S.H.I.E.L.D ACADEMY

80. Deals made in the Dark

"You asked for an unusual pricey gift this time," Sebastian marked.

"This time?" You mimicked him.

You smiled, taking a slow sip of your drink.

"This is my first time, asking you for a favour, after running a thousands errands for you," You pointed out, not letting him out of the hook.

"It was different back then, you just stayed behind a laptop, no risk and high reward," Sebastian said.

He was right, it was different back then. You had zero moral compass, and worked for just as many good people as bad. The only currency you cared for was who paid the most. Sebastian knew that. It was only one way of dealing with a man like him. You had to give him something, and that something needed to be big. Big enough for him to not resist.

Steve looked over at you, he could see that you were calculating your odds. It was something in your eyes, they lit as you tried to figure out the answer. Steve's belief was right. You two did have a past. From a time Steve was not very fond off. He had your whole file memorized. Every dark corner. Still, he could not remember reading anything about Sebastian. Steve however could not shake the feeling that he was not the best kinda guy. Something sat wrong for Steve about this man.

"I heard you have been searching for someone to repair S.P.E.A.K," You mentioned.

Sebastian immediately sat up.

"How do you know about it?" He asked, crossing his arms. He didn't like rumours leaking from his close circle to the public.

You smirked.

"Sebastian, I don't know what you have heard about me lately, but you should always assume I keep tabs. I however do not believe you have kept tabs of me," You pointed your finger at him. You knew you were taking a risk, but it was worth it.

Sebastian tried to read your face. You weren't flinching. You were confident. Sebastian leaned over the table. He was intrigued by where you were going.

"Since you last saw me I've moved into machinery. I'll repear S.P.E.A.K for you, if you give us our gift," You said looking up at Steve.

Steve didn't know what you wanted out of the guy, neither did he know what S.P.E.A.K was, but he knew nothing truly came for free. Whatever you promised him, was not little. Steve, knowing what you were capable of building, did not feel good about your work in the wrong hands. Steve sat up, his face was cold, trying to not express his emotions to neither of you. You felt how his hands formed into fists, rather than resting. You placed your hand at the top of his, trying to loosen him up. Sebastian smiled amused by your words, he placed the suitcase on the table and passed it over to you.

You placed your other hand on the suitcase, happy you had struck your deal. Sebastian and you went far back. The two of you knew the value of the unspoken word. Nods were exchanged as Sebastian and his men stood up, and walked out the venue. The second Sebastian was out, Steve stood up and began to walk off, clearly not happy with the situation. You took a deep breath, grabbed the suitcase as you walked after him. You tried to grab his arm, but Steve pushed it away.

"You two okay?" One of the waiters suddenly said, standing in front of you.

Both nodded, but it didn't seem to convince the waiter much as he stood there staring at the two of you. Looking for mistakes between you. You smiled weakly and grabbed Steve's arm. He knew better than to move away. This was too serious to risk anything. Steve looked down at you, putting on a performative smile for the waiter.

"We'll just seeking some privacy," You said, straightening up.

The waiter seemed tempted by your offer. Steve was rather confused by your tone. It was something strange behind it. You walked towards the waiter, still holding into Steve. You crossed each other, when you stopped. Steve watched as you tipped the waiter. You sank so incredibly low, but Steve shut his lips. The waiter opened some curtains a couple meters away, and opened a door to a private space.

"Enjoy," the waiter said.

Both you and Steve were silent, until the second the waiter shut the door.

"What did you just promise the criminal to do?!" Steve shouted at you.

You lifted up your hands.

"It's truly nothing," You shouted back in your defence.

Steve walked up towards you.

"Tell... Me," he said, leaving space as he spoke, making it clear it was no joke.

You looked away.

"I promised I would fix an A.I for him..." You unwillingly said.

Steve was quiet, he knew you were hiding more.

"An A.I that was built to form communication between foreign languages," You said and looked him in the eye.

Steve didn't know if you were speaking the truth or lying anymore. He saw how you spoke to them outside. You didn't differentiate between lies and truth, you never did, not when it came to work. Steve looked deep into your eyes. They were easy to fall for. His hands loosen up. You have changed since he first met you. You knew right from wrong. He needed to trust that.

"Okay, but I'll be there when you fix it," Steve insisted.

Fine, you thought giving him a gentle nod. Steve gave you some space, before he looked back at you, pointing at the suitcase.

"Do I even wanna know what's inside the suitcase?" he asked.

"No, you don't," You smiled.