Artemis : The Seventh Avenger ➳ Steve Rogers [1]

04 [ 01 ]

☆ ☆ ☆

STEVE

"It's time to wake up." I say, planting a kiss on the crown of her head.

Camille stirs in my embrace, nuzzling her face against my chest.

"Five more minutes." She mumbles sleepily.

I couldn't help but smile, shaking my head hopelessly at her.

"That's what you said five minutes ago." I point out, making her laugh.

"Alright, I'm up." She says, groaning as she stretches out beside me.

I watch as she plops back onto the bed, somehow managing to look effortlessly beautiful. How did I get so lucky?

"What are you staring at?" She asks, propping herself up on her elbow.

"Just wondering," I say, "Weren't agents trained to wake up on time in the Academy?" I tease.

She gasps, "I'll have you know, I was one of the most punctual agents they've ever had."

"Were you now?" I tease.

I wrap my arms around her, pulling her closer to me before I leaned in for a kiss, but she raises a hand to stop me.

"I haven't brushed my teeth." Cam whines.

I pause, pretending to consider what she'd just said for a moment before shrugging.

"I honestly don't really care." I chuckle.

Our lips lock together in a passionate kiss that leaves me wanting more as she pulls away.

"You're disgusting." She wrinkles her nose at me.

"And yet here we are," I say kissing her on the forehead, "A year and how many months now?" I play dumb.

"I hate you." She jokes, squirming as I plant a kiss on the particularly ticklish spot just she has above her collarbone.

"That's too bad, because I love you, so much." I mutter, trailing kisses up her neck and onto her jawline, finishing with one last peck on her lips.

Cam giggles, snuggling up against me. Her lips tug into a wide smile. I've always loved to see her smile.

"I love you more." She mumbles against my lips before she kisses me again.

***

The harsh reality hits me as soon as my eyes flicker open. I run my hands over the empty spot on the bed where Camille would normally lie and somehow, everything feels cold despite the thick layer of blanket that I had draped over my body.

I drag myself out of bed and immediately, the feeling of anguish takes over me, calling for me to dive back into bed. I fight off the urge, heading to the bathroom to wash up.

I wash my face down with some cold water. It chases away the sleep in an instant, but unfortunately, does nothing for the heavy feeling that is weighing down my chest.

'Don't you think it's time for a shave?' Her voice echos in my head as if she was right beside me.

Running my hand through my beard, I stare at my reflection in the mirror and staring right back at me, was a man I barely even recognise.

Just twenty-two days, she's been gone and yet, it felt like an eternity without her.

I pick up my razor and start to shave away at my beard. I bet if Cam was here, she'd probably not be able to resist the urge to tease me like she always does.

I wash my blade off with a sigh before drying my face, furrowing my brows as the side mirror starts to shake. I reach up to stop it, only to realise that is wasn't just the mirror. Everything around me was trembling.

Immediately, I tossed the towel aside, pulling on a sweatshirt before heading out of the room.

"What's going on?" I ask as I joined the rest of the team.

Nat and Rhodey were gathered around a window with Bruce and Pepper close behind them, looking out to something in the sky. Even from where I was standing, I could already see the glow that she emitted; it was Danvers with a spaceship in tow.

We rush out onto the yard in front of the compound, where Danvers had already landed the spacecraft safely.

The entry hatch opens and Tony is being helped down by an unfamiliar person. Relief hits me the moment I see him, an emotion I haven't felt for what seems like forever. Tony wasn't looking his best, but least he was safe.

I rush over to help him as he stumbles forward and he grips my arm, looking dazed and confused.

"I couldn't stop him." He says, his eyes filled with sorrow.

I swallow, at his words. The feeling of grief and failure flooding back into my chest.

"Neither could I." I reply.

"I lost the kid." He says, his eyes glistening with tears under the moonlight.

"Tony, we lost." I say, gazing down at my feet as my vision started to blur with tears.

"Is uh-" Pepper rushes forward before Tony could even finish his sentence.

His shoulders slump in relief as he pulled her into a tight embrace. There was a feeling of joy watching the both of them reunite, as much joy as one could feel in a situation like this one. But at the same time, there was a tinge of envy that came along with it. I would give anything to have that too.

Tony seems to pick up on that, eyes scanning the field. "Where's Cam?" He asks.

I shut my eyes and shook my head. I couldn't bring myself to say the words as much as I tried.

I look up at Nat whose cheeks were wet with tears at the mention of her sister and the same pain and loss reflected in the eyes of the rest of the team.

We lead Tony into the compound to let him get some rest. Sleep comes easy for him after he cleans up. The rest of the team, however, were completely restless.

They've all retreated into their room, but I could see the light pouring out from under their doors and the occasional shadow as they walked past it.

All except for the Danvers, who was looking out a window and out at the night sky.

"They must've been pretty special." Danvers says as I joined her, "This, Cam?"

"She is." I reply, "She always had a way with people. Everyone loved her. Well, except for Tony at first. But she won him over eventually." I let out a short laugh as the memories flooded my mind.

"Looks like she has won you over too." She says.

"She did. She's everything I could've ever dream of." I answer.

Camille is gone and with her, it feels like a part of me is missing too. Without her, I don't know if I could ever feel whole again.