Lost Soldiers (Avengers Fan Fiction #3)

Chapter 17

AN: Dedicated to @nizaloveskittens for voting so much! Thank you! It won't let me dedicate this chapter to you, so I'm not sure if you changed your username or what.

The school's library was quiet. Well...what library wasn't? Bookshelves lined the floor. Papers scattered around, even on the ground. Finals were coming, so the school was a little more chaotic than usual. It also helped get their minds off of the chaos of the outside world. Students scattered across tables in the room, dozens of books laid out on each surface. Some typed away at laptops. Others studied their notes. Some slept. Others ate. They all had one thing in common.

They looked as exhausted as I felt.

My eyes landed on Steve, who was reading a book at a table near one of the walls. His chest rose and fell quickly, almost as if he was about to lash out on someone. His jaw locked tight, nostrils flaring as he took in oxygen. His bright blue eyes glued to the words on the page, but didn't move. He wasn't reading at all, as if he were stuck on one part. Maybe a word rang in his mind and reminded him of something else. Maybe his mind wandered into uncharted territory. Anything was possible. When his hand started to turn a ghostly white from pressure, I made my way to him.

I pulled out a chair and sat down across from him. I blinked my eyes a few times to sway the sleep away. I ran my hands through my hair and asked, "What's wrong?"

Steve closed the book loudly. It scared everyone in the room, causing them to jump in their seats. He ducked his head out of sheer embarrassment and pushed the book aside. He spoke up quietly, a hint of anger in his voice, "Getting rid of Red Skull was too easy. He disappeared right before the blast. Now, he's on the loose. That's on us."

Okay. I could handle this. He's dealt with my short comings. Now, time to deal with his. I nodded. "I agree..."

Steve's brow furrowed at that. I had trailed off, without another word. Far too unusual for me. He licked his lips and tilted his head in confusion. "...But?"

"Does there need to be one?" I leaned back in my chair, eyeing him with an eyebrow raised. I was too tired. Too tired to fight. Too tired to think. If he needed to vent, I was all ears, but not to argue.

He scoffed, rolling his eyes, "With you? Yes."

The words that came out of my mouth seemed sharp, but to the point. "I'm not in the mood to argue, Steve."

"We don't have to fight. I'm just..." He paused shortly, closing his eyes at what he was going to say. "...not in the right mindset right now to have a regular conversation."

Exhaustion to high hell had taken over anyway. Maybe it was for the best that we didn't talk right now, as much as it pained me to think about. We weren't at our best. I sucked it up and tried to leave him with some helpful words. "Look at me." He hesitated, but looked at me after a few seconds. "You did all you could in that fight against Red Skull. He got away...Yes. That's on us." I cracked a smile, realizing he was right. There always was a 'but'. It was inevitable with me. "...But that doesn't mean we can't finish what we started. We'll find him. We'll get justice. For now, don't let it bother you. We have other villains to worry about."

Steve bit his tongue. His fist clenched at the memory of Peggy and what happened to her. He vowed to himself that there would be hell to pay. Things would have to stay legal...but he would get justice all the same. Steve rubbed a finger along his jaw and dropped his hand onto the table. "I'm going to find him eventually and make sure he goes to trial for what he's done."

He didn't say kill him. I'll take that as a good sign. I set my hand on top of his and locked eyes with him. "He will get what he deserves. We'll make sure of it." There was no way I was going to let him do this alone.