Hillary nodded.

"Sure," she said, smiling shyly.

Steve smiled, pleased. And then blinked when Natasha put a few more things on the counter, smirking at him. Because of course she was going to use him as a pack mule.

Hillary blinked and then rung up the things on the counter. Hey, she still had a job to do.

"See you soon, I'm sure," Natasha said once she was done with an amused, knowing little smile. Then she left, waiting for Steve outside.

"So, I'll see you at three?" Steve asked, rather hopefully.

Hillary nodded.

"Yeah," she said, turning a bit pink again. "See you then."

"See you." Steve left and carried things back for Natasha. He had a few hours still to kill, so he headed back to the tower to let Natasha put her things away. And maybe he'd beat up a punching bag or two.

Hillary watched them go, heart fluttering a bit. She'd just set up a date with Steve Rodgers. She'd never imagined that would ever happen.

Steve had a few hours to punch things, working on getting out some of his anxiety over the date. His first date in a long, long time. And he was so nervous his hands were trembling when he wasn't hitting something.

Hillary was definitely feeling that anxiety, and it didn't help that some of it was her own. Her hands were shaking as well, and she could taste the bitter-sour tang of acid in the back of her mouth. As soon as she got out of work, she straightened her clothes, touched up her makeup, and walked around the block to the coffee shop.

Steve was there precisely at three, since he liked being prompt, and he stood waiting for her, but not for long. Some of his anxiety eased when he saw her, and he smiled.

"How was the rest of your shift?"

"Quiet," Hillary said, smiling a bit when she saw him. "How was your afternoon?"

"Fine. Normal." Steve shrugged and got the door for her. "Nothing exciting happened, thankfully."

"Good," Hillary said, going in when he opened the door. She looked around for a table.

Steve let her pick the table, sitting across from her. He didn't even need to look at the menu, not that he was planning to have anything more than coffee and pie.

Hillary sat down, and it took her a moment to work up the courage to look at him again.

"So... what made you come looking for me?" she asked after a moment, glancing at him.

"I... know how freaked out you were, after the battle," Steve said, a bit uncomfortable. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Well. That settled it, then.

"I'm alright now," Hillary said, looking at him. She hesitated for a moment. "I keep getting random flashes. Different things. Feelings, sounds, sensations. All sorts of things."

Steve nodded. "I know, I get flashes too. I am sorry about that. I'm sure you've experienced some... pretty unpleasant things." He managed not to shiver at the memory of the ice.

Hillary did shiver a bit. She could feel the faint echo of bone-deep cold.

"Yeah, that," she said. "Whatever that was. That happens a lot." She shook her head a bit. "I can't imagine what you would be getting from me, though."

Steve grinned briefly. "Itching," he said. "Lots of itching, that's what first clued me in, really. What was that all about, anyway? That lasted for days."

Hillary blinked.

"It was, um... Wow, this is awkward." She turned a bit red. "Essentially, dry skin. For all intents and purposes, at least."

"Ah." Steve didn't think that was quite it, but he didn't want to call her out on it, either. "Well, at least that's over with. That wasn't comfortable at all."

"It never is," Hillary replied without thinking. She paused when she realized what she might have potentially given away.

Steve noticed and filed the information away for later, deciding not to push right then.

"So, what do you do when you're not meeting strange people in cafes or working?" he asked with a bit of a grin.

"Not much," Hillary admitted, turning a bit pink. "I don't go out much."