*C76 - Luke meets the Captain.

'Inner dialogue/thoughts'

"Normal dialogue"

[System]

[Diary entries]

(Word Count: 2,007)

~ A few days later with Luke, in the Peach Blossom Café ~

Luke and Natasha sat at the counter of the Peach Blossom Café. However, they were not alone as there was a new customer that Natasha had brought in that day, causing an air of awkward silence to hang over the trio. Moreover, there was a distinct difference within the café as the customers would occasionally glance towards the trio, curious glances mixed with what Luke identified as admiration.

'So. . . The timeline can now be thrown out the window with this man now awake. Steve Rogers, the Captain America.' Luke thought, still finding the situation surreal. 'The legend himself, sitting in my café.'

Unlike what Luke believed in the past, Steve had been woken up much earlier than his MCU counterpart. He knew that Fury was the one behind this, but what surprised him was the fact that Natasha had called him the night prior and had briefly told him of the situation.

She had also mentioned that Steve had requested for her to set up a meeting between Red Hood and himself, to which Luke had agreed, stating that she should tell him that she would bring him to someone who knows about Red Hood. And this has led to the current awkward encounter that they were having.

"So, Mr Rogers." Luke began, breaking the silence, "I'm just really curious here with how everyone's staring at us, but do you ever get bothered when you're out in public?"

Looking around the café, Steve also caught sight of the multiple gazes from the customers. What concerned him the most were the gazes of admiration from almost all the female customers, while the men in the café looked at him in envy and hatred. For someone with exceptional situational awareness and IQ, but not EQ, he was none the wiser as to the reasons for the contrast of gazes from the customers.

"Please, you can call me Steve. As for your question, since I woke up? No one has approached me in public. It's been. . . Quiet. Well, apart from the occasional stares." Steve said as he shook his head.

"That's all? You do realize that you look exactly the same as when the world last saw you, right?"

At Luke's question, Natasha voiced her thoughts, "Maybe people recognize him but don't believe it's really him. They probably think Captain America is dead, and that Steve here just looks like him."

Luke nodded slowly, still sceptical of the reasoning, "I guess that makes sense. But it's hard to believe no one's tried to ask him about it or just take a picture with him."

"Also doesn't explain why they're staring at me so much though." Steve replied.

"Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Apart from Luke here, you're the second guy who's walked into these parts of Los Angeles looking as hot and sexy as you do." Natasha revealed.

"Awww Nat, I didn't know that you think I'm hot and sexy." Luke teased, a smirk making its way on his lips.

She turned her head and stared at Luke emotionlessly, before sending Luke's confidence back to zero, "If he wasn't such a kid, he'd probably be the best bachelor there is in LA."

Luke could only hang his head and pout as Natasha ruined his building ego, "It's not like girls don't find me attractive. But my heart already belongs to someone else."

"Does this lady have auburn hair? I mean, that hug seemed very personal." This time, it was Natasha's turn to tease as Luke turned his head away from them so that they would not see the faint blush on his cheeks. Unfortunately for Luke, Natasha did not let up her teasing gaze, causing him to begin sweating figuratively.

After a few moments passed and having had enough fun, Natasha decided that Luke and Steve should get to the reason they were meeting in the first place. "Anyways, I should get back to work. I'll leave you two to talk." She said as she stood up to resume her work in the café.

Luke watched her go, before turning serious as he spoke, "So, Nat tells me you want to meet the man in the armour?"

"That's right." Steve nodded.

Luke took a few moments to appraise Steve internally and decide on how he should handle the discussion. Once he was done, he stood up before speaking aloud for April, who was nearby, to hear, "April, I'll be up in the office for a while. Could you help me take over management while I'm away?"

April rolled her eyes as she stated an obvious fact, "Like I don't do that already."

Chuckles were heard coming from the café employees who heard the exchange, rendering Luke speechless, ". . . Fair point."

Afterwards, Luke led Steve up to his personal office. As they entered the office, Steve was surprised when he saw the comfortable furnishing and personal touches.

"Don't worry, you aren't the only one surprised by what my personal office looks like. It's more of a home away from home, you know. Besides, I spend a lot of time here, so I might as well make it comfortable." Luke spoke, grabbing Steve's attention.

"Yeah, no kidding. Even my apartment doesn't look this cosy." Steve chuckled.

Walking towards the bean bags, Luke placed two of them opposite one another in front of a coffee table before making himself comfortable on one of them. "Please, have a seat."

Settling into the other bean bag, Steve was surprised when he felt himself sink. "This is. . . new."

"As a lot of things are these days." Luke said. Before diving into the purpose of Steve's visit, Luke wanted to get acquainted with him first. He may have had memories of interacting with Steve from the simulation, but with the timeline already messed up, he thought that it would be better to get to know the Steve in this world rather than rely on the Steve from his memories.

"So, what do you think of the modern world?" Luke asked, genuinely curious.

Steve sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, "It's. . . Overwhelming at times. There's so much that's different, yet so much that's the same. I miss the simplicity, but I'm trying to adapt. You know back in my day, things were slower. Communication wasn't instant and news travelled at a different pace. It's amazing how fast things have become these days, but it's also abit. . . disorienting."

Luke smiled, "I can imagine. The world's a lot more connected now, but sometimes it feels like people are more distant."

"I can attest to that. Everywhere I walk, I see people with what's called a smartphone in their hands. When I was a young lad, kids would be playing stickball in the streets and there would always be that sense of community amongst the people."

Luke laughed at Steve's admittance, "Tell me about it. Smartphones and the internet. . . It's a lot to take in."

A silence enveloped them as the both of them reminisced about the different times. After a moment, Luke spoke up, barely above a whisper, "It can't be easy, waking up in a different time."

Steve gazed at Luke, noting that Luke mirrored his own expression of nostalgia and sorrow. 'That's odd. He's got the same look as I do when I think about the people I've lost.'

Deciding to try his luck, Steve questioned, "Your eyes. They have the same look as mine."

Luke, knowing that Steve was a trustworthy and loyal person, decided that it wouldn't be bad to let give him a hint about his origins. "Yeah. . . You aren't the only man who doesn't belong." Luke spoke with a mysterious smile on his face.

Steve was confused by Luke's words, but seeing as Luke did not say anything else, he decided not to probe any further into Luke's origins. The conversation then went on to their different thoughts about worldly events and the medical and technological advancements that the world has seen. After a while, the conversation grew more comfortable, and Luke felt that it was time to address the real reason for their meeting.

"So, why did you want to meet the man in the Red Hood?" Luke asked, leaning forward.

In return, Steve's expression turned serious. "I wanted to personally hear about the battle a few days ago from the man who saved the city single-handedly. If he doesn't want to reveal his identity, that's fine. I can talk to him while he's in his armour."

Luke stared at Steve, contemplating his response. After a moment, he took nodded, "Well, you're already seeing him in the flesh. What do you want to know?"

Steve's lips curled into a knowing smile, "I thought you might be the one I'm looking for." Luke nodded, acknowledging his statement.

Steve's voice turned more serious as he asked his first question, "Those creatures, do you know what they are? The data I was given was detailed, but watching the recording, it looked like you were quite familiar in dealing with them."

"I've encountered them before. They're known as Messengers. They're not from this world, at least not originally."

Steve's eyes narrowed, "How do you know so much about them?"

Luke hesitated, internally debating how much he wanted to reveal, "Let's just say I've had experience with them in another place. They're simple to deal with alone, but in large numbers, well you already saw what happened."

'There he goes again. A man who doesn't belong and has dealt with these creatures that appeared out of nowhere in another place. Just who exactly is he. . .' Steve wondered. Even still, that was not his secret to share. As such, Steve continued to ask questions regarding the creatures and the battle.

~ An hour later ~

As they neared the end of their conversation, Steve leaned into the bean bag, reflecting on the new information he had just received. "You know, it would have been great to have had you fighting by my side back in the War. We could've ended it much earlier and prevented more casualties."

Luke chuckled, "Coming from the Captain America? That's quite a compliment. But honestly, I'm just trying to do my part. I couldn't sit still when I knew I could help."

"It's more than that, Luke. You chose to take on the responsibility that many would shy away from. To stand up against these creatures and protect the people, even when it means putting yourself at risk. That takes a special kind of courage."

Luke looked away, feeling uncomfortable with the praise, knowing that he was the sole cause of the battle, and of the casualties that came with it, "I guess we all have our battles to fight."

"Even so, if there ever came a time where a similar situation occurs, I hope that we'll be standing together" Steve said as he stood, extending a hand towards Luke.

Seeing this, Luke followed suit and shook Steve's hand firmly, "Likewise, Cap. I'll be glad to fight alongside a legend such as yourself."

With that, they exchanged contact information before saying their goodbyes. As Steve left the office, Luke sat back in his bean bag.

'Well, things should get more interesting from here on out.'

- End of Chapter 76 -

Next time in *C77 - Secrets.

"Second chance? What do you mean?" Steve's confusion deepened.

"It's not my secret to tell." Natasha replied, her voice firm and unyielding. "If you really want to know, you should ask him directly. I'm sure he wouldn't mind since you are who you are."

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[Author's Note]

I have also just released a new translation series which will be similar to the Battlefield one! It is meant to replace my battlefield series, so it won't be heavily edited like this Marvel series!