The fresh morning air flows over my face as we run past the Washington D.C. skyline. Sunlight beams down on me, making the water of the Potomac River sparkle. Birds fly overhead, and I love their chirping in the early morning. Everything feels so good, so free. I briefly close my eyes and savor the moment before glancing at Nat, who is running next to me as we cross a bridge. In the distance, I see the Jefferson Memorial, a truly impressive monument.
"Hey Nat, how's it going with our Captain America?" I ask her. I'm being such a jerk, knowing exactly how embarrassed this topic makes her, and that's precisely why I bring it up. She'll probably deny her feelings again, just like always. "There's nothing going on." What did I just hear? For a year, I've been watching her undress him with her eyes every day, and it's driving me nuts. Sometimes I get the feeling that Steve might be feeling the same way, which only makes things worse. "You know I don't buy that, right? I might not have much experience—at least I don't remember any—but you two are making it so obvious that everyone can see it," I say with a grin. "We're partners or colleagues, whatever you want to call it, but that's all there is," she replies. Well, if you say so, it must be true. "I'd be on Team Pro for a Captain America-Black Widow romance. Maybe then you wouldn't be so sexually frustrated, my dear best friend."
If looks could kill, I'd definitely be six feet under right now. But I hope Nat would never actually hurt me. "Focus on running and stop talking so much," she says, though there's a slight smile playing on her lips. I wonder who she's thinking about. We turn into a small avenue, with trees lining the path on either side, and the sunlight filters through the canopy of leaves.
"So how are you finding it at S.H.I.E.L.D. these days?" Nat asks after a moment of silence. I keep my gaze forward and think about my answer. There's so much I could say.
"On the day you brought me here a year ago, I felt so out of place. Everything looked so perfect, and I never thought I'd feel comfortable or settled here. Plus, I kept thinking that this was just another one of my weird dreams and that I could wake up at any moment." Nat doesn't know much about my dreams. She also doesn't know that Steve has been appearing in them more frequently lately, a time before he became Captain America, but she knows roughly what they're about and that I don't know where these images come from. She also knows about the man I always see, but I have no idea who he is. Steve and he are good friends there, but that's all I know.
"The whole of my life changed from one moment to the next. The training, even though it exhausts me every day, has helped me find myself and let go of the fear of losing control. I now have a purpose and friends, and I didn't realize how much I needed them until a year ago," I finish my answer. There's so much more I could say, so many emotions this topic brings up in me. I glance at Nat briefly, a smile on my lips. She looks back at me with a genuine smile, her eyes sparkling.
"You belong with us, Elora," she says, and I feel it again: I am happy. I finally have my life under control, mostly, and things are going mostly the way I want them to. We're just rounding the Lincoln Memorial when I hear a familiar voice behind us. "OH MANNNN!" Yep, that's Sam. I'm about to turn around when Steve speeds past us at a pace I couldn't reach even in a full sprint. "Heads up on the left," he calls out as he zooms by. What a show-off. Sam appears next to me and Nat. He's about 1.80 meters tall, dark-skinned, has an athletic build, and short-cropped hair.
"This is what he's been doing to me all morning. It's driving me insane," he says, throwing his arms up in frustration. Nat and I exchange glances, trying to hold back our laughter, but we fail miserably in the next moment. These two often have these morning duels, with the same winner every time.
"Yeah, just laugh at me, mock the bruised pride of a man," Sam says. It doesn't help that we're laughing even harder now. This time, though, Sam joins us. Today is shaping up to be a good day, at least so far. Five minutes later, we catch up with Steve, who is waiting by a tree on the grass. "I was wondering where you guys were," he says. I'd love to have some of that super-soldier serum.
Sam leans against the tree and sinks to the ground, breathing heavily. "Do you need a doctor?" I ask him dryly. He laughs in a pained manner. God, what does Steve do to him? "I need a new lung," he replies. Well, that might be a bit tricky to arrange on short notice. "Steve, man, you run 20 kilometers in 30 minutes," he continues, directed at Steve. That might actually be accurate. "Yeah, I messed up the start," Steve responds. I roll my eyes with a grin. The serum definitely has a side effect on the ego. Sam's eyes nearly pop out of his head as he looks at Steve in shock.
"Oh yeah, you must be really embarrassed. Come on, run an extra lap. Or have you already done that? I'm guessing yes." That's what I call frustration early in the morning. After Nat and Steve, Sam was the next person I got to know, and just like the two of them, he is one of the most important people in my life, my little family here. "How are you doing these days, Steve? Coming back after this cryogenic sleep must have been strange," Sam asks.
I imagine it would be weird to wake up in a world that's completely changed and not know where you are. Well, something similar happened to me, just without being frozen for 70 years, and Steve still has all his memories from that time. "Yeah, I had to get used to it," he replies dryly. My eyebrows shoot up. "You talk about it like you're talking about the weather," I tell him. He shrugs. "Oh, it's not that bad," he responds. Sure, you can say it that way. "Minor detail and all," I hear Nat whisper next to me, and I snort. She's looking at Steve a bit too intently again; this woman is driving me crazy. I nudge her discreetly with my elbow to pull her out of whatever thoughts she's having—I don't even want to know what's going through her mind. Steve is like a big brother to me, just like Sam, and Nat is like a sister. It almost feels incestuous. Nat glances at me briefly, a silent "thank you" in her eyes, and then moves off to get the car.
"Troubleman Soundtrack, everything you've missed in one album," Sam says. "Ooh yes, very good choice," I reply with a grin. Steve pulls out his small, brown notebook and writes down the name, just as he does with all the recommendations we give him. "Goes on the list," he says. I don't know much about Steve's past.
He was initially rejected by the military due to health issues, which led to Dr. Erskine selecting him to test the first super-soldier serum. The serum worked, and after his training, Captain America took command of the Howling Commandos, a unit of soldiers he assembled. His final battle was against Red Skull. Red Skull tried to destroy the entire East Coast of the USA with a bomber. Red Skull was defeated in that battle, and his ship was speeding towards New York. Steve saw only one way out: to steer the ship into water in a deserted area and sacrifice himself. He was frozen in ice for 70 years and then discovered by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
"The new beds are awful," I hear Sam say all of a sudden. How did they get onto this topic? "What do you mean?" I ask him, slightly confused. I'm missing my bed right now. "Over there, I slept on the floor and used rocks as a pillow; now everything is so ridiculously soft," Sam continues.
I blink a few times. "Like you're lying on a marshmallow and could sink to the floor," Steve chimes in. Just thinking about it makes me want to fall asleep again. "Well, I'd take that over the cold forest floor and the people staring at me," I say dryly.
Sam makes a sound of agreement. Suddenly, Steve's phone rings, and I see Natasha's name on the screen. Of course, she's calling him to announce her arrival instead of me. "So, Sam, duty calls, we have to go," Steve says to him, and at that moment, Natasha pulls up behind us. A Chevrolet Corvette Camaro—absolutely awesome car. The window of the car rolls down. "Hey, does anyone know the Smithsonian Museum? I'm supposed to pick up a fossil there," she says. So creative today.
"Just hilarious," Steve says and heads to the passenger door. I briefly go over to Sam and hug him, then head to the car. I once again have the entire back seat to myself; sometimes I feel like the kid here. Sam bends down so he can look through the car window at us.
"You can't run everywhere," Steve says to him. He smiles and shakes his head.
"No, you can't," Sam replies. I'm curious where the next mission will take us. "Have fun running back, Sam," I say to him. He gives a frustrated groan but no longer hears our laughter as Natasha starts the car.
Work awaits us.
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Who the hell am I (english version)
FanfictionUPDATES EVERY DAY AT 5 PM! She remembers nothing. Where did she come from? What happened? How did she get here? Where is her family? In short: she doesn't know. For two years, Elora has wandered, never staying in one place for long. Always searching...
