Bob's Gym, Philadelphia, PA. July 31, 2018 07:00PM
Thump thump... thump.
Thump thump thump... thump.
The steady rhythm of fists hitting sand filled leather cuts through the otherwise silent gym. That and the sound of grunts every time a punch hits the mark. Puffs of sand burst through the seams, hit's being thrown too hard. Blood from cracked knuckles stains the dirty leather. More painted on with every blow.
Steve Rogers pounds mercilessly into the punch bag hanging from the ceiling. Sweat soaks his shirt, running down his neck and back. It drenches his hair and drips into his eyes. Stinging. He doesn't care. He welcomes the pain, it keeps him focused so he doesn't spiral and go after Landon. He wants to, ohhh does he ever. But he won't.
Not if Juliette chooses him. He'd never her hurt. So if she doesn't want him, no matter what she's done, he'll give her what she wants. Even if it's that lunatic. His heart hurts in a way he's never experienced. He's never felt this level of betrayal and he never expected it from her.
He fights the sob, he's a man. Men don't cry. But the loss of Juliette is like the moon without the stars, air without oxygen. It kills him. He throws more into each punch, desperate for the pain. He doesn't hear the gym door slam shut or the footfalls approach.
"You're a hard man to find Capsicle."
Steve doesn't turn around, but continues to throw blow after blow into the bag hanging before him. "Activate my tracker." It sounds more like an order than a suggestion.
Thump thump... thump.
"Keep your phone charged. And I wouldn't have to use the tracker to find you."
"But you did." Thump. Steve turns around now, facing Tony and Natasha. "Do you have something for me?" He tears the tape off his fists, the adhesive tears into his bloody knuckles.
"Sure do. Hope you're prepared to apologize. Mrs. Capsicle never cheated." Tony hands Steve a stack of papers, all the text messages and phone calls from her devices for the last month. Since Steve came back into her life. "She loves you Steve." He looks up quickly into Tony's face. Tony never calls him by his name. Never.
Steve flips through the papers, not a single phone call or text to Landon's number since before the 4th — his birthday — the night he first talked to Juliette after two years apart. A few messages to her from Landon, all unread before they were deleted.
He shakes his head, not understanding. "How's this possible? I read the messages myself, pages of graphic explicit content. Photographs... of her. One's she had sent to me."
"It's called spoofing." Natasha states from the bench behind Tony. "He somehow copied her phone, to get all the information off of it, and then he went to a website or bought a secondary phone and sent himself the messages pretending to be her."
"How is that legal?"
Natasha shakes her head. "It's not. He faces jail time at this point. Assuming you want to pursue it."
"I do." Steve declares as he starts walking towards the door.
"Where are you going Cap?" Nat calls after him.
Steve doesn't stop, "getting my girl back." He calls over his shoulder before pushing through the door and into the summer night.
"I hope it's not too late." Tony states and meets Natasha's gaze.
"Me too. But she loves him. She'll forgive him."
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Stay With Me
FanfictionTwo months after the Avengers lost to Thanos and 3.5 billion people vanished from existence, Steve Rogers sits alone in a bar dedicated to his team. A bar that is owned by his ex-fiancé. She thinks he left her at the alter two years ago. What she d...
