There were no signs that his small slips of the tongue (which he'd only caught after the fact) had meant anything to her, and Steve mentally sighed in relief. He maybe wouldn't mind if more people knew who he was, but once people found out, all they ever saw was 'Captain America,' and it was just-- everybody had it backwards in their heads. Steve wasn't Captain America, but the other way around; Captain America was really Steve Rogers, just a guy from Brooklyn who wanted to do the right thing, and make the world a safer place. He wasn't a hero, just a regular guy, doing what anyone would have done. (He knew that wasn't true, but he liked to believe that given the same opportunities, most people would rise to the occasion and help save people.)
And maybe, after seeing him being just a regular guy, helping out volunteering for the community, witnessing him make a total idiot of himself (and hopefully redeeming himself with the rest of the conversation), Marie wouldn't stumble too much over the knowledge - but they'd just met, and he wasn't going to pull out the 'hey, by the way, I'm Captain America' card just to find out. He liked being a regular guy, talking to a regular girl, about regular world problems.
If anyone else had told him 'it's good you've made friends,' Steve probably would have thought they were being condescending, but just from their brief conversation so far (which, aside from the horrible cock-up he made of it in the beginning, was going better than possibly any conversation he'd had with anyone since waking up), he knew Marie didn't mean anything like that; he thought maybe she seemed a little wistful at the observation, and her next words cemented the thought.
At the mention of relationships and being set up, Steve rolled his eyes in commiseration. "Yeah, a woman friend of mine has just started in on that, too. Thinks if I find someone I like, start seeing her, it'll... help ground me, get me back in the 'real' world." He pulled a face. The '40s had been just as real as this one, and so had the war; completely different, but definitely no less real.
Privately, he thought Natasha also knew if he found someone, he'd stop thinking about Peggy; he'd visited her once already, but it had been so painful when he'd realized just what her age had stolen from her, he hadn't had the heart or fortitude to go back yet. He would eventually, he just couldn't bring himself to do it yet, while he was still so adrift.
"Of course," he added wryly, "she also seems to think that I'd loosen up and be a lot happier if I 'just got laid,' and I'm... not that kinda guy. She finally seemed to get that, and I think that's why she's switched to getting me in a relationship. But, like you said, I'm not ready for that, yet. Of course," he chuckled a little, "most girls, while very nice... aren't at all what I'm used to, and we don't really have a lot in common. And, as you've already witnessed, my ability to speak to women is a little... rough, in the beginning." It didn't help that when he went on dates, he was always expecting them to be disappointed, and want to leave as soon as possible. When not in uniform, he kept forgetting that other people still saw him as an athletic six-foot-tall attractive man.
Feeling better now, thanks! Also, I get very wordy when I'm sick, lol
And maybe, after seeing him being just a regular guy, helping out volunteering for the community, witnessing him make a total idiot of himself (and hopefully redeeming himself with the rest of the conversation), Marie wouldn't stumble too much over the knowledge - but they'd just met, and he wasn't going to pull out the 'hey, by the way, I'm Captain America' card just to find out. He liked being a regular guy, talking to a regular girl, about regular world problems.
If anyone else had told him 'it's good you've made friends,' Steve probably would have thought they were being condescending, but just from their brief conversation so far (which, aside from the horrible cock-up he made of it in the beginning, was going better than possibly any conversation he'd had with anyone since waking up), he knew Marie didn't mean anything like that; he thought maybe she seemed a little wistful at the observation, and her next words cemented the thought.
At the mention of relationships and being set up, Steve rolled his eyes in commiseration. "Yeah, a woman friend of mine has just started in on that, too. Thinks if I find someone I like, start seeing her, it'll... help ground me, get me back in the 'real' world." He pulled a face. The '40s had been just as real as this one, and so had the war; completely different, but definitely no less real.
Privately, he thought Natasha also knew if he found someone, he'd stop thinking about Peggy; he'd visited her once already, but it had been so painful when he'd realized just what her age had stolen from her, he hadn't had the heart or fortitude to go back yet. He would eventually, he just couldn't bring himself to do it yet, while he was still so adrift.
"Of course," he added wryly, "she also seems to think that I'd loosen up and be a lot happier if I 'just got laid,' and I'm... not that kinda guy. She finally seemed to get that, and I think that's why she's switched to getting me in a relationship. But, like you said, I'm not ready for that, yet. Of course," he chuckled a little, "most girls, while very nice... aren't at all what I'm used to, and we don't really have a lot in common. And, as you've already witnessed, my ability to speak to women is a little... rough, in the beginning." It didn't help that when he went on dates, he was always expecting them to be disappointed, and want to leave as soon as possible. When not in uniform, he kept forgetting that other people still saw him as an athletic six-foot-tall attractive man.