FINE [P. PARKER X OC]

chapter two

𝙼𝚊𝚢 𝟷𝟹𝚝𝚑, 𝟸𝟶𝟷5
𝟷𝟾:𝟹𝟸
𝙰𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚛𝚜 𝚃𝚘𝚠𝚎𝚛, 𝙼𝚊𝚗𝚑𝚊𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚗, 𝙽𝚈
𝚄𝚗𝚒𝚝𝚎𝚍 𝚂𝚝𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝙰𝚖𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚌𝚊
𝙿𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚎𝚝 𝙲𝟻𝟹; 𝙴𝚊𝚛𝚝𝚑

STEVE ROGERS MENTALLY cursed himself. He was in deep shit — not just because he lost his page in the book he was reading but also because a small child was standing in front of him, holding a knife to his throat.

Because her vacant eyes pierced through his own, and Steve knew what was going to happen next.

"Hello," he swallowed drily. "I... I'm Steve Rogers.

"Do you want to — um, maybe you should put that down?"

No?

Steve reached out to the girl and touched the blade. He hadn't meant to, but he wasn't thinking as he pushed her hand down, and nor was he thinking when her other hand came up, holding a gun. Steve swore his heart skipped, but he ignored it, and instead, he studied the girl before him.

He saw her eyes, and finally knew what people meant when they said things like eyes are the window to the soul.

He saw her hand, her stance, the way she shook ever so slightly, and wanted nothing more than to comfort her right then and there.

But he couldn't. He had a mission.

So Steve reached to the girls other hand and brought it down. She brought the knife one back — no surprise there — and though Steve was uncomfortable he felt better about her having a knife than the gun.

Steve then rocked back and forth, swaying from his right to his left. The ground below him creaked. It was the only sound, and it was deafening.

The supersoldier shivered, too. Not in fear but in misery. Not for him but for her.

"Do you have a name?" He said with a cough.

"Okay... yeah, that was dumb, you're right. Uh... gee," Steve sighed, "I don't know how Fury did this — but you're... you're in America right now. The date is 2015 and you've been asleep for a long, long time.

"Well, not asleep but frozen....

"Kind of.

"Uh... basically," Steve squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his forehead. "Look, kid," he whispered. "I get it. I was in your shoes once, and it's a lot. The regret, the fear.... I get it."

Nothing.

"Um, do... you... speak... English?

"I speak English. I mean, o-obviously I do, but — " Steve cut himself off. "Oh, gosh," he whispered to himself.

"Who is your leader?" The girl said (in English).

It wasn't "Yes, I do speak English", and nor was it "Oh, nice to meet you Cap". Not even "I'm a huge fan!", because, well, why? Why would it be that?

Why would it be so simple and so ordinary? Why that, why small talk, instead of some stereotypical "Who'S YOuR lEAdEr?" kind of bullshit?!

"What a kid." Stark snorted through Steve's Bluetooth.

But Steve ignored him. "Leader... like director? That's uh... that's Nick Fury," He said.

"Show me." The girl deadpanned.

Yes. "Um... I don't think so...."

"Show me your leader."

He's right there.

"Um..."

"Motherfucker," Steve could hear Nick say.

The former looked to the window, sighed, and finally looked back to the girl. It was alright, Steve wanted to think. He knew he couldn't do anything and he hated it. He was helpless. He couldn't move, even if he wanted to.

But she was clueless, and Steve thought that was just as bad. He thought things like please don't hate me, and I'm so, so sorry.

"I'll bring him here," he whispered. "Uh... goodbye, kid."

—

"Steve! What the hell are you doing?!" Natasha spat. She was hot on his heels, as usual.

"We need the girl." Steve said. He rounded another corner, only to find another hall of vacancy.

"The world's in danger and you're worried about a girl?!" Sam yelled from above the two. He was in the sky, above the tower, keeping watch.

He was also clueless.

"No, Sam," Steve said. "Not just a girl. That girl," He said as he pushed the doors back with a grunt. "Nat, Sam... meet Blake," He said with a shit-eating smirk.

The girl jumped up from her bed. Her hands raised in front of her, held in fists; a defensive position, Steve noted.

"You are back?" She asked. Her facade had disappeared, but only for a second. Only until her eyes locked with Natasha's, as they once again turned to stone.

Steve smiled. He did his best to ignore the tension, "Of course. You're an honorary Avenger now."

Blake looked to Steve, and then to his friends behind them. After staring each of them down she looked back to Steve and lowered her hands. Her thin lips stretched ever so slightly. Steve almost thought he'd imagined it.

"An Avenger..." Blake repeated quietly. "Why?"

Why? What do you mean why?

"Why not?" Steve asked with a shrug. "You're with us, now. But we gotta go. Now."