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âNot to me,â Sharon said with a shrug and a small smile, lifting her coffee cup up again to take another sip. âOf course, I might be a little biased. Donât tell anyone, itâs a deeply held secret.â Truthfully, she knew that the grand majority of those she worked with knew she had something of a soft spot for the Captain, but they all assumed it was to do with childhood hero worship. Sharon was wondering if it was something else, the more she talked to him, especially when he got a laugh out of her. âYouâre right. That shouldâve been a criteria for SHIELD recruitment in the first place.â
Sharon grinned at him, sensing his hesitation. âDo you doubt me, Rogers?â she teased.
Well, good, Steve thought, more pleased about that than he wanted to admit. Watch it. The next thing he knew, heâd be asking for Sharonâs approval on everything.
âYour secretâs safe with me,â Steve promised.
It felt nice to joke about SHIELD, he realized. That was how Steve knew it was well behind him, like a scar from an injury that no longer quite hurt. All good things came to an end, as the saying went. It wasnât particularly cynical to him, in this case. SHIELDâdespite Peggyâs hard work, despite Furyâs long tenure, despite Sharonâs loyaltyâhad been on rotten ground from the beginning, unbeknownst to all. Good came from its fall. Good could still come from all that remained of SHIELD, anyway.
âYou?â He asked, rhetorically, daring to smile. He was telling the truth, even if he teased. âNever.â












