Bad For You

10

Lane rolled into the compound late the next afternoon with sunglasses on, earbuds in and an extra-large, iced coffee clutched in her hands. She'd stayed awake comforting Dio well into the night and when Paloma got home from her night shift, surprised to see her friend but thankful that her mother had been able to get some sleep before having to head to her own job, Lane crashed on the couch for a few hours, grateful for the small box of spare clothes she kept there so she didn't have to sleep in a miniskirt.

Sometime before noon Dio had escaped his mother's room and curled onto the couch with Lane but the little boy was equivalent to sleeping beside a lava octopus. So, she had laid on the couch, trying her best not to move as he squirmed and kicked and sweat dampened her clothes until Paloma, after getting a few hours of sleep, came out to relieve Lane and send her home.

Her old car didn't have A/C and the sun beating down through her windows had only added to the sticky feeling on her body and she couldn't wait to get a shower. On the elevator ride up she debated, knowing Steve would likely have her start her training the minute he knew she was back, if she'd be able to sneak to her room before he saw her or if it was even worth it knowing she'd just be drenched again by the end of the workout anyways.

As the elevator neared its destination she pulled her phone from her hoodie pocket, the playlist currently drowning out the outside world one of her favorites but not the upbeat vibe she needed to slog through the day. The elevator stopped and the doors opened and she stepped out without looking up only to be stopped in her tracks as she turned into the hall and hit a wall. A very warm, fleshy wall that reached snaked a hand around her back to keep her from toppling backwards.

"Whoa," she saw more than heard the words leave Steve's lips as he steadied her and she plucked out an earbud. "In a hurry to get somewhere?"

His smile was playful and curious as the hand he'd placed on her waist to keep her from falling over remained.

Lane tried not to feel the heat of fingers on her skin where they had slipped under her sweatshirt as she narrowed her eyes. He looked too cheerful, too happy to see her. Even after their strange walk and exchange last night his current glee still felt weird.

She took a few steps back. "Why, Captain, am I going to get detention for running in the halls?"

He flexed the hand that had been on her before shaking his head. He shouldn't have expected their tentative cordiality to last even if he'd wanted it to. Even if he'd enjoyed it. A small part of him was happy though that she'd slipped back into her armor, that her spikes were back in place. Maybe it would keep him from having another night of dreams of pulling her in with hands covered in the blood of the faceless men who'd harmed her. She'd gotten her justice and didn't need him to save her and she wouldn't want him to even if she hadn't.

He met her narrowed stare again. "Just making conversation."

She licked her lips and surveyed him as she took one step back toward him. "Well, if you must know I was trying to sneak to my room to get a shower before you could drag me into training. I'm not particularly excited to add sweat to my current coating of sticky, sick child."

"The little boy from last night?"

"No," she said with a playful yet sarcastic smile. "It was an entirely different and random tiny, infirmed child that I stumbled upon at two in the morning that kept me awake with their insomnia kicks and hellfire rivaling body heat."

He nodded and sighed. "Yeah, that was kind of a dumb question."

Lane laughed as she moved around him. "Wow, admitting defeat so quickly? You better not be going soft on me, Captain. I quite enjoy our verbal sparring, keeps me on my toes."

His arm shot out to block her path and she glared at it as he spoke in a lowered voice.

"The last thing I am ever going to be around you is soft." She turned to look at him slowly, eyes blinking rapidly at the response her lady bits were having at the unusual husk in his tone, Frank's words from last night finding their way back to the forefront of her thoughts.

A satisfied grin took over his face before he pulled back and crossed his arms. "But I can be reasonable. Take the day off. Shower, sleep, we can get back to it tomorrow."

"I appreciate the consideration but," she shook her coffee. "I spent fifteen bucks on this quad shot espresso so I could make it through the day and I don't like to waste hard earned money. I'll down it on the way to my room and meet you after I change."

She began to walk away but Steve snatched the cup from her hands as she brought it to her lips and she whirled to see him downing the brew in large gulps.

"What the fuck?"

He slipped the cup, with only remnants of ice left, back into her hands ignoring her bewildered face as he pulled out his wallet, grabbing a few bills and handing them to her. "Sleep, Lane. You look like crap and despite what you might thing I do understand people need breaks once in a while."

She ran her tongue over her teeth and cocked her hip. "Fine," she looked at the bills in his hand but didn't take them. "But I'm not a hundred so I don't carry cash. You need to figure out another form of payment."

For a second he thought about leaning in. About asking what other ways he might be able to repay her, once she got some rest of course, but she raised an eyebrow and he sucked in a breath before tucking the bills back into his wallet. He reminded himself that he was glad her armor was back for a reason. That she liked to poke and prod and got enjoyment from pissing him off, unaware of the other things it had recently started doing to him. Things he was fighting against inside himself. Fighting and losing.

He hit the button to open the elevator doors. "I'll Venmo you," he said stepping back, eyes still on her as he boarded the lift.

She cocked her head. "You know how to use Venmo?"

He shook his head, leaning against the back wall as the doors closed. "I'm going to give the cash to Nat and have her Venmo you."

He heard her bark of laughter as the floor beneath him began to drop and knew he was going to have to spend some extra time in the gym to work off his current frustration.