“You’re here, princess.” hi remember how we talked about this for a good hour
❝ did’ya really think i’d let you fight by yourself, now, did you ?? ❞
when TASKED with assembling his battalion, steve could think of NONE other who deserved a spot on his team than katie. they’d practically GROWN up together, the brooklyn beanpoles people called them. even if they were SMALL &. a little SICKLY ( that was mostly STEVE ), they NEVER abandoned each other in a fight. no one ELSE would stick up for them, so why not stand up for each OTHER ?? clearly, pidge HADN’T been expecting to see him, or to see him looking like THIS, taller, stronger, &. more ready to FIGHT than ever before.
his steps are RAPID but he does his BEST not to jostle her &. cause MORE pain than she’s ALREADY feeling. it looks BAD, but steve’s trying DESPERATELY to cling to any scrap of hope. she’s been SHOT, from what he can tell, nowhere IMMEDIATELY lethal, but given TIME could be DEADLY. anxiety THRUMS in his veins, making his heart race &. his eyes WATER. he CAN’T lose her, not like THIS. but her eyes are CLOSING &. he’s beginning to PANIC. the medical tent’s in SIGHT, just a little longer, he’s BEGGING her to hold on a little longer, he’s ALMOST there.
but her QUIET &. breathy voice makes him stop, heart nearly STOPPING in his chest. her HANDS had fallen from the bleeding WOUND in her torso, &. steve had to look HARD to even see if she was breathing anymore. he COULDN’T lose her, not here, not like THIS. the military had already taken so MUCH from her, how IRONICALLY fitting it would be for them to take her LIFE as well. disrupting his thoughts, a tiny, SHAKING hand reaches up, weakly settling on his face &. leaving a CRIMSON smear in its wake.
‘....kick some ass, stevie.....for me.’
&. just like THAT, his friend, no his SISTER, katie’s hand fell from his face, falling LIMPLY to hang over where he HELD her. she COULDN’T be dead, he wouldn’t LET her. the shock of seeing the LIFE die in eyes that were once so WARM is numbing, so much so that he doesn’t realize just how much it HURTS. it’s a PHYSICAL pain, his chest is aching &. throbbing with every BEAT of his heart, as if it wanted to STOP like hers had. the pain is CRIPPLING &. he cradles her as close as he can, hanging his head.
the pain brings him to his KNEES, the impact making a puddle splash up &. STAIN his uniform, but he can’t find it within himself to CARE. before he knows it, he’s SOBBING in the pouring rain, rocking a now LIFELESS katie back &. forth. he’s never FELT pain like this before, not even when his MOTHER died. but with SARAH, he’d known, he’d been able to PREPARE himself for it. this was too SUDDEN. how exactly did you prepare to watch your FAMILY bleed out in your arms ??
as BEST he can, steve COMPOSES himself, eyes dull &. rimmed RED from crying. the other commandos don’t MENTION it, &. he leaves her BODY with them to take care of. he has some UNFINISHED business. with the SERUM in his veins, it’s a SHORT run back &. he hears the sounds of GUNS cocking in his direction. but he didn’t CARE.
history would remember them BOTH as war heroes.
but they would NEVER hear the story of how captain america, with just his SHIELD &. the discarded weapons of HYDRA soldiers, eliminated an ENTIRE HYDRA base camp in his grief, of how captain america’s PAIN drove him to KILL.
