Just Steve

T W E N T Y - S I X

Steve pulled up to the curb, pulling the keys out of the ignition. He took a deep breath as he swung his leg over his bike and started walking up the steps. The night had been filled with a never-ending cycle of anxiety, guilt and fear. It was almost noon now but it had taken everything in him to not show up any earlier. He was completely torn about wanting to fix things immediately and giving her a little time and space to process what happened.

Before heading out, he had confirmed with Tony that (Y/N)'s phone still showed that she was at her mother's apartment. Did he feel weird about using that information to track her down? Yes. Enough not to use it to go after her. Absolutely not. Even so, he was very conflicted about showing up unannounced like this, desperately anxious to see her and make things right but terrified that he was only going to make things worse.

It was with this roller-coaster of emotions that he found himself ringing the doorbell to the Cobble Hill apartment where (Y/N) had been raised. He tapped his foot anxiously, waiting for the door to open but nothing happened. After a minute or two, Steve tried again, ringing the bell once more but there was still no answer. Maybe she was still asleep? He rang the bell for a third time, adding a few knocks for good measure when the door flew open, only it wasn't (Y/N) as he had hoped.

"I was wondering if I'd be seeing you."

(Y/N)'s mother stood in the doorway, blocking the entrance to the apartment. Her eyes were hard and her left hand was still gripping the edge of the door, as if ready to slam it back in his face.

"I really need to speak with (Y/N)," Steve stated firmly, trying not to let the intimidating woman get to him. He had faced many stronger and bigger foes, but what (Y/N)'s mother lacked in muscle, she made up for in cunning words. This wasn't a fight he was going to be able to win by throwing punches.

"She's not here," she snapped, going to shut the door. Having anticipated the move, Steve quickly planted his foot in front of the door, blocking her from closing it.

"I strongly suggest you move your foot immediately," she said coldly, letting go of the door to grab her phone from her back pocket and showing it to him. "The Secretary of State is a family friend, I could have charges pressed for trespassing so fast you wouldn't even have time to get a lawyer. Except you already have one of those on speed dial, don't you, Mr. Rogers?"

Steve could tell from the look on her face that (Y/N) must have told her everything. It was only one minute into the conversation and it had already taken a turn for the worse. But he refused to give up yet. He wasn't here to reconcile with (Y/N)'s mom, he was here to get his girl back.

"Ma'am with all due respect, I know she's here," he said, removing his foot cautiously from the door with his hands in the air, trying to convey that he had meant no disrespect by blocking her from closing the door. Normally that wasn't something he would ever do. This whole thing was really messing with his head.

"And how would you know that?" she asked, curtly, tilting her head slightly to appraise him.

Steve hesitated for a moment. He didn't want to make the situation worse by lying. The look in her eyes told him that she had already come to the conclusion that he had been able to use his connections to somehow track (Y/N)'s location. He had walked into that trap head first by saying he knew (Y/N) was there. Or maybe it wasn't a trap at all but a test. A test that he felt no matter what answer he gave (Y/N)'s mother would make sure he found a way to fail.

"One of my coworkers was able to track her phone," he admitted guiltily, hating the way the words sounded. "Please, I need to see her."

Before she could respond, a loud, yipping noise could be heard from inside the apartment. She glanced over her shoulder, sighing slightly before motioning for Steve to come into the apartment. He followed her down a lengthy hallway that opened into a large sitting room, where she motioned for him to take a seat before leaving the room. A few minutes passed of Steve wondering what was going on, having half a mind to try and find (Y/N) in the apartment himself when her mother returned with a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel clutched under one arm.