invisible string ─ s. rogers

a coincidence?

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CHAPTER FIVE
A COINCIDENCE?

Welcome to New York
Taylor Swift

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Daisy stood in the chilly streets of Washington, trying to find her way around. It was still early in the new year, so she was glad she had dressed in warm clothing, but the sun was going down, and she was already freezing cold.

After a while of walking, Daisy's feet began to blister under her heels. She was supposed to be going to Washington for a potential job interview, but the plans had fallen through, and she had nowhere to stay for the night.

She approached a twenty-four hour ATM and stepped in, breathing out in relief as the warm air surrounded her body.

"If F.R.I.E.N.D.S. has taught me anything, it's to stay in an ATM." Daisy spoke to herself, sitting on one of the desks, hanging her legs off the side. She admired her outfit, it would've been perfect for the interview. A white t-shirt and a gray blazer with a matching skirt.

Maybe she wouldn't have aced the interview even if it had happened, but a nice hotel room would have been better than a dirty ATM office.

She pulled out her phone and tried to call Gray and Jo, but her call went quickly to voicemail. Daisy realized she had no service and groaned, sniffing as her nose ran from the chilly air.

The door opened, letting more chilly air in. Who the hell would come in an ATM other than an insane person? Daisy shivered and pulled the thin blazer closer to her arms, her feet numbing once again from the cold.

"Are you stuck here, too?" She turned and saw Steve Rogers. "Oh, it's you again." He laughed, sitting down at the desk across from Daisy.

"Yup. It's way too cold to try and find a hotel around here." She responded, repositioning her hands to sit in her lap. "I guess we keep meeting."

He nodded, watching her lean against the wall, her eyes drooping. "So what's your story? How'd you get in a twenty-four hour ATM at almost midnight?"

Daisy chuckled. "I had a job interview but my flight was late. And so, I couldn't check into my hotel room for that reason. There I was, half asleep, blistered feet from these damn heels." She complained, pulling off her gray stilettos as she talked. "And I found an ATM." She paused. "What about you?"

"The president wanted to meet the Avengers for a discussion on the medal of honours that we are going to be given next month, but Tony, Iron Man, forgot to book us all a hotel, since he has a holiday home here in Washington." Steve answered, fiddling with his fingers. "So, here I am, in an ATM with the woman I can't stop bumping into." He laughed.

They stayed in silence for a few moments, Daisy shivering harder and harder as the time went on. Even though the building was warmer than the outside, it was still around one in the morning in February.

"Here." Steve spoke, tossing his jacket towards Daisy. She smiled lightly and pulled the jacket through her arms, not noticing the glowing string attaching herself to the man across from him.

"Thank you." She replied, immediately loving the wash of warmth covering her body. Daisy's nose was still bright red, but she was warming up quite a bit.

"So..." Steve started, not really knowing how to start a conversation. "I saw you at the wedding a few weeks ago. You're a really talented musician."

Daisy smiled. "Thank you, it means a lot." She replied. "The bride and groom are my best friends, I wanted to do something special for them, since they've been there for me my whole life."

"I get that." Steve said. "Way back when I was a kid-"

"So like, five hundred years ago?" Daisy snickered, earning a hardcore eyeroll from the man on the desk across from her.

"My mom got remarried when I was six I think... It's been so long I can't remember." He laughed. "I was going to the wedding and I decided it would be an amazing idea to paint them and put it up right above the archway."

"No way!"

Steve nodded, watching as Daisy's face turned into one of disbelief. "I was a horrible artist, but I still wanted to become one, so I snuck it in and the only people who noticed were the guests, and they didn't say anything about it!" By this time, Daisy was clutching her stomach in laughter. "And the only time something was said was when my mom and my step dad walked down the aisle and they looked up in horror at my beautiful creation."

Daisy almost fell off of the desk, but held herself up with her arms behind her. "Oh my god, that is too funny." She looked up, cocking her head to the side. "Actually, now that I think about it, I can imagine you doing that."

"Really?"

She nodded in response. "My friend, a huge superfan of the Avengers may I add, told me at some point that you were an art student. I believe that was your spiritual awakening."

Steve laughed. "My 'spiritual awakening'?"

"Yup." Daisy spoke. "The big thing that made you really want to be an artist."

"My old best friend kind of got me into art. He was at that wedding." He spoke, peaking Daisy's interest once again. "I think he was the one who convinced me to do it, but I can't remember."

"How long has it been?" Daisy asked, more seriously that time.

Steve pondered, doing the math in his head quickly. "Eighty-eight years. I was six in 1924 I believe. Math was never my strong suit." He laughed.

"Seems about right." Daisy commented, moving her feet back and forth.

"Okay, your turn."

Daisy shot her head up. "My turn? For what?"

"Embarrassing childhood memories." Steve answered, making Daisy chuckle a bit. "Everyone has them, no matter how old they are."

"Okay, okay." Daisy coughed, clearing her throat. "I guess there's this one time..."

The woman across from Steve laughed, leaning her head back and rolling it back forward. "Okay, so for some context, my friends, the ones who got married a few weeks ago, Gray and Jo didn't know each other, but they knew me." She explained. "Anyway, I was walking home as a freshman in highschool, and I walked into this small coffee shop."

"I decided it would be an amazing idea to get some coffee, even though my skinny body couldn't even handle large doses of sugar at once." Steve laughed, knowing the feeling. "So, by one in the morning, I had called Gray, the bride, three times, until the point where she thought I had been drugged, so she came to my window and threw stones against it."

Steve laughed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously!" Daisy exclaimed, chuckling along with him. "It ended up waking my parents up, and they weren't happy with my decisions."

"Well, I guess we're even on the whole 'embarrassing moments' topic." Steve stated.

"I guess we are."

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Walking through a crowd the village is aglow; a kaleidoscope of loud heartbeats under coats.