Love Me (Steve Rogers Fanfiction)

Chapter 20

WANDA'S POV

The minute I find the articles, I'm out of my room to find Mr. Stark. I could ask his robot voice, FRIDAY, where he is, but I don't know how it works and I don't trust robots of any kind anymore. Not after Ultron. Mr. Stark and Sam are chatting idly over coffee when I enter the kitchen, probably surprised at my pajamas and overall disheveled appearance.

"Have you seen this?" I ask instantly, passing my phone to the two of them.

'What is this?" Sam asks in disgust as he scrolls through the articles. "Everything Wrong With a Stark-Evans Relationship; Where Was Captain America?; Tony Stark Spotted with Fellow Avenger in New York."

"They need to mind their business," Mr. Stark snarls as he reads the first article. "This one is trending nationwide!" I read along over his shoulder.

Yesterday afternoon, America Evans was found in New York City enjoying a day not with her fiance, but with Tony Stark instead. The two looked very familiar as they walked down busy streets, playfully pushing each other around, smiling nonstop, and laughing constantly.

The pair visited many places in the city, like the Broadway Theatre, MoMA, the Statue of Liberty. and a few expensive restaurants. They finished up the day walking through the popular Central Park light display, a beautiful place for Christmastime.

While the happy couple certainly seemed cozy, we have to ask one question: where was Steve Rogers? Evans and Rogers became engaged a few months ago and were reportedly extremely happy with each other. No pictures taken show off a ring, and Rogers hasn't been seen in public for a long time. So what made Evans so quick to turn to another man? It seems like even for superheroes, there can be trouble in paradise.

There are all sorts of pictures, too. Laughing over dinner, him ushering her into a museum, and her giving him a kiss on the cheek under the Christmas lights. I bite my lip and stay silent. It looks bad.

"The idiotic press won't leave any of us alone," Mr. Stark continues angrily. He slams his newspaper down. "FRIDAY, where's America? Does she know yet?"

"I have just informed her, sir." I jump at the voice. An accompanying crash from upstairs confirms FRIDAY's message. This is awful. She loves Steve with her whole heart and they're trying to paint her into some heartbreaker who bounces from Avenger to Avenger. 

"Poor kid. I'm gonna try to fix this," Mr. Stark says, running a hand through his hair in a very stressed way. "You two go find her." Sam and I exchange looks and nod. We don't know each other very well, but I'm her sister and he's her best friend. I do know that.

When we knock on her door, there's a minute where I don't think she'll answer. I can sense hesitation. Then she pops her head out and smiles. She smiles.

"Hey! Good morning!" She says brightly, almost maniacally, coming out into the hallway and closing the door. She looks much more prepared for the day than I am, too. "How are you two today?"

"Good," Sam ventures. He sneaks a confused look at me. "You?"

"Oh, I'm great. Absolutely fantastic. Just great. Great. Do you guys know where a supply closet is? I just need to find a broom. Oh, and a new lamp."

"Val, are you okay?" I ask gently. She turns her smile to me, and it clicks. She's faking. She's completely faking a smile.

"I'm fine!" She says, but the word fine cracks. That's when I see the tears in her eyes, just barely contained. She's laughing through her pain. It's what Pietro does instead of facing his problems head-on. Usually I use my powers to help calm him down, but I can't do that to Val. "Anyone check out the news this morning? Turns out I'm a fast slut, isn't that great?"

"Valeria," I say. "It's going to be okay."

She stares at me with wide, broken brown eyes. "Of course you guys know. I can't believe this happened," she whispers, shaking her head in dismay. "We just hung around as friends. Now they're saying I ditched Steve and hooked up with Tony and that I'm-"

"Calm down. One thing at a time. They aren't saying that," Sam reassures her. She gives him a wry smile.

"Have you read all of the articles? Some of the tabloids are being very specific with their word choice."

"Yeah, but they're gossip rags. Who needs them? They're just trying to make money off of us. Don't let them mess with you," Sam says.

"Mr. Stark is trying to fix the situation, whatever that means to him," I tell her in an attempt to cheer her up.

"So he knows? Is he angry?"

"Livid, but not with you." Sam puts a hand on her shoulder. "This isn't anyone's fault. It just happened. Sometimes things just happen and we have to deal with them."

She sighs, her shoulders slumping down. "I knew the media wasn't a big fan of me, but this... I can't believe it. Why can't they just leave my personal life alone?"

I get the feeling this has happened to her before. I wonder how she handled it last time. There are many things I wonder about my older sister.

"I don't know," I say. "But if you let it mess with you, it's like you're letting them win."

Her head snaps up and she looks at me with new, hopeful eyes. She's hanging onto every word I say, so I continue.

"This doesn't have to change anything if you don't let it. You still love Steve. Everyone here knows that. All of your friends know that. You aren't with Mr. Stark, and Val, you aren't fast. Trust me, based on everything Steve has told me, you are incredibly slow." She punches me in the shoulder, and I laugh softly. "Feel better?"

She gives me a hug. "Lots."

I hold the embrace. I can't believe after all of these years, I finally have my big sister back. "I'm glad."

"Miss Evans, I have a message to you from Mr. Stark." As usual, FRIDAY's voice startles me, and the other two grin. I grin a bit myself, but I am embarrassed. I'm just trying to fit in here.

"What is it?" She asks, not really interested in whatever Mr. Stark has to say. It's probably bad news, anyway.

"The team has arrived home from Germany."

Hey! POV switch up, I hope you liked it. Merry Christmas Eve!