Into the Snow || A Captain America Love Story

46

Steve

Tori and I step out of the elevator onto her floor. The Avengers gather around the elevator, anticipation filling the air. Thor left shortly after Tori left the hospital two weeks ago, so he is in Asgard.
     "Are you still mute?" Tony asks his sister.
     "No," Tori says, rolling her eyes.
     Everyone cheers and they try to make her speak as much as possible.
     "While you celebrate, Steve and I are going to my room," Tori announces.
     "Go ahead," Tony says over the noise.
     Tori grabs my hand and rushes me out of the chaos. She opens her door and we step in. She closes the door behind us and we sit on her bed.
     "Who should go first?" Tori asks me, getting settled on her bed.
     "I can," I say. "Your voice still needs to become used to speaking again."
     "O-Okay" she says. "I'm listening."
     I take a deep breath and begin my story.
     "Alright," I say. "I know that you already know most things about me so I'm going to try to avoid those parts. You know about how I was and who Bucky was, but not the specifics. Bucky, that jerk, would drag me to double dates and other really weird things. He became a soldier before I did and that kind of irritated me because I wanted to fight for my country more than anything else. When I finally was enlisted, I was an underdog - predictable. However, at one point, we were doing something to prove who was the strongest and they had to climb a flag pole and get the flag. No one had done it in years. Plus, you got a ride back if you got it down. So when the other recruits were fighting to get to the top, I just kicked it down and got it."
     "That's what I hate about that stuff," Tori says. "They want strength, not strategy. Sure, you can climb, but there is always an easier, more efficient way of doing something."
     "Exactly!" I exclaim. "Anyway, I was the choice for the serum after jumping on a fake grenade, ya da ya da ya da. But after everything leading up to when Bucky and I escaped the H.Y.D.R.A. base, we were on the side of a moving train. Long story short, Bucky fell to his death a-after I was about to help him. I've never been that upset in my life. I've only cried twice in my life, when I was seven and I got beat up in an alley and again when Bucky died."
Tori stays silent, taking in what I said.
"I can't count how many times I've cried," she mumbles, realizing that how much she does cry.
"It's different for different people."
"But still," she says.
"When I woke up, that made me want to cry. When I ran into the middle of Times Square, I have never been that terrified in my life. However, I'm starting to think that it is tied in first place with another occurrence."
"What?"
"When I couldn't find you,"
She smiles. "I've felt the same way when I saw you and Tony."
"I could imagine," I say. "I hope this isn't going to be too personal, but how come you are so much younger than Tony? I know, it sounds wrong, but I'm just curious."
     "I wish I knew," Tori sighs. "Every time that I ask Tony, he either walks away or changes the topic."
     "O-Oh,"
     "But I love him. He's been there for me and he cares about me."
     "Yeah," I say. "But there has to be a reason why he isn't."
     "I've always known there was," Tori mumbles. "It's just I haven't spoken up until recently."
     "He'll tell you eventually," I reassure her. "I'm positive."