▋ 𝑫𝑰𝑺𝑻𝑹𝑬𝑺𝑺 𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑵𝑨𝑳 𝑰𝑵𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑰𝑵𝑮 . . . . . ❛ everyone gets theirs wings clipped at some point. ❜ 𝙁𝙍𝙊𝙈 @tekhne . . . ( a meme somewhere in the abyss ) ┘
The winter wind made forward with claws, urgent in its need to rip but toward what end ? The tail ends of jacket billowed as a snarl furrowed on the concluding lines of his lips. The wind settled suddenly but no calm dominated the surroundings, instead the eeriness of quick, sharp silence when everything ceased tumbling and screaming from the flogging assault. Lessons fell hard from the likes of Frank Castle. Bullet fragments and shell casings tumbled free from mouth, and Steve was left the unwilling recipient as they fell on his face, on his ears. Either the tides had turned, red and blue, or grave times surrounded the sentinel of liberty.
It was a swift punch in the gut, and the raw vulnerability bordering on anger was amplified by the vulnerability of his attire. If they had met armor to armor, uniform to uniform, an unspoken wall of unfamiliarity would have kept emotions at ease, yet Steve was present in his civilian clothing, and it was all too intimate. Yes, they knew each other beyond the symbols and weapons, but it was easy to hide behind an identity. Steve had prided himself on being JUST a man, always fighting for a goal, for a dream, but a mere man nonetheless.
He did not wish to be just a man in front of Castle, a man who so crudely misshapen justice as sick vengeance. Who would have thought Frank as the type to shove an injured man’s face into a heap of shit, at least figuratively. Steve did not mask his disdain; it was almost as if being around a man such as Frank brought out the sour in him who wanted to spit at the ground. He didn’t, of course.
❝ Does it make you happy to see my name being dragged in the mud ? Honestly, I thought you had better things to do, or. . maybe it feels good giving the speech instead of listening to it. ❞ The wind stirred slowly, deceptively, then reached with those claws again, and the cold nights air gripped him straight to the bones. Steve balled hands into the pockets of his jacket. Two forces assaulted him that night.