I'm Iron Man, And I'm Agent Coulson

Chapter 47 Fury and the Ghost?!

The rest of the day I spent at home, cleaning, expecting a call or text from Steve or Natasha, even as my texts and calls went unanswered.
After waiting almost six hours, repeating the information Steve given me just hours earlier, and the more my mind fixated on it, the more uncomfortable I became, but there was no reasoning behind it. Even the new files accumulated about the mission didn't answer my questions, nor ease my concerns, but my alarms began going off, telling me this, whatever was happening in the background wasn't over.

After more time passed I began to worry about Steve being out there alone, Tasha too, so I finally grabbed my keys and drove to his apartment, worried and agitated.
I felt utterly miserable for what I said to him earlier. I mean, some of it was true, but I was just scared and strung out, and decided to lash out, like I usually did when I was uncomfortable. I was already overloaded with processing information, and my dating life should of been the least of our worries.
No one, including Steve, wanted to hear it was time to move on, especially when you're too scared to, or still trying to put all your pieces together, while saving the world.
It was one thing to talk about it, moving forward, but another to actually do it, and neither of us were, but my reasoning wasn't because I'd been asleep for over seventy years.
My reasoning had a history, one that made people suffer, including myself, besides who could I move onto without hurting in the end?
Tony had Pepper.
Nat had Clint 'unofficially', I still believed there was more there than they let on.
Rhodes was busy being the Iron Patriot, and Steve and I had each other and work, and while Brock may be handsome, he just wasn't my type. Who was I kidding.
I had no type, but I wasn't attracted to him, nor his gruff appearance.
It was like my brain no longer looked at men like that, sure I commented on the guys I came in contact with, but it never went any farther than that.
My heart still clenched in my chest when I thought about Phil, or if Tony called or stopped by. Goosebumps would spread when he hugged me, or when I thought about that night at the cemetery, but my romantic road was closed.
When I thought about my future, I didn't see much, just a dark road with no end in sight, but I was used to the shadows, and accepted they'd always be there. My friends took precedence over going out there and dating, and I was fine with that.

Once I arrived at Steve's apartment, his motorcycle wasn't there, so I parked my truck down the street, and slowly made my way to his apartment to wait by his front door. It didn't take long to hear his heavy footsteps coming up the stairs.

"After everything's that's happened today, when I text you, you text me back, understand. I was really getting worried, you asshole," I groaned, and slipped into his arms, as he rolled his eyes, "I'm sorry Steve, so sorry.. How's Peggy?"

"You do know I'm a grown man, right?" His chest shook, as he quietly laughed, "and she's fine, and of course agreed with you."
"See, I knew I liked her for a reason, but seriously I just wanted to say I'm sorry," I mumbled against his chest, chaffing against my need to tell him everything, to tell someone everything, "and I haven't really told you everything, or the whole reason why I just can't, I don't really wanna date, regardless what Tasha says...."
"I know you haven't, and I forgive you, especially after that essay you sent to me earlier. I'm sure there's things that remain unresolved," Steve sighed, just as a door behind us opened and closed, "seems like we both have some soul searching to do."

A familiar looking cute blonde stood in the hall in hospital scrubs with a basket full of clothes, "sorry didn't mean to interrupt," she smiled, and nodded at both of us.
"Nothing to interrupt, I'm (y/n)," I smiled, and leaned forward, as I outstretched my hand towards her, "have we met before, you look familiar?"
Her hand twitched in mine, and her smile slightly fell, "no, I don't think so, I just have one of those faces."

I lightly frowned, but I knew her face from somewhere, "oh, well this is Steve, how long have you lived next door? I didn't even know there was a new neighbor," I asked, moving aside so Steve could shake her outstretched hand.
"Just a few months, I'm a nurse so I'm rarely ever home, and when I am, I'm either doing this," she paused and lifted up her basket full of clothes, "or sleeping."
"Yah, been there, well on your next day off maybe we could all go get some food, you know, welcome you to the building," I giggled, feeling Steve put a scolding hand on my back.
"Oh, you both live here, together?" She asked, causing Steve to step forward.
"Oh no, we work together and I like annoying him," I laughed, grabbing his keys out of his jacket pocket and turning towards his door.
I tried to ignore the unsure tone in my friend's voice as he asked the woman out for coffee, noting that she didn't give me her name, but as soon as I opened his door, and the sound of old music filtered out into the hall, and my skin prickled with unease.
The air was thick and ominous, and I automatically slipped my hand underneath my sweater, holding onto the small knife I carried in the back of my jeans. My ears roared with my raging heartbeat, but I cautiously looked around Steve's dark apartment, waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows.