Hellish (Steve Rogers Fan Fiction)

T w e l v e

As Steve was going to bed two nights later, he received a call.

"Hello?" He answered and for a moment, the line was silent. He looked to the screen and saw that the person hadn't hung up. "Listen, if this is Stark. I'm not in the mood—,"

"It's-It's me." Sloane cut him off, speaking softly.

Steve sat up in his bed, suddenly wide awake.

"Sloane, where are you?"

"Somewhere between New York and Tokyo."

"Do you need something?"

She was quiet for a few moments.

"Is it a bad time? I know it's late there."

"No, no. It's okay. I don't mind."

"I just need someone to talk to." She admitted quietly. "I don't.... I don't trust anyone enough. I don't have anyone else, Steve."

"What's wrong?" He moved to sit on the edge of his bed, eyes flickering to look out the large window-wall by his bed. "You sound upset."

"I just.... I don't like being alone like this. I mean, I always had someone to turn to. It was always Noah. But he's gone and-and I don't know how to handle it."

"That's who Noah is." Steve mumbled us we his breath.

"What?"

"You mentioned a Noah at the museum benefit. I didn't know that was Easton's real name."

Sloane was silent now.

"I told you that you could stay here, Sloane."

"No one but you wants me there, Steve. I don't want to be a burden to anyone. I don't want to cause any problems."

"I.... I can talk to them. We can work something out."

"It's not worth it, Steve." She breathed out. "I'll be fine. I just need time to adapt. Easton and I needed time when our sister died. I just.... I can't believe he's gone."

Her voice cracked and it didn't go unnoticed by Steve.

"Sloane, tell me where you are. I'll leave by myself, tonight, right now. I can help you." He was urgently wanting to find her. He didn't know how she coped with her feelings, but he knew she had to be holding them down for some time.

When there was no answer, Steve said her name.

"Sloane?"

She hung up on him.

•*•*•

"Earlier this morning, police were called to Senator Oliver's office. DC police would only tell us important papers were stolen and this act may be one of terrorism...."

Sloane glanced up at the television screen as she looked through the papers on the small table in her little apartment.

"It wasn't an act of terrorism." She muttered. "It was just business."

She looked down to the papers in front of her and skimmed over them, finding words like Winter Soldier, Black Panther, Red Dahlia, and Thaddeus Jakande.

"What do you want with me, William Oliver?" Sloane pulled out the papers with her name and T'Challa's on it. "And King T?"

As she was half-ass reading the paper with T'Challa's name on it, her phone rang.

"Who is this?" She tucked the phone between her shoulder and ear as she held the paper up to the sunlight that came in through the window.

"Me." T'Challa replied. "What are you doing right now?"