In Your Eyes // Steve Rogers

13

"So, in Clara's corner, we have a Skip It, a baseball, an off-brand Nerf gun, a slingshot, and lastly, my personal favorite..." I paused for dramatic effect, "A replica Captain America shield."

Steve chuckled. "Good choices. Fair warning: I don't know what some of these things do. I picked them because they looked fun. So, first, we have a jump rope."

"Lame," I teased.

"Secondly, a toy sword."

"What are we, pirates?"

"Another discount Nerf gun, which is bigger than yours."

"Show off," I sang, putting my hands on my hips. I bounced lightly from foot to foot, my excitment level rising.

"Bouncy ball, which I do admit, is lame," said Steve, "And lastly, also coincidentally, a children's Thor hammer."

"Hilarious."

He licked his lips, revealing an unsure smile. "Did I do all right?"

"You did wonderful. We both kinda threw the budget out the window, but good work. Do you want to pick what we do first?" I asked.

"Ladies first," offered Steve, holding his hands up.

"Right. I always forget how polite you are. Although it is dearly refreshing, you're allowed to drop it today," I assured.

"No can do, Clara. Politeness doesn't take a day off."

I grabbed my gun. I loaded my bullets, cocked it, and held it in the air.

"Well, a little friendly competition never hurt anyone. But it's not like it matters. You know why?" I asked.

Steve grinned, catching onto my tough act. "Please enlighten me, Clara."

"Because you're going down, Rogers."

Steve struggled to cock his toy gun. When he did, he cleared his throat. "That is where you're wrong, doll."

Perhaps we took it too far. What was meant to be a playful battle turned into an actual competition. Steve and I were using S.H.I.E.L.D. tactics to take each other down.

What made it challenging was knowing how the other moved. Months of being on the S.T.R.I.K.E. team together, having to work together physically, meant we were entirely familiar with how the other worked in combat.

I somersaulted out from behind a tree and knelt on a single knee, firing three times at Steve before I dove behind a garbage can. I missed all three shots. I reloaded.

"Kinda wishing I had my shield!" shouted Steve.

I paused, an idea forming in my mind. I snapped my fingers and crawled through a portal, digging the toy shield out from the bag. I opened a portal above Steve, dropped the shield on his lap, then closed it before he could shoot me.

"Advancement round?" I called.

"I'm ready if you are!" he yelled.

Steve was faster than I had anticipated. Mere moments after, he ran from behind the park bench, shield in front of his torso.

I rolled into a portal behind Steve. Anticipating it, he spun on his heel. My bullet bounced off his shield. I jumped through another portal, back to the bag, and took the toy hammer.

Staying behind the tree for cover, I opened two portals: one behind Steve and the another above him. I dropped the hammer on his head, his shield was brought over his head for safety, then I fired a bullet through the portal behind him. It was successful. The bullet attached to his grey shirt.