and gently takes her soft hand in his as he keeps driving. She holds his in return, smiling a little to herself for some reason. She liked the contact. His hands were warm, too. She didn't feel around for callouses anymore, since she had ended up mapping out and remembering where each one lies.

The drive was uneventful and filled with the familiar comfortable silence. She keeps watching the sky, since glimpses of stars would pass by her line of vision every couple seconds, making her smile.

"You believe in heaven, captain," she says. "Why?"

"Because it's the way I was raised. Plus, the idea of there being a nice place when I die is comforting," he replies.

"So... if I eventually die, will I go to heaven forever or will I—" she was cut off.

"If you die?" He didn't like how deep the conversation was getting anyway. Frankly, he didn't like seeing her so serious. He also feared that the conversation would lead back to her brother. The distraction would hopefully catch her off guard.

Wanda realized what she said when he pointed it out and began to laugh, "Wow. I did say that, didn't I? Sorry..."
"No, I kind of like that," he chuckles softly, glancing between Wanda and the road. "I'll start saying that. Not when. If."

Wanda rolls her eyes again and playfully shoves him while more laughs escape her lips, but Steve could listen to her laugh forever. It was kind of cute, the way she scrunched up her nose and smiled with every part of her face.

Her laugh, however, faded away. She still was smiling a little, but not to the extent she had been before. She was calmed now, but she still had a sort of peaceful smile.

"So... where are we going?" She asks once silence had returned.

"I'm not sure yet. We'll drive until we find somewhere, I guess," he shrugs. He keeps driving, not turning on the radio in the hopes that conversation would return.

After less than half an hour, they were back in town and Steve parked in a fairly crowded pub. Steve walked around the car to open her door like a gentleman, but she was already out of the car and messing with her jacket. She hadn't worn it in several weeks since the faux red leather had been ruined in the wash, but the torn and faded material went fairly well with her outfit. Technically, it wasn't even her jacket, but Natasha didn't want it, so she didn't feel an ounce of guilt about taking it.

Steve then extends an arm for Wanda to take but she just shakes her head to try and tell him that that wasn't necessary. She walks past him and starts going inside. Steve follows her, though managing to open the door to the restaurant before she reached it.

Inside, the entire venue smelled vaguely of smoke, though there was a 'No Smoking' sign shown prominently in the entrance. She supposed that the patrons had perhaps had a cigarette outside before coming in.

Wanda looks around. She takes Steve's hand again as they walk to find themselves a table, since there was another sign that read 'Seat Yourself'.

The pub had a jukebox in the corner, where a trio of kids was snickering as they look through Tom Jones songs. Wanda watched them for a moment curiously.

Steve follows her eyes and then smiles a little, "They have a jukebox. Maybe later on, we could request something."

"Captain, no offense, but I don't think you'd enjoy most of the music on that," she slides into a booth, watching him sit across the table.

"What music do you think I listen to?" He asks, chuckling.

"Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday..." she says, trying to think of more examples despite her not being able to remember any more at all. She had only really heard one or two songs by each, and both times, she didn't really pay any attention. "People from your time."

"My time? Geez. Am I that old?"

"You got frozen!" She giggles. "And frankly, I don't like all that old music."

"You know, Wanda..." he says playfully, leaning back a little. He looked like he was almost genuinely offended, but he was probably also just being playful. He never minds the old jokes, since he was, in truth, not that much older than Wanda biologically. Wanda just smiles at him.

"What?"

"Why don't I play some music for you on the jukebox?" Steve proposes. Wanda rolls her eyes almost challengingly. "So... Cab Calloway or The Andrews Sisters?"

"Who are those people?" Wanda asks. Upon seeing Steve's offended expression, she adds on: "I've never heard of them."

"It's settled then. We're going to listen to both," Steve gets up hastily and rushes to the jukebox. Wanda leans back a little, figuring that the night would definitely be an interesting one.

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A/N: So... we hit 1k! Thank you guys so much for reading this! I hope you guys are enjoying it; please leave a comment to tell me what you like about this book or what you would want me to change. Thank you so much again!!