america's assassin ➻ steve rogers

one

"I'm beginning to think this is a bad idea," I said as Nat roped her fingers through my heavy hair to try and tie it up in one of those ponytails that look effortless but actually take thirty minutes and a second person to pull off. She pulled my hair so my head snapped back and I yelped.

"You promised you wouldn't back out," She reminded me and I sighed. I had promised her. She had been visiting me everyday, hitting me with countless offers to reenter society like I was one of the girls from Bridgerton and not just a tired, stubborn woman in recovery.

"I'm not backing out," I told her, smoothing down the skirt of the green satin dress Nat had picked out for me. "I'm just saying it might be a bad idea." In the mirror, Nat stopped doing my hair and stared at me.

"That sounds a lot like backing out," She said. "Except you're trying to get me to say it's okay for you to stay inside because you don't want to feel guilty for letting me down. Again." I looked away from her penetrating gaze. She knew me so well. She had spent a near lifetime in the Red Room learning all of my tells and tricks.

"Do you even want to know why I think it's a bad idea?" I batted my eyelashes at her and she rolled her eyes, continuing on with my hair.

"Do you even have a reason?" I opened my mouth to respond and then promptly shut it. Of course, I had a reason. I had a hundred of them, but Nat and I had been having this fight everyday since the blip had been reversed and I was really trying to see her side and be on it.

"Don't you think this might be too much too fast?" I asked, smoothing down the wrinkle-free dress again. She paused in my hair again before hurrying to pin it in place.

"Mia," She started, a sigh in her voice. "I asked you, pleaded even, if we could take smaller steps. Start with coffee in a cafe or grocery shopping, but you wanted to take the leap. You wanted to do it all at once." I pouted, scrunching my nose up at her in the mirror.

"And you listened to me?" She huffed a laugh.

"You're very persistent when you want to be," She said. "But I won't let you talk your way out of it this time. Besides, it's only a small party." I glanced down at the satin dress that fell to the floor and fanned out around me, the high slit showing off my leg to mid-thigh and the dagger strapped there.

"I have to wear a ball gown to a small party?" I questioned. One side of Nat's mouth tugged up as she wrapped a lock of my hair around the tie to hide it and stepped back.

"Stark doesn't do things halfway." She shrugged, crossing the room and leaning down to fasten the strap of her high heels. She looked incredible, in a strapless red dress that hugged tight to her figure. My eyes narrowed as I watched her.

"Did you happen to realise you dressed us in Christmas colours?" I demanded. She stood up straight and looked down at herself and back to me, where she laughed.

"The thought didn't exactly cross my mind," She admitted. "Nobody will notice. Let's go." I stood from the vanity, fighting with the silk of the gown so as not to tread on it in the silver stilettos Nat had forced me into kicking and screaming.

"I am going to be forever known as the girl who was dressed as a freaking Christmas elf at her first social event in a lifetime," I groaned.

"It's bold of you to assume anyone will remember you at all," Nat teased.

"I want you to know that I have a dagger strapped to my thigh and I am not afraid to use it," I warned. She laughed again, pressing her hand into the small of my back to push me out of the door of the hotel room.

"I know, I can see it." I glanced down and saw the slit did indeed show off the strap and sheath. "I think you're worrying about the wrong thing. If you're going to be remembered, it will be as the girl who had to bring a knife to a party."