FUGITIVES
We had to stop by his place,as quickly as possible,since it was probably one of the places they'd look for first.
But,we had to change.
Steve was in his suit,stars and all,and I was wearing my usual clothes; not exactly fugitive material. We'd be walking targets.
I still had my suitcase there,and so I managed to change into something more mundane; sweatpants and a sleeveless,black crop top. Steve wore some more normal looking clothes as well,one jacket on top with the hood covering his head.
After that we both headed to the hospital t find Natasha. I didn't know if she'd still be there,but considering my last promise to her,i had my hopes up.
She was still on the hallway,sitting,waiting.
I nodded at her,putting one finger on my lips and we all got inside a small room,doors closed,no windows.
“What's going on?”,she asked,her brows knitted together.
“We're in trouble,that's what's going on Tasha”, I huffed and sat down on a chair.
Steve was standing in between us two,his arms crossed. He pulled the usb Fury gave him from his pocket,showed it to Tasha.
“Why do you-”
“Let's just start with you telling us what's inside”,he said,his voice strict.
“I don't know Steve”
“Go again”,his eyes were shooting daggers at her.
I sighed,now standing up.
“She's not lying Steve,ease up”,i said softly.
“But...”,she lowered her head for a second,Steve and I both having eyes on her as she lifted it again,I know who killed Fury”
“What?”,i asked,baffled. “The fuck Tasha,why didn't you say anything?”
“Why didn't you?”,she tilted her head and I opened my mouth,though there was nothing I could say at this point.
“Aight. Fair enough”
“Most people don't believe he exists”,she started,”but the ones who do call him the Winter Soldier. He's supposedly responsiblefor over twenty assassinations in the last fifty years”
“So,it's a fairytale,like the boogeyman”,i sighed.
“Not exactly”,she said in a low voice. “Met the guy five years ago,during a mission. Didn't go that well”,she exclaimed lifting her shirt to show us a bullet scar on the side of her stomach. “Same bullet that shot Fury”
Steve put one hand on his chin,though for a few moments no one spoke.
“Alright”,he finally said.
“What?”
“Let's see what he's after”,he stated,lifting the usb in front of him.
We went to a mall,Natasha thought the best thing we could do was act upon the hide in plain sight. We went inside a computer store,and she put the flash drive on one of the laptops.
“You sure this is something we should be doing here?”,i asked her,whispering.
“We got nine minutes before they find out where we are. Let's hurry a bit”,she mostly mumbled this to herself.
“Something's blocking me out..”,she murmured.
“What?”,Steve asked.
“An AI...i don't..”,she squinted her eyes,typing even more as she tried to make some sense. “We can't really read it here. I can't. So,instead,we can find where it came from...”
“New Jersey?”,i asked looking at the screen. “Really?”
Steve sighed at pulled the flash drive,putting it in his pocket.
“2 o'clock fellas”,i hummed as we were walking outside.
“Play it cool. They're looking for people looking suspicious. Don't look suspicious”
“Easyy”,i hummed awkwardly.
One group of agents was coming really close; I couldn't help myself really,i was tense. Steve put one arm around my waist,Tasha laughing for some reason,rather loudly.
“Play it cool Pers”,Steve whispered to my ear in a humming manner.
I shook my head,biting my lip. Fine. I put my hand on his,placing my head on his shoulder as we walked.
They didn't stop,they didn't even look at us. Yet,our eyes were on them. We could spot each divided group,they weren't exactly discreet.
We went down the escalators when Tasha spoke;
“Rumlow coming up”,she whispered and turned her back on us,pretending to be on her phone.
Steve's arm was still around me. “Kiss her”,she told him and we both turned to look at her. “Rumlow knows you,don't give him a chance to look at your face”,she explained ,though neither of us moved. “Kiss her Steve,or I will”
I raised an eyebrow at that remark,but before I could say anything,Steve grabbed me and kissed me.
For a moment I was surprised,too surprised; but after a while I put my hands behind his neck,pulling him closer. His lips were softer than what I would have expected; he slid his tongue in my mouth and I flinched for a second,but didn't push him back.
I pulled him even closer,feeling his grip on me getting tighter.
“Um,guys- you can stop know”
Tasha's voice brought me back to reality,and Steve pulled away. His hands were still on me,our eyes locked. My lips were swollen,wet. I bit them,and then awkwardly wiped them with the back of my palm. Steve pulled his arms from my waist.
Rumlow was gone,far enough for us to easily slip away. We got in the parking lot,where Steve pick locked a car. Tasha and I both were kinda looking at him,both baffled,and just a little amazed.
“So”,Tasha said,lied on the back seat, “all I had to do was bring Pers here”
“What do you mean?”,i turned back to see her.
“Nothing”,Steve huffed,but I was curious,now more than before.
“I've been trying to get him a date for months now”,she exclaimed,her brow lifted.
I opened my mouth,trying to get something out,though no voice whatsoever formed.
“You...have been trying...to get him”,i pointed at Steve,” a date?”
“Yeah. He's picky”,she pursed her lips.
I leaned back on my seat,feeling somehow..betrayed? Why was she,no scratch that,why was I feeling so angry about that? Was I so attached to them that the idea to share them bothered me? Or was it something else perhaps? I...
“But,you should feel proud”,she chuckled, “you're probably his first kiss since 1945”
“I..really?”,i now turned at him.
“It isn't-”
“Did he feel rusty? How was it?”,she put her head in between us,eyeing us both.
“Romanoff,stop this”,Steve said,his eyes on the road.
Tasha then turned to me,her eyes like those of a hungry puppy eyeing a steak.
“I..I mean..”,i stuttered a little for some reason,but then I shook my head,biting my lip. “It didn't feel rusty. I don't know what that means though..But it felt..”
“What?”,she asked,louder now. Steve was looking at me with the corner of his eye.
“I mean..good”
I could see Steve,a half smile on his face now. Tasha patted his shoulder.
“Could go better big man. Could pull off a good “,he nodded,her mouth filled with that word.
“She said good! Good is good”,he said,feeling somehow offended.
I turned around to look at the view through my window,mostly to hide a proud smile.
“How about her though?”,he was now asking him and my eyes grew bigger.
Wait no,no,no. I didn't need to know that. Nope. No need to.
Still,i turned around again to see them both.
“What was it- rusty,good..or good?”
“You know what”,he turned to her, “you're enjoying this too much Romanoff. Sit back”,he said,a faint smile on his lips.
“Ooh. That bad?”,she grimaced,now looking at me and I opened my mouth,feeling a little hurt.
Or a lot. Because Steve wasn't answering. A knot on my stomach,a rather sick one.
I mean,it's been a good while since I last kissed anyone,but still...
“It was good. Now sit back”,he said,not looking at any of us,and I lifted my brows at him.
“Good,or good though? There's a difference you know”
“Romanoff,they're the same. There's literally no difference,they're the same word”
“Oh,Steve...”,she dragged a forced laugh. “There is a difference”
“It was good. Now sit back”,he warned her.
Tasha sat back abruptly,letting out a sigh,her arms crossed.
It was good enough. I smiled at him,a half smile trying to hold in a smirk kind of thing. He eyed me briefly,bearing the same smile. Yup,good enough. Still got it.
The sun had nearly set when we arrived.
It was surrounded by wires,something like a military camp. An image much too familiar for me.
“This is were the file came from”,Tasha said as we got out.
“So did i”,Steve added,though he left no room for anyone to speak at this point.
We were walking around,and at this stage it was almost completely dark outside. Natasha was trying to pin point the exact location,and we were mostly just following her.
Steve stopped for a second,and although Tasha said something neither of us heard her. He looked..lost,for a second.
“Feels weird doesn't it?”,i asked him in a low voice,my arms crossed. He turned to me,though he didn't speak. “Awfully distant...”,i said,my voice now more hoarse as memories came flying in. “Yet at the same time..so vivid it feels like yesterday”
I was lost too for a moment; too much to notice Steve's gaze on me.
I saw Kaemon's father,screaming at us. We were up against each other,no powers allowed. Our blades sharp,ready to cut.
I was now down,Kaemon on his ass just a few feet away. I was bleeding from somewhere. I could still feel the sting,the cold air brushing the open wound.
“Sometimes I forget you and I have both gone through this..”,Steve's words brought me back,his voice deep and quiet.
“Yeah..Not something to flex that much though”,i let out a shot,weak laugh and he followed along. “Did I use that the right way?”,i asked Tasha in a louder voice.
“Yeah,good job Pers”,she chuckled and so did Steve. I just felt accomplished.
“This is a dead end...”,she huffed.
Steve stood before the building in front of us,studying it for a second.
“What?”,she asked.
“This is not supposed to be here”
“Then that's our place”,i said and we stormed inside.