Trust | A Winter Soldier Fanfiction

1. | Paranoid

Harper Kingston stared sullenly out of the Sacred Grounds coffee shop window. Large snowflakes began to fall serenely to the ground, only to be whipped away by the sudden gusts of wind that picked up now and again.
She loved the cold weather which allowed her to finally bring her myriad of sweaters out of storage.

"Harp?"
She snapped back to reality.
"You've got a customer."
Her eyes widened and she turned around quickly.
Maybe too quickly.
Her hand ran into the sugar container, sending it flying across the counter and shattering to the floor.
"I'm sorry!" She yelled as she ran for the broom, while Anne rushed to the cleaning closet to grab the vacuum.
Which the shop owner bought after Harper began working for them.

Harper blew a strand of hair away from her face as she focused on finding all the larger pieces of glass.

"Harper? Are you sure this is the right job for you?"
Harper hissed in pain, a dot of blood forming on her fingertip.
She raised her head to face Anne with a forced smile.
"I love it here, you know that."
She dumped the dustpan into the trash and tucked her hair behind her ears.
"Nothing much happens here, that's all. You know how short my attention span is."

Anne flashed her a smile.
"It's a coffee shop, Harper. It's a good thing we don't get too much attention. You know the jewelry store just down the street was robbed a few nights ago? Luckily no one was there when it happened, or it could have been worse."

Harper nodded, picking up the last shard of glass and throwing it away.

"Hello?"
Her former customer caught their attention.
Anne rushed back to the counter,
"Hi! I'm sorry, I'll be right with you!"
She turned back to Harper.
"I'll take this one, go get cleaned up."
She whispered to Harper.

"Yeah." Harper faked a smile, dropping it once her back was turned.
Maybe she's right.

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"Night, Anne."
"Goodnight, Harper."
Anne locked up while Harper raced to the intersection.
"Come on." She mumbled, pressing the crosswalk button repeatedly.
The light finally turned red and the cars slowed down, allowing her to pass.
The weather wasn't as bad as she had feared, and she was able to jog home and not freeze to death.

As she rounded the last block, a chill ran up her spine and she felt, rather than saw, that someone or something was watching her.
I watch waaay too many horror movies.
Seeing nothing, she shook the feeling off, running into the lobby of the apartment complex and shaking the snow off of her shoes.
Despite the fact that it was a rather outdated facility, Harper loved living here.
She breathed into her hands to warm them and ran up the staircase.

She reached into her pocket, unlocked the door and flipped the light switch on.
She tossed her phone onto the couch and ran to her room, grabbing her favorite fuzzy pajamas and jumping into the shower.
A noise made her jump and she realized the shampoo had fallen off the ledge.
I'm getting too paranoid.
She hurriedly scrubbed her hair, eager to get out of the bathroom.
Most people are murdered in the shower.
She barely rinsed her hair before turning the faucet off, reaching for her towel and running to her room to get dressed.

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A half an hour later, all fear had left her mind and she was snuggled into the couch with a bowl of popcorn, a bottle of water, and her favorite movie in the DVD player.

A knock on the door caught her attention and she slowly got up, her eyes still glued to the screen as she backed towards the door.

"Harper, open the door!"
A muffled yet familiar voice sent her hurrying to unlock the many bolts on their door.
"Did you bring food?"
She opened the door for her brother.
"Look at my arms, I've brought enough food to last you... two days." James replied.
"Chinese good enough for you?"
"I love you."
She hugged him and grabbed a few bags, running to the counter.
James laughed.
"You need to grow up, Harper."
"Make me." She raised an eyebrow, stuffing an egg roll into her mouth.

James grabbed two plates from the cupboard.
"So how was work?"
She stopped chewing.
"It was... interesting."
James, who had been about to hand her a plate, pulled it away.
"What happened this time?"
"Nothing big, I just... I knocked a sugar glass off the counter and Anne had to take the customer's order."

He handed her the plate.
"You're such a klutz."
"Says the dude who tripped up the stairs at least three times a week."
"I was eleven."
"I was nine and I never tripped."
James rolled his eyes and grinned.
"I was at an awkward stage in my life."
"I guess I just reached that stage now."
Harper crossed her arms and smiled back.
"Took you long enough." He tousled her hair and filled his plate.

They sat down at the table together and Harper grabbed two sodas from the fridge, sliding one bartender style across the table.
"How was your job?"
James frowned.
"I'd rather not talk about it."
Harper raised an eyebrow.
"Understandable, but you never want to talk about it."
"It's a stressful job, Harper. I'm glad you're not a part of it."
"I know you are."
She sighed.
"But what's it like? Being an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"It feels good, knowing I'm doing something to help people. But there are parts of the job I wish I didn't have to do."

Harper nodded thoughtfully.
"Have you met any of the Avengers?"
James chuckled.
"Not yet, but I caught sight of Rogers yesterday morning on the way in."
Harper grinned.
"He's pretty amazing, isn't he?"
James nodded.
"He's an honorable man."
James picked up both their plates and set them in the sink.
"It's getting late. I'll see you tomorrow, Harper."
She stood up and hugged him.
"Yeah."
She yawned and laid back down on the couch, falling asleep shortly after pressing play.

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Thanks for reading! I'm not super happy with the first chapter, but I'll hopefully get better as I go XD