Never | Steve Rogers x OC

Chapter Nine

Brianna's fingers were aching with every pull on the bow string. She hadn't slept well for the second night in a row which resulted in her waking up early again. Instead of laying in her bed she decided to use her time wisely and practice with her new bow. She didn't know how long she had been practicing for her. An hour perhaps? What she did know was that her arms and fingers were killing her. She needed to give herself a break before training.

Waking up early to go into the training area of the compound was not an unusual thing for Steve. He would always start his mornings off with an easy run before heading into the gym/training area and hitting the punching bag for a while. He had done the same thing at the tower and decided to continue the routine at the compound.

He thought he was alone. Most people weren't awake at five am. It wasn't until he heard a thwack! that he realized he was not alone. He peeked his head behind one of the columns to find Brianna dressed in a work out tank top and leggings with her bow and arrows in hand. He watched her effortlessly pull back on the string, line up with the target and then release the arrow. It landed only inches from the bullseye.

"Damnit!" She hissed after missing the center of the target again.

"I'd say that was pretty good shot." Steve finally spoke up.

Brianna spun around, her arm holding the bow dropped to the side. Standing in front of her was Steve. She thought she would be alone at this hour. Evidently she had been wrong. "Steve."

"Sorry. I didn't want to surprise you." He told her. "Everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" She asked.

"Well, for one there is probably fifty arrows lying on the ground next to the target. You have a welt on your forearm from the string hitting it. And the obvious, it's five am and you're practicing before training." He explained.

She glanced down at the bow in her hand. "I'm just trying to get used to this and I couldn't sleep."

He nodded understandably. "That I can understand. Want to talk about it?"

She cocked her head slightly. She wasn't sure how much information she should tell Steve. She hardly knew him. She also didn't want to appear gracious for everything Tony had done for her. "It's just a new place. I have to get used it."

She didn't want to talk. Steve could tell from the tone of her voice, so he decided not to press her further. "Would you mind showing me how to use that?"

"The bow?" She asked for clarification.

"Yeah. I'll be honest and say I don't know if I've ever used one. I've shot a crossbow, but I know that's different." He explained.

"Um, sure. It's pretty simple. Your dominate hand pulls back on the string and your non dominate hand holds the grip. The arrow rests on that gap right there and the end of the arrow slips around the string." She explained. "The draw might be too light for someone like you."

"Someone like me? You mean a super soldier?" He asked with a teasing tone as he took the bow and arrow from her.

"That's exactly what I mean."

She watched him carefully as he did what she instructed him. He glanced over at her, "How's my form?"

"Needs a little work. Would it be okay if I helped you? It might mean getting a little closer."

His eye lashes touched his cheek gently as he glanced down at her. "Um, sure." 

She walked closer to him. She hadn't fully understood how tall and muscular he was until he was standing that close to her. She gently touched his elbow and lowered it a few inches. She ran her hand up his bicep and felt the tension in his shoulder. "Try to release the tension."