rey "just-just go away, leave me alone!" rey shouted and shoved against him, though it didn't even affect him, and turned to walk away as she wiped at her eyes.
steve: "no. talk to me, rey." steve pleaded, hurrying after the girl. "what did i do?"
rey rey turned back to steve and cried for a few more moments before shaking her head swiftly. she couldn't tell him what the real reason was.
steve: his heart ached in his chest at the sight of her crying. at this point, he could care less about anything else but comforting her. "please don't cry." the avenger whispered, wrapping his arms around her shaking frame.
rey "don't... don't..." rey wept and shook her head swiftly, weakly fighting against his strong arms. "n-no, you don't just get to- don't'-..."
steve: "please tell me what's wrong." steve was beyond desperate to find out the cause for her tears. "i don't get to what? hug you? i love you, rey. why are you doing this?"
rey rey finally managed to shove his arms off as she let out another quiet sob. "don't /say/ that, you never cared!" she finally snapped.
steve: "why are you saying that! of course i care!" steve stepped back from the sobbing girl. he was convinced that this was the working of snoke.
rey "no, you're lying, you-you never did and you never will, so don't even /try/ it!" rey cried, clutching onto the wall beside her for stability.
steve: steve's hand flew up to his forehead, utterly frustrated that rey wouldn't tell him what happened. "you
steve: "you've got to help me out, rey. how do i stop it?"
rey rey laughed humorlessly as she wiped at her eyes, the tears still falling freely. he thought it was about snoke. though he may have been a contributing factor, that wasn't the real problem here. "it's /her/, okay?!"
steve: "what?" the confusion is clearly displayed on his face. wait... this was about peg? he was completely floored at the realization. "w-what does peggy have to do with anything?"
rey the look on his face nearly broke rey's heart, but she continued. "it's always been her. from the very beginning, she was always your best girl. right?"
steve: the lump in his throat grew at the question. "rey..." steve trailed off, shaking his head. he failed to see the relevance. "why does it matter?"
rey "...it doesn't," rey mumbled. obviously it did, but she didn't want him to know that it bothered her. even if she didn't really know why. "go away. be with her. have a great life."
steve: "NO." steve barked, struggling to suppress the sob that built up in his throat. "no. i'm not walking away. not this time."
rey "fine! then i will," rey growled and shook her head, wiping at her eyes again, then attempted to walk past him.
steve: steve could not bear to lose another person important to him. he reeled rey in as she walked past, stopping her movements instantly. his glassy eyes blared into hers intensely, "tell me what's wrong."
rey rey immediately held up the hilt of her lightsaber and turned it on so the blade was between both of their faces, reflecting off the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. "let. go," she seethed threateningly.
steve: the soldier retracted at the sound of the saber, grabbing a nearby trash can lid to shield himself from the weapon. he peaked over the lid, his face displaying his heartbreak.
rey rey froze in place, seeing the agony written in his features, and stepped back in shock at her own actions, lightsaber shutting off then falling out of her hands onto the ground. "...i... i'm s- i'm sorry..." she whispered, though her words and voice both were empty, chastising herself mentally.
steve: he let the trash can lid clatter to the ground, relieved that the saber was off. steve sat beside rey on the sidewalk without a word.
rey rey rested her hands over her mouth as she stared at the ground. this was wrong. she was happier than she'd ever been with derek. but there had once been something there for steve. something she wasn't sure would go away. "i'm sorry... i'm sorry..."
steve: there was no need for rey's apology. there had been far worse incidences in his life. sadly, this wasn't the first time a mind controlled best friend turned on him. he wrapped his arm around rey's shoulder, pulling her closer to his side. "i know."
rey rey let out a soft sob as he pulled her in, immediately scooting onto his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. "i-i'm sorry, i w-want you to be h-happy..." she cried, looking up into his eyes.
steve steve looked up at her sadly, placing his hands on her hips to keep her in place. "i want to see you happy too. now tell me why peg bothers you."
rey rey frowned and looked down, unable to met his gaze, then sniffed softly before murmuring, "it's dumb, it's... it's nothing..." then taking a deep breath. "i guess there are... still... feelings there..."
steve steve felt like an absolute idiot once rey admitted what was bothering her. how could he be so oblivious? what about derek? of course, that never stopped steve from having feelings for her. "rey," the soldier breathed, bringing one of his hands from the small of her back up to her arm.
rey rey squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head as steve whispered her name, taking a few small gasps of breath through her tears but freezing completely as his hand traveled up to her arm. "i-it's horrible of me to feel this way..."
steve the hand that rested on her arm was quickly brought up to her face, swiping away tears from her cheek. "that's arguable." steve laughed quietly, cradling the side of her face in his large palm. "stop crying, pretty girl.:
rey rey managed to let out a short, sad chuckle, closing her eyes again at the nickname he'd given her. she nestled her cheek into his palm and slowly looked up at him with big, brown eyes, tears drying on her pale cheeks. "i'm s-sorry you had to find out this way... i p-probably just ruined things between us forever..."
steve "i don't mind." steve shook his head. right now would be a great time to admit his feeling for the girl, but he kept it to himself nonetheless. if she knew he had feelings for her too, they'd have no choice but to keep their distance. "you love derek, rey. i just think you're confused."
rey rey's eyebrows pulled together as she considered it. of course she loved derek. but why else would she have reacted this way when finding out about his former lover returning here? "i-i can't be, i..." she murmured, then rubbed her eyes with her fists again as she took another deep breath.
steve: "u-um.." steve couldn't take it anymore. the more she confessed, the harder his heart pounded in his chest. he couldn't lie to her face any longer. "how terrible would it be.." his gaze fell on a stray eyelash, absentmindedly moving it with his thumb. "if i felt the same way?"
rey rey's eyes darted back up to his own as he began speaking again, feeling him brush away an eyelash from her cheekbone... then it seemed as if everything stopped. her jaw dropped as her hand came shakily up to it, eyes widening. "...you... you do...?"
steve steve couldn't tell if her reaction was good or bad. "yes. only if it makes you feel better, though... if not, forget i said it." he rambled, stumbling of his words slightly.
rey rey smiled sorrowfully, hating what she knew she had to do. she bit her lip and closed her eyes for a few moments then leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him tightly. about a minute of silence passed before she finally whispered, "it can't happen..."
steve: "i know." steve's grin was equally as sorrowful as hers. "don't you worry about me, pretty girl. i waited seventy years for my best girl. i can wait seventy more."
rey rey's lip began quivering again as she tucked her face into his shoulder, crying gently once more. "oh, steve..." she whispered, fingers curling into his soft t-shirt as she clutched onto him.
steve: "didn't i just tell you to stop crying?" steve whispered, wrapping his arms around her as she cried. he knew telling her was a bad idea. it was selfish to put his feelings before hers.
rey "yeah, but you should know i never listen to you..." rey teased, even through her tears, in an attempt to lighten the somber mood. "do-do you wanna go home...?"
steve "that's probably the best idea." steve sighed. he stood up, easily lifting rey along with him. "am i taking you to your apartment?" he naturally assumed she wanted to be with derek.
rey "no..." rey whispered, shaking her head. "derek's working... i-i don't like being there alone." she wrapped her arms around him again as they walked along. "can we go to your place...?"
steve: "okay." steve nodded. he would have declined if it wasn't for the sadness in her voice. he knew it was bound to end terribly. luckily the apartments were just a block away from the arcade, so they were there pretty quickly.
rey once they were there, rey stood up on her feet and yawned, following him inside. the first thing her eyes landed on was the shield. "whoa..." she breathed out, glancing down at the small toy one still attached to her wrist. "can i lift it?"
steve: "go ahead." steve beamed. he was worried that it would be awkward, but luckily rey's fascination quickly cleared up his fret. "try not to drop it, though. my neighbors would be less than pleased."
rey "is it heavy?" rey asked as she walked over to it, and bending down to fit her arm through the straps. then she stood and lifted it as she did so, letting out a small grunt. "it's not as bad as i thought it'd be," she giggled, looking over at him.
steve "you look amazing." steve chuckled as rey stood with his shield in hand. he was enjoying it much more than he should have. "i'm going to get changed. do you want something to wear?" he naturally assumed she'd spend the night.
rey rey struck a superhero pose, fists on her hips, then laughed again, looking up as he asked his question. "w-what?" she stuttered, so in shock that the shield slipped off her arm and onto the floor, where it clattered loudly, causing her to gasp and jump back. a few moments later, the sound of a broom hitting the floor below them was heard, and rey silently reminded herself to apologize later. "steve, i... i-i shouldn't- i-"
steve steve pursed his lips, bending over to grab his shield off the ground. this was the awkwardness he feared. "it's okay, rey." steve offered her a smile. "i was just assuming you didn't want to wear those clothes until derek got off."
rey rey watched him as he picked up his shield, cheeks turning a bright red color as her eyes happened to land on his (oh, boy) biceps. she looked down at her sweater and jeans, tugging at the hem of it slightly, then paused before nodding. "...okay."
steve: steve's eyes fell to the floor as rey began taking her sweater off. "i'm gonna get the clothes," he murmured nervously, disappearing into his bedroom. he grabbed two t-shirts and pairs of sweatpants from his top drawer. once he returned to the living room, he handed rey the red brooklyn shirt and blue sweats. "the bathroom's to your left."
rey rey watched him hesitantly as he moved into his bedroom, bringing her nail up to her lips to bite on it nervously, though she dropped it when he returned, handing her clothes of his signature colors. "thanks," she whispered and smiled slightly before moving into the bathroom, and changing with trembling hands. she folded up her clothes then made her way back out, hair in pigtails yet again, and set her clothes by the front door.
steve while rey stepped into the bathroom, steve quickly stripped of his clothes in his bedroom. he changed into his ssr t-shirt and black sweats, meeting rey in the living room soon after. he couldn't help but stare for a quick second, before taking a seat on the couch. "um, do you want to watch tv?" he hated how tense the atmosphere between them was since they confessed their feelings for each other.
rey rey nodded her head and smiled shakily. "sure..." she replied quietly then followed him over, taking a seat beside him and kicking her legs up as well. she watched him as he gathered the remote and turned it on, shaking her head slightly in disbelief. "i'm still so amazed by you... everything about you..."
steve: steve smiled sadly at the girl. as much as he'd like to respond with equally kind words, he kept his mouth shut for her sake. the lack of contact between the two was starting to bother him, so he reached around her arms and pulled her close. "oh, rey..." the avenger sighed deeply, tearing his eyes off the tv. "what are we gonna do?"
rey rey immediately held onto him, climbing into his lap yet again, and smiled as she buried her face in his neck. "i don't know... i-i don't know..." she whispered. both of them were happy with who they were with, but were still upset seeing the other with their own significant other. there was no win-win situation here. "i can't lose you, though..."
steve: "you won't." he reassured, bringing a hand up to her hair. he played with it for a few beats before moving it to her shoulder blade. he would be there for her until she begged him to leave. "i'm here. no matter what."
rey rey giggled slightly into his shoulder as she felt him toy with her pigtail, then moved so her cheek was resting on his shoulder, locking her eyes on his. "i-i don't want you to worry about me... i want you to be happy with her. because i-i know you've had to watch me with derek and i know how hard that must be for you... i just want you to be happy..."
steve: "thank you, rey, but i wouldn't jump to conclusions just yet." steve had a lot to talk to peggy about before any sort of a relationship was established. he had no idea what happened in her life since he crashed in the ice. he did know that she found a husband after the war, but he wasn't sure if he was still in the picture.
rey rey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, sitting up a bit. "what do you mean...?" she asked curiously. she didn't know much about peggy, but she knew steve had been infatuated with her during the war. what had happened?
steve: "peggy got married after the war. i'm not sure if she knows about it, though." the words sounded odd leaving his lips. "she's young again, so i don't know how much of her life she remembers."
rey rey quirked an eyebrow, holding back a snarky comment about peggy being dim-witted, then nodded in understanding, looking down at her fingers as she played with them. "...i hope she remembers..." she whispered so quietly she wasn't even sure if he could hear.
steve: steve couldn't hear what rey mumbled, but he figured it was probably better if he didn't know. "i
steve: "and you and derek.. everything's fine between you two?" he quirked a brow, looking down at her.
rey rey nodded her head and smiled a bit at just the thought of him. "yeah..." she whispered, looking up at steve again. "i... i-i don't know if he'd like me being here... i'm not going to tell him, just in case. he-he can't make us stay apart... right?"
steve: "it's your choice." steve simply stated, averting his gaze to the tv. he felt himself wishing he knew what peggy was doing right now. he didn't even know which apartment complex she lived in. what if she lived next door? he snapped himself out of his eager thoughts, guilty that he was dwelling on peggy while rey was in his arms.
rey his thoughts became loud once he looked at the television. rey couldn't help but peek in. thoughts of her. of where she possibly lived, scenarios he was coming up with in his head. she turned her head to the side, biting her lip, then stared silently at the ground as she let out a soundless sigh.
steve: he noticed rey shift on his chest but didn't really give it much thought. he reached out for the remote next to him, pressing the guide button on the device. of course, the program coming on next was none other than his documentary. it was quite humbling, of course, but the amount of peggy in the film could cause some conflict. "do you want to watch it?"
rey rey snapped out of his thoughts immediately, feeling bad for intruding as much as she had already, then glanced at the screen. "oh, i saw this on the airplane with derek. he... he didn't want to watch it. but yeah," she whispered and smiled slightly as she nodded, sitting up a bit straighter.
steve: "that doesn't suprise me." steve breathed sharply through his nose, tossing the remote on the cushion beside him. if derek knew the events of tonight, he'd probably try to rip steve's head off. soon after, the film starts to roll on the screen. the opening scene is the serum injection. cap had seen the film plenty of times, but he'd never get used to watching the operation sequence.
rey rey looked over at him sadly, feeling awful that derek wouldn't accept him, then turned to the tv again as the film started playing. she knitted her eyebrows together and tilted her head curiously as she watched, wincing slightly at all the injections. rey'd never had one before, and they looked downright painful. "did it hurt...?"
steve: "yes. but that was just the penicillin." he smiled softly, watching dr. erskine in the blurry black and white film. since everyone else was emerging from the dead, he wondered if abraham would too. it'd be nice to see him again. howard stark cranked the machine up, evoking a scream from steve. his breath hitched in his throat as he watched peggy scream to stop the machine from the sidelines.
rey "penic..." rey murmured, but didn't complete her thought, as she was watching the film too intently. as the machine was started up, and steve's screams were heard, rey gasped, hands coming to her mouth, and leaned forward slightly. but she stopped when a young woman was shown, her eyebrows pulling together. whoa. rey could've sworn it was her on that screen. "is-is that her...?" she asked, squinting slightly. "i- she-she looks so much like... me..."
steve: "it is.. you do." steve found himself looking from peggy on the screen to rey on his lap. "i told you that already." he recalled adding that in after he explained who she was in the gym. the film showed peggy greeting him after he got out of the machine, causing steve to smile lightly. "you see how everyone is treating me there?" he questioned, motioning to the dozens of scientists and politicians gawking over the super soldier. "peg always treated me like that, before the serum and after."
rey "i know, but i didn't actually believe you until now," rey chuckled, looking up at him, then turned back towards the screen again as steve was shown climbing out of the machine. her jaw couldn't help but drop as she stared at his body. that serum really was amazing. she felt bad immediately after, though, and looked up at him. "...i-i did too," she piped up quietly. "before i knew you were captain america... i only saw steve."
steve: "i know you did." he chuckled, winding his free arm around rey's waist. it was his way of reminding her he didn't forget about her. the next few scenes of the film touched upon steve's life before the serum. mostly about bucky. a somber look crossed his face as the clip of him and bucky laughing together rolled. "buck.." he didn't even notice the name leave his lips.
rey rey leaned back against his chest again, curiously watching clips of him and another soldier, who seemed to be close friends with steve. she looked up at him when he uttered something, eyebrows pulling together. "what?" she whispered and looked at the screen again, pointing to the man laughing with steve. "who's that?"
steve: "it's bucky." steve spoke a little louder this time, words sounding strangled as they left his dry mouth. "i told you about him, too, remember?"
rey "oh," rey whispered and nodded, then looked up at him apologetically. she cuddled closer for sympathy and held both of his hands with her own, whispering, "we can skip this part if you want..."
steve joined the chat 6 hours ago
steve joined the chat 5 hours ago
steve: "it's okay." steve reassured, relaxing against the couch as rey cuddled further into his arms. the last time he watched the film, he thought bucky was still dead. "you'd like him." he grinned. if this was brooklyn circa 1940, bucky would probably try to hit on rey.
rey "he's very handsome," rey pointed out with a nod, making the understatement of the century. the same went for steve. he was almost... too perfect. she pushed those thoughts out of her mind as she swallowed thickly, glancing at the screen again. "i want to meet him."
steve: "that's buck. every girl in brooklyn was in love with him." steve laughed quietly. that was the way it always was. bucky, the guy who got all the broads and steve who was.. just steve. "i want you to meet him to." steve nodded. he took the time to explain where the two left off after wakanda.
rey "really...? what about you?" she asked, before she could stop herself. "i-i mean, why... why didn't they like you?" it amazed her that women wouldn't have been throwing themselves at steve. she listened intently then nodded after he explained everything, smiling to herself. "you look... different when you talk about him. good different. happier."
steve: "did you not see me?" he quirked a brow, referring to his pre-serum figure. "besides.. i wasn't really focused on women. i just wanted to do the right thing." well, besides peggy. "bucky's my oldest friend. i'd do anything for him." the soldier shook his head, watching the clips of him and bucky returning from the hydra base roll on the screen.
rey "i did see you. anyone who truly deserved you should have looked past that," rey whispered. like peggy. unfortunately. she nodded her head in understanding then turned to the screen again, cuddling more against steve's chest. "i wanna see you fight..."
steve: steve bit his lip, trying to suppress the huge grin that surfaced at rey's words. the only other woman who looked past his flaws was peggy. "you'll have to settle for watching me fake punch adolf hitler." he joked, referring to the propaganda for wwii. "but who knows. maybe you'll get to see some live action one day."
rey "who?" rey asked, the name not ringing any bells to her whatsoever. then she giggled. "can you show me right now? derek taught me some self-defense moves. try to fight me. c'mon," she urged, pausing the film to stand on her feet then tug at his hands. "pleeeeeease?"
steve: "it's nothing." steve shook his head, before scoffing at her ridiculous proposition. "i'm not fighting you rey." he rolled his eyes. he doesn't even budge at her pulls. "it's late and i live upstairs. i don't want to hurt you either."
rey "c'mon, you don't have anything to be afraid of. i won't hurt you," rey teased with a smirk, pulling even harder at his hands, though it seemed like just a minor annoyance to his strong body. "you /won't/ hurt me, i promise."
steve: "i've think i've already done enough damage." he stated firmly, pointing at the ribs he bruised a few weeks earlier. the only other woman he combatted was natasha, but that was different. she was a super spy. rey was his best friend.
rey "that was from a /hug/," rey giggled, raising her eyebrows at him, then tugged even harder. "come onnnnn. i know i can defend myself. plus, you don't even have to go that hard, if you don't want to. i'll be your best friend if you do." though they were already closer than best friends could be.
steve: "are you saying we aren't already? i'm hurt." steve was on his feet seconds after, "alright, skywalker. you're in for it now." the avenger threatened, jokingly of course. he supposed a small quarrel would be harmless.
rey "no, no, we are!" rey immediately said with a soft giggle, pulling him to his feet and giving him a light hug. then she pulled away and nodded her head. "okay. now try to hit me.'
steve: "uh uh." he rolled his eyes, wrapping his arm around her quickly before she pulled away. steve sucked in a deep breath, throwing a light punch in rey's direction. there was little force behind it, in case she didn't dodge it.
rey rey took a deep breath and got in a defensive position before he threw the punch. she quickly caught his arm and twisted it so he was unable to move it. then she kicked his legs out from under him, toppling to the ground with him, and situated herself on top of his body, pinning his wrists down with her knees. "some superhero you are," she teased.
steve: "not bad." the super soldier narrowed his eyes. his neighbors were not going to be pleased with him tomorrow. his twisted his wrists out from under her knees with ease, knocking her onto the floor beside him. her hands were quickly pinned behind her back. he separated her legs with his thighs to prevent any below the waist attacks. "i'm a little rusty."
rey a gasp escaped rey as she was suddenly knocked onto the floor, face down, with her hands pinned behind her back. feeling her legs be pried apart by his thighs caused her heart to beat faster, a blush rising to her cheeks. but she didn't fight it. she smiled to herself, but then swiftly pushed those thoughts away, frowning at them, and let her hands relax in his grip. "i don't think you're telling the truth about that," she chuckled teasingly.
steve: steve couldn't help but trap his bottom lip between his teeth at the suggestive position they were in. his brows knitted together at his reaction. "i guess i'm not." he grinned, releasing his grip before hopping off the floor. he never felt anything like that during training with wanda and natasha.
rey rey smiled to herself, though she managed to hide her disappointment as he let go then stood, before pushing herself up then standing slowly, standing even closer than usual. "so... what else do you do if someone's attacking?" she whispered, the energy between them seemingly shifting to a whole different level.
steve: "well, you usually want to block their attacks." steve explained, "so if you try to punch me," he clasped her hand, holding it up to his face. "i'll knock it out of the way." he used his free hand to gently whack her palm out of his grasp.
rey rey held her breath as he lifted her hand up to his face, clenching it in a light fist. her eyes didn't leave his as he swatted her hand out of the way, letting it drop to her side again. "i don't think i'm fast enough to block attacks like that," she whispered then chuckled softly. she paused for a few moments, simply staring into his kind eyes, then whispered, "what else...?"
steve: "sure you are." steve hated when rey doubted herself, even if it was something as petty as blocking a punch. he found himself getting distracted by her intense gaze, silence falling around them for a few beats. "there's this maneuver i find pretty useful." his voice is huskier than usual. he stepped behind rey, ordering her to turn so her back was facing the wall with the spin of his finger. "try to hit me."
rey rey found herself completely under his control, spinning to face the wall as soon as he waved his finger. then she furrowed her eyebrows hesitantly, not wanting to hurt him on accident. but this was steve. captain america, rather. his reflexes were the sharpest she'd seen, thanks to the serum. and all his experience. she glanced at him apologetically, just in case, then got in a defensive stance before rearing her fist back then sending it towards his face.
rey joined the chat 2 hours ago
steve: steve caught her fist in his palm and pressed her back against the wall within seconds. their fronts were pressed together, steve's larger hand curled around her wrist as he held her hand above her head. although the technique took little physical effort, his chest was still heaving against hers. his darkening blue eyes blared into her brown as he lowered his forehead against hers.
rey rey gasped again as her hand was pinned to the wall up above her head, her eyes still never leaving his own, as she felt their chests press together, hearts pounding simultaneously. as he rested his forehead against her own, her eyes fall shut as her lips parted, panting lightly. this was wrong. very wrong. but she couldn't fight it anymore. this was where her heart lay. "steve..."
steve: "rey." steve breathed, eyes raking over her parted features. his inhibitions are soon clouded by his intense attraction towards her. the same question raced through his mind. should i? the swarm of possible consequences of the action that wormed into his mind were quickly silenced. he moved forward, swiftly connecting his lips to her own.
rey at first she didn't kiss back. how could she? derek's heart would be broken. but she couldn't hold it back anymore. she was done hiding. she kissed him back passionately, raising her wrist to join the other underneath his hand, still pinned to the wall, and squeezed her eyes shut, expressing all of her thoughts into that one kiss.
steve: steve couldn't help by deepen the kiss, sliding his tongue across her bottom lip. before he allowed himself to get any further, he pulled away from the kiss, surveying rey's face for a reaction. "i-i'm sorry.. i just couldn't help it." the normally collected avenger was stumbling over his words.
rey rey found herself leaning towards him as he pulled away, as if not wanting him to stop, then let out shaky exhales as she tried to catch her breath. her heart felt like it was pounding out of her chest. "don't," she choked out as he apologized, shaking her head swiftly. "just come here." as soon as she breathed out the words, she pulled her hands from his grip and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him again.
steve: steve gladly obliged her request, wrapping his arms around her as their lips met again. it's nice, really; all of his judgement and diffidence leaving his head for a few moments. a hand moved from the small of her back, up to her face where he cradled her jaw. he used his position to deepen the kiss.
rey rey felt a tear drip down her cheek. that's when she knew to stop. she pulled away swiftly, fingers coming up to her lips, and sniffed, shaking her head. "this is... this is wrong..." she whispered, moving from her position between him and the wall. backing away literally tore her apart, but it was wrong of her to do this. derek would be crushed. "we-we can't..."
steve: steve backed away from rey. sure, it crushed him, but he knew what he did was wrong. he should have never let it get to the point it did. if he kept his mouth shut in front of the arcade, there might have been a chance of salvaging their friendship. "it's alright. i get it." he forced himself to say. for a moment, he felt his heart drop. oh, god. what about peggy?
rey rey was already backing away, grabbing her clothes with trembling hands where she'd left them by the door. her forehead was gleaming with sweat now, and she knew the exhilaration was getting to her. she needed to go. she rushed to the door and swung it open... but couldn't find the strength to cross the threshold. she stayed in that position for another few moments. then let herself go. "god /damn/ it," she whined as she threw the clothes down then rushed right back to steve, hopping into his arms and wrapping her legs around his waist, then kissed him deeply again.
steve joined the chat 22 minutes ago
steve: steve watched rey walk toward the door with his heart in his stomach. he swore he'd never let another person he loved walk out of his life. but alas, he stood there, rubbing his shaking palms on his sweatpants. the last thing he expected was the very thing that happened. he caught her knees with his large palms, hoisting her closer to his frame. the kiss sent him into a frenzy. it was returned without compunction, letting his feelings completely take over him.
rey rey twisted her fingers into his soft, blonde hair, tears still streaking down her cheeks as she kissed him back with everything she had in her, as if never wanting to let go. as if they'd never see each other again. "i-i can't stay away from you, i won't, i won't," she whimpered and shook her head as she kissed him again.
steve: "don't. don't," steve pleaded, his somber voice contrasting his disheveled features. he refused to let her leave like bucky and peg. he carried her over to the couch, keeping their lips connected the whole time.
rey "i-i can't," rey gasped and shook her head again, kissing him again. her tears were now dripping onto his cheeks as he sat them down on the couch, her propped up on his lap. finally she pulled away, breathless, and pressed her forehead to his own, fingers still tangled in his hair. "i-i can hardly breathe..." she chuckled quietly, still in shock about everything.
steve: "even if this..." steve trailed off, "doesn't work out, i'll always be here." he murmurs against her lips, before softly pecking them. it was the truth. even if all they could be was friends. his hand found her pigtail again, twisting his fingers around her locks. "you should do your hair like this more often." he grinned.
rey rey returned the small kiss with a slight grin, then pulled away and stared into his eyes as he played with her hair. "i can tell you like them," she teased with a soft smirk, then sat them both up to sit regularly on the couch. "it's so late..." she noticed, glancing at the wall clock. "i'm not tired anymore..."
steve: "oh," steve's gaze followed hers, landing on the clock. he would usually be in bed by this time. "what should we do?" as much as he'd like to continue their make out session, he was open to suggestions.
rey rey's eyes drifted around the room until they landed on a strange machine, her eyebrows pulling together, then rose to her feet, moving over to it. "what is this?" she asked curiously, looking over her shoulder at him with a weary smile. "it looks old...'
steve: "it's a record player." steve smiled softly, lifting the lid off the wooden machine. there was still a record inside from the last time he used it. "it's how we listened to music. before ipods." he moved the needle onto the vinyl. bing crosby's voice was emitted from the speakers on contact.
rey "oh..." rey whispered. she had one of those. as the music started playing, a grin immediately formed on her face. derek knew that she preferred older music, not the newer kinds, and she already was in love with this. she looked up at him, smiling a bit wider, then paused before slowly slipping her hands into his own. "dance with me...?" she requested gently, leading him out to the middle of the living room.
steve: he was more than happy to dance with her, but there were two things holding him back. the first this was his promise to peggy and the second was that he still didn't know how. "sure." he breathed, placing his hands on her hips. he wished he had sam or bucky there to help.
rey rey could tell he was a bit hesitant, and assumed it was just because he didn't know how, so smiled softly and began swaying with him to the song. she and derek had danced a few times, but she had been no expert before either. "are you okay?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.
steve: the more they swayed back and forth, the more he got the hang of it. most things came natural thanks to the serum, but he stumbled every now and then. "i'm okay." he smiled. once he was confident in his footing, he raised his arm so rey could spin under it.
rey rey giggled when he stumbled, knowing that he knew she'd ask if he was okay, then gave him a look, wordlessly warning him to be careful. she spun when he prompted her to, now moving so her hand was on his shoulder, and her other one was clasped in his own. "see, you're a natural," she smiled.
steve: "well, not all natural." steve grinned, moving his hand to the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. his nervous thoughts were quickly diminished once the beat of the song picked up. he moved them in a circle, keeping their hands connected.
rey rey grinned to herself as he pulled her closer, still staring up into his eyes, as they danced back and forth together. slowly, she shuffled her feet on top of his own, as derek had shown her once. this was how they danced back in the day. steve's day, if she recalled. "now you're in charge," she giggled quietly, wrapping one arm around his neck, but intertwining their fingers with her other.
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steve: steve welcomed the new position with a warm laugh. his movements were fluid, her weight hardly effecting his motions. the fact that he could enjoy a dance with the right partner after all these years amazed him. "thank you for this." he breathed, placing a kiss on her forehead.
rey rey furrowed her eyebrows as he kissed her forehead, though the smile wasn't leaving her face anytime soon. "for what?" she whispered, unsure as to what she'd done exactly.
steve: "i've been looking for the right partner for all these years," he paused for a minute, staring into her eyes before continuing. " — and i found her."
rey rey blushed so hard she had to tilt her head down, unable to keep the loving grin off of her face. when she managed to get herself together even a little bit, she looked up at him again and wrapped her arms around his neck before kissing him softly, still swaying back and forth.
steve: the look on rey's face had the avenger seeing stars. everything about her melted away every concern or bother lingering in the back of his mind. "you're amazing, you know that?" he whispered after their lips parted before connecting them once again.
rey "with you, it feels more that way," rey murmured and smirked before kissing him once more, hands sliding to either of his cheeks. when they finally pulled away, the song was coming to a close, and their swaying slowed to a stop. but she didn't want to leave his comforting arms. "don't let go..."
steve: "i won't. ever." steve whispers, tightening his hold on the girl. this time his grip wasn't hard enough to cause damage. soon the only sounds in the apartment were their breath and the tick of the clock. for the first time in many years, steve finally felt at peace.
rey rey rested her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes as the record came to a complete stop, smile still tugging at her lips, then laid her hand by her face as she let out a calming deep breath. "this is absolutely perfect..."
steve: "it is." steve whispered, placing his hand on the back of her head. their peaceful silence doesn't last long, though. a knock on the door sounded throughout the apartment. it was much too late for any regular visitors. his initial assumption is that one of his neighbors came to complain about the noise. "i'll be right back." he murmurs before starting towards to door. "can i help you?" steve pressed, narrowing his eyes at the two men behind the door. they were slightly shorter than he was, dressed in black, with athletic builds. they were hydra agents, no doubt about it. he's greeted with sharp attacks from both men. they're no match for him, though; he grabs one agent's fist, twisting it behind his back and kicks the other man in the stomach.
rey rey was hesitant to let him go, but did so with a saddened frown, staying where she was, but moving in sight of the front door. she watched nervously as he spoke to two strangers, taking a tentative step backwards, then shrieked as they started attacking. the first thing she did was move for his shield, picking it up with a swift motion, then hurried over, hitting one agent across the face with it then handing it to steve. she was greeted with a backhand across the face, stumbling back momentarily, then grabbed the man's arm and twisted it like steve had before, then sending her fist across his face.
steve: steve caught the shield effortlessly, slamming the vibranium against the larger agent's face. he's out cold on contact. he quickly grasps the man who rey was fighting by the collar, slamming him against the wall. "who sent you?" the avenger barks, wrapping his hands around the man's neck. the calm, loving steve from moments before is replaced by captain america. the man manages to choke out 'hail hydra' before falling unconscious in his grip. the two men are limp on the floor below the heaving soldier. "are you alright?" steve rushes over to rey, dropping the shield on his way.
rey rey knew to keep her distance as steve pinned the agent against the wall, though she didn't let her guard down. not until he fell unconscious as well. she immediately moved into steve's arms and nodded swiftly, taking a deep breath and pawing at the forming bruise on her cheek. "hydra..." she whispered, knitting her eyebrows as she looked between him and the two unconscious agents. "that's-that's the program from world war two... right?" she asked, looking up at him in confusion. "why-why were they here...?"
steve: "yes." steve breaths, wrapping his arms around her. he would assess her for more damage later. "hydra didn't end when everyone thought it did. they continued to operate as moles in shield." he explains, setting his chin on top of her head. he had no answer for the other question. they must have gotten tips from people around town. "i'm gonna go take care of these two." he kisses her hair before grabbing the limp men's ankles. they're dragged down the hall and thrown outside the complex. "i'm sorry you had to see that." steve mumbles, shutting the door behind him once he returns.
rey rey nodded in understanding, though she was still shaken up about the incident, and swallowed thickly, sitting down on the couch once steve had gone to drag them away. when he returned, she snapped her head back towards him, eyes still slightly wide, and shook her head, rising to her feet again. "don't apologize, i'm just glad you're okay," she whispered as she moved straight into his arms again. "...do we need to leave magnolia?"
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steve: "no. not now at least." steve knew many of his teammates were in magnolia, including natasha, sam, and tony. it wouldn't be fair to leave without informing them of the threat. "you probably shouldn't stay here, though." which probably meant rey would go home to derek. the thought had him gritting his teeth, but it was for her safety. they could always stay at the sketchy motel a few blocks away.
rey rey's eyes saddened immediately. no. not after everything today. she couldn't be apart from him already. "n-no," she pleaded, holding onto him a bit tighter. "i-i can handle myself out here, i can fight back. i just helped you with those two," she insisted. being without him was simply not an option. "they won't hurt me. and i won't let them hurt you."
steve: "i know you can." his scowl softened at her confidence. he sighed, pulling her tighter into his embrace. as much as he wanted to stay here with her, it wasn't safe. if hydra didn't hear from their men, they were sure to show up to magnolia in stronger numbers. "i'm probably not going to stay here tonight. i need to alert the others as soon as i can."
rey "i'm coming with you. and i'm not taking no for an answer." without another response, she backed away and sat down to slip her shoes on, though she stayed in the clothes he lent her. then she moved to collect his shield from where he left it, moving over and handing it to him. "i'm with you," she promised with passionate firmness.
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steve: before he could protest, rey was already putting on her shoes. as much as he wanted to keep her out of danger, he couldn't see himself without her tonight. it wasn't the first time he let his emotions cloud his judgement. hopefully it wouldn't turn out as bad as it did in the past. "let me grab a few things first." steve nodded, taking the shield from her. he made his way to the bedroom where he grabbed his emergency getaway bag from under the bed. inside the duffle held a week's worth of clothes, money, and his fake id and papers. "let's go." he wasted no time after he left the bedroom, grasping her hand before grabbing his car keys.
rey rey smiled slightly and nodded once, watching him (and a little bit lower) as he went into the bedroom, but then waited patiently until he returned with a duffle bag. she nodded yet again before taking his hand with both of hers and following him swiftly. she'd have to call ben later and let him know she was safe. and then call derek to tell him she was with ben overnight. hopefully the lies wouldn't get mangled up and end horribly. her eyes constantly darted around, scanning for any possible hydra agents, then used her best resource: the force. she closed her eyes, trusting him to lead her as they hurried along, and listened to the thoughts of the people around. a few mentioned steve's name. and the words 'heil hydra'. "steve, they're close by. i-i don't know where, but within a few miles. we need to hurry."
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steve: "okay." steve nodded firmly, popping the trunk of the black audi and shoving the shield inside. he had learned to keep calm during things like this, even if his brain was flooding with a million questions. if the hydra agents were a few miles away, chances are they already had their eyes on the motel. which meant they had to leave magnolia for the night. "put these on." he handed rey a black running hoodie and blue baseball hat, grabbing a grey hoodie and black cap for himself. he knew of some surrounding cities and secret routes, thanks to the shield file on magnolia. "we're leaving magnolia." he gave rey the run down, speeding out of the parking lot after everything was in check. "there's a city called streator about a half an hour away. it's more commercial than magnolia. we should be able to lay low for the night."
rey rey nodded swiftly and accepted the clothing items he handed over, slipping them on as she slid into the passenger seat and closed the door. the hoodie smelled just like him. she loved it; as she cuddled up in it, tilting the cap down further over her eyes, she turned to him, placing a hand on his arm. leaving magnolia...? she paused before nodding quickly. that was a big step. derek and ben would find out eventually then. "i need to call ben when we get there..." she whispered, cuddling her head against his arm as he drove. "i won't leave your side."
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steve "i'll bring you back tomorrow, don't worry." steve assured, dropping his right arm from the wheel. he hated ripping rey around from her life so quickly, but she was marked. her safety was his priority. soon they were off the main road and on one near the university, shielded by trees. there was no one in sight. he relaxed a little once they were further from his apartment. "how close are they now?"
rey rey paused before nodding slightly. she didn't want to leave steve alone. not with the people that were after him. she closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she got in touch with the force again, concentrating as hard as she could on locating the hydra agents. "the only one i can reach out to is fifteen miles away," she replied, opening her eyes again and looking up at him. "i think we'll be okay."
steve steve found himself wishing he had rey during more missions. hundreds of causalities could have been avoided if they had her knowledge. "the force, right?" he smiled fondly at her. he usually wasn't this relaxed during situations like this. but rey put him incredibly at ease. it amazed him that she could do that, especially with snoke in her mind.
rey rey smiled as soon as he did, finding it incredibly infectious, then nodded bashfully. "yeah," she whispered and leaned up to peck his cheek before looking around as he drove. she searched her mind again for more of the agents, but couldn't feel any in range anymore. "i think we're okay now," she sighed in relief, her grip on steve's hand tightening slightly.
steve the smile on his lips widens and his grip tightens. he's extremely content for a man who was just attacked. after twenty more minutes of driving, the welcome sign for steator comes into view. the town is still bright; illuminated by neon signs for fast food restaurants and nightlife. steve turned into one of the strip malls that seemed the most decent. he knew rey hadn't eaten since way earlier. the line for the in and out was strangely long but it was the only trustworthy fast food he knew of. "you've had a burger before, right?"
rey rey had drifted off against steve's shoulder as he drove, but woke up when they seemed to slow down, her eyes fluttering open gradually. she sat up, still not letting go of his arm, and looked out. a yawn escaped through her lips before she muttered, "yes..." ironically, derek had been the one to get her to try one first. to avoid becoming emotional about that whole subject, she looked out at her surroundings again, furrowing her eyebrows as they got in a line of sorts. "are we not going inside?" she asked.
steve going inside would probably be the best option, seeing that she was dozing off in the car. steve reversed out of the line, stopping the car in one of the nearby parking spots. he opted to leave the cap on, even though there was hardly anyone inside. the isolated tables near the back of the restaurant were empty. "sit down here, alright? i'll go order." he kissed her cheek, leaving her at a table before going to the register. he ordered the basics, two cheeseburgers and strawberry milkshakes.
rey rey was hesitant to be without him, but she sat down slowly, her expression nervous even as he kissed her cheek, then let go of his hand only at the very last second once he pulled away to go order. within moments her foot began tapping impatiently up and down, anxious to be so far away. so finally she rose to her feet and hurried to the line, joining steve's side. "i-i'm sorry, i couldn't- i-i wouldn't-" she stuttered breathlessly, closing her eyes tightly.
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steve "are you alright?" the soldier pressed eagerly, looking over at the table to make sure no one was there. they earned a odd look from the cashier, so he quickly ushered her to the side before the girl recognized them. he knew better than to leave her alone in an unfamilar place. "no, i'm sorry. i shouldn't have left you."
rey rey placed both her hands on his shoulders, stepping even closer to him, and let out another short exhale, letting herself relax in his arms. "it's okay," she whispered, shaking her head swiftly. she tugged her hood up further over her face so only he could see her now infamous, big, brown eyes, which gazed into his with passion. "i'm going to stay with you, okay?"
steve "you really didn't have to do this." steve shook his head, sliding the key card into the slot. rey had managed to get them the largest suite in the fanciest hotel streator had to offer. the interior of the room was lavish; a living room the size of their apartment back home, a king bed littered with pillows, a whole dining area, and two bathrooms. it almost upstaged the nicest part of stark tower.
steve: sorry this took hella long im watching the kardashians
rey: i live in the same city as them low key
steve: im sobbing i miss calabasas
rey "of course i did. we're both stressed right now. i think we deserve a bit of a vacation," rey smirked slightly, nestling her head against his shoulder before stepping in with him. "wow," she whispered in shock, eyes dazzling at the immaculate layout. she noted the king bed, her cheeks flushing slightly. that may have been her doing as well. there was no way they weren't sharing a bed tonight; being even somewhat without him was unthinkable. "this is really incredible."
steve "it is," steve nodded in agreement, dropping his lame duffle near the door. he had stayed in some of the nicest resorts in the world during missions with the avengers, but he was usually too focused on the fight to truly appreciate his accommodations. the bed looked like heaven after the night they had. "are you tired?"
rey rey rubbed her arm up and down slowly as she turned to face him, taken aback yet again by his beauty. she let herself recover for a few moments before nodding slightly. "yeah," she admitted in a quiet whisper, hand coming up to her cheek. as soon as she touched it, she winced and jumped, a frown taking over her features. it was bruised up now, for sure. and it was hurting. bad. "hydra must have really skilled fighters..."
steve "skilled fighters i should have killed." the super soldier growled under his breath as he caught a glimpse of the flowering bruise. it seemed like every time rey was with him she got hurt. he knew it was only going to get worse now that hydra was onto him. the organization was clearly ready to kill him or do even worse; turn him into another winter soldier. if they knew of rey's powers, they'd try to contort her too. the thoughts caused a sullen frown to graze his features. "i'm going to get some ice." he murmured for the second time since knowing her.
steve: get onto the ooc chat
rey "no, it's okay," rey immediately said, gently grasping onto his arm with both of her hands, noting how strong and sturdy the muscles underneath his skin were. it made her heart beat faster. "please don't go. please?" she asked. "i-i just want to be with you right now." she eased her grip on his arm, and moved one hand to his chest to rub it up and down gently. "let's just go to bed... and just figure out where to go from here, okay...?" she whispered, standing on her tiptoes to press a featherlight kiss to his cheek.
steve steve exhaled sharply at the contact, instantly relaxing against her hands. every worry diminished at her touch, like she had some kind of power over him. it had to be something to do with the force. that, or, he was falling fast and hard for her. both were dangerous probabilities. instead of replying to her plees, he bends down and swiftly pulls her into his arms bridal style. within a few strides they're at the large bed. he sets her down so her head is against the mound of pillows. he tosses his baseball cap off before tugging the running hoodie over his head, leaving him in his ssr t-shirt.
rey rey smiled softly as he picked her up, arms immediately moving to link around his neck, then slowly unraveled them once she was laying on the bed, head nestled comfortably against the pillows. she removed her hoodie as well, setting it with his, then gently ran her finger down the logo on his t-shirt. "what does ssr stand for?" she whispered, eyes flicking up to meet his as she smiled a bit wider. she didn't even care that it hurt, due to her bruise.
steve: "strategic scientific reserve. it was the agency that was responsible for the super soldier serum." steve explained, leaving out the bit about peggy being one of its leading agents. it was kind of refreshing that she didn't know anything about his past. most of the people around him knew more about his life than he did. his hand absentmindedly grazed along the side of her face, cupping her jaw gently. he was completely lost in her dark brown eyes.
rey "oh," rey whispered in understanding, curling her finger into the soft material of his shirt slightly before letting go, just as she felt his hand cup the side of her face. she smiled softly to herself, then tilted her head into his palm, eyes falling shut. when she looked up again, she was gently tugging him down to her so she could kiss him lovingly, hand running across his back.
steve steve wastes no time in returning the kiss, leaning down to deepen it. he chooses not to cradle the other side of her face in fear of irritating her bruise. his free hand rests on her waist, gently rubbing small circles on her hip. his previous lethargy is an after thought as his heart rate quickens.
rey rey rested one hand on his shoulder then brought the other up to cup the back of his head, fingers running gently through his soft hair. she kissed him for a bit longer, until the pain increased so much that she had to finally pull away. which was probably better at that point; they could relax, but they needed to keep clear minds. she let out a shaky exhale then carefully pulled him beside her on the bed, curling up naturally against his chest. "...steve, i don't think we can go back to magnolia. i don't think it's smart," she whispered.
steve "what do you mean?" steve knew it wasn't safe for him in magnolia, and he didn't feel right about rey going back either, but the confession shocked him. she had a whole life there. friends, family. hell, most of steve's family was in magnolia. peg, nat, sam, wanda, and even tony. he couldn't just leave them there. they were all still on the run from the un after his brilliant prison break.
rey "they know we're there. they won't stop coming until they have us," rey whispered, chin resting lightly on his chest as her finger absentmindedly traced the perfect protrusion of his cheekbone. "do-do you guys have a base? some place we can go, where we can have people supporting us if we're attacked?" she asked, shuddering at just the thought of it. "what about shield?"
steve "we have a base, but it's unfortunately not open to criminals." steve sighed, the hand that rested on her hip tracing absentmindedly up her side. he figured that ross found out tony was withholding information about him from the un, which likely meant all the avengers were now fugitives. "shield doesn't exist anymore." the subject had the soldier's head pounding. he knew he would have to run again.
rey rey's face darkened slightly. they really were on their own. sensing the anxiety building inside him, rey gently laid him down against the pillows, hand stroking through his hair continuously, and pecked his lips. "just relax for now, okay?" she whispered, and took a few silent moments to think of something. "...we need to ask tony. i know you two aren't as close as you used to be right now, but we need him. and the other avengers in magnolia. we can find a safe place to go."
steve his eyes flutter shut at the silence surrounding them. the remain closed at her next proposition, but his brow furrows nonetheless. "i know we do. but not tonight, alright?" he had already planned to call them all tomorrow and inform them. luckily he knew the hydra agents weren't in magnolia or else he would be driving back to get the rest of the avengers. the thought of the agents showing up at nat or wanda's doors left a vile taste in his mouth.
rey "i-i'm sorry," rey immediately replied, heart swelling with guilt at the tortured look on his face. she gently reached her hand out towards the switch by the door, the lights turning off, and kicked off her shoes before tucking the covers over both of them. then she cuddled against his strong chest, eyes closing. "just focus on relaxing tonight..." she breathed out softly, holding onto him like he was going to disappear at any second. "we'll figure it out... i promise..."
steve he frowned as rey's weight was lifted off the bed, immediately regretting the firm tone he used with her. once she returns, steve wrapped his arms around her in a silent attempt at an apology. "i know." he breaths before kissing the top of her head. he truly appreciated everything she did for them tonight.
rey rey felt safer than ever before in his arms, the kiss to the top of her head only locking in that feeling of security. she knew he was stressed; but he was still so selfless through it all, and that made her love him even more than she even thought possible. "let's sleep..." she whispered. the more sleep they got, the more focused they'd be the next day. which was bound to be a big one.
steve he hardly had enough energy to reply before drifting into a deep slumber. his dreams were unusually dark; visions of losing rey like bucky filling his mind during his sleep. the morning couldn't come soon enough. the sound of the city and the sunlight pouring through the curtains jolt him out of his sleep. his hooded blue eyes land on the clock on the bedside. it was already pretty late into the morning. "c'mon, pretty girl. wake up." steve whispers, moving a few stray pieces of hair out of rey's face.
rey rey slept easily too, with only minor glimpses of darkness during the night, since she was now with steve. where she was meant to be. she felt like she could've slept for hours longer when she heard steve speak to her. she grinned slowly to herself, eyes still closed, then bit on her tongue gently as her eyes fluttered open. she yawned softly and rubbed her eyes before tucking her face into his warm neck. she'd slept in her pigtails the night before, and now they were messy and going everywhere, but she knew he didn't mind. "morning," she murmured against his skin, still so amazed that she could wake up next to him.
steve he hated to wake her from her sleep. she looked so peaceful, but steve knew if they weren't out of there quick, it would only make it harder for them to leave unnoticed. "we have to get up." his hand move to the back of her head, holding it to his neck for a little longer before lifting himself from the bed. he wanders out to the living area, swooping his duffle from in front of the door. he had enough cash and toiletries for the both of them. he only had his clothes, which meant rey was stuck dressing like him until they found something better. "i'm taking you to the mall."
rey rey couldn't help but frown as he moved off the bed, though she slowly stood as well, still dressed in his clothes from the previous day. she shuffled sleepily to one of the bathrooms, looking at her reflection in the mirror. "oh my god!" she gasped and jumped back, a hand flying to her chest, as she inspected her cheek. her hair must've been curtaining over it before. it stretched from her cheekbone up to beneath her eye, and was now a dark color. and it hurt. after redoing her pigtails, she made her way back out to him, nodding her head as he said they would be visiting the mall. she didn't question anything; she trusted him completely. "the bruise got bad..." she sighed as she moved to him.
steve: he took the opportunity to get dressed while she was in the bathroom. his ssr shirt was discarded on the floor, leaving his chest bare and sweatpants slung low on his hips when she returned. he's too worried about her injury to care about modesty. he gently took her chin his hand, tilting her head to get a better look at the nasty bruise beneath her eye. "i'm so sorry," his eyes sadden because he knows it's his fault. "let me get you ice, alright?"
rey "don't apologize. it isn't your fault. i-i should've blocked his attack, i saw it coming," rey sighed in frustration at herself, then leaned up to kiss him. of course she'd noticed his appearance, and was doing her best not to stare, though her heart was pounding. "i promise i'm okay. i'll get them to put some makeup over it at the mall. so we won't look suspicious." she pressed a small kiss to his lips once more before grabbing a spare change of clothes then moving into the bathroom once again. once she was changed, she stepped out and back to him, right into his arms, as usual. "are you ready to go?"
steve "okay." steve nodded at her proposition, cupping her jaw as they kissed again before finishing getting dressed. the tight black sweater he wore accentuated his muscles, making him slightly hardly to ignore in a crowd. he admires her in his clothes for a few seconds before nodding. he keeps one arm wrapped around her as he reaches out to grab their caps off the side table. the trip down to the lobby is worse than he expected. the two earn looks from every passerby.
rey rey put her hat on carefully, keeping it pulled down as low as it would go without being too obvious that she was trying to hide herself, and glanced up hesitantly as they walked. so far the people weren't falling for it, and her grip on his shirt tightened. she slid the sunglasses out of his duffel bag and handed them over to him casually, knowing that might help at least somewhat. luckily the car was waiting for them when they got there, and she wasted no time getting in, tugging the hood of her sweatshirt up and over her head. once he was in the driver's seat, she reached over for his hand. "we can do this."
steve steve knew that the baseball cap and sunglasses weren't going to throw people off forever. he was going to have to do something more drastic to avoid attention. as soon as they reached the audi, he wastes no time starting it up and getting as far from the hotel as fast as he could. "we have to get new looks. fast." if hydra knew they were here, it meant danger for them and the avengers back in magnolia. the mall wasn't far from the hotel and with his driving they were there in a few minutes. "stay as close to me as you can. people tend to avoid affectionate couples."
rey rey glanced further out the windshield as he pulled into a parking space at the mall, her expression immediately turning worried. she still had quite a difficult time with large crowds, feeling too exposed, but didn't argue when he told her to stick close. she nodded swiftly as she climbed out of the car, rushing over to meet him on the other side. with summer coming up, the mall was crazier than ever, and it made her nervous; but it would be good cover if hydra agents /did/ show up. she took a shaky, deep breath as she wrapped an arm around his side again, sticking close to him. "people are staring," she whispered under her breath.
steve the inside of the mall was swarming with people. steve's eyes darted around for a store that was less crowded. the large department store near the entrance looked big enough to keep their distance in. "i know." he slung his arm around her shoulders, ushering her to the store. his movements were quick, but not fast enough to alert people. the floor of the department store they entered was mainly dedicated to cosmetics. "can you cover the bruise with this stuff?" he questioned, surveying the products around them.
rey rey held his hand which rested over her shoulders while her other arm stayed looped around his waist, letting him lead them into the department store, to the makeup section. this stuff was foreign to her, and the many options alone made her nervous. "i-i don't know," she muttered uneasily, then glanced around until she found an attendant. she closed her eyes and got in touch with the force before waving her hand slightly. within moments, the worker turned and made her way over to them. "right this way," she smiled as if rey had requested help, leading her to one of the chairs. as she applied the makeup under her eye, rey held onto steve's hand with both of hers, doing everything she could not to whimper in pain. she was glad when it was over, and glanced in the mirror to see it covered just enough to be manageable. "thank you," she uttered sincerely before standing and moving back into steve's arms. "look okay?"
steve steve watched in awe as rey worked her magic on yet another person. he would never get used to how amazing it was. once the makeup artist was done, he surveyed the previously purple area which was now ivory. "good as new." his fingers ghost over the bruised area before falling down to her chin, pulling her in for a quick kiss. while they're in the cosmetics section, he decides to take a small detour. he leads her down the hair care aisle. the product he needs is near the end of the corridor. he quickly snags the brown hair dye off the shelf.
rey rey smiled shakily and kissed him back before following him down to where the hair products were, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion. but she didn't question it when he grabbed a small box, trusting any decision he had to make. "put it in your pocket," she whispered to him as she waved her hand at the security guard by the door, who seemed in a dazed mood now due to the force affecting him. then she moved her hand towards the metal detectors at the exits, which shut down silently. "we're good."
steve steve does as she says, stuffing the dye in his pocket quickly, praying that it didn't leak in his jeans. once they were through the metal detectors and back in the mall, he wrapped his arm around her once again. "where do you usually buy your clothes?" he wasn't exactly an expert on women's clothing. if he picked out the outfits for her, chances are she'd look like she was from the 40s.
rey "i-i don't know, derek always bought everything," rey replied shakily, head tucked up against his arm. she looked around, spotting a team of three security guards staring them down, and talking amongst themselves. oh no. maybe they saw her little force trick. she began to worry as they walked along, tugging him into the first store with clothes that looked like they would work. "let's just buy things that blend in," she murmured, readjusting her ball cap as they looked around.
steve steve's gaze followed hers, landing on the team of guards eyeing them. he panicked, thinking of what natasha did when rumlow spotted them in the mall. he faked a laugh, leaning towards rey before sealing their lips together once more. the mall cops lost interest, tearing their gazes off of them before they walked into a clothing store. steve flicked through the female clothing, frowning at the more provocative numbers on the racks. he moved further into the shop, landing in the children's section. he couldn't supress the grin that graced his features at the onesie with the cap shield printed on it.
rey rey looked up when he began laughing, but suddenly his lips were on hers, and she found it only natural to kiss back. then she realized it was a cover up, and she giggled as well until they were inside, out of the guards' views. she looked around the store, letting him go off on his own, though not too far of course, and frowned at the cuts of the shirts. no way could she wear some of these. she picked out a few modest, simple tops and jackets as she moved back to him, wondering what he was looking at. then she saw it. a smile spread slowly across his face. he would make an amazing father. she knew that for sure. "that's adorable," she gasped, running her fingers down it.
steve as he stared at the onesie, he couldn't help but think about children. it was something that hadn't crossed his mind since he was a teenager. before the war, he always imagined settling down and having a baby boy. he was going to name him james, after buck. for a while he thought he'd get that life with peggy. "it is." steve managed to choke out. "are you ready?" his eyes dropped to the articles of clothing in her grip. thankfully they were more decorous than some of the other options in the store.
rey rey wanted a child so badly; derek hadn't committed, which was part of the reason things had worked out between her and steve. she knew he wanted the same someday. she smiled sadly and leaned up to kiss his cheek, then nodded, readjusting the clothes she had over her arms. "yeah," she replied, glancing out again. the guards were strolling by, trying, and failing, to act casual. "we-we should pay for these..." she whispered under her breath, too scared to risk it.
sam the drive to streator was agonizing for bucky. he couldn't handle sam's constant sarcastic comments combined with the ugly afternoon traffic. they only things they seemed to see eye to eye on was their love for steve and hate for hydra. he had been out of the ice for a few weeks. t'challa and the team of psychologists in wakanda had been nice enough to keep it under wraps once they found a cure. he was just settling into regular life when he got the call from natasha. so now they stood knocking on a rickety bathroom door in the middle of nowhere. "steve?" bucky called. they were greeted by steve, who had dark brown goop in his hair, and a small brunette girl. he had no idea who she was, which was an instant red flag.
bucky the drive to streator was agonizing for bucky. he couldn't handle sam's constant sarcastic comments combined with the ugly afternoon traffic. they only things they seemed to see eye to eye on was their love for steve and hate for hydra. he had been out of the ice for a few weeks. t'challa and the team of psychologists in wakanda had been nice enough to keep it under wraps once they found a cure. he was just settling into regular life when he got the call from natasha. so now they stood knocking on a rickety bathroom door in the middle of nowhere. "steve?" bucky called. they were greeted by steve, who had dark brown goop in his hair, and a small brunette girl. he had no idea who she was, which was an instant red flag.
sam sam shuffled into the bathroom behind metal arm, getting a whiff of the disgusting chemical smell. "what is that smell?" his nostrils flared at the stench of dye crowding the small space. the disgusted look on his face was quickly replaced with a smile once he caught a glimpse of steve. "you look like a dumbass, rogers." the falcon cracked, pointing at the dark dye dripping down his temples. natasha had mentioned something about another person, who he guessed was the girl tucked into his side. "you're rey, right?"
steve steve was beyond relieved to hear bucky's voice. it had been months since he went under the ice. he couldn't help but feel angry that he didn't hear he was cured sooner, but it was a conversation for a different time. he reached out, wrapping his arms around his best friend briefly before doing the same to sam. "it's dye, sam. which i'm about to rinse out." steve rolled his eyes at his friend's comment. he really couldn't expect anything less from him. he turned back towards rey, motioning for her to come closer. "are you alright to go with them while i finish up in here?"
rey rey gasped softly as the two men walked in, immediately hiding behind steve, though he went to go greet them. she stayed back nervously, scared to trust them so easily, then looked up when the darker skinned one acknowledged her. she paused before nodding slowly. "yes," she whispered and swallowed thickly. they definitely had dominating statures. especially bucky. she didn't think he was bad, but he may not trust her himself. as steve motioned her to come closer, she did so, though she still remained behind him slightly. her head snapped up swiftly at his proposition, biting her lip worriedly. but steve trusted them. so she did. she hesitated slightly and nodded before stepping out from behind him again, tugging at the hem of her sweater with hesitance.
bucky bucky hesitated a bit, surveying the young girl for a second before turning on his heel. sam had parked the car behind steve's on the highway, so it was a small walk from the bathroom. he didn't know if rey was one of steve's friends from shield or a new one. she was clearly significant enough to smuggle out of magnolia. he leaned against their dark red getaway car as the waited for steve.
sam "steve never told us about you." sam quirked a brow, looking over at rey as they walked to the car. he was trying to ease the obvious tension in the air. the girl bared an overwhelming resemblance to peggy, even more than sharon did. "don't worry about bucky, he'll come around." he added in, watching the taller male stalk ahead of them.
steve steve rinsed the dark dye out of his hair, scrubbing the stains off his forehead with his fingers. he made sure to move quickly so rey wasn't alone with them too long. sam tended to come off strong and bucky was standoffish, which made a toxic combination. once all the evidence of the dye was gone, he followed them in suit. "i think we should go to chicago. it'll be easier to blend in there." he shared, grasping rey's palm in his own as soon as he got to the car.
rey rey watched bucky dejectedly as he turned and strode away, but then looked up at sam again. she nodded and smiled kindly, though it was still a bit shaky. she liked sam. she decided to trust him. she trusted bucky too, of course, but she was still sure to watch out. she was glad when steve returned, immediately intertwining their fingers, though her face paled at his words. "ch... chicago...?" she choked out. ben would worry. she moved close to steve and ducked her head, whispering so only he could hear. "steve, i-i need to call ben..."
bucky "that's a pretty big move, steve." bucky glanced at steve, who was now standing next to rey. he shot sam a knowing look, smiling briefly at their connected hands. it was nice to see that he found someone in magnolia. he didn't exactly trust the last girl who came around.
sam sam caught onto what bucky was looking at, stifling a grin at the affection. "isn't that where you and nat found rumlow?" he wasn't exactly too keen on going to a place where hydra had already been. but he had a point about blending in.
steve steve listened to what his friends had to say, frowning slightly. "i know it is. but there's over a million people there, i doubt hydra will scope us out fast enough." he defended his decision. it was the safest place to go at this point. they would stick out like sore thumbs at any other place in illinois. he nodded as rey whispered in his ear. "we'll be right back." steve called to bucky and sam, turning towards the payphone. he handed rey the remainder of the coins so she could phone her cousin.
rey rey looked back over at steve's two friends, her expression softening slightly at bucky's warm smile. infectious, just like steve's. she nodded once then walked with steve to the payphone, letting him give her the rest of the coins, which she inserted with trembling fingers. the phone call was emotional, and long, but she'd promised him she was alright, and he seemed to accept that at least somewhat. after it was over, she took a deep breath, now for more than one reason. "steve, i think i have to sit down..." she murmured to him, eyebrows pulling together, as she felt a small disturbance in the back of her mind. uh oh.
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bucky once steve left with rey, bucky observed quietly from the side of the car. whoever she was talking to on the phone must have been a relative. it must have been nice to have a family. he could hardly remember his mother and father. the closest family bucky had was steve, and vice versa. as he watched rey hang up the pay phone, her face churning oddly. "look," bucky nudged sam with his elbow. "what happened to her?"
sam sam grabbed his arm with a scowl, rubbing away the sharp pain bucky's metal arm brought. "watch it, tin man." he spat, averting his gaze to rey and steve by the payphone. the small brunette had agony written on her features. he knew that look; he had seen it on plenty of soldiers when they stepped into the line of fire. "let's go find out." his brows were furrowed as he paced towards the two.
steve steve couldn't help the guilt that washed over him as he watched rey phone her cousin. he knew they two of them were close. ben must have felt like he did when he found out bucky joined the army; like a piece of him was lost forever. the small smile that appeared on his face when she walked over to him quickly changed to a frown. "what's wrong?" he didn't even have to ask. it was snoke. the last time he saw her make that face was on the trampolines.
rey rey moved right into steve's arms as she began wincing softly under her breath, squeezing her eyes shut and tilting her head down. "s-snoke..." she whimpered, feeling her legs begin to lose feeling as she rocked back and forth on her heels. she gasped sharply, her jaw dropping, as the pain increased, holding on tightly to his shirt. being tortured by snoke was enough, but now they had lost their radar for any hydra agents. who knew how close they were? she wouldn't be able to find out until snoke retreated again. she whined even louder just as he knees buckled beneath her, beginning to collapse to the ground.
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bucky bucky followed sam, speeding up as the girl fell into his best friend's arms. "what's wrong with her?" he asked steve with wide eyes. she was acting like something had attacked her, but there were no signs of external damage. it reminded him of what the other super soldiers looked like during their brain washing. realization hit him. was she a soldier too? did she hear one of her trigger words?
bucky "who the hell is snoke?" sam was completely lost between rey's buckled knees, steve's panicked motions to catch her, and the realization on bucky's face. it must have been a hydra thing. there was no mention of a snoke during their briefing with natasha. he didn't dwell on it for too long. the girl needed help.
sam "who the hell is snoke?" sam was completely lost between rey's buckled knees, steve's panicked motions to catch her, and the realization on bucky's face. it must have been a hydra thing. there was no mention of a snoke during their briefing with natasha. he didn't dwell on it for too long. the girl needed help.
steve steve rushed to catch rey as her small frame crumpled to the ground. he quickly hooked his hands under her knees, swinging her into a bridal carry. "stay with me, okay?" the avenger mumbled to rey soothingly, ignoring his friends questions. "open the back door. i'll explain later." he ordered, heading to the red car on the side of the highway. i
rey rey immediately turned her body to face steve, face buried deep in his chest as she started whining and shouting in pain, cringing up into a small ball. "st-steve, i don't wanna hurt you..." she cried into his shirt, though she was clutching onto him as tightly as she could, wailing even louder and tugging at her hair to relieve some of the internal tension, pulling out a few strands.
bucky: bucky eagerly followed steve to the car, opening the back door like he instructed. "we can't help her if you don't tell us what's wrong," the assassin insisted. if rey really was a super soldier, he knew what hell she was experiencing. fortunately his scrambled brain had been cured by t'challa's team in wakanda.
sam once they reached the car, sam climbed into the driver's seat. "hurt you? what is she talking about?" he turned steve as he helped rey into the back. he knew they couldn't stay in the same place for too long, but if this rey girl was a threat to his friend, he wasn't sure how'd they handle her in the car.
sam "just drive, sam." the captain barked, sliding into the back seat next to rey. "you're not gonna hurt me, alright? i won't let you." steve assured. he knew the thing that helped her during her breakdowns was derek. but now that he wasn't in her life, he didn't know how to help. "just calm down, pretty girl. i'm here. i've got you."
rey rey wept into steve's shirt, finally releasing her hair when it was becoming so painful for her to hold onto, and wrapped her arms around him fully once they were situated in the back seat. her hands began clenching into tight fists, and she fought off the rage snoke was invoking into her mind. "you-you need to hold my wrists, you c-can't let go," she whimpered to steve and shook her head swiftly as she held her hands up, wrists pressed together. if she hurt him, she'd never forgive herself.
bucky bucky turned in his seat as sam sped off the side of the highway. "is she like us?" he furrowed his brows, watching her cry in his lap. he already felt protective over the young girl. "is snoke... like zola? did he do this to her?"
sam sam watched the two in the back seat through the rear view mirror. "zola? the hydra scientist?" he didn't know much about bucky's past, only that he was kidnapped by hydra and brainwashed into being the winter soldier. during their time, zola was the scientist who did experiments on american soldiers. "are the agents coming for her or us?"
steve steve nodded, holding her wrists together with his palms. "no. rey's a jedi... like the movies, sam? that's her. her dad is luke skywalker. snoke is from their galaxy. he's controlling her mind right now." steve hurriedly explained, stumbling over his words. he wanted to focus on rey's comfort. he'd explain the situation better later.
rey a shudder ran up rey's spine as she felt steve's hands close around her wrists. a flashback to the handcuffs being clapped on her came back to her, but was quickly wiped away by more images of pain, of death. she could feel herself trying to tug out of steve's firm grip, though it wasn't her controlling those movements, as the pain continued. but slowly, snoke seemed to see that she had too much support here. that he wasn't going to win today. eventually, her hands became limp in his grip as she went silent, reducing to just small winces every now and then.
bucky "movies?" bucky's features twisted in confusion. if rey had nothing to do with hydra, then why was she here? why was she getting mind controlled. "rey.. think of good things. people you love. it works." his voice was small. it was cliche advice, sure, but that's what he did. it worked for a while until they started turning his thoughts into triggers.
sam "you're kidding me, right?" sam couldn't help the staggered look that crossed his face. steve had just said the girl in the back of the car was luke skywalker's kid. he took a harder look at the girl in the mirror, recognizing her from the commercials for the new star wars. "...you /are/ kidding.. right?"
steve as soon as rey relaxed in his arms, steve let out a deep breath. he dropped her wrists, letting her exhausted body wilt in his lap. "can you two not?" steve was getting irritated with all the questions coming his way. "yes, rey is from a different galaxy. star wars is real. bucky, star wars is a movie."
rey as rey heard her name, her eyes shot open, looking over at bucky swiftly. she was still breathing rather hoarsely, and felt like passing out, but she focused on the words he was saying. she tilted her head curiously then glanced up at steve as he spoke to the other two boys. the more she watched him... the more the pain dissipated. and eventually she was okay. she took a deep breath then looked over at bucky, smiling softly. she liked him already. "you're bucky, right...?" she asked curiously, then looked up at steve. "he's as good-looking as the documentary showed. as you said."
bucky bucky nodded hesitantly, feeling like a magnifying glass was held over him as the young girl's gaze fell on him. he figured she knew about him from the museum. he can't help but raise his eyebrows at her words, shooting a confused glance in steve's direction. "you've gotta show me this documentary, stevie."
sam sam dwelled on steve's words for a few moments in silence. how everyone else in the car wasn't freaking out over star wars being real was beyond him. sometimes he forgot he was surrounded by aliens. quite literally this time around. "she just outed you, rogers." he cracked, putting a end to the silence following bucky's words.
steve "shut up." steve grumbled, fighting the small smile that surfaced once rey spoke. "i told her about all the girls who loved you back in brooklyn. i'm sure you remember them." he explained with a small blush crossing his cheeks. his best friends looks were the least of his worries right now, though. he needed to make sure rey was alright. "you're good, right? how often do those happen?"
rey rey paused before chuckling slightly, her nose scrunching up as she looked back at steve. "sorry," she giggled, wiping away some sweat that had dripped down the sides of her face. "i-i think so, yes..." she whispered and nodded, shrugging a shoulder. "it depends... it's different each day. but-but now that ben's back in magnolia, he might leave me alone." then she stared down at the floor and furrowed her eyebrows as she used the force again, scoping out hydra agents. then suddenly she gasped. "there," she said, immediately pointing out the rear windshield to a black van that had been following them. "in there. there are six of them, and they're all armed. they've got explosives as well."
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bucky bucky's eyes followed rey's pointer at the van. he wondered how she knew all of that just from looking at the van, but he didn't worry about it too long. "we can't lose them." the soldier shook his head, looking at the vast span of empty highway that surrounded them. "do you have your bird costume?"
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sam "i'd ask if you have your arm, but unfortunately i know you do already." he scowled, motioning to the darkening bruise on his forearm. as much as he hated to admit it, bucky was right. they were going to have to fight their way out of this one. "we need a game plan. i can get the driver out. redwing can locate the explosives."
steve steve nodded as rey explained her condition, relief rushing over him. that relief didn't last long, though. the avenger turned in the direction she was pointing, catching glimpse of the black van speeding towards him. he knew they were coming, but he didn't expect it this soon. "i've got my shield. buck and i can take the agents. sam, you find the explosives and disable them." the caring, worrying steve was quickly replaced by captain america in a matter of seconds. "you've got to get out of here. go hide in the fields, i promise i'll come get you when they're gone. okay?" he turned to rey with a heavy heart as the car slowed.
rey rey knew immediately what steve was going to say. no. no way was she running and hiding while they went out there and risked their lives. no. but she simply nodded and stayed silent, knowing that even if she argued that he wouldn't let her fight. as the car came to a stop, she pecked steve's lips for a moment then climbed out and hid behind the car, tugging her lightsaber out of her back pocket and igniting it. she'd wait until the right moment, when steve was too busy to reprimand her, then fight.
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sam sam got his gear out of the trunk of their getaway car, tossing bucky a gun as he shrugged off his jacket, revealing his metal arm. the hydra agents had pulled over once they did, leaving them time to get ready while they were. he knew they had to hurry before they activated the explosives. "rogers, you ready?" he yelled to steve who was too busy with rey. in mere seconds, rey's on the lines, igniting her blue lightsaber. sam's eyes widen, naturally freaking out because /the/ lightsaber is within his reach.
bucky bucky's prepping his knives and unpacking ammunition once the word hydra leaves rey's lips. for him and steve, this battle is personal. but more so for bucky. these people ruined his life; tortured him and scrambled his brain beyond recognition, just so he could become their personal weapon. vengeance is the only thing on his mind as the hydra agents come out of the van, armed and dangerous. the laser like object emitted next to him has his brows furrowing in wonder, but kicks and punches from the men in black distract require his attention.
steve he doesn't have time to stop rey before she's next to sam and bucky. he knew she could take these agents, he saw her do it the other night, but that was before she had a mental breakdown. but there's no time to worry about her state, the hydra agents were in action and coming for them. the first thing he did was grab his shield from the trunk, bashing it over a soldier's skull before throwing it at another. with sam and redwing working on the explosive and bucky, rey, and him taking the soldiers, the battle is won within ten minutes.
rey rey didn't have time to think over strategy, or technique. she defended herself when she needed to, but not one of the agents could match up with the lightsaber. she was out of breath by the time the last man had fallen. it was the first time she'd killed. but for some reason, she couldn't focus on that. all she could think about was the next step. "they'll have seen us. they'll know where we are," she breathed out as she moved back to bucky and steve, holding her arm where she had been nicked by a knife, but not enough to do more than sting. "are you okay?" she asked to the two boys, looking up at them.
sam redwing had managed to locate the explosive as soon as it was in range. sam was able to disable it quick with a few snips of a black wire. the explosive was poorly executed, which meant hydra was in a rush like they were. if they were able to outsmart them and pick up the pace, they would be able to outrun them
sam once he hopped out of the van, he spotted steve, bucky, and rey surrounded by dead agents. he wasn't worried, they had a highly skilled assassin, a super soldier, and a jedi fighting for them. "we gotta get rid of these bodies. bad news is, they were planning on killing us with that explosive. good news is, they were in a rush. meaning they don't have their shit together. so if we get ours together, we might be able to get out of this thing unharmed."
bucky bucky had no problem in taking the soldiers; grabbing most of them by the throat and slamming them on the pavement once they came at him. there was one who got his shoulders, who steve knocked off and hit with his shield. "i had him on the ropes." bucky offered with a small grin as rey slayed the last agent. as soon as she comes over, he throws a look in steve's direction.
steve "this isn't our first rodeo." he answered rey's question, grinning at his friend's knowing glance. their smugness is cut short once he catches a glimpse of her cut and sam returns. "are you alright?" he lifts her palm, uncovering the nick all while listening intently to sam. "what makes you say that? we need to get out of illinois, then. stay one step ahead of them at all times. i don't care where we go."
rey rey smiled softly in relief and nodded at bucky, knowing he'd been most affected by this fight. she saw it in his mind; these were the people who brainwashed him. at least they were under the same organization. then she glanced up at steve, stepping even closer to him, and winced softly as he moved her hand. "yeah, it's fine," she reassured him, nodding her head as she looked down at it. the blood was already clotting. she slowly glanced down at the ground, eyebrows pulling together, as steve said they'd have to leave illinois. then a thought came to her. she stepped back slowly and walked amongst the dead agents, taking their guns, before standing again and facing the other men, looking between all three of them, but mostly at steve. "we need the avengers."
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bucky + sam sam watched rey swoop the guns from the agents, glancing at steve once she posed her idea. an exhale left his nose sharply. he didn't think he told her about the accords. the frown on bucky's face was more than apparent at the idea of regrouping with tony again. "steve, i don't know if that's the greatest idea." sam shook his head. both the men knew that it was way too dangerous to rebel against the government right now.
steve steve thought about it for a second. tony, wanda, t'challa, clint, banner, and nat were all in magnolia. if they really wanted to, they could assemble. but the threat wasn't great enough to risk putting them in danger again. clint had kids, wanda was so young. not to mention the fact that tony would never agree to it. "we've faced greater threats than hydra without the avengers, rey." he sighed. was it really worth going against the accords? again? "i can ask nat to come out here, but tony would never. i don't want wanda and clint to be sucked into another one of our messes."
rey "we need them," rey reiterated, shaking her head and now staring steve down. "you can't tell me that we can face all of them alone. there are way more of them out there. i know. believe me. /i know/." she pointed to her head, silently letting him know she could detect how many there really were through the use of the force. "they wouldn't just sit back and watch us deal with this themselves. i know they wouldn't. they would want to help. if tony won't do it for you guys, then he'll do it for me. believe me." she moved to the car and stuffed in all the guns she'd collected before turning to the three of them again, just as her shoulders straightened and her face darkened. "we need to go. now." a few moments later, sirens sounded in the distance, coming their way; but she'd heard their thoughts plenty of time in advance.
natasha there seemed to be an emptiness about magnolia since the three boys and rey left, though nat still didn't know they had yet. something just seemed off, and she'd been staring out her window down at two men in suits walking through the park, standing out immensely, when her phone rang. she furrowed her eyebrows as she continued to watch the men, but picked up when she saw it was steve, letting the curtain fall back into place. "rogers, i think-" but she could hardly hear herself speak over the sound of sam's obnoxious singing and she gave a roll of her eyes as she sat down in one of the chairs in her living room. after some brief and swift explanation, she decided she'd needed to meet them in chicago. and she was out the door within seconds, with only her weapons attached to her belt. "be right there," she said then hung up.
rey: RIP WHEN I SAW THOSE PICS I COMMITTED
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rey: mias rper just messaged me and said 'okay but lowkey imagine Rey and Mia being prengant at the same time'
rey: IDEK WHAT TO REPLY TO THAT
sam joined the chat 25 hours ago
rey: LIKE THAT IS NOT HAPPENING
bucky: i get so confused when people talk about mia on the dash
rey: REREK HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 3 MONTHS AND THEY ARE GETTING A BABY DAMN WELL IN ADVANCE OVER A COUPLE WHO HAVEN'T EVEN BEEN HERE A WEEK OK
bucky: im like why r y'all talking about me
bucky: here bruh lets go into the ooc
sam "what'd she say?" sam asked, turning the dial on the radio down once steve hung up. the exasperated look on his face was enough to wipe the grin off his face, but he still remained hopeful. once he said she was coming to chicago, sam glanced at bucky through the rear view mirror with a small grin. "here that buck? your girlfriend's coming." he teased, but the smug look on his face was wiped away once he caught a glimpse of rey. she was full on sobbing into her knees. "what'd you do to her, barnes?"
bucky in all honesty, bucky hadn't noticed rey crying until sam pointed it out. he was too busy looking out the window (and maybe eavesdropping on steve and natasha's conversation) to pay attention to her. "don't look at me, she's steve's girl." he shrugged, finding it slightly odd that they talked about her like she wasn't in the car. "are you alright?" he raised a brow at the sobbing girl in the corner. he noticed the cut on her arm, "do you need a band aid?"
steve "yes, natasha's coming. now shut up." he rolled his eyes at sam and bucky's unspoken excitement at the thought of her showing up. he turned back towards the backseat where rey and bucky sat. rey was crying for sure, and steve had no doubt it was because of the way they treated her. the crease between his eyes returned. he was just about to ask her what was wrong until bucky did himself. he popped the glove box open, pulling out a small first aid kit from it. "here." he tossed it back to his best friend without another word. the rest of the ride was awkwardly silent, but luckily chicago was a short drive.
rey rey shook her head to bucky without a single word, turning her head further away from him to stare out the window as they started crossing into the city. steve knew why she was upset. and he didn't even care. she knew she had to leave as soon as possible once they were stopped. this was a terrible idea. by the time they had stopped at the curb in front of another hotel, rey wasted no time in climbing out of the car, wiping helplessly at her eyes. already she didn't like the city; there were people /everywhere/ and it felt cramped and overwhelming. she was sure she'd developed claustrophobia due to all her years living on the open jakku land. and this wasn't helping her stay calm and try to connect to ben through the force, walking off by herself to stand alone.
natasha nat drove as fast as she could to chicago, and she'd beaten the boys, plus steve's guest, by about ten minutes. clearly they'd wanted to stay as undercover as possible. she walked out to the sidewalk when sam stopped the car, but furrowed her eyebrows as soon as she saw a girl climb out and stalk away, sobbing to herself. what the hell had happened? she moved to steve when he climbed out of the front seat, nodding to rey. "who's she? and what did bucky do to her this time?" she asked, but teasingly smiled over at him as he stepped out of the back seat and closed the door behind him. "scare off another girl, buck?"
sam sam stayed silent for once in his life, putting the petal to the metal to avoid suffering this awkwardness any longer. once they pulled up in front of the hotel, he caught a glimpse of natasha out front. "would you look at that. your girlfriend's here to greet you." he teased bucky, but it was cut short by the sound of rey's door slamming. he pursed his lips, hopping out of the car after her, but she was long gone before anybody could stop her. "how's my favorite murderous red head?" he grinned at natasha, deciding that steve could deal with his girlfriend. "it's the arm. the kids don't like it."
bucky "shut up." bucky grumbled as sam continued to pester him. he thought he hated him before this car ride, but it was at a whole other level now. "she'll come around. they always do." the scowl on his face was replaced by a smug look once he turned back to nat. it was true. sure, it was different now, but no girl could resist bucky back in the 40s. not much had changed, beside the metal arm and brainwashing. "i don't suppose we're staying here, right steve?" he turned towards his best friend, but he was gone.
steve everything was finally falling into place. they made it to chicago, they had nat waiting for them, and they'd finally get to settle down for at least a night. that was until rey was hopping out of the car and walking into the crowd of people. steve knew she had no idea where she was going or what kind of people she was dealing with. the urban crowd was much different than people in magnolia. people here would recognize her. "rey!" he called after her, trying his hardest not to call attention to himself. as soon as he caught up to her, he pulled her to the side into an alley adjacent to the crowded street. "that's enough of this. i don't know what's wrong with you, but we'll talk about this later." and with that, he picked her up effortlessly and threw her over his shoulder.
rey rey heard steve behind her, and she tried to pick up her pace through the thick crowd of people, but he was too quick for her. she gasped sharply when he pulled her into an alley, immediately gripping onto his arms and trying to pull them away. to no avail, of course. no surprise there. "there's nothing to talk about! i'm going ho- /hey/!" she shouted when he picked her up and put her over his shoulder, beginning to kick and punch at him as much as she could, but finding it pointless after a few moments. then she tried to reach behind her, for her lightsaber, which was hanging off her belt. she'd never, /ever/ hurt him but she had to ward him off with it. she grunted in aggravation as she reached back as far as she could through his arm pinning her down.
natasha "been better," natasha playfully replied to sam, giving his arm a small punch in greeting. then she turned back to bucky, smirking softly back at him. until he spoke to steve, and she turned to face him as well... only to see him gone. "w-?" she began to ask as she stood up straighter, glancing around. but then she saw a figure carrying another, smaller body over his shoulder, and immediately she knew it was him. "c'mon, let's get inside before too many people notice," she murmured to the two boys and tugged her hood up before looping one arm through sam's and one through bucky's, as if they were just friends casually taking a vacation together.
sam sam took the time to gather most of the weapons and gear in two large duffle bags in the trunk while bucky and nat continued their flirtfest. he threw one of the bags at bucky before linking arms with natasha once steve arrived. "you know the art institute has that freaky picture of the old people with the pitchforks?" sam spoke rather loudly as the entered the lobby, keeping up their tourist facade.
bucky bucky mouthed a quick 'everything okay?' to steve before nat tugged him inside. he scoffed at sam's obnoxious outburst, letting go of his arm. "go get the keys." out of all of them, sam was the best with people. plus his costume covered half his face, so he was least like likely to be noticed. "uh, that's rey. steve and her are.. friends, i guess. she's friends with tony, so you can imagine how that's working out." he murmured to natasha once they were alone.
steve "you're not going home. stop acting like that." steve barked, tightening his grip on her thighs once they started walking. they earned a few glances from some civilians, but it was a large city and people were too worried about themselves to watch him carry her to the hotel. he set her down once the reached the entrance, but he gripped her hand firmly to keep her from running off again. he was placating her like a child, but what else was he supposed to do? let her run rampant in the streets of chicago? before he tugged her through the doors, he set a small kiss on her lips for good measure. nat and bucky were in the lobby and sam was walking towards them, swinging a pair of keys. "what are we supposed to do with one room?"
rey rey pouted when he put her down and grabbed her hand firmly, as if she was going to run off again. she probably was, but he didn't have to know that. plus, there was no chance of escape now. when he kissed her lips, she frowned softly but leaned up after him once he pulled away, as if wanting another. however, she held herself back and followed him inside, holding his hand with both of her own. she glanced at the keys as well, and immediately knew that the five of them couldn't share one room. "give me a second," she interjected and gently took the keys from sam before hesitantly pulling away from stee to go to the counter all alone. she returned a few minutes later with new keys, handing them to sam again. on them was a little 'p'. for penthouse. acting like it wasn't even a big deal, she took steve's hand again and led them towards the elevators.
natasha natasha watched steve and rey re-enter, hand in hand, tilting her chin up slightly. interesting. "you gotta tell me what's going on here," she whispered to bucky, nodding to the two lovebirds. she was even younger than wanda, and way more naive. already she could tell that. "steve..." she murmured lowly to him when rey went off on her own with the only set of room keys they had, raising a tentative eyebrow. it was hard to trust this girl, who'd just been running away and crying not moments ago. but then she came back with new keys, and nat's lips parted slightly as she looked between sam, bucky, and steve in shock. then rey was leading steve away and she couldn't help but follow. "okay, who the hell is she?" she whispered to both sam and bucky as they all filed into the elevator.
sam "sorry you chose the most expensive hotel in the city! i barely brought enough to pay for one night." sam threw his hands up in defense, narrowing his eyes at steve. he rolled his eyes, stopping at bucky and nat once rey walked to the desk. "what's up with those two?" one minute they were fighting, the next they were sucking face in front of the hotel. his annoyance was quickly swept away once rey returned with the penthouse keys. "ever seen star wars? she's luke skywalker's daughter." he quickly whispered before they stepped into the elevator.
bucky "you tell me. i just met her today. i haven't seen him with a woman since agent carter back in '45." he laughed under his breath, uncomfortably stuffing his metal arm into his jacket to shield it from the guests. if bucky was being honest, he thought that steve deserved all the reprimanding natasha had for him. the girl was young and she was dragged into their mess just because he had a crush. he was as surprised as nat and sam when she showed off the penthouse key. the ride to the private floor was awkward, with steve and rey keeping to themselves why they stood there.
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steve steve clenched his jaw once natasha spoke. "save it, romanoff." he scoffed, running a hand through his freshly dyed hair. it was blatantly obvious that her, sam, and bucky were talking about him and rey. when she returned, he managed to force a smile through his scowl. he knew she was gonna get them the best room in the hotel. once they got to the private floor, he took the keys from rey and unlocked the double doors. "do you wanna lay down?" he asked the girl, not even acknowledging his friends.
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rey rey let steve take the keys and unlock the doors, staring up at him and responding when he spoke to her. "i wanna stay by your side, i don't care what we do..." she whispered back and looped her arms around his as they stepped inside. wow. it was truly beautiful. "by the way..." she murmured so quietly she knew only steve could hear, then managed to smile just a bit. "i really like you as a brunette..."
natasha nat rolled her eyes but smiled at steve at the same time. the change in hair color wasn't too shocking; she knew he would alter something about himself to be less noticable. plus he looked great still. "wait. did you say luke skywalker's daughter?" she asked sam, narrowing her eyes in suspicion and glancing over at rey as she and steve spoke quietly to one another. "steve, we need to talk all as a group," she piped up when he asked rey if she wanted to lay down. she assumed he'd want to join her. "the four of us." she didn't glance at rey as she said the words, as she'd excluded her, instead focusing her steely gaze on steve. "we have no time to waste, we need to talk about where to go from here."
sam "according to steve. i didn't believe it at first, but then she pulled out her lightsaber." sam answered under his breath, eyes darting between rey and natasha as he spoke. it was hardly believable, but he knew steve wasn't easily fooled. then again, he couldn't sit through the first star wars film. his hand flew to the back of his neck once nat spoke. the tension in large living room made it feel two sizes smaller.
bucky bucky mostly kept to himself, standing off to the side while sam and natasha conversed. he didn't really know what was going on, only picking up on murmurs about walking on the sky. he silently agreed, shooting steve a glance. rey had no business listening in on their conversations about hydra. they barely knew the girl and now they were on the run with her.
rey: 'walking on the sky' omf
steve "thank you." steve mustered up a genuine half smile at rey's comment about his hair. he was just about to open up his mouth to speak when natasha called his name. his jaw tightened, catching bucky's glance. of course they'd choose now to do this. "okay." he exhaled before turning back to rey. "i'm sorry, but we need to talk. go find the room you want." he smiled softly before turning on his heel. "look, i know what you're gonna say and i don't want to hear it. we need to focus on hydra."
rey rey's smile immediately darkened at natasha's words. four. not five. meaning she was being excluded. she immediately looked up at steve for him to back her up, but furrowed her eyebrows in shock when he just agreed with the other woman. she let out a short, shaky exhale and turned to go towards the bedrooms, but then stopped and faced them again. "no," she replied firmly, balling her fists at her side. "i warned you when the agents were following us. i got us this hotel room. i deserve to know what's going on and to share my opinion." she threw nat a look then walked past, towards the sofa in the living room.
natasha natasha nodded once when steve agreed with her, tilting her chin up slightly, and began to lead them over to the couch when rey spoke up. she rolled her eyes but turned to face the girl, listening to her words. as soon as she tried to brush past, nat caught her arm, with a little more force than necessary. "you're not a part of this. you're a guest. you're only here because rogers couldn't stay away from you and now you're marked. that doesn't give you any authority here," she replied in a low, firm tone, her gaze piercing into the other's. "as far as i'm concerned, you're not even here."
sam "she's right, nat. she was the one who told us about the van." sam spoke firmly. if it wasn't for rey, they wouldn't have any insight on hydra's location. she could have important information as they spoke. he wasn't interested in whatever the two women had against each other, he wanted to solve this hydra issue and keep his friends safe in the process. "we need to leave illinois as soon as possible. we can't go back to new york. chances are, all avengers facilities are on watch right now. even the undercover ones."
bucky as soon as nat grabbed rey's arm, bucky was knocking it off of her. "relax." he mouthed to her, deciding that physical altercations were the last thing they needed. later on, he was going to talk to steve and make sure he got his shit straight with both of the girls. he was relieved once the topic was shifted to the actual concern. "we have to stay away from hydra and the government. if hydra can find us, they aren't far behind."
steve steve knew rey deserved to be there, but going against natasha's word probably wasn't in their best interest. they were lucky to have her fighting on the same side as them. he would fill her in on all of the information later on before bed. he wasn't surprised that rey followed after him, but he was surprised at nat's forceful tone and grip. as soon as bucky knocked rey's arm loose, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to sit next to him on the couch. "natasha, just don't. she's here whether you like it or not. she's useful to us, not just a 'marking'."
rey rey looked over at sam in appreciation, though her expression was still written with fear of natasha, who definitely didn't seem to trust her. once bucky knocked her free, rey stumbled back, and right to steve, holding his hand with both of hers. she sat beside him on the couch as close as she could, though she kept her head ducked down and stayed silent, for now. she'd wait for things to blow over then speak again. because she really wanted to help out, as much as she could. as she stayed quiet, she did a mental scan of any possible hydra agents in the hotel, using the force. nothing came up; they were safe. for now.
bucky joined the chat 75 minutes ago
natasha nat's glare snapped up to bucky, but his expression caused her own to soften just slightly, and she stepped back as rey and steve moved to the couch. when they were out of earshot, she whispered to both sam and bucky. "she says she's from star wars, which is just /impossible/. she could be /anybody/. i don't know how the hell you two are so quick to trust her. she could be working for hydra. who knows? look, she's pretty and she's 'innocent' and sweet. i've used the same trick before to get people to trust me. you guys should know this better than anyone." then she backed up and sat in one of the chairs near the sofa, watching rey as she seemed to be lost in thought. then her gaze moved to steve again. "they're right. we need to find a safe place to go. and fast."
sam sam sighed, shaking his head slightly once rey and steve sitting on the couch. "she is from star wars though. i looked it up, she's the main character in the seventh film. i know, it sounds crazy, but she's tracked that van from miles away. if she is hydra, she's doing a terrible job." he shrugged, catching a glimpse of the defeated look on her face. after they were done with their group huddle, sam took a seat in one of the chairs decorated by fancy pillows. "we can't go to another small town. we gotta go big this time. bigger than chicago, even."
bucky "why don't we just ask her to prove it? there's no use in sitting here and debating it." bucky offered, moving some of the dark hair that fell into his sight out of the way. he had no idea what star wars was, besides the fact that it was a film, but bucky was in movies too. there was nothing wrong with that.. right? "none of us said we trusted her, nat, but she's helping us. just like you did at the airport." with that, he walked back over to his best friend and his girl and took a seat beside them. he listened to what they had to say, but all of it sounded temporary. they didn't have any actual plan. if hydra were to show up at their door right now, what would they do? punch their way out again, he supposed.
steve once they got to the couch, steve turned to rey to make sure she was alright. he was undeniably pissed at natasha for lashing out on rey, but he understood where she was coming from. "look at me, rey." he spoke softly, lifting her chin so he could see her face. "don't worry about nat. she's an assassin, she has to be careful about these things." he murmured with a comforting smile, tightening his grip on her hands. from other side of the living room, he could here bucky talking about rey 'proving' herself. with that, he learned closer to her, "show them what you got." he murmured lowly as they rejoined them near the couch.
rey rey shook her head dismissively, but let him tilt her head up, looking at him with big, sad, brown eyes. but she nodded slightly in understanding, her features lightening significantly. a small smile even tugged at her lips, mirroring his own. she fought the urge to kiss him; that would just raise more tension. but she leaned closer when he whispered to her, and slowly grinned, nodding her head. then she turned to look at the other three when they joined them, shoulders straightening slightly. as she watched sam sit down in a big chair, she held her hand out and paused before clenching her fingers in a quick fist facing her. all of a sudden, the leg rest on sam's chair popped up and she smirked softly. then she glanced over at nat. "something seems wrong," she commented casually, looking into her mind. "is it because you think i'm a hydra agent? or because you think bucky's most attractive when his hair kind of hangs over his eyes?" she smiled playfully then glanced over at bucky for a few moments, turning back to nat after. "don't worry; he feels the same when you wear your black widow suit. whatever that is."
natasha nat's eyes narrowed as bucky took the seat beside rey, but she just clenched her jaw and looked away, trying not to get too annoyed. but then sam's leg rest popped up without him even touching anything, and then nat noticed rey's hand. "how did you do that?" she asked immediately, leaning forward. then she glanced at the other three. "she's like wanda. are they the same?" then the girl was staring at her and natasha glanced back at her, quirking an eyebrow. then her lips parted in shock as her cheeks paled. how did she know she suspected her of being a part of hydra? then her jaw dropped fully and she swiftly turned to look over at bucky, flushing in embarrassment. then rey said he felt the same when she wore her suit, and she just watched him carefully, trying to decipher his reaction.
sam sam almost choked on air when his leg rest popped up, but quickly disguised it as a cough. "dammit, nat. do you believe her now?" he snapped at his redheaded counterpart, kicking the rest down with his feet. but rey wasn't done yet. he pursed his lips as she confirmed buck and nat's obvious feelings for each other. once her gaze met his, he held his hands up in defeat. "hey, hey, hey. i /like/ star wars. obi wan's great." he chucked nervously, reminding himself to kick steve in the dick if his girlfriend revealed any of his secrets.
bucky bucky was enjoying the show at first. if anyone was happy about sam getting the wind knocked out of him, it was him. whenever he met people with telepathic powers, like wanda, it always had him in awe. you would have never saw something like that back in the 40s. it was fun because most of the time those people were fighting against him. but the small grin on his face diminished once she mentioned hydra. if she truly was a hydra agent, none of them hold their own against her except wanda or vision. his worries were quickly set aside once he heard his name. the look on his face was priceless; jaw slacked, cheeks flushed. did nat really think that? he was about to question it until he revealed his feelings for her. he barely knew the girl and she was already throwing him under the bus. everyone's gaze was on him, including nat's, and all he could muster was a simple, "what?"
steve as the scene folded out in front of him, steve couldn't help but held his head up high, proud of what rey could do. he never doubted her for a second, even with the whole snoke situation. she didn't even need him to defend her. as much as he loved bucky and nat, he couldn't stifle the laugh that left his mouth at the reveal. it was no secret that the two had eyes for each other. bucky told him everything about their time in the red room together and how him and nat were the only people who truly knew him. it was hilarious seeing bucky barnes, notorious ladies man, speechless about his feelings for a woman. this was the same guy who tried to get into peggy carter's pants. he gave buck a supportive pat on the thigh, grinning at him widely. "it's okay, buck. we all know how you two truly feel."
rey rey giggled in amusement, her nose wrinkling slightly, and placed her hand on bucky's arm. "sorry, i didn't mean to dog you like that. but hey, now you have nothing to hide," she replied softly, scooting onto steve's lap. she was, truthfully, ecstatic that he was so proud of her; it made her feel better about herself after natasha tore her down so quickly. "now you," she murmured to steve, wrapping her arms around his neck and smiling softly. after a few moments, she chuckled then explained, "you're thinking about... how you like when i wrinkle my nose when i laugh." she giggled gently then took a deep breath. "and you really want to eat something. i don't blame you."
natasha nat couldn't tear her eyes off bucky, though she couldn't help but smile at his endearing reaction. she gave him a look that told him they'd talk about it later, then turned to rey, seeing her talk quietly with steve and unable to keep the grin off her face. "hey, kid," she said to her, tilting her chin up slightly. once she'd caught a very obviously terrified rey's attention, she paused before smirking slightly. "you're pretty good." it was obvious by now that rey's intentions were pure. and she and steve were truly in love; she didn't need to read minds to see that. "just keep watching for those hydra agents, okay? and let us know as soon as you pick up anything." her gaze darted to steve and she gave him a look before asking, "join me in the kitchen for a sec? we'll make some food."
sam the tension in the room had immediately cleared after natasha's compliment, but sam could see the embarrassment on bucky's face from miles away. he already loved rey for giving him a show like that. but her and steve's pda was gag worthy. "you two are gross." he scrunched his nose up in mock disgust as they giggled like two teenagers. as soon as steve and nat left, sam turned to rey and bucky. "dude, seriously? didn't you break a record for the amount of girls you banged during fleet week?" he raised an eyebrow at his metal-armed counterpart. "you just choked. hard."
steve the flush on bucky's cheeks only grew more noticeable as nat continued to stare at him. he grumbled at rey's apology, settling back into the couch in embarrassment. even though it was nice seeing his best friend happy, he could barely look in their direction as they sat all cuddled up next to him. it felt like a huge weight was lifted off his chest after natasha left the room. being in the same room as her after that was nearly too much for him. "shut up, wilson." his eyes narrowed at sam's comments. "what was i supposed to do? steve's girlfriend put me on the spot!"
bucky the flush on bucky's cheeks only grew more noticeable as nat continued to stare at him. he grumbled at rey's apology, settling back into the couch in embarrassment. even though it was nice seeing his best friend happy, he could barely look in their direction as they sat all cuddled up next to him. it felt like a huge weight was lifted off his chest after natasha left the room. being in the same room as her after that was nearly too much for him. "shut up, wilson." his eyes narrowed at sam's comments. "what was i supposed to do? steve's girlfriend put me on the spot!"
steve steve's arms instantly wrapped around rey's waist once she climbed into his lap. "i am. i do." he couldn't control the huge, child like grin on his face as she spoke. she truly was amazing, everything she did. he was completely enamored. natasha's voice snaps him out of his trance, but what she says only makes his smile grow. "told you, romanoff." he sent her one of his sturdy, assertive 'i'm in charge' looks. he really wanted rey to eat and whatever nat wanted to gossip about was clearly important, so he lifted her off his lap to join nat in the kitchen. "i'll be right back. try not to kill each other while i'm gone." he shoots rey, buck, and sam the same look he gave to nat moments before. "what's up?"
rey rey was nervous about steve going off with natasha into the kitchen, but she trusted him. she was just worried that bucky would be mad at her for looking into his thoughts. she glanced over at sam and smiled sheepishly, tucking her knees to her chest, then slowly looked up at bucky. he really was handsome. but when he called her out, her smile darkened again into a dejected expression, and her eyes widened. she backed up slowly on the couch and said, "i-i'm sorry, i didn't- i'm sorry..."
natasha nat led him into the kitchenette, which was far enough away from the living room that they could talk without being overheard. unless rey used her powers, of course. once they were in there, she searched through cabinets and drawers to find anything they could make a meal out of as she spoke to steve. "look, steve, she's great. and she could come in handy for us, and i know you care about her. but she's just a kid. she hasn't had any combat training and she's sensitive. plus, if hydra gets ahold of her, they can turn her into something dangerous, and i know you don't want that to happen." she turned to face him, one hand on her hip and the other resting against the counter. "do you want the girl you love to be chased down by people wanting to kill her or arrest her or turn her into a winter soldier?"
sam "don't worry about him. he'll get over it." sam raised a brow at rey's reaction. she must have really been afraid of bucky. that, or, she wanted his approval. he and peggy carter were by far the most important people in steve's life so it made sense. "so barnes, now that she outed you, are you gonna ask miss widow on a date? or are we not at that point of social interaction yet." he grinned, trying to vex the soldier. there was no way he'd let him live this down.
bucky: bucky didn't notice rey's reaction at first, only that she was farther away from him before. getting his mind poked and prodded at was by far the thing he hated the most. but she was just a kid and there was no way she knew about the winter soldier, so he managed to send her a softened look. "shut up, sam, i swear. i don't care if steve likes you." he glowered at the male sitting across from him. when he continued to berate him, he threw one of the throw pillows on the couch straight at his face.
steve "here we go." steve murmured under his breath, joining natasha in the search for food in the cabinets. he knew this was coming any time now. while she spoke, he stumbled upon a box of dry macaroni and cheese on the top shelf. he doesn't respond to her at first. all he's concerned about is rey getting something to eat. once a pot of water is boiling on the stove to his satisfaction, he hesitantly turned back to his fellow avenger. "i know all those things. and if you think i'm gonna let any of them happen, you're wrong. bucky was already a casualty of my mistakes. i refuse to let rey be one too."
rey rey locked gazes with bucky for a moment and felt a small smile tug at her lips without even realizing it, tilting her head down shyly after. they were good, that much was clear. but she still wanted to talk to him one on one about his experiences with not being in control of his own mind. she wanted to know how he stopped it and what helped him recover; it would just be nice to have someone to talk to about it. while he spoke to sam, rey looked past him to the kitchen, noting how close steve and natasha were. she grimaced slightly out of discomfort and looked over at sam. "um... did-did those two... are they...?" she tried to ask, knowing he'd understand what she was trying to ask without actually saying the words, then glanced up at bucky for answers as well.
natasha natasha watched him as he began boiling the water, chuckling to herself. steve rogers, the family man. who would've thought? she met his eyes again, tilting her chin up slightly. "i'm just saying... the country needs you, cap, even if they're not willing to admit it just yet. i don't want you to be slowed down because of some personal issues," she replied, getting a glass of water then leaning back against the counter as she sipped it slowly. "but hey, at least we finally found you a girl. and you didn't even need my help," she teased with a smirk, playfully punching his arm. "it's a step up from your ex-girlfriend's great niece, at least. i don't know why the hell you even started that."
sam sam caught the pillow with a small grumble. at least barnes was somewhat back to normal. all it took was a bit of teasing and a smile from his best friend's girlfriend. at first sam was confused about rey's question, but then he looked over to the kitchenette where nat and steve were guffawing against the counter. he pursed his lips at the sight. first the whole sharon fiasco, then dragging poor rey into the hydra mess, and now flirting with romanoff in front of her. steve was really terrible with women and he was going to have a talk with him about it. "uh.. no. romanoff is just a little.. touchy. and cap is a dumbass."
bucky bucky pondered upon a few things while sam and rey conversed. god, natasha probably thought he was an idiot. where the hell would two master assassins go on a date, anyways? he really needed to ask steve or if worse comes to worse, sam later on. once he's sucked out of his thoughts, his gaze lands on nat punching steve in the shoulder with a huge grin. his eyes narrow at the two. "what the fuck?" he mumbles almost inaudibly at the sight. what were they doing? they were in here taking care of his girlfriend while they flirted up a storm in the kitchen? if they kept this up, bucky would show everyone who the real playboy soldier was.
steve "you know, if you took the time to get to know rey, you'd realize that you two have the same opinions." he smiled before turning back to the small stove where the water boiled. she had texted him something along the lines of what nat just said a while back. he thought about what she offered as he added the macaroni to the water. "i guess i was just chasing what i lost. i thought that sharon was the closest i'd ever get to peggy, and that wasn't fair to her." he frowned, placing the lid over the boiling pasta. "now what about you, romanoff? you and buck seem to be hitting it off. i'd give you the whole 'if you hurt him, i'll hurt you' talk but i think you're more than competent."
rey rey looked worriedly at sam then glanced back into the kitchen, seeing steve throw one of his charming smiles at nat. she felt like she had just been punched in the stomach. defeatedly, she crossed her arms tightly over her chest, but then jumped with a small wince, looking down at where her fingers had wrapped around her arm. right over the gash she'd received from fighting the hydra soldiers earlier. she'd completely forgotten about it. but now that she'd brushed it, the pain wouldn't let her forget again. she took deep breaths and closed her eyes tightly, covering it with her hand again but being careful not to touch it.
natasha "yeah, i get that," nat nodded in understanding, setting her empty glass in the sink once she'd finished it off. her head snapped up, though, at the mention of bucky, and she just paused before chuckling softly. "don't get too excited, rogers, you're acting like there's wedding bells already," she teased, avoiding the actual topic of her feelings for bucky, which were very much prevalent. "he still shot me twice, though, but it's normal for married couples to have a few arguments." she laughed softly again, then paused before combing his slightly mussed up hair into its usual style. "brown really does work on you, by the way. i don't think i'd be able to recognize you if we hadn't been in so many life or death situations together before. but i'm sure your fan clubs are sobbing." she smiled teasingly again and looked down at the pasta as she stirred it slightly.
sam sam's eyes flickered between the heartbreak on rey's face and steve and natasha. "don't worry about it, okay?" he wasn't really an expert in the whole 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' area, so he didn't really know what else to say. once he noticed her hand covering her arm, he remembered the gash on her arm. "barnes, can you get her another band aid?" he asked bucky, looking for an excuse to get him out of the room. his voice lowered as the super soldier left, "okay, listen. we've been trying to get bucky and nat together for months now. ever since he got out of the ice, they have been hanging around each other. hell, wanda, thor, and i have a bet going on how long it takes for them to start dating. steve would never do that to bucky, even if nat would. i'm sure he wouldn't do that to you either."
bucky bucky's brows furrowed at sam's request before his gaze followed his. the band aid he gave rey earlier was no longer on her arm. he stalked off towards the bathroom, hoping there would be a first aid kit in the cabinets. there were tons of rooms in the suite they got and he found himself annoyed. after living in a less than glamorous studio in the middle of a foreign country for months, he wasn't accostumed to the luxurious world yet. once he made it to the bathroom, his mouth fell agape just a bit. the counters and bathtub were marble and the shower was huge. the whole room itself was bigger than his bedroom back in new york. after rifling in the polished cabinets, he found a stainless steel box that contained bandaids and other supplies. a few steps away from the living room he heard sam's voice. his eyes narrowed at his words. the mere thought of natasha coming onto steve made his blood boil. not to mention the fact that they had a bet placed on their relationship. the soldier threw the box on the couch next to rey and sat down in one of the chairs bordering the living room. the expression on his face was enough to show his vexation.
steve "i wasn't attending a planning on a wedding, natasha." steve rolled his eyes, but there was a hint of disappointment in his tone. of course he knew they wouldn't get married, but he'd like to see the two of them happy. he can't stifle the sad laugh that rumbles in his chest at her comment. "fan clubs? don't flatter me." he grinned, taking the pot of pasta off the burner. he drained the steaming water into the sink, glancing over at the living room for the first time since leaving. the look on rey's face was heartbreaking and bucky looked completely pissed. what on earth happened when they were gone? he hastily added the cheese and other companets to the pasta before putting it into a bowl. his search for a spoon took a few beats, but soon he was stalking out of the kitchenette towards rey and sam. "what's going on?"
rey rey looked up into sam's kind eyes, though she was unable to stop the tears that pricked in her own. she tried to feel reassured by his words, to know for sure that everything was going to be okay with her and steve, but steve himself wasn't making that so easy. natasha wasn't either. the box being thrown on the couch made her jump, but she just shakily exhaled and set it aside for now. she couldn't care less about fixing her wound right now. besides, bucky looked so angry that she was scared to even /move/. until steve walked in. without a moment of hesitation, she pushed herself up off the couch, just staring up at him for a few moments with a stoic expression, then moved straight to bucky and grabbed his shirt, leaning down to kiss him for a few moments. when she pulled away, she just glanced back at steve then stormed into the closest bedroom, closing and locking the door behind her.
natasha "hey, they exist, trust me," nat replied with a grin to mirror his own, then moved to lean her hands on the counter next to the stove, looking out to the others as steve did. "what the hell...?" she muttered under her breath, noticing exactly what he was staring intensely at. bucky was who she had her eyes on most of all, worried about the near murderous look he had in his eyes. what had happened? she followed steve out into the living room, though she stayed closer to bucky, glancing worriedly down at him. "buck..." she murmured softly, just as rey stood and stormed over to him. nat hadn't even thought about what she might do, and became frozen in shock when her lips were on his. her jaw dropped as she just stared at them, face darkening. even as rey stormed off into the bedroom, she just watched bucky, lips still parted in shock, as her hand hovered near her handgun.
sam sam had one word for the situation unraveling in front of his eyes: chaos. the blur of rey's lips on bucky's, nat and steve's return to the living room at that exact moment. he was about to be the middle man in another huge mess. his eyes flickered rapidly between the four of them, namely natasha's hand near her gun. the furious expression on steve's face was one he hadn't seen since the airport battle. he knew he had to step in right then and there. "hey!" the normally comedic, mellow falcon sidekick bellowed, rising to his feet in front of them. rey was already gone, so she missed his intervening. "look, i don't know what the /hell/ is going on here, but before you go all patriotic on barnes' ass, your little girlfriend kissed him because you and miss widow," his glance moved off of steve and onto natasha, "were flirting up a storm in the kitchen. and YOU." he spun on his heel towards the utterly floored bucky, "what is up your ass? you know steve wouldn't do that to you." after his dr. phil style rant, he finally pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "seriously, what the fuck is wrong with all of you?"
bucky bucky didn't even have time to react properly to rey's kiss. his inital thoughts namely consisted of 'what the fuck' and 'why the fuck'. his first kiss since he got out of the ice was steve's girlfriend? he was planning on it being with natasha. speaking of the devil. he knew exactly why rey did it, and the mere thought just caused more anger. once his lips were free from her covetous kiss, steve's enraged expression and natasha's disquiet one were revealed. even though he wasn't the one who did anything, he found himself overcome with profuse guilt. luckily sam's yelling distracted their attention away from him for just a second. "she kissed /me/! i didn't- i.." he couldn't even process the situation without freaking out, so he stormed off just like rey did. but instead of going into a bedroom like rey did, bucky headed for the front door.
