get this man a shield

Steve Rogers. 32. "I don't want to kill anyone, but I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from."

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agcntcxrter:

“Not to me,” Sharon said with a shrug and a small smile, lifting her coffee cup up again to take another sip. “Of course, I might be a little biased. Don’t tell anyone, it’s a deeply held secret.” 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. “You’re right. That should’ve been a criteria for SHIELD recruitment in the first place.”

Sharon grinned at him, sensing his hesitation. “Do you doubt me, Rogers?” she teased.

Well, good, Steve thought, more pleased about that than he wanted to admit. Watch it. The next thing he knew, he’d be asking for Sharon’s approval on everything.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” 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 wasn’t particularly cynical to him, in this case. SHIELD—despite Peggy’s hard work, despite Fury’s long tenure, despite Sharon’s loyalty—had 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.

“You?” He asked, rhetorically, daring to smile. He was telling the truth, even if he teased. “Never.”

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hcwkguys:

Gasping dramatically, Clint held a hand to his chest. “Language,” he scolded, shaking his head. “There could be children.” There weren’t, but he’d never pass up on the chance to give Steve a hard time. “Yeah, but you still run around in the red, white, and blue with a star on your shield,” he pointed out teasingly. “Not like you’re ordering anyone to drop it.”

Not many people knew about Clint’s extracurricular activities, largely because the bulk of them didn’t care enough to ask. He wasn’t usually the sort to volunteer information to just anyone, after all. “Yeah, I’d probably manage to piss off the Cartel with that, somehow,” he snorted good naturedly, shaking his head. “I’m real good at that, you know.”

Steve laughed. “You’re never letting that one go, are you?” No one on the Avengers seemed capable of forgetting that one slip. “Think I should change it up?” He asked. T’Challa’s sister seemed like one of the most talented technical minds in the world, if Black Panther’s gear was anything to go by. “I oughta find some new vibranium and start over.”

“Let me give you a hand, next time,” Steve suggested. “I’ve been told that I don’t know when to shut up when it’s good for me.” They had that in common, at least—provoking the bigger guy when it wasn’t quite the right idea to do so.

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agcntcxrter:

“That’s because they’re inspiring,” Sharon replied with a grin. If they weren’t on opposite sides of the cafe table, she would have nudged him to emphasise her point. “Of course, I didn’t particularly need inspiration to point a gun at Rumlow’s head. That guy always had a little something, you know, villainous about him.” If only it had been as simple as that to pick out those around her that had been HYDRA. Sharon knew there were still some rats out there that hadn’t gone down with the ship, but for now, demons in New York seemed to take precedence.

Sharon tilted her head to the side, looking at Steve over her coffee cup. “Oh?” she said. “Maybe I’m a little biased. Remind me to show you the home movie I have of him and Peg trying to cut down a Christmas tree. Talk about bark then.”

He liked the sound of that, even though it probably should’ve been second nature to just about everybody. It always boiled down to asking people to do the right thing, but that came a little harder for some, Steve knew. “Not boring?” He asked.

“He was always rude to servers,” Steve said, feigning graveness. It wasn’t difficult. “That shows you just how people really are.” That or a secret alliance to terrorism. It was good odds.

“That I need to see.” He didn’t quite believe it. Sharon had a knack for selling stuff. He was intrigued, but not entirely sold.

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thcmystique:

“Arrested?” Raven repeated, laughing a little as she did so. “Please. I know from personal experience how easy it is to get out of those places. Hell, he could be dealing in my people from behind the bars, and the guards would help him do it.” Mutant fighting rings were rife around the city, men talking about them as if they were dealing in nothing more than cattle, and because of that, Raven pressed her boot even further into the man’s neck.

There had been a time when she had maintained a facade around Steve Rogers. Thus far, he hadn’t seen her true form, but obviously Charles had revealed some of her identities to the Avengers as well. He knew now that she was nothing like the woman she had been back then, and good thing as well - the Brotherhood would have crumbled without Mystique to aid Magneto behind the scenes. “Why do you think I should trust you to find this child?” Raven asked, but she didn’t press down on the trigger of the gun. Captain America, leader of the Avengers, what was to say he wasn’t like the rest? His strength did not come from a mutation, it came from an experiment. Perhaps there was a part of him that could understand, but Raven wasn’t willing to take the risk without being adequately persuaded. “Oh, the Panel?” At that, Raven sent a bullet into the ground, narrowly missing the man’s head. More of a warning than anything else, but the sounds he made were quite entertaining. “I’m sure they’d love having me in their building.”

"Not every place is bad,” Steve protested, but even he had his doubts. The prison system was about as rotten as the government, and money dictated how it all was run. Steve loathed to throw the system even a hint of credibility, but the man’s crimes needed to be punished. “He’ll be pushed through the channels, I promise you that. I’ll watch the process myself. Hearings, arraignment, you name it.”

Steve wasn’t deterred. Bullets were his most frequent adversary. He changed tactics, abandoning the Panel idea in one fell swoop. “You’re trusting me, Mystique. Not the government, not the Panel, not SHIELD, not the FBI or the CIA. Me. I’ll find the child for you, and bring him to you. He’s homeless, isn’t he? Let me track him down. You’ll get him the care he needs, while I take this piece of shit into custody.” It didn’t feel right, trading one innocent life for the man at her feet, but the law was the law. He was saving the boy by delivering him into Mystique’s capable hands, and throwing this asshole to the lions in a jail.

“What do you say?” He asked.

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agcntcxrter:

Natasha had brought Sharon into the Avengers long ago, but she was far from a public face. Her identity was still a secret, her missions were mostly restricted to espionage, and she was damned if she was standing beside Tony while he gave one of his famous press conferences. “I’m not sure if I could manage the same rousing speeches,” Sharon teased. “I have to admit, though, the Avengers do have a better appeal than the idiots I work with at the moment. Do you think the boss would let me put a mini-fridge in the Quinjet?”

The last time she had been all in for anything it had been SHIELD, and that had quite literally crashed and burned. Her reluctance to join the Avengers completely was something that she was sure Steve understood, but the more she thought about it, the harder it was to remember why she had remained on the fence at all. “Even with Fury staring you in the face?” Sharon asked, eyes wide. “It’s right what they say about your self preservation, Rogers.”

"Everybody always brings up those speeches,” Steve complained, feigning annoyance. The answer was ever the same...no, he rarely planned what he was about to say. It came from the heart. That explanation was usually accused of being corny, so Steve refrained. “A mini fridge is actually a good idea,” Steve admitted. He thought of all the food he could keep in it. The serum devoured energy—he needed every meal he could get it.

“Fury’s all bark,” said Steve, though privately the man gave him the creeps. “He doesn’t bother me. Much.”

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hcwkguys:

“Aw, geez, are you hard of hearing now, too, old man? Only room for one deaf guy on this team, and I called it a long time ago!” Clint’s voice was light, easy, and totally not reflective of the situation around them at all. He’d always been good at that; he’d probably meet the end of the world with a joke. “Well, you know, we can’t all snag a nickname like Captain America.” 

Snorting, Clint shook his head. “Y’know, I tried taking a break from all this once? Wound up in a fight with a Russian mob. Got an apartment building and a dog outta the deal, but I also got stabbed and shot a bunch’a times and lost a couple million bucks so. Kinda a mixed bag.”

Steve signed an answer to that charming comment, giving Clint a wry smile as he did. “It wasn’t my idea,” he parried, amiably enough. “I would’ve been fine with Captain Rogers.”

Steve couldn’t quite remember if he knew that already. Clint clearly must’ve scraped a miraculous victory, because...well, it was the Russian mob. “You could always get a pet sanctuary on your next one,” Steve suggested.

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riddlemethisxx:

“Hmm,” Edward said with a smile at his comment. “You’ve found a way to both disappoint and flatter me. I’m impressed. Everything I’ve read about you said that you were clever.” He glanced at the hostages and chuckled. “Trust me. They’ll be fine.” He twirled the device between his fingers and leaned on his cane, crossing his ankles. “Money I can get, Rogers. That’s easy. For any man that is clever and daring enough. This isn’t about that. Fear. Respect…” He took a few steps closer. “Those are things you have to earn. But you would know all about that wouldn’t you. After all, you are Captain America. The one that wouldn’t sign the Accords. Not that I blame you, I wouldn’t either.” Edward shrugged and smiled beneath his mask. “But then again… I’m me, and you’re you.” He pointed to the other man with his cane. “Oh to see the headlines when people find out that the Ex-Avenger was at a bank robbery and was not able to do anything to stop it…”

"That’s the first time I’ve heard myself called clever.” Bucky usually preferred the age old ‘little shit,’ not that Steve would admit as much to a hostile stranger. Even Red Skull couldn’t stand Steve’s sense of humor, but clever never quite made it to the repertoire of Steve’s character. “Why should I trust you, Riddler?” Steve asked, giving the nearest hostage a bracing look. She nodded in reply, frightened. He’d find a way to get her and the rest out of this.

Hopefully.

“I don’t care about the robbery,” Steve admitted, shrugging. “Take the whole vault if you want. Money isn’t important to me. What I care about is these people. If you wanted to earn some respect, fine. You have it. You want to be feared, too? You are. You’ve scared them. And now it’s time you let them leave, unharmed.”

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agcntcxrter:

“That’s what my dad used to say,” Sharon said with a small smile, taking another sip of her coffee. Her appetite hadn’t been the same as usual since the pressure reached a new level in work, but for some reason, she found herself tucking into the biscuits the barista dropped onto the tray beside their order. “I don’t know. I guess it just felt like I had my place at SHIELD, and in the CIA I feel like I’m wearing a mask even when I’m being myself.” She had been known by Agent 13 in SHIELD, a first name to some and nothing else, but even that had felt more authentic than being CIA Agent Carter. Something wasn’t sitting right, but where else she could go was eluding her. She had a feeling that Steve understood that, considering how he had diverted after SHIELD fell.

“In his defence, it was part of a cover,” Sharon replied. She reached her hand up to the neck of her sweater, pulling it to the side to reveal a small round scar on her shoulder. “We got the guy in the end, so it was worth it.”

He listened to the explanation, finding an unfortunate parallel to his own places in SHIELD and the Avengers. SHIELD operated with cool efficiency and little oversight, lacking the military air of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Steve was ghost in its employ, delegated to clandestine missions with his helmet on and Natasha at his side. In the Avengers, Steve felt more like himself. “You could always join us,” Steve suggested, wondering how well Sharon would take to more of an open fight than espionage. “Make Agent 13 a public face,” he added, although he did wonder if that would help or hurt her in the end. 

Steve shook his head. “Whatever you say,” he replied, amused despite himself. “I would’ve broken cover, I think.” Maintaining one with Snow was hard enough.

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riddlemethisxx:

“I’m not exactly like every other thief…” Edward turned when a man spoke. To his delight, it was a man that he would have never expected. Although the hero couldn’t see his face, Edward grinned in absolute joy. “Oh my. I didn’t expect such a famous audience. I’m flattered that a simple robbery is on your radar.” He chuckled, twirling the sword with glee. “And he even knows my name. I am truly honored. Don’t worry, Captain America. If no one moves, no one dies. It’s very simple.”

He took a quick glance behind him to see his men were already coming out of the vault with full bags. Edward turned back towards Steve. “Today was never about the money.” He took out a little device that was the size of a pen from his pocket. He pressed the button on the head once and all the masks that were worn by his goons activated. Their bodies went rigid as they were electrocuted and then fell, each one smoking. “It was about seeing what this city is made of. Gotham is tough. I wanted to see how you measure up…”

Every criminal seemed to think that, Steve had found. They all thought they were different, all thought that their own goal was the only one that mattered and the first of its kind. “This isn’t a simple robbery,” Steve allowed, offering a fact that sounded a little too close to flattery. “You can’t guarantee that,” he added, looking at the restless, frightened group of hostages. Asking someone not to move was like asking them not to breathe. “Let them go, Riddler,” Steve repeated.

He watched the henchmen slump to the floor. So Riddler had even less regard for his hired guns than he did civilians. That was worrying. “It isn’t about the money, yet you sent your men after it?”

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riddlemethisxx:

A classic bank robbery. There was nothing better. The goons that he hired ran in the doors first. This wasn’t about the money. It was about seeing what the city is made of. This men at the room on the ground by the time he walked in, twirling his walking stick between this fingers. He chose his favorite suit for the occasion. Emerald green velvet suit jacket and a white mask covering his face, matching those worn by his men. “Don’t worry ladies and gents. Don’t move and no one will die.” As he spoke, one of his men started handing out grenades, forcing them into the hands of the hostages and pulling the pin. Edward glanced at the hostages around him and grinned as his men started filling bags with money. “While we are waiting, let’s play a game…” he pulled on the question mark head of his cane, reveling a sword. “Riddle me this… Hickory-Dickory-Dock! The mouse ran up the clock. The clock struck one and down did come. Hickory-Dickory-Dock!” He paused, glancing around him. “No one? …disappointing.”

Stopping a bank robbery wasn’t usually on Steve’s agenda, but with the Skrulls completely gone, he was practically looking for trouble. The NYPD could’ve handled a normal thief, he decided, recognizing the gimmick after moment’s thought, but this one was tricky.

“Thieves don’t usually go for wordplay,” Steve offered, making his way around the hostages with caution. He couldn’t exactly tackle the grenade this time, to his dismay, shield or no shield. “Let the civilians go, Riddler.”

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agcntcxrter:

There was a part of Sharon, a part that she would never admit to but nonetheless, that had wondered whether Steve would even show up at all when the text didn’t involve something to do with a mission. After all, they’d never managed to get that coffee while she was working as Kate (a conscious decision, duty and whatever this was never went well together) and after that, Agent 13 and Captain America had spent more time together than Sharon and Steve. Still, the man kept managing to surprise her, and the fact that he was sitting in front of her right now brought a smile to Sharon’s face that she was able to hide well behind a sip of coffee.

“The boss asked me to take down a trafficking ring operating out of Long Island,” Sharon explained. “I did what he asked, did it in half the time, and when I came into the office the next day I had a note for disciplinary action to be taken against me. Apparently I broke a few laws while I was saving lives.” Sharon shrugged, though the bitterness in her voice was evident. “Still, at least he hasn’t shot at me yet. That was an awkward Christmas for me and Fury, have to admit.”

It really shouldn’t have surprised Steve that there was that kind of crime in Long Island, but somehow it did. The longer he lived in the future, the less it startled him, though most of his developing experience with the world today kept running in contrast to what it used to be. When Steve was a kid, Long Island slowly transformed from backwoods and farms to the suburbs. The jump to a nexus of a trafficking ring was...a leap. “That’s just the brass flexing their muscles,” Steve opined, dismissive of what sounded like a lot of idiots that should be overseen by Sharon, not the other way around. “It’s easier to ask for forgiveness than permission.” That was treading dangerous ground, but compared to all the threats that awaited the Avengers from time to time, a crime ring in Long Island was a small stakes.

Steve choked on his coffee. “He shot you?”

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the-m3chanic:

“FRIDAY, did you get that?” Tony asked, and the A.I. hummed in the walls as a confirmation. It was mostly a joke, but when Steve said anything even remotely regarding a compliment, it mattered to Tony. He wasn’t sure why it was so much, though he had a feeling it was to do with his father - most things, according to his therapist, were to do with his father. “Good, I’m glad, because I’m making it my new ringtone. Do you have anything else to add, Cap, or are we all good here?”

If they had been talking about anything or anyone other than Pepper and their maybe-a-date, Tony would have smirked. He would have asked whether Steve was still in 1940, or provided any other activity that would fit better into this day and age, but honestly, Steve was pretty on the money. “Go small,” Tony repeated, turning it over in his mind. He could decode thousands of pages in a couple of hours if he wanted to, but when it came to situations like this, situations that actually mattered, he was more lost than he cared to realise. “You really think that’ll work?”

FRIDAY was just as polite as JARVIS, but Steve liked her a little better. Maybe it was the voice, he decided. Now that Vision existed, FRIDAY was a novelty.

“All good,” Steve confirmed, amused. “Broadcast it through the whole Tower, if you like.”

Seeing Tony actually consider his advice was also a novelty. Steve didn’t think he’d get tired of it. Clashes were inevitable, with differing fighting styles, personalities, and experiences, but Steve liked to think the worst of the worst was well behind them. “I know it will,” Steve told him, and clapped Tony on the shoulder, just to be a little shit. “Good luck. Say hi to Pepper for me.”

Careful not to break any more of Tony’s projects, Steve went on his way. The storm might even lighten up, he hoped. It all took practice.

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theheirtothedemon:

There had always been stories about Captain America on both sides of the war, Nyssa had heard plenty from multiple people with different alliances and then continued to hear them long after any normal man would have been dead. There had been hope amongst some of those suffering, people who saw him as a symbol of good in a world that had so quickly become hell on Earth. Nyssa had always preferred to rely on herself when it came to dealing with her problems, but she had witnessed firsthand the kind of pain that had caused people to need such a symbol. She couldn’t decide if it was impressive or sad that he was still fighting HYDRA after all this time. “I will only kill whoever tries to stop me. At the moment, HYDRA is the only one doing so,” Nyssa replied, taking advantage of the cover he gave with his shield to turn and fire more aggressively at the enemy. Guns were more convenient, yes. But also louder and harder to smuggle around than the bow she had been trained to use since she’d been a child. The skill was archaic, but refined enough to where she had little need for bullets or rifles to get the job done. “I want access to their files. Everything they have on everyone. You can raze this place to the ground and bury the ashes for all I care after I get them.” He was good, she had to give him that. Even with all the reinforcements, there had been few men standing when she’d arrived to begin with. Nyssa wasted no time in finishing off the rest, turning to face him properly once they were no longer being shot at. “More will come. Are you as good as they say you are?”

That sounded a lot like his own code. This was a messy business, but Steve liked to draw a line even he wouldn’t cross. Disposing of HYDRA agents, nevertheless, was always nowhere near the intersection.

"Would you mind sharing the files?” Steve asked. It wasn’t his main objective (the main one essentially being blow up the building), but some more intel on HYDRA would help, not hurt. “I only use them to find bases,” he explained, opting out of asking what she wanted them for. If Natasha had taught him anything, it was that the world was a lot less black and white than even he remembered. “Or stop operations.” At least she wouldn’t object to the havoc he was planning to cause before the night was over. She was a partner of sorts, if a reluctant one.

“I try,” Steve answered, hardly one to brag. It wasn’t in his nature. “From what I’ve seen, you’re skilled enough to get through the place on your own, but I’d like to help. We could work together.”

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agcntcxrter:

@righteouscap

There were many things that Sharon could say about SHIELD, the fact that there was a parasite growing amongst the heroes that had fallen being one of the most pressing, but one thing that she couldn’t say was that she had ever felt as if she was unappreciated. SHIELD, and Fury in particular, had allowed her the chance to be the kind of agent she wanted to be. She had pushed boundaries, she had got the job done, and every day, she had helped to save the world.

The CIA was different. The end did not justify the means, she was nothing more than a number on a screen, and her superiors barely remembered her name (they always remembered Carter, but Sharon escaped them). After the last encounter, Sharon seriously doubted she would be returning to her desk Monday morning. She wasn’t sure why Steve’s number was the one she lingered over when she was scrolling through her contacts, but it was, and now they were finally sitting getting that coffee he had offered so long ago.

“Do you mean to say I don’t actually need to offer aliens to punch for you to show up?” Sharon asked, a smirk on her face as she moved to sit in the seat across from Steve. “Sorry I’m late. My boss was being a complete idiot, and my coworkers weren’t much better. How are you doing?”

Coffee? Sharon texted, distracting Steve from his movie. It was a welcome distraction. The movie wasn’t that good. 

Steve got dressed and set out to meet her, taking his time to look over all he saw between his apartment and the cafe. The Skrulls had made one hell of a dent in New York City, but this was the most resilient place in the world. They could regroup, and come back even stronger. He reached the shop and ordered for both of them, only for Sharon to join him just a few minutes later.

“Coffee will do the trick,” Steve assured her, amused. Fighting aliens with Sharon was a thrill, but she was a lot more appealing seated opposite him than she was in a fight. “Tell me more about this shitty boss. He’ll never match up to Fury, but you have me curious.”

He made a so-so gesture. “Keeping busy. It’s nice not having to worry about our green friends anymore.”

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twelvepercentpepperpotts:

War had casualties. Steve knew that better than most, she suspected. It was strange, hearing his calm, measured response. She had spent so much time with Tony, whose emotions were either zero or a hundred with very little in-between, so this simple declaration was new to her, but not unwelcome. “Spoken like a true soldier,” she said with a nod. “And no, he won’t. None of them will. It’s in the name, after all,” she said. Avengers. If Steve, Tony, and the team could not save their friends, they would certainly honor their memory by avenging them. 

“I wouldn’t mind it,” she said quickly, smiling gently at him. “If it’s no trouble, of course.” He had to be a busy man, but she was grateful for the offer. “This way, actually,” she said, leading him towards a back room of the lobby. Not many people knew about this particular planning room, but Pepper knew this tower like the back of her hand, probably better. She stepped inside, and tapped at the console. Immediately. FRIDAY brought up the blueprints for her latest design project.

The holograms floated in the center of the room. Technical specs and blueprints for two statues. One of Scott, in his Ant-Man uniform. The other of Maria Hill, stoic and strong as she ever was. “What do you think?” she asked. “It’s a rough design at the moment. But I thought maybe it’d be… nice. To have somewhere we can go to remember them, something put up in their honor.” She only hoped that by the end of this war, this invasion, that she wouldn’t have to be making more blueprints like this.

Well, when she put it like that. Pepper was right, anyway, Steve mused. Scott Lang wasn’t the first man in the ranks to die, but he was one of the few that happened recently. They avenged, whether the wound was fresh or not.

He followed Pepper, waving that off. “No trouble at all, really,” Steve assured her. Working through hard times was Steve’s modus operandi, despite Sam’s suggestions to spend more time at the VA. He was too busy.

Steve admired the blueprints. The world was a long way past the metallic looking statues that popped up in parks and city centers. Holograms were much better. “They’re great,” he answered, maybe too effusively. Technology was something Steve appreciated, even if he grumbled about it every now and then. “A rough design that looks like new, Pepper.” She and Tony always struck low when something really mattered to them, he noticed. Tony dismissed, Pepper quietly undersold. They were peas in a pod. “You did a nice job.”

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theheirtothedemon:

{Starter :: @righteouscap } Diplomacy and manipulation were always useful tools for someone intent on gaining influence through subterfuge and negotiations. Some problems were only made worse by killing those responsible, and some goals required patience and negotiating to turn situations into something useful. However when it came to the potential problems posed by HYDRA and the knowledge that they held information Nyssa desired to have for her own purposes, she had no problem with eliminating the obstacles in her way. She was an assassin over anything else, and while perhaps there was something more personal involved she knew they wouldn’t have just left and handed over their files on the city. HYDRA was an intelligence organization, they had already gathered information and tested it, all that was left to do was steal it. Nyssa was far from inexperienced, as she slipped through the facility she was careful to eliminate the agents she came across silently and destroy any cameras, face hidden behind her veil and hood to avoid the risk of having her face recognized. While she had no doubt they were already aware of the presence of a Nanda Parbat ambassador, there was no need for HYDRA to connect her to the assassin attacking their facility. The alarm and call for reinforcements that sounded was unexpected, Nyssa immediately tensed up, stepping away from the dead agents at her feet and drawing her weapon while she moved out of sight. As she waited however, there was no sound of approaching footsteps or gunshots beyond those heard from elsewhere in the facility.

After another pause to ensure no one approached, Nyssa began to follow the noise. The soldiers that she passed fell easily, though the more she approached the less of them there seemed to be. Whatever they were fighting was clearly doing a good job, the muffled orders being yelled through the communication devices enough evidence that their forces were failing to defend against it. If it was an enemy to HYDRA, she could use the distraction to her favor, but that was only if whatever or whoever it was didn’t pose a threat to her as well. One of the enemy soldiers stepped back out of the next room firing his weapon inside furiously, only to be silenced shortly after by Nyssa’s arrows. She didn’t stop to watch him collapse, continuing to move. The sight of a single man in the midst of it all wasn’t what she had expected, especially with the amount of HYDRA operatives already on the ground. Without hesitation, she drew back her bow and began to shoot at those still standing, moving closer to the stranger while ducking around a corner to avoid gunfire. “I am only your enemy if you chose to make me such. They are the ones who have what I’m after.”

If there was one thing Steve would reluctantly give to HYDRA, it was their persistence. They grew like weeds, once in secret and now out in the open. They liked playing in the shadows, but some weren’t afraid to stride alongside the biggest hate groups in the country, and push for the retrieval of rights that were never taken away from them. Others preferred the tactics that Rumlow enjoyed, electing for black ops missions and maintaining clandestine facilities that were built to steer the agenda of figures in power for their own benefit.

Steve liked disrupting every sorry scheme, no matter what it took. He was mid-fight when something different started felling the soldiers, to his surprise. He listened to her appeal, more receptive to other methods that people seemed to think.

"What are you after?” Steve had to ask, lifting his shield to block a bullet from hitting either one of them. “We’re only on opposite sides of the line when civilians get caught in the crossfire.” He hesitated. “HYDRA is fair game.” More often than not, they were trying to kill him, but Steve knew how much of a slippery slope these justifications could land on. Murder was murder, and not even Steve’s hands were clean. Running all over Europe with the Commandos bloodied them fast. “I can help you find whatever you’re looking for, if you help me shut this place down.”

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hcwkguys:

“Probably got something to do with how ornery you’ve gotten in your old age,” Clint replied, giving Steve his cheekiest grin. Cap was pretty good at seeing through bullshit, but Clint was pretty good at spouting it, too. They were probably pretty evenly matched there; it might be the only area where he could ever hope to best Captain America. “Yeah, well, it’s easier to feel like us when there’s a crisis to fight, right?” That was the Avenger way.

"Ornery?” Steve repeated, feigning offense. This was the rapport with Barton, not unlike his own with Natasha. Casual conversation, and effective collaboration. He and Natasha found common ground once. It wasn’t impossible for him to find a similar understanding with Clint, though it wasn’t an urgent matter. “Low blow, Barton. No wonder they call you Hawkeye.”

“A break would be nice. Someday,” Steve suggested. A small one. They were made for this lifestyle, or at least thrown into it. Evading it was all but impossible.