Tongue Tied - a Steve Rogers x OC fanfictionThey had done it.
They’d won.
They’d defeated the Chitauri, New York was safe, and Loki was… Well. Steve wasn’t entirely sure where Loki was. They had decided it would be best to let Thor deal with that (or rather, Thor had said he was going to deal with that and none of them had wanted to argue with a God). Steve was just glad it was over.
There had been a moment when he’d thought they were going to lose, when the blast had thrown him out of the second floor window of the bank-
He paused.
The bank
Mal.
He couldn’t remember seeing her since Tony took the nuke through the portal. Before that, even.
The last time he’d seen her, she had been running into the bank to help him and while he had been fighting the Chitauri, she had been ushering civilians out of the building with the help of the police. It hadn’t even crossed his mind to look for her, he’d just assumed that she was alright, that she’d made it out and that she’d probably even continued fighting but looking around now, he couldn’t see her anywhere.
God, he couldn't believe he’d let her out of his sight! He hadn’t wanted her come with them in the first place but, when she had argued and Natasha had backed her up, he had relented and silently vowed to keep an eye on her, to make sure she was alright.
He knew she was capable - she wouldn’t be a SHIELD agent otherwise - but he still needed to make sure she was alright. Mal was… different from the others. From him. Even from Natasha. She didn’t have super powers, she couldn’t heal like they could and she didn’t have Natasha’s training.
And he’d still taken his eye off her in the chaos.
Maybe was with Natasha, or even Barton - the three of them seemed to know each other, there seemed to be some sort of history there and Steve could only hope that she had managed to find her way to them.
In fact, he was almost certain that Mal would have looked for Natasha before finding anyone else. Yeah. Definitely. She was fine, off with Natasha somewhere.
Except, Steve had only left Natasha a few minutes earlier so he knew that she hadn’t seen Mal, either.
He was going to have to look for her, going to have to tell the others he couldn’t find her. He turned to call out to Natasha and-
He stopped.
Walking towards him, her hair messy around her shoulder and dirt streaked across her face, was Mal. Steve couldn’t help but notice the way she was holding her left arm with her right, or the slight limp she had as she made her way towards him.
He opened his mouth ready to say something, to ask if she was alright when he saw the graze just beneath her eye, but Mal collapsed against the nearest car with a loud sigh before he had a chance to speak.
“I don’t know about you, but I could really use a coffee right now.”
Steve blinked.
Coffee?
She wanted coffee?
He let out a small chuckle, a breath of relief as he shook his head and softly and looked over at her.
“Shawarma.”
The smile on Mal’s face turned into one of confusion, and Steve screwed his eyes shut for a second.
Shawarma? Really? That was the only thing that came out of his mouth? Pausing and taking a breath, he plastered a smile on his face and tried again.
“Stark was saying earlier he wanted to go to a place a couple of blocks away, if it’s still standing,” he explained, and Mal nodded in understanding.
“Can’t really picture Tony Stark eating shawarma, but okay,” Mal shrugged her shoulders. “I could go for food.”
“Yeah?” Steve raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You’ll come with us? You don’t need to get checked over or anything? You were limping and- you’re bleeding…” he pointed to her cheek. “…Maybe we should just get someone to look at you first-”
“I’m fine,” Mal waved a hand dismissively, wincing slightly and rolling her left shoulder. “I’m fine so long as I don’t move this arm too much,” she corrected herself, pushing herself into a standing position as Steve eyed her uncertainly. “I mean, if you’re don’t believe me you could always do the gentlemanly, superhero thing and carry me there.”
Steve’s eyes widened in surprise. “Well- if you don’t think you can walk there then we definitely need to have someone take a look at you-”
“I’m screwing with you, Rogers,” she interrupted with a grin. “Come on. This whole saving the world business has really given me an appetite.”
(manip credit to @siriussblackx)
She hadn’t been bored for a while and it was something she definitely had not missed.
Lying stretched out on her bed she had even given up on flicking through all of the stations on the television hanging on her wall. It had been hooked up to receive any kind of station from any country and across the internet…
And she was still bored.
The knock at her door raised her heart and launched her into action. Her excitement about the possibility of company causing her to almost fall off her bed, her feet catching her before she landed on her bum.
Swinging her door open a wide grin stretched across her lips when she saw the young girl standing on the other side “Finally!” she exclaimed as Shuri stepped inside, the two of them crossing their arms over their chests and sharing nods before Harper pulled the younger girl into a hug “I thought you’d forgotten about me up here.”
“Give a girl the most sought after room in all of Wakanda and she still manages to moan,” Shuri answered in a teasing tone rolling her eyes dramatically “I’ve actually brought a guest for you.”
Harper’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion “You have?” she asked, her eyebrows arching in surprise and her grin back on her face when the blonde woman who had been waiting outside of her door wandered in “Mal! You’re here, in Wakanda?”
“Don’t look so worried,” Mal said with a warm smile as she crossed over and pulled the reluctant Harper into a hug of her own “Oh but you’ll let Shuri hug you?”
“Yes well look at this face,” Harper answered squishing Shuri’s cheeks together and laughing as the teenager batted her hand away “So, is everything okay?” she continued with a question as her eyes flickered between the two standing in front of her.
Letting out a small sigh Mal’s shoulders squared and she was suddenly all business, tucking her hands into the pockets of her jeans “I need your help with something.”
Throwing her arms out into a shrug Harper nodded her head “Sure.”
“You don’t know what it is yet?”
“This one is so bored I think she’d say yes to anything,” Shuri spoke up from where she had thrown herself on Harper’s bed and took over flicking through the television stations “Can’t switch off even after all she’s been through.”
Harper rolled her eyes and let out a huff of a sigh as she folded her arms over her stomach “Ignore her I’ve been fine,” she said raising one of her shoulders into a shrug “So what’s going on?”
Her eyes were wide once she had shut and locked her door. Hurrying down the corridors after Mal and Shuri her heart pounded in her chest and thoughts were spinning around her mind “Are you for real?” she asked breathlessly once she had finally caught them up and the three of them stepped into the waiting elevator “And you really want my help?”
“It’s kind of specialist,” Shuri answered practically bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement “You’re going back to the 40s,” she continued with a wink.
“Shuri!” Mal exclaimed as they reached the bottom floor and the doors slid back open “I wasn’t going to tell her until we got to your lab,” she continued with an arch to her eyebrow and a slight smile on her face “Har-”
Mal’s word cut off as soon as she turned around to see Harper still standing in the middle of the elevator staring to the two of them blankly. When they had first told her what the mission would entail, the fact that she would be travelling back in time, she had practically jumped up and down on the spot…
But now she looked as though she was going to throw up.
“I can’t go back to the 40s?”
“Yes you can,” Mal answered as she and Shuri exchanged glances before they walked back into the elevator to grasp onto an arm each “And you are,” she continued sending Harper a ‘look’ “We really need you on this Rhodes.”
“But do you?” Harper asked not even acknowledging the fact that not only did Mal have her ‘Agent’ voice on but she called her by her surname “I’m pretty sure you got this,” she said as the three of them came to a stop outside of the car awaiting their arrival on the street.
“Let me talk to her,” Shuri said directing Mal toward the back of the car before she grabbed hold of Harper’s hand “What is going on with you?? You have been moaning about being bored for the past two weeks now!”
“I ca-I can’t,” Harper replied with a shake of her head “Do you know what’s in the 40s?”
“War, Hattie McDaniel, the very first McDonalds-”
“Okay stop being so smart,” Harper interrupted “Bucky. Bucky is in the 40s.”
Shuri looked to her blankly for a couple of seconds before she shrugged “And? That’s another thing I’ve had to listen to you moan about. You miss him! It hasn’t been very long, and I am working on it, but you still miss him.”
“He was so different back then,” Harper answered in a small voice “What if 40s Bucky doesn’t like me?” The blank look was back only this time Shuri let go of her and took a step back “Oh shit you know what? I’m good. I can’t believe I just said that. I didn’t say that okay?”
“Whatever you say girl,” Shuri answered holding her hands up as Harper walked past her and climbed into the back of the car.
“So you’re in?”
Glancing from Mal to the sixteen year old climbing in after her Harper nodded “I’m in.”
*
“Okay so you have to keep these on your wrists at all times,” Shuri said fixing the band to Mal’s wrist before tucking her sleeve over it and stepping down from the platform they were standing on “It’ll help me keep track of how you are, how things are going.”
“To see whether or not we’ve fucked up and need to be brought back?”
Mal let out a sigh and rolled her eyes as she adjusted her sleeve some more “We’re not going to mess up Harper.”
“Well look who’s been spending too much time with Captain Rogers.”
“The person who knows his name is Steve?”
“Okay, okay who is the teenager here?” Shuri asked raising her voice and her arms into a shrug “Now do you want to time travel or am I sending you to your rooms?” she asked letting out a laugh when she didn’t receive a reply “You know what you’re supposed to be doing?”
“Not really,” Harper answered with a shrug as Mal spoke at the same time.
“Locate Peggy and warn her about Hydra infiltrating Shield.”
Harper’s eyebrows raised as she slowly turned to Mal “I’m sorry, we have to find Peggy?” she asked resting her hands on her hips as Mal avoided her gaze “So that’s why you’ve asked me along.”
“Please just get this thing going,” Mal said directing her plea to Shuri and keeping her eyes away from the smug look on Harper’s face. Dropping her gaze down to the gadget Shuri had attached to her she let out a sigh “I don’t think we-” her sentence trailed off as she glanced back up and noticed the sudden different surroundings “-have alot of time…”
“So,” Harper began stepping closer to Mal’s side “Shuri is all about surprises. What do we do now?”
Letting out a sigh Mal tucked her sleeve over the band on her wrist and glanced around the darkened street they found themselves in “We find Peggy I guess,” she said with a shrug nodding her head for Harper to follow her “Steve told me about this bar they would all go to when they had downtime. I told Shuri to place us nearby in the hope we’d be able to bump into them quicker.”
“In a place with alcohol, good choice,” Harper replied hurrying to keep up with the agent on a mission “Listen will you just...tone it down?” she asked reaching out and grasping onto Mal’s arm to get her to stop “You’re not Agent Coben here, you keep acting like this we’ll be noticed in a second.”
Taking in a deep breath Mal nodded “Yeah, yeah I guess you’re right,” she said smoothing her hands down her skirt “Y’know you remembering some of your training is really helpful.”
“Thanks mom,” Harper answered with a smirk and a roll of her eyes as Mal hooked her arm around her and pulled her in for a squeeze “Now we just look like two drunk weirdos hugging in the street,” she continued, her voice muffled from where she had her face smushed against Mal’s shoulder.
Stepping apart Harper sent Mal a smile before she made her way over to the window of the bar they were standing by. Stepping up onto her toes she peered inside “Okay, we’re not going to freak out alright?” she asked as she turned back around to face Mal and waved her over “We have a mission and we’re going to stick to it,” she said with a pointed look before she tapped her finger against the window “Steve and Bucky are sat by the bar.”
They stood there for another couple of seconds before Mal nudged Harper’s arm with her elbow “Better get on with it,” she said with a smile. Butterflies fluttered nervously in her stomach as both she and Harper made their way around to the front door.
This was the Captain America she had learned all about from her father. The Captain America all of her childhood stories contained. It wasn’t even like she was seeing her Steve she was meeting some kind of fictional hero and she couldn’t help but feel a bit jittery about it.
It was noisy in the pub as they pushed their way through the door. With neither of them really knowing what was going to happen and how they were going to go about doing this it was as though each other’s nervous energy was pushing them forward.
“Go ask the main man about Peggy,” Harper said leaning over to talk quietly into Mal’s ear. Sending her a smile she let out a long breath before she turned to where Bucky was saving him and his best friend a table “Anyone sitting here?”
Her breath caught in her throat and her heart jumped as he glanced up from where he’d been picking at a stray piece of fabric on his uniform. He looked confused for a second but when his eyes met hers a grin stretched across his face “You?” he asked stretching his leg out and nudging the chair to push it out for her.
He looked so different it took her breath away as she sat down opposite him. Of course his hair was shorter and he was wearing an army uniform but there was also something more. He wasn’t carrying the weight of being a hydra assassin on his shoulders, he seemed lighter and she had to stop herself from reaching across to touch him.
“So what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this huh?” he asked as he leaned with his elbows on the table.
Her head tilted to one side as she too leaned with her arms on the tabletop “I’m here with my friend,” she said glancing behind her to where she was proud to see that Mal was actually speaking with Steve.
“Chatting with Captain America huh,” Bucky said, the only hint to his voice was that of admiration for his friend as he followed Harper’s gaze “You sure you wanna be chatting to little old me?”
“Don’t say that,” Harper answered a little too quickly, clearing her throat and shaking her head slightly as he looked to her with a slight smirk on his lips “I mean...I’m sure you’re okay. For a chat over a beer,” she corrected unable to keep the smile off her face.
Over by the bar Mal wasn’t having as much luck at striking up a conversation. Steve was standing right beside her, one arm leaning on the bar and that dopey, amazing smile on his face as he listened to the barman ramble on about Captain America.
She had wished her entire life that she could meet the Steve Rogers she had heard about when she was a kid but now she was standing right beside him the words just wouldn’t come to her lips.
“I actually think this lovely lady was next.”
Mal jumped slightly at the sound of his voice. She knew the tone almost too well, he was pretending to be confident Cap when really he was pushing through his shy nature “Malia,” she said offering her hand out to him and trying not to blush when he took it “I think my friend is sitting with yours,” she continued in a whisper before telling the bartender her order “I, uhm, is it just him you’re here with?”
“Bucky? Yeah just him and the rest of my squad,” he said glancing around the bar to where the other Howling Commandos were stationed, chatting to various people in the room “Are you looking for anyone in particular?”
Before she could even open her mouth, and as though it was written in some god awful book, the sound of heels on the wooden floor caught all of their attentions and Peggy Carter entered the room.
Mal was pretty sure she had never felt as nervous as she did in that moment. Her jealousy radar was going off the scale and, as much as she wished she could look away, she couldn’t stop herself from noticing the look in Steve’s eyes when he saw her.
“Miss Carter,” she blurted out before her brain gave her a better greeting, just knowing her cheekbones were burning a bright red when Peggy turned to look at her with a questioning expression “I, uhm, I have a message from Stark.”
Peggy’s eyebrows furrowed but she nodded her head “Follow me,” she said turning back to where she had appeared from and waving for Mal to come with her. As they passed the table Harper and Bucky were sat at Mal was thankful to hear her friend make her apologies and get up onto her feet.
“Agents Coben and Rhodes,” Mal said once they were round the corner and out of sight “Not much of this is going to make sense to you but we’re here to warn you about Hydra.”
Much to their surprise Peggy made sure they had her full interest. She didn’t think they were crazy and listened to every single concern they had about Hydra infiltrating Shield. She didn’t even question how they knew what Shield was about.
“I can assure you both that we’re taking all the precautions we can,” Peggy said crossing her arms and regarding the two with just slight suspicion “If Howard Stark has any issues with how I am running things you tell him he can come to me himself.”
“Of course,” Harper answered with a nod of her head “But for now I think he would like to speak with you. He said to meet in his office,” she continued with a sweet smile, the three of them exchanging pleasantries before Peggy made her way back out of the bar “Well that was easy!”
“Almost too easy,” Mal answered craning her neck to see Peggy slip out of the back door “Why’d you send her away?”
“Because if Peggy Carter isn’t going to take us seriously I know two guys who will,” she explained jabbing her thumb over her shoulder “And we came here so you could meet 40s Steve.”
“Actually we came here-”
“Malia.”
Mal let out a laugh and reached over to jab Harper in the arm “Okay but we can’t stay long, is your band also heating up a little?” she asked rubbing her hand over her wrist “I’m pretty sure that’s Shuri saying time is running out.”
Making their way back to into the main room of the bar the two girls split up. Mal making her way back over to Steve, her heart lifting when he greeted her with a smile. He was everything her father had told her about and more. His heart full and yet to be broken, his view on the world not shattered as of yet and, as much as she loved every single thing about her Steve back home, it just felt so good to see this version of him. A version of him that still viewed the world with hopeful eyes.
Opposite them and sat back at the table Harper was laughing at a story Bucky was telling her. It was so hard for her to spend time with him when she knew what would happen in the near future but at the same time it was so amazing to see him with such a light and carefree attitude.
“I have to go,” she said as she got to her feet “It was lovely meeting you though James,” she continued as he too stood, a surprised noise leaving her as he tugged her into a hug. Her eyes closed and her chin leaned on his shoulder “Be careful out there,” she said in a whisper “Especially, y’know, with trains.”
She knew she shouldn’t but she couldn’t help herself. She knew that he had to become the winter soldier for them to get the chance to meet but, in that moment, she just wished she could give him the gift of being happy without having to go through all of that torture.
“It was lovely meeting you too doll,” he said with that lopsided grin that made her heart soar “And trains? Sure why not,” he answered even though the confusion was evident on his face “I’ll watch out for...trains?”
They shared a laugh, her’s a little watery with emotion she was trying so hard to hide, before she patted him on the arm (a real arm on his left side) and turned to grab Mal.
“So just, y’know, maybe make the shield a little bigger? Your legs are just too vulnerable Steve.”
“Come on M, we gotta bounce,” Harper said reaching over to grasp onto her friend’s arm. Smiling up to Steve she had to force herself to not ask him all of the questions she had “We’ll see you round,” she said quickly, the two of them hurrying out of the bar before Shuri could burn their hands off.
“Okay S we’re-” Mal was cut off as she opened her eyes from a blink to see they were surrounded by Shuri’s lab once more, the teenager grinning to them from across the room.
“And?”
“Message received,” Mal said stepping down from the platform they were standing on and staggering slightly “But you gotta stop with the surprises. Don’t know if I’m coming or going!”
“Yes, yes missions and time travel,” Shuri said with a wave of her hand “Now. Tell me about 40s Steve and Bu-” she paused for a second as she glanced around the room “Where’s Harper?”
Mal smiled “She’ll have gone to see Bucky.”
*
Harper was quiet as she slowly opened his door. Bucky had come out of the ice a week previous but Shuri had been insistent that he was still learning control. He and Harper were allowed to see one another but it had been such a long time since they were alone.
“Hey,” he said with a soft smile as she poked her head in around his door “You okay?”
She blinked back the tears which had sprung to her eyes as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her “I just...needed to see you,” she said sitting down on his right side and smiling as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, leaning down so her head was on his chest.
He placed a kiss on the side of her head “I’m glad I didn’t listen to your advice by the way,” he said in a whisper and her eyes widened “Without the train and the winter soldier I never would have met you.”
Except, Steve had only left Natasha a few minutes earlier so he knew that she hadn’t seen Mal, either.
I tag @rhaenystargaryen411, @abcbarricadeboys, @waiting-for-gadots, @siriussblackx (i know you’ve already been tagged but i’m tagging you again because i can), @chlobenet and @neverbess!
opening credits: Echo –Girls Can’t Catchmeeting for the first time: One Life – Boyce Avenuehey, i kinda like you: Never Be The Same – Camila Cabelloi’m going to kiss you now: Roc Me Out – Rihanna (…omg Steve)falling in love: Always and Forever – Canaan Smithyour place or mine: Something Great – One Directionnaked in bed: Here and Now - Stepsfirst fight: New Americana – Halsey maybe we should take a break: No Strings Attached - NSynci want you back: You Make Loving Fun – Fleetwood Macwill you marry me: Empty Wallets – 5soswe’re getting older: Back From The Edge – James Arthurif you die i’ll go with you: Hopelessly Devoted to You – Olivia Newton-Johnend credits: What About Now – Westlife
