"If you're not in that pub when I get back, I'll know exactly where to look," he assured, tilting his chin ahead of them. He was going to remember the street, the houses, even the damn cobblestones to know exactly where she lived. Which from another sort of man might have sounded bad, like he had ulterior motives or immoral intentions. "You'll have to leave word if you get shipped out in the meantime."
There was no telling what the future brought. She had mentioned wanting to get back out into the fight, and SSR agents went from twiddling their thumbs to thrown into action as quickly as he did. A single scrap of intel had people mobilizing and if Daisy was as much like him as she seemed, she'd be jumping at the chance to leave when it came. Steve had no idea what she did for the organization, but that didn't matter. She could be long gone before he came back.
It would probably be smarter to just pass word through the office girls, but that carried the risk of becoming gossip. He didn't have any intention of hiding her, but neither did he have any intention of letting anyone know she existed. At least until he really understood her.
With any luck, she won't be here when he comes looking again. It's what's better for everyone — she'll get back to the mission and he won't have to worry about her anymore. She'll just disappear into the void the war has made in this world and he'll never know the truth. It's the best case scenario for them both.
So then why does that thought make her so incredibly sad?
Two houses now.
"I'll leave a note with my landlady if that happens," she agrees with a nod. "Mrs. Harris, she owns the boarding house. I'm renting the basement room until my next assignment but she knows I could leave at any time. She won't mind holding a letter until you find your way back here."
She doesn't acknowledge that she may not have the chance to write that letter. If the Zephyr appears suddenly and there's no time... It'll be another thing to feel guilty about.
A basement didn't sound too appealing; there weren't a whole lot of habitable basements that Steve had seen but he figured maybe they just did things differently in England, didn't think too much about it. A basement was safer even if it might not be nice; at least if bombs dropped, Daisy would be protected. That was important to him.
"I'd appreciate that." Any kind of word to know she hadn't just disappeared into nothingness, that gave him some kind of direction for the worry he was bound to have about her.
"I take it you're just up here, huh?" No use in pretending this wasn't it. They were going to have to say goodbye sooner or later.
The basement didn't bother Daisy; it was a decent room with its own entrance, so she could come and go without anyone asking questions. She's slept in far worse places under far worse conditions, after all, and spies didn't get to be picky when they were undercover.
Facing the music isn't something she's very good at. One house left.
"Yeah, that's me right there..." she says with a gesture to the next building over, sandwiched between others like every other house in this neighborhood. Even being at the edge of the city didn't afford a lot of space, just a slightly wider property than might be found nearer to the center.
"I guess it's time to say our goodnights, then," Steve acknowledged, however reluctant he was to do it. "It's been real nice to meet you, Daisy."
With any luck, they'd be able to do it again before too long. But it really was hard to hope too hard knowing the state of the world and the risks of the job. Even just the risks of being in London could get in the way of them ever meeting again. But Steve Rogers was nothing if he wasn't hopeful, optimistic. Until things panned out otherwise, he was planning on seeing her again, sharing another drink sometime. Even if it wound up being after the war, he'd make it happen.
And he'd be doing it still assuring himself he was only interested in friendship, even if there was a part of him that knew that couldn't be true. Pretty as Daisy was, as instant a connection as there had been between them, Steve's intentions remained innocent.
"It's been really nice to meet you too, Steve," Daisy echoes as they come to stop at the gate in front of the house, next to the sign advertising rooms available. She loosens her grip on him, moving to stand opposite him and letting her hand slide down his arm to his own hand. Her fingers squeeze his for just a moment. "Thanks for sitting next to me tonight."
The universe could be so cruel at times. Letting her meet this incredible man when she knows it can never be more than this. She can't even allow herself to hope that they'll meet again in this time, and she knows without a shred of doubt that he'd never forgive her if he found out the way she'd been lying to him. If he learned what she'd kept from him...
But that's how her life works. Daisy Johnson doesn't get good things in her life, no matter how hard she tries to be worthy of them. It's something she's come to accept over the years, though he's doing a damn good job of convincing her to hope for something again.
"Thanks for letting me." It was a simple response, but he meant it as earnestly as anything else he could have said. The courage to approach a woman in the first place, no matter his intentions, wasn't something Steve had often and if she'd turned him away he never would have known how much more he wanted to know her. Of course, he probably also wouldn't have started a bar fight in her defense, but knowing himself he probably would have found another reason.
"Goodnight." He took a determined step back, knowing he couldn't linger even if he might want to. He'd stay just long enough to see her safely through her door before walking back to his own barracks, ready to head back to the front first thing.
She takes her own step back, reaching with one hand for the gate door. Slowly, she starts to turn away, everything in her already aching with loneliness again... But then she turns back and quickly crosses the space between them, lifting up onto her toes to wrap her arms around his broad shoulders in a tight embrace.
"Take care of yourself, Steve," she whispers, knowing he'll hear her perfectly, before allowing herself a moment to savor the feeling of having someone in her arms again. Just one single moment and then she'll let go again, ready to carry that feeling with her for however long it takes to get back to where she belongs.
A sudden hug was far from what Steve would have expected, and for the most part he wasn't sure how to respond. It took a second to respond and when he did it was only to pat her back a little awkwardly.
"You too." He wouldn't promise that he would, war was dangerous and his role in it especially so, but he always did the best he could to keep himself and others safe. He had an extra reason to want to come back in one piece now, though. Meeting with Daisy again was top of his to-do list. Even if things weren't fated to go the way Steve planned them. "I'll track you down in a few weeks."
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no subject
There was no telling what the future brought. She had mentioned wanting to get back out into the fight, and SSR agents went from twiddling their thumbs to thrown into action as quickly as he did. A single scrap of intel had people mobilizing and if Daisy was as much like him as she seemed, she'd be jumping at the chance to leave when it came. Steve had no idea what she did for the organization, but that didn't matter. She could be long gone before he came back.
It would probably be smarter to just pass word through the office girls, but that carried the risk of becoming gossip. He didn't have any intention of hiding her, but neither did he have any intention of letting anyone know she existed. At least until he really understood her.
no subject
So then why does that thought make her so incredibly sad?
Two houses now.
"I'll leave a note with my landlady if that happens," she agrees with a nod. "Mrs. Harris, she owns the boarding house. I'm renting the basement room until my next assignment but she knows I could leave at any time. She won't mind holding a letter until you find your way back here."
She doesn't acknowledge that she may not have the chance to write that letter. If the Zephyr appears suddenly and there's no time... It'll be another thing to feel guilty about.
no subject
"I'd appreciate that." Any kind of word to know she hadn't just disappeared into nothingness, that gave him some kind of direction for the worry he was bound to have about her.
"I take it you're just up here, huh?" No use in pretending this wasn't it. They were going to have to say goodbye sooner or later.
no subject
Facing the music isn't something she's very good at. One house left.
"Yeah, that's me right there..." she says with a gesture to the next building over, sandwiched between others like every other house in this neighborhood. Even being at the edge of the city didn't afford a lot of space, just a slightly wider property than might be found nearer to the center.
no subject
With any luck, they'd be able to do it again before too long. But it really was hard to hope too hard knowing the state of the world and the risks of the job. Even just the risks of being in London could get in the way of them ever meeting again. But Steve Rogers was nothing if he wasn't hopeful, optimistic. Until things panned out otherwise, he was planning on seeing her again, sharing another drink sometime. Even if it wound up being after the war, he'd make it happen.
And he'd be doing it still assuring himself he was only interested in friendship, even if there was a part of him that knew that couldn't be true. Pretty as Daisy was, as instant a connection as there had been between them, Steve's intentions remained innocent.
no subject
The universe could be so cruel at times. Letting her meet this incredible man when she knows it can never be more than this. She can't even allow herself to hope that they'll meet again in this time, and she knows without a shred of doubt that he'd never forgive her if he found out the way she'd been lying to him. If he learned what she'd kept from him...
But that's how her life works. Daisy Johnson doesn't get good things in her life, no matter how hard she tries to be worthy of them. It's something she's come to accept over the years, though he's doing a damn good job of convincing her to hope for something again.
no subject
"Goodnight." He took a determined step back, knowing he couldn't linger even if he might want to. He'd stay just long enough to see her safely through her door before walking back to his own barracks, ready to head back to the front first thing.
no subject
"Take care of yourself, Steve," she whispers, knowing he'll hear her perfectly, before allowing herself a moment to savor the feeling of having someone in her arms again. Just one single moment and then she'll let go again, ready to carry that feeling with her for however long it takes to get back to where she belongs.
no subject
"You too." He wouldn't promise that he would, war was dangerous and his role in it especially so, but he always did the best he could to keep himself and others safe. He had an extra reason to want to come back in one piece now, though. Meeting with Daisy again was top of his to-do list. Even if things weren't fated to go the way Steve planned them. "I'll track you down in a few weeks."