METANOIA

ONE

THE WOMAN GROANED as she got wasted, sitting on a stool in the club. Her tongue burned as she felt the liquid rush down her throat once again and slammed the shot glass down onto the bar island counter.

She didn't know what she was drinking for but she felt particularly happy in completing yet another mission Fury has given her. No surprise though, she's the best. He picked her himself.

She downed another drink, ignoring the wary look that the bartender was giving her. She's in a good mood, no one could ruin that.

Hearing a stool creak beside her, she tilt her head with a small smile to silently greet a stranger who was busy pulling cash out of his pockets, noisily slamming them down on the tabletop demanding a drink.

She narrowed her eyes to get a good look at the man who took the seat beside her. He was looking ahead, his gaze fixed on the beverages menu in front of him. His sky blue eyes complimented his messy blonde hair that fell across his forehead. He looked ethereal. And it's all too familiar. But she couldn't put her finger on who he was; her mind is all over the place.

"You're staring, Ma'am." He politely pointed out, she didn't even notice that he was now facing her. 

Ma'am? She wanted to laugh at his politeness, but something else slipped out. "You're hot," she thoughtlessly spattered. 

She heard his low chuckle. "I'm not taking it back..." She quietly muttered before facing the bartender. "Can I get another one?"

"You look awfully familiar," she spat, turning to the man again. "I just couldn't..." She blinked her eyes in a haze. 

"Awfully?"

"Familiar," she continued. 

"Like..?" He trailed off. 

"I don't know," she replied with a shrug. 

"You're actually really fine. Are you single?" She slurred, alcohol speaking for her. 

The man just laughed at her.

"So, no?" She squinted her eyes at him. "Never mind that. You wouldn't be here if you are." She added, swirling the glass in her palm. "D'you wanna change that?" She looked up.

Their chat went on for a couple of hours when they decided to leave, her arms wrapped around him, holding him close.

WAKING UP WITH a massive fucking headache, she started stirring awake, hearing her phone going off. She sighed when she saw the caller ID.

Incoming call from Nichol'ass JF…

"What?" She spoke, voice groggily and still half asleep.

"You're on the media," he simply replied.

"Me? Why?" Her brows furrowed.

"You- Y/N, is on the media," Nick replied. Y/N Y/L/N? Her undercover identity? Why?

"Don't bullshit me, oh mighty Fury. Why would she be on the media? My undercover went well. I'll send you the details later." She yawned.

Fury let out a disappointed sigh. "Y/N was seen leaving a club with Captain America last night."

"Fuckin- What?" 

Y/N stilled, understanding what Fury was saying. But she slowly turned when she feel the mattress move.

"Shit," Y/N cursed herself before ending the call with Fury.

It's fucking Captain America. 

She stared at him for a moment before sighing out of relief when she saw that he was still sleeping peacefully. 

Lifting the covers slowly, Y/N crawled out of the bed quietly. She mentally facepalmed when she realized that she weren't wearing anything besides her underwear. And Captain America was fucking topless. Please tell her it's not what she think it is...

Walking up to the window, she slid the curtain slightly open only to see that she is in a very tall building. Y/N stared at the building in front of her, counting the floor. She's on the 18th floor, great. She picked up her clothes on the floor before rushing to the bathroom of the hotel room. 

She felt stupid not realizing sooner. She's in a fucking hotel. Y/N thought she got herself a hotel room. But no, she couldn't even remember whatever in the fucking hell happened last night. 

Wincing in pain, she leaned on the sink when a wave of terrible headache came crashing into her. She doesn't have time for headaches. She needs to get out of here. And fast. 

She got dressed hastily and even knocked over the bottle of hand soap on the floor; luckily, she saw that the blonde man was still asleep when she peaked her head into the bedroom. Gradually making her way to the door and slowly opening it, she heard a voice. 

"I wouldn't go out there if I were you," She heard a gravelly voice speak behind her. 

Fucking great. She didn't face him, acting nervous and awkward. "Why..?"

"There's a lot of reporters downstairs. They're just waiting for us to leave the hotel to get a field day."

What a morning. "What should we do?" She asked, her voice low. She turned around a saw the blonde propped up on his elbows on the bed, his eyes on her. His blonde hair fell messily on his forehead. His shoulders and chest are very visible; the cover was barely covering him. 

"Get breakfast?" He shrugged, shaking the blanket off of him. Y/N looked away. 

She could've just phoned Fury to help her get out of this mess. But she's under cover. 

She looked at him with a raised brow. Breakfast? She was supposed to be figuring out how to get out of this hotel unnoticed. 

He just smiled at her. She tilted her head, realizing that he said that to make her calm down and not worry about a single thing about this whole mess. 

"Fine. And can you maybe... put on some clothes?" Y/N replied as she set her bag on the side table. She heard his low chuckle. God, that chuckle again.

She turned back and made her way to the mini kitchen of the hotel room. She made a few pancakes for both of them. By the time she was finished, Steve also entered the in-room dining with his hair dripping wet. She fought all the nerves in her body to not roll her eyes. He took his fucking time taking a shower; how the fuck is he so calm about this?!

"That looks good," he complimented her pancakes with a smile that she returned. 

She thought turning the TV on was the best idea to not make things awkward as they were both eating silently. But the first thing she saw on the screen was the news; there was her photo with Captain America leaving the club - she thanked the heavens that only a profile view of her face is shown in the photo - and a clip of a building that has a swarm of people outside which she could fucking bet was this hotel. 

Her mind was occupied thinking about how she would escape the press outside and get out of this hotel discreetly that she didn't notice that Steve had turned the TV off.

"These pancakes taste-"

Y/N cut his yet another attempt to make her feel better. "How did I end up here?"

"You really don't remember?" Steve spoke incoherently with food in his mouth.

She shook her head. "I remember I was at the club..." She spattered with a hint of annoyance; she doesn't like not being sure.

"And..?" 

She shrugged at his reply. "I don't know," she groaned in frustration before. "I need to leave, now." she stood up. Every second that they're staying there, they're just giving the press a chance to sneak into this hotel to catch them both red-handed and make a story. 

"But Y/N-" she picked up a glass and splashed it all over his face and hair. He was taken aback but didn't get a chance to protest as she walked out of the in-room dining and into the bathroom, walking back in a few moments later with her hair slightly damped and wearing a robe with another one in her hand. 

She threw him the robe. "Put it on. We can't go out of this room wearing the same thing we were seen in last night."

"Right," he nodded. She gave him a small smile before leaving turning back.

They both slowly made their way outside the hotel room. Her heart was pounding. She did a lot of undercover work but this was different; one wrong move and all her persona will unbosom.

She was walking calmly with her head down, hand in hand as she was getting ready to run whenever.

"We could use the stairwell to get to the first floor," he suggested. 

She wouldn't fucking dream of going down to 18 floors using a stairwell but she doesn't have a fucking choice. "Mhm... Is there another way to get out of this hotel besides the front door?"

"I don't know... I've never been here."

"Me too,"

She saw the door leading to the stairwell, she cursed herself when she turned the knob and it didn't work. "It's locked," She whispered to him.

"Let's try the one on the floor below us," he held her hand, gently tugging her to go on the way.

It was going well so far, they both somehow managed to get down on the floor below with no one seeing them. Y/N pulled her hand off Steve and walked ahead, looking around for anything that can make everything go south.

She pulled him to her side as she saw a bell boy walking down the hall with a luggage carrier blocking his view. Y/N gave Steve a look that he immediately got as he nodded at her. She removed her earrings and slid it into her purse before walking over to him. 

"Uh, hi, excuse me." She approached the bellboy. 

"Good morning Ma'am, is there anything you need?"

"I need help," she sounded nervous. "I came from the pool and I just noticed that my I lost earrings. Can you uhh, help me? Find it?" She continued, carding her fingers through her hair.

"Sure, ma'am. Did you check your hotel room?"

"Yes. I just went to check there actually, and I couldn't find it. I'm about to look into the pool again." She started walking down the hallway slowly, the other following suit. 

"I'm getting worried," she added. "That earrings were from my Mom." He nodded, his eyes on her and the hallway, listening intently. "She gave it to me before... Before she was gone," she sniffed, turning to her side to see what Steve was now doing. She almost laughed seeing him running weirdly, trying not to make any noise. "Sorry, I'm just..."

"It's fine, Ma'am." The man beside her smiled which she returned. 

"It's really important to me. I just couldn't remember where I place it before swimming." She sighed, stopping. "It wasn't on my bedside table. It wasn't in my bag-" she stopped as she stuffed his hand into her bag. 

"Ma'am?" He had a playful smile on his face now. 

She pursed her lips, retrieving her hand with the earrings on it. "It's here," she chuckled. "I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'm just really stupid."

He laughed with her. "It's fine, ma'am. Have a good day." 

She gave him a small smile before walking back. Steve was there, leaning on the door of the front way of the stairwell. "Nothing. It's all men's garments."

"How about you?"

"You're the top priority here, Y/N."

She nodded and walked first. "Shit," she cursed silently as she see hotel guests walking down the hall with cameras in their hands.

"What happened?" 

She eyed the hotel guests at the other side of the hall, slowly getting closer to the both of them. "Reporters," What the fuck should she do? She can't just run like a madman to escape them, that would be so suspicious. And they might run after her, too. 

"Kiss me," She suddenly uttered, looking up to gaze at Steve's eyes that are slightly wide because of that two words. "Public display of affection makes people uncomfortable." 

Y/N didn't wait for him to answer, she strode in front of him with her hands in the air cupping his face and crashing her lips onto his.