When Does Hope Begin?

The Start

Peach Manchester maneuvered around her small flower shop, humming obscure tunes as she finished the final touches on her displays. "There we go," she hummed, pleased with the bright array of colors that were welcoming spring. Her flowered skirt wrapped around her ankles at every stop as she waited anxiously fiddled, waiting for customers to come in. Everything was carefully prepped and lovingly put together; she was the only employee. It was hard to make it in New York City, especially when she was competing against major flower companies. She couldn't do huge events last minute.

The soft jingle of the bell above the door sounded, causing her to turn and offer her brightest smile, green eyes sparkling with excitement. She made enough to get by, but it wouldn't make her rich. Her smile faltered as surprise overwhelmed her senses. Tony Stark was standing in her tiny little flower shop. "H-Hi! How may I help you?" Her naturally soft tone was almost completely subdued by shock.

"I was told this was the best flower shop in Brooklyn," he announced, looking around as if he was judging the quality of her flowers.

"I would say so, but I am just a smidge bias in this," Peach supplied helpfully. That still didn't explain why Tony STARK was in her store. It was humbling to be visited by a celebrity or as good as one.

"Lives up to its reputation," he grunted before going to a display showing examples for weddings and parties, which made Peach wring her hands anxiously. She couldn't recall anything being in the newspaper or any blaring online media news. Was Tony Stark getting married?

"Those have been recently done to represent Spring, and they're all fresh," she babbled before shutting her mouth firmly. Peach pulled herself together and tried to put up an air of confidence, but that didn't matter to a man such as Stark. He was a billionaire and Iron Man, but this was HER shop. His ego could have filled ten of her shops.

"I have a party coming up... Avengers, Politicians, the works. I want to decorate tastefully. The CEO of Stark Industries thought flowers would be a nice touch, and... Capsicle has seen your shop many times," Tony talked as if it was an everyday conversation. For Peach, this was monumental, but... Capsicle?

"I'm sorry... Capsicle? Whose that and they've seen my shop?" Tony Stark quit observing her work and turned to stare at the shorter woman.

"Yes, sorry, Captain America... I call him Capsicle for apparent reasons. He's rather fond of Brooklyn, and he's from the area. Your displays have caught his attention," Tony paused, looking over the young woman for a moment as a grin turned into a slight smirk. His eyes went over the black hair pulled back into a messy bun, some ringlets framing her delicate features and bringing out her green eyes. She was a natural beauty.

"I didn't know that Captain America liked flowers so much," Peach said much more of an afterthought before pulling herself out of her shock. It was time for business. "So you're having a large party." She hummed a bit as she brought her binder out that held more examples of table displays. "If you look here, you'll see what I can do, and we can even tweak it. From there, we can choose the flowers you want specifically."

Peach Manchester was breathless when the great Tony Stark left. She swung drastically between excitement and anxiety. This was huge. This could be her ticket to get an edge into the bigger world. Small weddings, receptions, and school dances were great, but a few big jobs a year certainly wouldn't hurt the budget. Tony Stark had given her a deadline, two weeks to have it all together... The downpayment alone was ridiculous, but she supposed if one has money, they will spend it. With that, Peach went to work.

Imagine her surprise when Steve Rogers, Captain America himself, walked into her shop a week later. Peach felt her mouth drop as this tall, slightly anxious man walked into her shop. She ran her hands down the front of her lilac-colored apron. "Hello," he spoke gently as he approached, as if he was very aware of how nervous he made her. Surely he was used to people being star-struck. "I was sent to see if you had a plan for the flower decorations." It was clear to Peach that Captain America was out of his depth in this department.

"Yeah, I mean, I have the basic layout of what I'd like to do," Peach said, thankful no one else was in the shop because her brain was having trouble catching up with her mouth. "I'm Peach Manchester. Nice to meet you, Captain America." She held out her hand, and he was exceedingly gentle. While she hadn't expected him to crush her in the handshake process, it still surprised her.

"Steve Rogers, please, no need to call me Captain, ma'am," he was quick to say, and it struck her that maybe everyone called him Captain or a form of that. It wasn't a pride thing, and this man wasn't boasting about being one of the greatest superheroes the world had ever seen. She took another look at him and realized his clothes were rather unidentifiable. A brown leather jacket to stave off the chill, faded jeans that fit rather well, and old brown boots.

"Then call me Peach, please," he shifted as if calling people by their first name was still something he wasn't used to. She squeezed his hand before pulling away and getting out the bright yellow binder she had brought for Tony Stark. She had marked the pages of the arrangements Tony had preferred and left notes on each for the types of flowers and colors. "This is what I have so far." His blue eyes sparkled as he looked down at the haphazard notes, which let him into her inner workings.

"What's this? Red, white, blue?" It was the colors of the flag, patriotic colors. There was a scribbled note of stars and maybe even doodled designs of the star he wore on his suit.

"Oh, uh," Peach Manchester felt caught, and her pale cheeks flushed a deep red. "I know the Avengers. Who doesn't? I just studied your suits and colors and... I thought since all the Avengers will be at this event along with the politicians, I wanted to design something that represented each of you... Just in flower form." Her soft voice trailed off as she began to look for any judgment on Steve Rogers's face. It never came. A soft smile appeared.

"I think that is a great idea," Steve responded, a soft smile playing on his lips as he fingered the notes that clearly outlined his arrangement. "Can I see it once it's done?"

"Maybe," Peach tried to keep the horror out of her eyes when she realized it was flirty. Clearing her throat, she averted her gaze back to the page that held his arrangement and followed his finger that seemed glued to her notes. "Yes, of course. Come back two days before the event, and you'll be able to see it. If I do them too soon, the flowers will die or wilt. I'll be gathering the little things to add to the arrangements and the flowers until then. Tell Mr. Stark he's paid for the event four times over; he doesn't need to make a second payment."

"I'll see you soon," Steve responded, not agreeing to pass on the message as he gave her a nod and walked out of her little shop.