Just The Right Time

Chapter 2 ~ Meet Cute

With all the varying mission reports he had to catch up on this past week, the extra training with Thor, and the never-ending new recruit tours, Steve felt his body and mind simultaneously screaming at him for the most relaxing kind of weekend he could think of. It would seem that even 101 year-old super soldiers could get a little tuckered.

Steve practically ran out of Stark Towers to pick up his favorite beer and to his favorite pizza spot for several of his favorite pies. Wanda showed him how to look up music by genre earlier in the week and he was dying to see if he could find any of his favorites without assistance. By the time he got back to his apartment he was full of excitement and choices.

Occupied with trying to figure out the safest way to attempt to enter the building without dropping his precious cargo, he almost didn't notice the delivery guy ringing his neighbor's doorbell.

Steve said, "if I give you my key to help me in, I can just let you upstairs."

He let Steve in without hesitation, grateful to finally get this delivery over with. He rushed to place the food in front of the designated door and leave before Steve stopped him.

"Shouldn't you knock on the door to make sure they get their food?" he said.

"You must be new. The hermit don't like to be handed her food in person," the delivery guy said.

"Hermit? Like the crab? Why would I want to know about a hermit?" Steve asked.

The delivery guy was obviously unimpressed by the newcomer, but decided to divulge. Moving in closer, he whispered, "There used to be an old lady that lived here, but she died not too long back. The young woman that used to order with her sometimes, moved in shortly after, but rumor has it that she hasn't left this building since the funeral."

"I still don't see how the hermit is relevant."

"Forget about the damn hermit! The girl is the hermit cause she don't come outside that door no more!"

Frustrated, the delivery guy left muttering about idiots multiplying more than the roaches. He just barely stopped himself from bumping into the amazon of a business-woman gliding in.

Still holding on to his keys, pies, and beer, Steve looked at her curiously as he wasn't expecting company to visit their building after that convo. Who could she be?

"If you're done staring and you'd like to go put your food down, I can give you more than just a preview in about 10," the woman said.

Caught off guard by her blunt proposition, Steve turned red and cleared his throat.

"Uh, as nice as that offer seems coming from a nice looking gal like yourself, that was not the intention of my frozen gaze. That delivery man just said you were a hermit crab and didn't leave your home, but you don't look as crabby or introverted as he described." Steve said.

She giggled at that, unable to keep the corniness from doing its job.

"Well, I'm Viva and you must be the new neighbor Shye mentioned the other week. She never said anything about you being so...fit. I can assure you that I am neither crabby nor shut in, however I am visiting my best friend who happens to be a bit of both."

"If you give me a second, I can go put these things down and properly introduce myself."

"I can help, you want me to unlock your door or take the pizza?"

"Door please? My key is hanging off my pinky."

Viva unlocked his door and waited for him to return empty handed.